Tag: specialty coffee

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What Mature Roasters Can Learn From Emerging Specialty Coffee MarketsCoffee Daily News

What Mature Roasters Can Learn From Emerging Specialty Coffee Markets

The global specialty coffee industry is entering a period of contrast. In many mature markets, growth has slowed, competition has intensified, and rising costs have forced roasters to adopt a more pragmatic, efficiency-driven mindset. Meanwhile, emerging markets are experiencing rapid expansion, renewed enthusiasm, and cultural experimentation offering valuable lessons for established coffee businesses. As volatility reshapes the global coffee landscape, looking beyond saturated regions may help mature roasters rediscover the energy that once defined specialty coffee. A tale of two markets in …
Spain and The Rise of Specialty CoffeeCoffee Daily News

Spain and The Rise of Specialty Coffee

For decades, Spain has been known for its vibrant café culture, yet it remained on the sidelines of the global specialty coffee movement. While countries such as the UK, the Nordics, and Australia embraced specialty coffee in the early 2000s, Spain’s transition has been slower, shaped by history, tradition, and deeply ingrained consumption habits. Today, however, the picture is changing. Spain’s specialty coffee market is experiencing what many industry observers describe as a “slow bloom” gradual, steady, and increasingly irreversible. This …
Gen Z Is Reshaping Specialty Coffee CultureCoffee Shop

Gen Z Is Reshaping Specialty Coffee Culture

The global coffee industry is undergoing a structural shift, and Gen Z sits at the centre of this transformation. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z consumers approach coffee not only as a beverage, but as a lifestyle product, a form of self-expression, and increasingly, a wellness ritual. According to Forbes, Gen Z controls US$360 billion in disposable income worldwide, while The Economist has described this generation as “unprecedentedly rich”. For coffee brands, this makes Gen Z impossible to ignore. Yet their preferences …
Rethinking Coffee Flavour ManipulationCoffee Daily News

Rethinking Coffee Flavour Manipulation

Coffee flavour manipulation has become one of the most polarising topics in the specialty coffee world. For decades, purity defined excellence: origin, terroir, altitude, and processing were celebrated as the sources of flavour—not additives, not adjuncts, not post-harvest tinkering. Anything resembling hazelnut or vanilla in the cup was assumed to be artificial, low-quality, or designed for consumers who “don’t like real coffee”. But today, the specialty landscape is changing. Competition lots smell like tropical candy. Roasters proudly release coffees described as …
How Big Coffee is Rewriting the Specialty Coffee PlaybookCoffee Daily News

How Big Coffee is Rewriting the Specialty Coffee Playbook

The specialty coffee market is entering a new phase — one where the world’s largest roasters are no longer buying boutique brands for authenticity but are building their own specialty coffee divisions from scratch. For over a decade, global giants like expanded their specialty footprint through acquisitions. Nestlé famously acquired Blue Bottle Coffee in 2017 at a $700 million valuation. JAB Holdings brought Stumptown and Intelligentsia under its wing, while Lavazza bought Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada. These moves were once …
US Expands Imports of Vietnamese Specialty CoffeeCoffee Daily News

US Expands Imports of Vietnamese Specialty Coffee

The global coffee market is undergoing a significant transformation, with Vietnamese specialty coffee—particularly Robusta—gaining strong attention from American roasters and importers. With rising demand and shifting consumption habits in the United States, Vietnamese specialty coffee now stands at the edge of expanding its presence in one of the world’s largest coffee-consuming markets. Rising Demand, Limited Supply According to the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa), during a recent visit and meeting with the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCA), many US importers …
The Changing Landscape of Specialty CoffeeCoffee Daily News

The Changing Landscape of Specialty Coffee

The specialty coffee industry is standing at a crucial turning point. Interest in high-quality, single origin lots is still rising, but so is the demand for diverse, highly customised, and even non-coffee beverages. Chains have built strong brand identities around matcha and limited-time offerings, achieving triple-digit sales growth as a result. This reflects a clear shift: the specialty coffee market is diversifying as consumer expectations fragment and evolve. Today, roasters are asking whether they should stay focused on traditional specialty coffee …
Specialty Coffee and the Power of Slow LivingCoffee Daily News

Specialty Coffee and the Power of Slow Living

In a global economy obsessed with speed, efficiency, and convenience, specialty coffee stands as a quiet rebellion. Rooted in craftsmanship, traceability, and ritual, it belongs to a culture that values patience and quality over quantity. Yet as the coffee industry continues to evolve, a question emerges: is specialty coffee better suited to “slow” cultures — places where time still moves at a human pace? The Essence of Specialty Coffee At its core, specialty coffee is built on the same philosophy as the …
Can Crowdfunding Shape the Future of Specialty CoffeeCoffee Beans Essentials

Can Crowdfunding Shape the Future of Specialty Coffee?

The world of specialty coffee is changing — and not just in how we brew or drink it. Behind the cups of meticulously sourced, perfectly roasted coffee, a quiet revolution is reshaping how small roasters and cafés grow their businesses: crowdfunding. As banks tighten lending requirements and costs across the coffee industry continue to rise, more coffee entrepreneurs are turning directly to their customers for financial support. This shift is redefining how specialty coffee brands connect with their communities, scale sustainably, …
Specialty Coffee Blooming Which Method Really Works BestCoffee Processing

Specialty Coffee Blooming: Which Method Really Works Best?

In the world of specialty coffee, even the smallest details matter. One of the most hotly debated steps in filter brewing is the bloom—the moment water first comes into contact with coffee grounds, releasing carbon dioxide and setting the stage for extraction. While some baristas insist on stirring, others prefer swirling, and a growing number are moving away from blooming altogether, focusing instead on multiple smaller pours. So, has specialty coffee decided what’s best? Not quite. The answer depends on variables …
Co-Fermented CoffeesCoffee Processing

Co-Fermented Coffees: A New Specialty Category

The global specialty coffee industry is evolving rapidly, with co-fermented coffees becoming one of its most intriguing and controversial trends. Once considered a fringe innovation, co-fermentation is now gaining traction, carving out a space of its own alongside washed, natural, and honey processing methods. With rising consumer curiosity and roasters eager to differentiate themselves, these coffees are shaping a new narrative in coffee processing. What Are Co-Fermented Coffees? At their core, co-fermented coffees involve fermenting coffee cherries or beans with the addition …
The Risk Every Specialty Coffee Roaster Faces in 2025Roasted Coffee

The Risk Every Specialty Coffee Roaster Faces in 2025

The coffee industry has always been trend-driven. From the rise of matcha to the cold ready-to-drink (RTD) boom and functional coffee beverages, consumer demand is constantly evolving. For specialty coffee roasters, this presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, new drinks can attract a younger audience and diversify revenue streams. On the other, chasing fads may risk compromising brand values and alienating loyal customers. As the market continues to shift in 2025, many roasters are asking: Should specialty coffee embrace …