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33 www.baristamagazine.com SIGEP REFLECTS ITALY'S EXPLODING SPECIALTY MARKET UNDER COLD, BLUE, late-January skies, tens of thousands of people headed toward the mammoth and sprawling Rimini Fiera, the modern convention center located just on the outskirts of the Adriatic coastal town of Rimini, Italy, for the 37 th edition of SIGEP, a trade show dedicated to gelato, confections, baked goods, and, more recently, coffee. The number of attendees is staggering: The organization reports a record 201,321 visitors over the five days of the event. Along with the hundreds of stands and booths—many of them extravagant, multistory constructions, multimedia experiences, or a combination of both—the cavernous convention halls also held multiple competitions and events, at which huge crowds inevitably gathered. For example, under the stunning wood rotunda just past the main entrance, huge stadium-seat risers held hundreds of people while 13 national teams—each with a separate booth to work in and a video board above it to record their scores in real time—battled to take the Gelato World Cup crown. One of the highlights was side-by-side ice carving, complete with chainsaws, by members of two teams, while in the background, chefs worked on delicate, towering ice cream creations. Other national teams in other parts of the colossal building meanwhile competed for titles in baking, cake decorating, pizza making, and of course, coffee preparation. The Italian Coffee Championships for cup tasting, roasting, Brewers Cup, latte art, Coffee In Good Spirits, ibrik, and barista competition, all took place over the course of the event. At the barista championship, Angelo Segoni beat out two-time defending national champion Giacomo Vannelli, using an Ethiopian coffee from Ninety Plus, roasted by his good friend Eduardo Quarta from Edo Quarta Coffee Roasters. Angelo's signature drink caused some consternation when, as he assembled it, a high-pressure spray shot out across the judges. As his supporters cried in despair, Angelo remained calm, cleaned up the best he could, finished serving his drink, and continued his routine. Look for that cool composure and amazing coffee from Angelo when he represents Italy at the World Barista Championship in Dublin, Ireland, in June. Newly crowned Barista Champion of Italy, Angelo Segoni, raises his arms in victory. Angelo beat out two-time defending champion Giacomo Vannelli for the title with his Ethiopian coff ee from Ninety Plus, roasted by Eduardo Quarta from Edo Quarta Coff ee Roasters.