How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! The Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival was back for year number 2, and let me tell you it just keeps getting bigger and better each year! If you read my review of last year’s event you will recall the incredible experience we had. This year, we were a bit short on time and spent just under three hours at the festival, but it was still well worth the reasonable cost of admission!
The Event
Now in its second year, the Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival has already seen significant growth, expanding from 100 vendors in its first year to 140 in year two. The organizers did a great job again this year managing the crowds and getting everyone inside quickly. Even though the line was longer than last year, we were on the festival floor within five minutes of the doors opening, an impressive feat given the turnout. This year’s event once again offered something for everyone, with an abundance of coffee and chocolate vendors, kid-friendly crafts and activities, and plenty of other delicious options including wine, food, and baked goods.
Most importantly (at least according to my toddler) Chunk and Bean were back again and this time they even had a book to go along with their lovable mascots! Despite these additions, the prices remained the same with a general admission ticket costing $16, which gets you into 1 day of the event. The VIP experience was $35 once again, giving you access to both days of the event along with special perks like admission an hour early, an exclusive canvas tote bag, and a copy of the previously mentioned Chunk and Bean book.
The layout remained the same with rows of tables the length of the event space with an aisle in-between. The vendors were organized the same way too with different types of vendors spread amongst the chocolate and coffee vendors. This again helped the crowds to be dispersed amongst each row instead of causing high traffic areas in certain spots. The festival was crowded, but each table had minimal wait times.
The Vendors
With 140 Vendors in attendance, of course there is no way I can highlight every single one, but in addition to the great people we met last year, like Semilla Coffee Roasters, B-Cups Coffee, and Barracks Baristas, some incredible local roasters were there this year as well. Of course we absolutely had to stop by the One Village Coffee table, but unfortunately due to time constraints we missed Pear Tree Coffee Roasters and Valerio Coffee, each of whom also have excellent coffees.
In addition to enjoying a ton of coffee, we also treated ourselves to some delicious chocolate as well, including delicious Everbars, tasty Wholehearted Truffles, and stepped outside our comfort zone a bit and tried some pickle fudge from Your Chocolate Guys. As a coffee blogger I will admit, I get a little distracted by all of the great roasters and forget to stop and treat myself to the chocolate, but what we did try was great.
For guests looking to take a seat and rest their feet, Mad Catter Coffee had his coffee lab in full swing offering awesome classes like latte art demos and lessons, cupping experiences, and tips for making better coffee. In the adjacent lecture style room a variety of chocolate vendors gave presentations on topics such as how chocolate is harvested and produced, and how a chocolate’s origin can influence its flavor.
While we didn’t make it to as many tables as we did last year, we didn’t notice any tables not giving samples, something we saw quite a few of last year. I was happy to see there weren’t vendors making that mistake, as I felt bad seeing the people working those tables standing there with little to nobody visiting them.
Overall Thoughts on the Event
After having such a great experience last year, I was thrilled to return to the Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival, and it definitely did not disappoint. The organizers stuck with the things that made last year’s festival a success while adding a ton of new vendors. Expanding the merchandise offerings and building on the popularity of Chunk and Bean were also great decisions. While we didn’t get a chance to attend any of Mad Catter’s classes, offering guests, especially coffee enthusiasts, the opportunity to learn how to create latte art or improve their home brewing game was a phenomenal addition.
The Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival is a can’t-miss event and one of the things I look forward to every September. The changes made to the this years event and the growth of the vendors show the organizers’ commitment to making the event great and despite already being widely popular, I think this is an event that will continue to attract larger and larger crowds. The combination of high quality coffee vendors, delicious chocolate and snacks, and fun activities for kids make this a premier family friendly event.
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