A First Look at Slovenia’s 2025 Ljubljana Coffee Festival

Last updated Aug 11, 2025

A photo of people cupping coffee at last year’s Ljubljana Coffee Festival.

Here’s what to expect at the 2025 edition of Slovenia’s biggest coffee event.

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of Ljubljana Coffee Festival

Every September, a particular kind of buzz brews in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia—and it’s not just the caffeine. Tucked within the elegant halls of the City Museum, the Ljubljana Coffee Festival returns September 20–21, 2025, promising a weekend that blends world-class coffee, cutting-edge ideas, and an unmistakable sense of community.

For nearly a decade now, the festival has become a cornerstone of Slovenia’s growing specialty coffee scene—a scene that’s evolving rapidly, shaped by curious newcomers, ambitious professionals, and returning diaspora who see coffee as a creative bridge between cultures.

Visitors gather in the inner courtyard of Ljubljana’s City Museum, where centuries-old architecture meets the energy of Slovenia’s growing specialty coffee scene.

Coffee Tastings & So Much More

What began in 2016 as a local showcase has become a vital stop for roasters, baristas, and coffee lovers across Europe. The 2025 edition is expected to be the largest yet, with unlimited tastings from top Slovenian and international roasters, immersive cupping labs, and a buzzing Roasters Village that brings everything from green beans to cutting-edge grinders under one roof.

If you like a little competition with your crema, there’s plenty to see: the Barista Battle Challenge puts skilled baristas through espresso, latte art, cupping, and signature drink rounds. Meanwhile, the Latte Art Throwdown delivers knockout-style drama (and some incredibly steady hands).

A photo of the crowd at the Barista Battle Chalenge, part of last year’s Ljubljana Coffee Festival. — Baristas bring both skill and showmanship to the Barista Battle Challenge, where precision and creativity are tested.

For those who prefer a slower pace, the Sensory Room offers a quieter—and deeper—exploration of taste and aroma, with guest importers, scientists, and sensory specialists leading sessions on everything from fermentation to water chemistry.

And if you’re trying to improve your own barista game, there’s no shortage of hands-on workshops hosted by Akademija Stow, catering to both home brewers and seasoned pros.

A close-up of someone cupping coffee at the Ljubljana Coffee Festival. — The Sensory Room offers a quiet space for deep focus, where curated cuppings and guided tastings push the boundaries of flavor.

Inside the Lab

At the heart of the festival is The Lab, a curated lecture and workshop series featuring some of the brightest minds in coffee today. Expect coffee scientists presenting new sensory research, World Barista Champions unpacking sustainability trends, and entrepreneurs mapping out values-driven business models.

It’s the kind of space where someone working a café shift one week might walk away thinking differently about roast profiling, fermentation, or even the economics of direct trade the next.

“Our goal is to bring research and passion together—to make the science of coffee feel alive, and show how it applies whether you’re running a roastery, opening your first café, or just getting curious about your morning pour-over,” says Peter Ševic, organizer of the Ljubljana Coffee Festival.

Attendees of the Ljublajana Coffee Festival gather for a presentation. — In The Lab, attendees explore everything from fermentation and roast profiling to sustainability and the future of coffee education.

Coffee and Culinary Professionals Unite

One of the most anticipated events of this year’s festival is the return of the Panel Forum on Specialty Coffee & Haute Cuisine—a lively, high-level conversation that draws together world-class chefs, producers, and coffee professionals to rethink how coffee fits into the world of fine dining.

Held inside The Lab, the 2025 panel explores how coffee can move beyond dessert pairings and into the creative heart of the culinary experience.

Confirmed speakers include:

Carolyne Lane, Head of Noma Kaffe
Liz Escobar, Colombian coffee producer, roaster and chef
Patrik Rolf, founder of April Coffee, known for Michelin-level tasting menus
Morten Munchow, coffee scientist and founder of CoffeeMind
David Žefran, head chef at Slovenia’s Michelin-starred Milka Restaurant

Panel discussion speakers at the Ljubljana Coffee Festival. — Last year’s closing panel brought together industry leaders like James Hoffmann, Tim Wendelboe, and Dale Harris, together with three Slovenian chefs, for a packed, thought-provoking discussion.

The discussion will delve into trends, challenges, and innovations at the intersection of coffee and cuisine. Think: multi-course pairings, culinary fermentation, and what it would mean to treat coffee with the same reverence as wine in gastronomic settings.

For chefs, sommeliers, and coffee professionals alike, the panel offers a rare chance to engage with global leaders and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

An outside view of the City Museum in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where the Ljubljana Coffee Festival is held. — The historic City Museum of Ljubljana provides a stunning backdrop for a weekend of coffee, culture, and conversation.

A Coffee Festival with Soul

There’s a quiet confidence to this year’s Ljubljana Coffee Festival—an energy that suggests something is clicking into place. Slovenia may still be a small market, but its ambitions are global, and its community is tight-knit and eager to learn.

The festival feels like a meeting point for ideas, experiments, and future collaborators. It’s a space where curiosity is rewarded, where origin meets innovation—and where the future of specialty coffee is being thoughtfully shaped.

For tickets and full program details, visit ljubljanacoffeefestival.si.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work.

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Source: Barista Magazine