The upcoming Ljubljana Coffee Festival is bringing some prominent specialty coffee professionals from throughout Europe together this Sept. 21-22 in Slovenia.

Taking place at the City Museum of Ljubljana, in Slovenia’s capital and largest city, the festival promises to blend specialty coffee and haute cuisine in a program geared towards coffee pros and enthusiasts alike, according to the organizers.

Highlights will include a barista competition, a latte art competition, a sensory room with coffee tastings curated by importers, a lecture series exploring trends and innovations throughout the specialty coffee chain, a roaster village with equipment and brewing displays and a “Slovenian Roasters’ Place” highlighting the coffees and talents of Slovenian roasters.

One of the event’s big draws is likely to be a panel discussion on the evening of Sept. 21 called the Specialty Coffee & Haute Cuisine Panel Forum. The event will bring together world-renowned coffee pros and chefs from some of Slovenia’s finest restaurants to explore the intersection of specialty coffee and high-end cuisine.

The panel will feature coffee names such as James Hoffmann, Tim Wendelboe and Dale Harris, and Slovenian chefs Tomaž Bratovž, Igor Jagodic and Mojmir Šiftar. Journalist Vasileia Fanarioti will moderate.

According to the organizers, the panel will explore the challenges of integrating specialty coffee into established restaurants, as well as opportunities for coffee purveyors to enhance offerings and adapt to seasonality and freshness.

A special food and coffee tasing event taking place at Restaurant Strelec on the evening of Sept. 20 will lead into the festival.

Pioneering Slovenian specialty coffee company Stow Coffee Roasters created the first iteration of the volunteer-led festival in 2016, and it has since grown to find support from key sponsors such as La Marzocco, Mahlkönig, Brita, Alpro and more.

“The festival’s goal is to create one of the strongest professional programs, thereby helping to elevate the quality of Slovenia’s specialty coffee scene,” Peter Ševič, the festival director and AST Trainer at the Stow coffee academy, told DCN.

Tickets for the main festival start at €20 for single days, or €30 for both days, plus €20 for the haute cuisine panel.