Mr Hilder is the founder of Kaffelogic, a Dunedin coffee-tech startup, and his personal coffee roaster will take on more than 10 other products in the product innovation category at the expo.
"The competition is slick this year. We'll be up against everything from new espresso machines to a commercial grinder reinvented by an Australian company,'' he said.
However, he was not worried, saying he was "just stoked to be there'' and he hoped the product's consumer appeal might provide an advantage in the people's choice award.
Now in its eighth year, Mice is heralded as the largest dedicated coffee event in the Asia Pacific region.
Mr Hilder's background is as a scientist and software engineer interested in microprocessor control systems.
Frustrated at having to regularly leave home to pick up freshly roasted coffee beans, he was taken with the idea of creating an easy-to-use, self-contained coffee roasting system.
Once he had one that worked, he was asked if he was going to commercialise it. While he quipped the sensible answer would have been no, he became intrigued and decided to have a crack at it.
Not really knowing where to start, he said Startup Dunedin's Co.Starters programme provided a "watershed'' moment.
The course was led by a group of facilitators who guided participants through the process of launching a business step-by-step and demystified the often daunting early stages of entrepreneurship.
Participants had access to mentors and guest speakers helped to give insight into various aspects of running a business.
A crowdfunding campaign was launched in March last year and nearly $60,000 was pledged towards making the Kaffelogic Nano 7 roaster.
