If you perceive coffee not only as a habit, but as culture, quality, knowledge, meetings and experience — then this year’s GR8 Coffee Festival 2026 will bring you exactly what is worth stopping, listening, tasting and connecting.

 

In its third edition, the GR8 Coffee Festival, which takes place on April 16 and 17, 2026 at the Antunović Congress Center in Zagreb, enters a new phase of development as a more focused HoReCa B2B format. Less festival noise, and more content that has real value for the hospitality industry, the specialty scene, partners and an audience that wants to know more.

 

This year’s program brings a combination of education, conversation, innovation, tasting, community and experience, and during the two festival days, topics that the sector really lives today are opened: water, quality, personnel, new technologies, operational solutions and the future of the HoReCa scene.

 

See below what awaits you at this year’s GR8 Coffee Festival.

 

16^th of April 2026. – Thursday

 

The first day of the festival brings a strong program focus on education, HoReCa topics, specialty scene and innovations. The day opens with the session “From plant to cup: coffee botany and cupping”, led by Peter Šević from STOW Coffee, one of the recognizable names of the regional specialty coffee scene. It is an ideal start for anyone who wants to understand more deeply the origin, structure and tasting of coffee.

This is followed by the round table “Who will work tomorrow? Between education and practice: what we (don’t) learn about hospitality”, which opens one of the key issues of the domestic hospitality sector. Ivana Šalinović, professor from Aspira Polytechnic, Lana Herman, student from Aspira Polytechnic, Mario Majcen, professor, bartender and catering expert, and Marijo Karlica, entrepreneur and restaurateur from Bellucci Concept, participate in the conversation.

The BRITA Water Academy, an educational block dedicated to water as the basis of beverage quality, has a particularly important place in the program. Through a professional approach to water, Damjan and Nik Jurjevčić from Fisti d.o.o., with the participation of Peter Šević, open the topic of the influence of water on the taste, consistency and long-term stability of equipment.

In the afternoon part of the program, there will be a conversation “A real story from hospitality” with Zlatko Balaška, dedicated to experience, decisions, challenges and what is behind a hospitality journey. It’s one of those conversations that doesn’t bring theory, but actual experience.

 

The day closes with the session “What’s hidden in the cup: how AI is changing coffee quality standards”, in which Miroslav Kovač from Specialty.AI shows how visual analysis of coffee and beverage becomes a new source of data for quality, consistency and better user experience. This is one of the most interesting technological advances of the program, which connects the coffee world and the future of the hospitality industry.

 

17^th of  April 2026. – Friday

The second day of the festival emphasizes innovation, beverage segment, HoReCa talks and community. The program opens the round table “Innovations in catering: what is really changing the game today”, in which METRO / DISH Pay Now will present a practical approach to digital solutions that can help the daily operation of catering facilities. Through specific examples and a demo format, this topic provides a look at tools that can improve operational flow and business efficiency.

 

After the space for networking and a tour of the festival contents, there will be a Beverage session / cocktail / matcha moment, an open format that gives additional energy to the second day and expands the story beyond the coffee itself.

 

In the second part of the afternoon, there will be an “Industry conversation: where is the coffee and HoReCa scene going?”, an open conversation about the market, changes, collaborations and new opportunities. Even on the second day, the festival remains a meeting place for professionals, partners, restaurateurs and all those who want to understand where the scene is going and what really makes sense today.

 

Friday ends with final meetings and networking, an informal closing of the festival and a space for meeting partners, exhibitors and guests.

 

During both days of the festival

In addition to the official program, visitors can also expect special festival contents during both days that further enrich the festival experience.

This year, the Kingdom of Morocco has a special place, an honorary partner country, which has been with the GR8 Coffee Festival from the very beginning and for the third year in a row it brings a recognizable cultural and hospitality signature. Visitors can expect the ritual preparation of green tea with mint and the tasting of oriental sweets, content that was also one of the most notable festival experiences in previous years. This segment brings together tradition, culture and the Mediterranean basin, creating a special feeling of hospitality and meeting.

During the festival, there will be special tasting and experience content such as Mushroom Cups through the tasting of functional coffee with medicinal mushroom extracts, Brachatella through tasting and sales, and Stellaart with its unique ceramic cups.

In the festival space, there will also be partners who bring specific solutions for the bar, beverage and HoReCa segment, among them AB Plan (Fiorenzato, BFC, Latte Art Factory), Pako Pak (Kimbo, Sanremo, Markibar) and Smoothiebarmen (Alpina, Übermilk, HealthyBar cocktails and mocktails).

 

GR8 Coffee Week

This year, instead of the third day of the festival, GR8 Coffee Festival comes to town through GR8 Coffee Week, a special activation under the auspices of the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb.

In the week before the festival, Zagreb will live to the rhythm of coffee through GR8 Coffee Week — a city activation that connects selected catering facilities, the festival audience and the city’s coffee scene. Through special drinks, tastings, pairings, guest appearances and other coffee moments, the participating establishments will create their own interpretation of the GR8 Coffee Week atmosphere.

GR8 Coffee Week was conceived as an introduction to the festival and an invitation to the audience to get to know the places, people and energy that make Zagreb’s coffee culture alive through the city. On those days, the city becomes an extension of the festival story — through favorite rituals, new discoveries and small moments that make coffee more than everyday.

The list of included outlets and their activations will be published later.

 

See you at GR8 Coffee Festival 2026

GR8 Coffee Festival 2026 brings two content-strong festival units and a city introduction through GR8 Coffee Week — a combination of expertise, quality, specialty scene, partners, innovations and an atmosphere that celebrates coffee in a serious but lively way.

If you are interested in the people, ideas, products, conversations and experiences that shape the coffee and HoReCa scene today, see you on April 16 and 17, 2026 at the Antunović Congress Center in Zagreb.

Tickets are available through the Entrio platform.