VAROSH at The Charlotte Coffee Festival 2026: Our First Coffee Festival

October 13, 2026

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, we packed up the espresso machines, loaded the bags, and set up a VAROSH booth at Lenny Boy Brewing Co. on South Tryon Street for the 2026 The Charlotte Coffee Festival.

The Charlotte Coffee Festival was our first festival ever, and we're happy to share our experience with you!

We're used to people stopping by the roastery to try our coffee. We've trained baristas on installed espresso machines. But never have we stood behind a table for a full day and handed out cups of coffee to the community.

Here's how it went:

What is The Charlotte Coffee Festival?

The Charlotte Coffee Festival is the Queen City's biggest celebration of craft coffee, a full day bringing together local and national roasters, coffee shops, bakeries, tea and chai makers, and the people who love all of it.

The 2026 festival, by the numbers:

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Venue: Lenny Boy Co., South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC
Vendors: Over 50+ coffee roasters, cafes, and bakeries
The Schedule: Free coffee tastings, live DJ, a latte art competition, Charlotte Hornet cheerleaders, and coffee education presentations

VAROSH was among the many coffee roasters who attended the 2nd annual Charlotte Coffee Festival.

What we poured at the VAROSH booth

Coffee was at the center of the experience. We came prepared with a curated menu we believed people would enjoy.

So we built a full bar with a rebuilt Slayer espresso machine:

Espresso: pulled on our signature blend of Pure Gold
Lattes: including signature versions with syrups
Espresso tonic: the sleeper hit of any hot September afternoon
Cold brew: smooth, and moving fast by midday
Free pour-over samples: the slow, deliberate way to show what a single origin really tastes like
Free Turkish coffee samples: the oldest method at the table, and the one that started the most conversations
Others: Cappuccino, Iced Latte, Flat White and Cortado

We offered organic natural syrups from Proper (Vanilla, Caramel, Lavender & Simple) with whole milk and oat milk options.

The pour-overs and Turkish coffee were the pieces we cared most about. Brewing one in front of someone and talking them through it is how coffee has always actually been shared. Our Nitro Cold Brew was also a hit among the public, noted as being incredibly smooth.

Getting through the First Festival Nerves

We'll be honest. It's better to over prepare than under prepare. We spent weeks preparing for this event, from packaging the goods, investing in marketing materials, and making sure our set-up was in order.

Event started at 9am, but we got the team ready at 4 a.m. We met up at the coffee roastery, and headed to uptown Charlotte where we were the first vendors to arrive. Before the break of dawn, we were out there setting up the tent and making sure everything was organized before the first person walked up.

We were located in the back of the the coffee festival, but it wasn't long before the line started. Once it started, it did not go away. We were told we had one of the longest lines at the coffee festival. We appreciated everyone who came up and said hi, and given us the opportunity to tell our story.

We wanted to do something different. Something that stood out from the rest of the other vendors. That's why we displayed Turkish Coffee at the Charlotte Coffee Festival. Not many people get to experience this style of coffee, and to actually try it. This is what specialty coffee is all about.

Overall, the experience was great. When people asked where we roast, and many were surprised to learn that we are located in Indian Trail. Some of them were interested in doing business with us in the future, and we were happy they truly enjoy the taste of VAROSH coffee beans.

That's the part we didn't fully expect. The conversations went past "this is good" coffee to "I'm glad to know you're local". Soon enough, many people were asking more about the coffee beans and the equipment services. Spending 11 hours in the hot sun, talking all day, was well worth it. VAROSH felt it was making it's mark in the Charlotte community, just a few years ago.

Congratulations to Emma who won the 2026 Latte Art Competition at the Charlotte Coffee Festival.

One of the highlights of the Charlotte Coffee Festival was the Latte Art Competition. We had some great baristas helping out with the drink at the VAROSH booth. Emma, Lia, and Sierra local baristas out of Greenville, South Carolina came up to Charlotte to help during the day.

Emma and Sierra entered the Latte Art Competition, testing their skills against other baristas at the event. Emma and Sierra made it past round one, but faced off against each other in Round 2. Emma defeated Sierra, and made it to the final round where she won the competition.

We are happy to celebrate Emma in this victory. Thanks to Emma, Lia, and Sierra for representing VAROSH Coffee Roasters. We couldn't have done this day without you.

Think you have what it takes make some latte art?

How Have You Bean?

One of the highlights of the Charlotte Coffee Festival was how much people adored our new merchandise. The Charlotte Coffee Festival was the time to introduce new apparel. When we design merchandise, we think about the design and strive to make something people would want to wear.

We introduced branded caps, a new "Stay Caffeinated" t-shirt, and a hat with the phrase "How Have You Bean?. People loved the "How Have You Bean? hat. We were surprised how much people enjoyed wearing coffee wear.

What we learned exhibiting at our first coffee festival

If you're a small roaster, baker, or maker thinking about your first festival, here's what we'd pass along, the stuff we wish someone had told us in the week before.

Bring more coffee than your math says you need. Whatever you calculated, add to it. Festival pours are small and constant. Although we didn't run out of coffee, some coffee roasters were had sold out before the event ended.
Get Creative. Stand Out. The pour-over bar and the Turkish coffee did more for us than any sign. We also some other coffee roasters who had great displays, which made us stop and say that's cool.
Have a cold option. It was September in North Carolina. Cold brew and espresso tonic were great options when the sun was out.
Make it easy to find you later. Bags, cards, a QR code, your Instagram handle at eye level. People who love your coffee will want to know more about you.
Talk to your neighbors. Everyone here had a passion for coffee. We stopped by booths to get to know our community. They're the best coffee people you'll meet all year.

Charlotte's coffee scene is a community, not a competition

Fifty-plus coffee businesses spent a Saturday in the same space, serving the same public. Roasters and coffee shops were enjoying serving other's samples of their coffee.

That is a healthy scene. And it's a specific thing about Charlotte and the surrounding towns — Concord, Indian Trail, Matthews, Mooresville, Huntersville — where independent shops keep opening and keep finding an audience, because the community here actually shows up for local. People were happy to know VAROSH was right here in Charlotte when asked where we were located.

Coffee connects people. It's one of the reasons why we roast. When we say "We Roast With Passion. Serve With Purpose" we want people to enjoy our coffee, but understand that we do it with purpose - to be able to serve others and spread the good news.

Thank you

To The Charlotte Coffee Festival team: thank you for the invitation, the organization, and for building something this city clearly wanted. Thank you to the volunteers who helped us get situated before the crowd started coming in.

To everyone who stopped by our booth: thank you for the curiosity, the questions, and for trying the our coffee. You made our first festival feel alive, and we're happy that many of you pleased.

To our friends: thank you taking time out of your day to spend time with us. From those who helped us pack and set-up the tent, to those who helped take photographs, and even our baristas who held down the fort during the busiest hours of the event, we appreciated having a team, which made the event a success.

Let's keep the conversation going

If you tasted something you liked, it's on our site. We roast in small batches, 100% Arabica with single origins from Panama, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Guatemala, plus our signature blends.

👉 Shop VAROSH coffee

If you own a café, coffee shop, restaurant, cart, hotel, church, or office, or you're opening one, this is the part we'd really like to talk about. VAROSH is a full-service wholesale partner:

Freshly roasted coffee: small-batch, 100% Arabica, single origins and signature blends, matched to your menu and your volume
Equipment sales and installation: espresso machines, grinders, brewers, and accessories, spec'd to your space
Barista training: built around your team's experience level
Maintenance and repair: scheduled tune-ups plus fast response when something breaks mid-shift