Sweet success: Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival celebrates 15 years

When the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest began, it was a way for Dean Strober and his wife Lena Strober to enjoy the type of event they always wanted the city to have.

Now, the festival is enjoying its 15th edition, where 200 vendors of chocolate, coffee and gourmet foods will be gathered at Expo New Mexico on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, to show their best offerings to New Mexicans.

“The event traditionally tracks upwards of about 22,000 people over the two days, making it the largest chocolate and coffee festival in the world based on the number of vendors and number of attendees,” Strober said.

Attendees will have the opportunity to scour the event for their favorite sweet treats. Strober said for those who have not attended before, it’s as easy as approaching the front gate because from there, “you are handed some chocolate, so it’s a pretty sweet entrance.”

Throughout the festival, guests can sample both local and national vendors who specialize in gourmet offerings. Strober said the appeal is all in the promise of tasting good food and unique chocolates and coffees that attendees may otherwise not know about.

But the festival is more than just sampling, Strober said. Guests can support local businesses and shop locally for some of their favorite items.

“You’re not going to find a Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts or Hershey’s at the event,” he said. “You’re going to discover chocolate companies and coffee companies you’ve never heard of doing things you’ve never imagined ... creating new flavors of coffee through scientific processes that you could have never imagined.”

Guests can do more than just sample a sweet treat.

Through a series of small and large group experiences, participants can get down to the science of creating a truffle from scratch, learn how different brewing methods can change the flavor profile of a cup of coffee or experience what wine samples pair best with desserts.

Guests can also observe free demonstrations from chocolatiers who have mastered the art and creation of chocolate.

“We love coffee, but when you go to buy a bag of coffee in a supermarket, you have no idea what you want to commit to,” Strober said. “This is an opportunity to really taste a lot of different types of coffees, learn about different coffee regions, processes, profiles and roasts.”

This year, the event will feature a Colombian coffee farmer who will conduct classes and presentations about the history and background of coffee beans, starting from the fields and ending at the processing portion of the journey.

Unlike previous years, the festival will also offer classes and programming throughout Albuquerque in the week leading up to the event via Sweet Week, which runs from Saturday, March 29, through Sunday, April 6.

Strober believes the event is not just educational, but positive for all people involved.

“I believe people leave the event far more educated about what they like and how to find it in both chocolate and coffee,” Strober said.

Sweet success: Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival celebrates 15 years