This past weekend, Grand Rapids held the U.S. Barista Championship Preliminaries for the Midwest region. Hosted by Ferris Coffee, baristas brought their very best over the course of four days. It was exciting to have a myriad of old and new faces flood the city, running into long-time friends and making new ones each day.
As part of the weekend festivities, Madcap had the opportunity to host the official Saturday evening event. We knew this presented a unique opportunity, and set our minds to brainstorming a number of unique possibilities. Although we love a good party, we wanted to create an event that fused depth, partnership, and dialogue in a way that was approachable and available for our guests.
Out of this desire was born Madcap Presents. A long-standing dream of Madcap’s CEO, Trevor Corlett, Madcap Presents was designed to bring voices in the community from a variety of spheres under one roof and talk about their mutual experiences building businesses and creative endeavors. Within the coffee industry, many coffee professionals find themselves as business owners and creators themselves, and with those parallels, we thought that Madcap Presents would be a great fit for the audience.
we wanted to create an event that fused depth, partnership, and dialogue in a way that was approachable and available for our guests.
Businesses represented that evening included The Sovengard, Carbon Stories, Irie Kitchen, Vault of Midnight, Brewery Vivant, Long Road Distillers, and Field & Fire, each with their own unique story to tell. Elissa Hillary from Local First artfully guided the conversation, evoking vulnerability and humor throughout the night, eventually opening up the conversation for a Q&A with the audience. It was clear that for those on the panel that evening, grit, a sense of humor, and a desire to leave their world better than they found it were essential elements of their success that kept moving them forward.
Looking ahead, we are excited to see where Madcap Presents takes us. Our hope is that it can be a resource for those doers, thinkers, and influencers to share their vision with the community, over a bit of food and drink. For our part, it is a privilege to exist in the same sphere, as we find ourselves inspired by the work of these panelists. If you want to stay in the loop regarding the next Madcap Presents, sign up for our newsletter here.
