Reflecting on 2025-2026: Exploring Coffee Around the World
Over the past year, the UC Davis Coffee Center has continued its exploration of coffee and the industry surrounding it, traveling around the world to learn more about what goes into every cup. Here’s a look back at the 2025-2026 academic year and some of the places we traveled, people we met and connections we built globally.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Explore Cascara
In January 2026, the Coffee Center had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with the mission to explore new uses and potential sources of revenue for cascara, the coffee fruit that is often treated as a byproduct of coffee production.
The trip also provided an opportunity to document stories and perspectives from coffee-growing communities. The Coffee Center conducted several interviews throughout the trip that will be featured in the new “World Coffee Cultures” course, connecting students with firsthand perspectives from the coffee industry.
Costa Rica
The first stop on the Coffee Center’s trip to Central America was Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, the team visited the farm, Hacienda La Minita. Here, the farm’s current president, Russ Kramer, hosted our faculty on a tour of the farm and surrounding communities. This visit offered valuable insight into coffee production and provided an opportunity to learn more about the work taking place at the farm level.
Nicaragua
The next stop was to Nicaragua, where Edwin Rizo and his daughter, Flor, hosted the Coffee Center. Much of the research and exploration done by our team took place in Santa Clara, where the team continued investigating cascara and its potential applications.
San Diego for World of Coffee 2026
From April 10-12, 2026, the Coffee Center traveled to the San Diego Convention Center for World of Coffee, one of the coffee industry’s major gatherings. This event provided the opportunity to connect with many different coffee professionals, researchers, and others working across the industry.
During the event, Audrey Ressik, Head of the Food and Drink Collection at the UC Davis Library, conducted interviews with Kent Bakke, Honorary President and former longtime CEO of La Marzocco; George Howell, an influential figure who helped shape the modern coffee industry; Tim O’Connor, Board Chairman of La Marzocco and President of Pacific Espresso; and Lindsey Bolger, Coffee Industry Advisor. These conversations allowed insight into the experiences and perspectives of influential figures in coffee and their contributions to the coffee industry.
Seattle to Tour the Bakke Coffee Museum and La Marzocco Headquarters
In September 2025, the Coffee Center traveled to Seattle, Washington, for a tour of the Bakke Coffee Museum with Kent Bakke. The museum houses an extensive collection of more than 300 commercial espresso machines, offering a unique look at the history and evolution of espresso technology. The team also visited La Marzocco headquarters, a dedicated partner of the Coffee Center, where they gained a closer look at the equipment and technology that support the center’s everyday coffee research and education.
Continuing the Journey
From visits to Central American coffee farms to industry gatherings and collections dedicated to coffee history, the past year has taken the Coffee Center beyond the classroom. We look forward to continuing these travels and widening our growing understanding of coffee and the significance that it holds around the world.