Over the course of two decades, specialty coffee has come a long way. As the US expects 17,500 new coffee shops to open by the end of 2025 – 26% more than currently exists – many are competing for visibility.

Many are having to go the extra mile to make their coffee shop stand out. Tried and tested techniques to attract and retain customers may no longer be enough. For example, it is now standard practice for a coffee shop to offer a loyalty scheme, or to create engaging social media channels.

A more recent trend is the emergence of the ‘Instagrammable’ coffee shop. Brands are increasingly decorating their cafes with selfie-worthy features to harness the power of social media, allowing them to organically reach a wider audience on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

However, this must be balanced with a tenet that has been central long before Instagram was invented: Creating an atmosphere. Whether the space has been created to be comfortable, fun and energetic, or something else, it will determine the kind of customers it attracts, and their likelihood to return. 

One way to create a particular atmosphere and make your coffee shop stand out is through music choice. Comfortable and ambient noise has not only been shown to improve mood and productivity, but can often influence how much customers spend.

Likewise, studies have shown that having amenable and chatty staff not only helps to create an atmosphere, but improves customer retention and profit.

Ultimately, to make a coffee shop stand out, you must think beyond a cup of coffee to how the experience makes your customers feel. While an excellent flat white can brighten your day, a positive experience can linger even longer in a customer’s memory.

Adding another dimension

Many coffee shop owners must decide whether they are going to offer a range of products, or focus solely on coffee.

“Serving just coffee isn’t an easy game, you are fighting against all of the other [businesses] having amazing brunch, breakfast, cakes, sweets, wifi, terraces and more,” says Tom Balerin, a multiple national barista champion and co-owner of Astère Coffee in Montpellier, France.

“So you definitely have to be on top of coffee quality, shown by the consistency, service, choices of the coffee beans, the menu, and to show that you are knowledgeable.”

Essentially, if a coffee shop exclusively serves coffee, it must establish authority and position itself as the ultimate destination in the area – something Tom decided to do with his brand.

“It’s a bit radical, yes, but I believe to change the habits of some customers and stand out, we need to show them that we just have coffee, but we know what we are doing and just focus on that,” he says. 

For other businesses, diversifying what they offer can make all the difference in attracting new customers and making their coffee shop stand out. This can be as simple as exploring food options.

Against conventional wisdom, offering a wide range of options and cuisines is often not the best approach to attracting new customers. Instead, choosing a specific product and specialising in it can make a coffee shop stand out. In this case, having a reputation for “coffee and Swedish buns”, for example, can make your brand recognisable.

Others go even further to make their coffee shop stand out, exploring experiences beyond food and beverages. For example, some cafés supply board games, hosting events and tournaments.

Some, especially those with multiple storeys, double as a space to host public events and shows, such as coffee events, book clubs, art workshops, and private events.

Ultimately, expanding what you offer not only diversifies your revenue streams, but also adds another dimension to what the brand can be recognised for – making your coffee shop stand out.

Branding, interior design, and equipment

For many, branding is the most important factor in making a coffee shop stand out – something big companies have an advantage in.

“You are competing with big roasteries and big budget cafes, who will work with the best designers, community management and brand creators, and more,” Tom says.

For smaller coffee shops, good branding is often underpinned by authenticity. “Astère’s design is pink, refined, sweet and delicate. When you look at my 190cm and 105-kilogram figure, you’d never assume that it reflects me,” he says, “But that’s why I love branding, it could help me share who I really am without judgement.”

Tom collaborated with a designer to create Astère’s branding, aiming to reflect his values and engage a diverse audience. However, he warns that too much personal connection to a brand comes with its risks.

“Coffee shops need to be careful, as when you are putting too much of yourself into your branding – if you really are your brand – it can also be difficult to grow, expand, reproduce and perhaps eventually, to let go.”

Interior design also plays a crucial role in making a coffee shop stand out. The contrast between between a light and airy space, or a low-lit and cosy space may make all the difference. As with ambience, it will guide the type of customers who walk through your door, and if they’re willing to stay for a second cup.

“For this first location, we decided to build a big bar that is clean, light and not overwhelmed with many things around – we did that in order to have people sharing coffee together, to have conversations and so on,” Tom says. 

“But, it’s true that this was a bit of a risk – we see many foreigners embracing the concept and loving it. The French indeed are less attracted by it, they prefer being outside not sharing much conversation with people they don’t know.”

In many cases, coffee equipment plays a central role in making a coffee shop stand out. Beyond ergonomics, and how everything is positioned to allow for positive customer interactions, the equipment itself can be pivotal.

For example, vintage espresso machines create a memorable centrepiece for customers to enjoy, and can make a coffee shop stand out. The Elektra Indie, for example, comes in “ice white” or “matt black”, and provides a striking focal point for any coffee shop. Having equipment like this encourages customers to feel they are about to receive a special cup of coffee.

“We still judge coffee shops on the first impression, so having nice-looking and renowned coffee equipment will always give you a boost,” Tom says. “Having good equipment will also help you in achieving quality and most importantly the consistency that you need in order to perform and grow.”

Ultimately, in an increasingly saturated market, the strategies that worked to stand out just a few years ago are becoming less effective. To thrive in this dynamic industry, coffee shops must remain reactive. At the same time, being authentic and giving your brand some personality is often considered crucial – after all, there’s only one you.

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Service stations are changing their image – shedding their reputation as having low-quality, last-resort coffee options.

As demand for higher-quality coffee has surged, service stations have taken notice of the revenue potential. For instance, a superautomatic coffee machine in a busy service station in Ireland is estimated to contribute as much as €1 million in annual revenue.

High-quality coffee has become a draw for customers, often guiding their choice of which service station to choose. Furthermore, coffee presents a chance for stations to increase food sales, as customers enjoy the combination of café-style drinks and food while refuelling.

“Having a strong coffee offering is great – you can’t just stop there,” says Alastair McElhoney, the head of coffee to-go at Matthew Algie. “There needs to be a collaboration with a food supplier for grab-and-go meals and snacks. That will not only help drive coffee sales but other items as well.”

There are clear advantages to serving coffee, which is why we’ve seen it enter an increasing number of consumer spaces. Yet, the improvement of coffee quality in these spaces has not happened by accident, but is the result of innovation.

How service stations are providing coffee

Specialty coffee shops and service station coffee experiences have felt distinct from one another. This, however, is gradually beginning to change.

“Now service stations are shifting to a more artisanal style coffee or a more deconstructed solution,” Alastair says. “Rather than a vending style unit, we’re finding people are using bean-to-cup machines and coffee served in compostable or biodegradable cups.

“There’s more traceability and more of a story behind it. The look and the feel is premium, whereas in the past it was generally a quick grab-and-go and the quality wasn’t really looked at.”

Despite an increase in quality coffee offerings, one common challenge for service stations is inaccessibility to skilled baristas. While this could create a barrier to quality, technology is bridging the gap.

The development of superautomatic espresso machines, such as Carimali’s Armonia Ultra, enables both customers and service staff, regardless of their skill level, to create café-quality drinks. Its compact design allows it to fit on busy countertops, while its high production volume ensures it can keep pace with the demands of service station customers.

Essentially, high-quality coffee and convenience are no longer mutually exclusive, which is making coffee more and more appealing when people visit service stations. The increasing availability and variety of ready-to-drink (RTD) cans have also particularly benefited service stations, with many customers opting for these beverages over other refrigerated drinks (such as sugary soft drinks and energy drinks).

The future of service station coffee

With a growing preference for convenience across the coffee industry, some argue that distinguishing between service stations and coffee shops might not necessarily be a disadvantage.

But beyond that, there are other components to continue in the future. For instance, should more people switch to electric vehicles, recharge times may mean people spend more time sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee.

“As we move toward fast car charging service stations and the electric car market, people will drive, they’ll park up and plug in, then go inside,” says Alastair. “There are sofas, tables to work, nice food offerings, you can grab a coffee – it’s not a traditional fill-up-and-go.

“You can use it as a hub to work from, but also get that nice, comfortable, premium experience.”

Additionally, as drive-thru coffee gains momentum across the world, service station coffee could become a key segment. They are already established as offering convenient coffee solutions. If the coffee becomes higher in quality – there could be a real shift.

There’s also development and innovation in delivery, too. For example, China’s leading gas station, Sinopec, has introduced its own coffee brand called EasyJet. They offer pre-order and collection services for drivers within a two-kilometre range. Its operations, software, products and staff training are managed by Coffee Box.

This is part of Sinopec’s vision of creating a more complete retail ecosystem. The company is cited as interested in tapping into the profitability of the coffee industry – as evidenced by its partnership with Luckin Coffee to open a shop-in-a-shop in Hangzhou.

Crucially, this shows that service stations may increasingly represent a space for coffee brands to become more established.

Ultimately, service stations could be perfectly positioned to benefit from the intersection of quality and the growing preference for convenient coffee solutions. These previously overlooked spaces could transform into thriving hubs for the coffee industry to grow and scale. 

Environmental sustainability has become a critical focus for the coffee industry. Approximately 60% of wild coffee species are at risk of extinction, and the effects of climate change are predicted to reduce the amount of suitable coffee-growing area around the world by up to 50% by 2050.

As such, many coffee businesses are adopting initiatives to reduce their emissions – in many cases aiming to reach net zero. In fact, nearly half of all coffee launches in 2020 made at least one sustainability claim.

One term that has gained traction in the coffee industry is “carbon offsetting”, as an emerging solution for businesses aiming to reduce their carbon impact. This is where businesses pay to participate in schemes which reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

“It’s a way to make up for the carbon dioxide emissions that you create,” says Sara Gibson, co-founder of Sightseer Coffee. “This is done by purchasing carbon credits or ‘offsets’, often done via an online market.”

One of the most significant contributions to the coffee industry’s carbon footprint occurs towards the end of the supply chain. Roasting typically involves burning fossil fuels, leading to the emission of greenhouse gases. On average, 1kg of coffee produces 5kg of carbon dioxide.

Once roasted, coffee then needs to be packaged, shipped, ground, brewed, and disposed of. According to research, this final stage accounts for over one-third of the coffee industry’s total carbon footprint.

As such, many coffee shops and roasters are exploring ways to reduce their carbon emissions.

However, addressing these issues requires upfront investment in carbon-friendly strategies and equipment. For businesses already grappling with rising costs and high coffee prices, prioritising carbon reduction may be difficult.

“Achieving carbon neutrality is expensive and most coffee businesses aren’t at a place where it’s a viable option for them,” says Sara.

Furthermore, roasters and coffee shops have unavoidable energy inputs in their operations. No matter how many emission-reduction strategies they implement, they will never be carbon neutral through these means alone.

Carbon offsetting, therefore, offers a way to address the emissions that cannot be actively reduced.

Is carbon offsetting the best option?

Carbon offsetting is not without its challenges, however. One of the main frustrations lies in accurately measuring carbon emissions.

To get started, a business has to estimate its emissions. “This can be challenging in and of itself,” says Sara. “A lot of people cobble together a guesstimate using an online calculator.” 

The disparity between a company’s calculated carbon emissions and what it is actually accountable for can be significant, especially for businesses with complex value chains. Coffee businesses often face challenges when determining their direct and indirect emissions. A 2021 survey revealed an error rate of up to 40% in emissions calculations among sampled businesses.

Another major concern with offsetting schemes is that they can be difficult to verify. “Recent news stories have found that ‘phantom credits’ are prevalent, and many offset projects are incomplete or ineffective.”

Carbon offsetting can therefore be viewed as a distraction from the solutions needed to address climate change.

Linked to concerns about greenwashing, critics argue that carbon offsetting fails to tackle the root causes of global warming. Instead, it gives space for “virtue signalling” – allowing companies to showcase their environmental consciousness while maintaining business as usual, without making substantial changes to their emissions.

However, for businesses with inevitable carbon emissions, it is better than doing nothing.

Part of the solution

Investing in modern, energy-efficient equipment is another good way for coffee businesses to be more carbon-friendly.

Newer electric roasters with heat recirculation systems produce significantly less carbon compared to gas-burning roasters. Additionally, installing an afterburner removes emissions and other pollutants that can harm the environment.

At the coffee shop stage, equipment purchasing decisions can increasingly be guided by energy-saving features. For example, Heylo’s coffee machines use an induction heating system, rather than boiling water – significantly reducing energy consumption.

Technological advancements in areas such as power electronics, electromagnetic design, and digital control have made it possible to create induction heating systems that are more than 95% efficient. Additionally, the cost of implementing these systems has significantly decreased in just the last few years.

In spite of this, achieving carbon neutrality remains a challenging goal for most businesses. For them, investing in carbon offsetting schemes may be the only viable option.

However, there is an alternative approach that could offer a more effective way forward.

Unlike offsetting, carbon insetting focuses on reducing or removing carbon emissions directly within a company’s supply chain. Insetting activities require independent verification or certification and aim to generate positive impact for communities and the environment. This regulated approach represents a more targeted strategy to address the industry’s emissions.

“Carbon insetting certainly has the potential to be more transparent and impactful,” says Sara, who sees it as something larger coffee companies should be pioneering. “They should be setting the standards for what successful insetting looks like in our industry, and creating a viable path forward that the rest of us can walk down.”

Ultimately, businesses should strive to implement carbon reduction strategies, but these alone will not fully address the carbon-positive nature of the supply chain. While carbon offsetting schemes have their challenges, they are certainly part of the solution as we transition towards a more sustainable production model.

Specialty coffee is hallmarked by its unwavering commitment to innovation – rooted in a value system prioritising unique, high-quality products. However, it could be argued that this is changing, and specialty coffee may now be moving backwards.

Since 1964, the size of the global coffee market has increased by 190%, with more than three billion cups currently consumed across the globe each day.

The proliferation of espresso-based beverages and their increasing popularity in emerging markets has transformed coffee from an occasional beverage to one of the most consumed drinks on the planet.

Often synonymous with the specialty coffee industry of the last two decades, the ‘third wave’ of coffee has largely positioned itself as a response to preceding industry standards.

Rather than providing convenience and simplicity, specialty coffee offered higher quality, crafted products highlighting the distinct features of coffee origins, roasts and preparation methods. 

However, the explosion in coffee consumption has resulted in the development of convenience-based products positioned to reach an increasingly diverse consumer base.

While specialty coffee continues developing new products, the sector’s future looks strangely familiar. As coffee first began to be mass-produced and traded, convenience and accessibility were the primary drivers of what people considered to be the “first wave” of coffee.

As global consumption booms and consumer behaviours shift, the attention to detail and focus on premium products that have hallmarked decades of the specialty coffee industry are now being replaced by convenience, reminiscent of the previous waves of coffee. 

The push for convenience

While specialty coffee has prioritised craftsmanship and knowledge, this has also meant that consumers have had to acquire more knowledge in order to feel included and informed. Indeed, many argue that this “elitism” of third wave coffee has limited its accessibility and growth in many markets.

In a bid to remain more accessible – and capture a larger market share – many businesses in the specialty coffee sector have been undergoing a transformation. 

Moreover, coffee chains are hoping to capitalise on specialty coffee’s growing popularity. The specialty industry is expected to demonstrate robust growth through the next decade, with an annual growth rate estimated at 12.3% – this is something global brands want to be a part of.

In an effort to integrate the values of specialty coffee with their customers’ needs, products like Blue Bottle’s Craft Instant Coffee are entering the market.

As such, global chains and smaller independent businesses alike are reworking their product ranges to align with the industry-wide shift towards convenience, leading to the surge in popularity of products like RTD cans and coffee pods.

The question of whether coffee pods can deliver high-quality specialty coffee remains a topic of debate. However, this doesn’t diminish their growing significance for the industry’s future. Recent reports project that the global coffee pod industry will be worth over $60 billion by 2030.  

The push for convenience in specialty coffee isn’t limited to coffee pods. Many businesses are now turning to technologies such as superautomatic coffee machines to provide more convenient service, maintain consistency and improve customer engagement. 

“Superautomatic machines are consistent, never have a sick day, don’t turn up for work late or complain, and they offer consistent coffee every time,” says Jamie Galloway, the managing director of Foundation Coffee.

Ultimately, convenience formats will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the industry. To remain competitive, specialty coffee brands must increasingly focus on offering convenience.

Is specialty coffee going backwards or forwards?

Convenience, however, may be at odds with the concept of third wave coffee.

Many trends in the coffee industry are cyclical. But the astonishing success of convenience-driven products such as RTD cans, pods, and instant coffee show no signs of faltering.

As the specialty coffee industry moves back towards something that more closely resembles the first wave of coffee, there is a risk of market cannibalisation. This could threaten the sale of the specialty products that inaugurated the sector in place of convenience-focused alternatives.

Furthermore, third wave coffee’s commitment to customer education for a higher appreciation of coffee has established a loyal consumer segment dedicated to the craftsmanship of coffee. A sudden change in direction could leave these consumers, which the sector has worked so hard to accumulate, feeling short-changed.

One of the greatest pressures felt in the coffee sector is from young people. Gen Z and younger millennials have introduced new consumer behaviours to consider. This has motivated many in the industry to provide convenient solutions for a consumer segment holding increasing market power.

However, research shows that young consumers are unwilling to sacrifice quality and sustainability. The challenge for specialty coffee companies is maintaining these standards while meeting a growing demand for convenience.

Whether the industry can accommodate this demand without losing sight of certain values remains to be seen.

In the best-case scenario, taking several steps backwards may enable specialty coffee to take even more steps forward – as the sector seeks to incorporate convenience, quality, and sustainability. However, it may also lead us down an entirely different path disconnected from the values which characterised the rise of third wave coffee.

A cup of coffee in the morning stirs millions of people into action every day, but why is it that the world’s second-favourite beverage is confined to the morning?

The Italians have an unwritten rule that cappuccino should never be ordered after 11AM – not only because of the stimulating effects of caffeine but also because the steamed milk can upset digestion throughout the day.

Traditions like these and other long-held beliefs that coffee should only be consumed in the morning create a small window. For a coffee shop, this effectively means that the day’s sales are cut in half.

Up until recently, this behaviour set a general pattern for coffee shops across the world: A large rush of coffees to be served throughout the 8AM to 10AM window, before another bump in sales from 11:30AM to 1PM.

However, this pattern is beginning to change.

The rise of decaf coffee, cold brew, RTD drinks, and coffee cocktails are changing this habit. These new coffee drinks can be consumed throughout the day, and are able to compete with other beverages such as tea, alcohol, and sodas.

For instance, the UK has a long cultural history that is deeply connected to its public houses. However, as coffee consumption continues to rise – with the help of these emerging niche segments – coffee shops are starting to take over much of the market share from pubs as a favoured social space. Indeed, as an increasing number of cafés appear on UK high streets, more pubs are closing down.

Younger consumers are also having a large impact. Research suggests that people under the age of 40 have contributed to the rise of nitro and cold brew coffees – with one in five people in this age range drinking from this category every week.

As coffee expands into the further reaches of daily consumers’ lives, coffee shops are presented with a huge opportunity to expand their menus and increase their sales window.

Coffee for any situation

One of the major factors is the rising quality of decaf and a growing acceptance of it in the specialty coffee community.

“Decaf drinkers have had a bit of a tough time,” says William Sowerby, communications & content lead at Pact Coffee. “Decaf has largely been about giving a false lease of life to stale beans through the decaffeination process for a while now – but hopefully that’s changing. We treat decaf just like any other coffee on the menu, we roast it fresh and deliver it a few days later.”

A growing number of cafés are putting high-quality decaf on their menus, and interest is growing. According to a recent report by Mintel, one in five coffee drinkers now regularly opt for decaf.

Meanwhile, RTD cans offer an excellent solution for younger generations who are increasingly prioritising convenience. Alongside a cold coffee segment which is experiencing exponential growth, consumers are now fully catered for during the summer months.

“Cold canned coffee has been a bit of a fob-off too – they were more sugary milkshakes with a shot or two of coffee rather than proper coffee,” says William. “We released one of the first speciality ready-to-drink cans on the UK market and added no sugar, artificial flavours or sweeteners. With great coffee, you’d think it’s a no-brainer.”

This is an example of the specialty coffee sector finding a new way to elevate existing segments and bringing new products to the market. Another example of this would be the growth in high-end coffee cocktails. There is even a global coffee cocktail competition which pushes this segment forward and brings coffee to a wider audience.

As demand guides coffee into new markets, many cafés are extending their opening hours and capitalising on the increasing appetite for these new drinks.

How businesses can serve coffee throughout the day

The increased quality of decaf and RTD cans is helping to boost overall coffee consumption.

Market analysis shows this will only continue as decaf is one of the strongest-performing segments in the coffee industry. The global decaf market is expected to experience increased growth of 7-8% each year for the next five years.

As coffee increasingly establishes itself as an all-day drink with these new products, there is more of an onus on businesses to operate around the clock. But the labour associated with managing an all-day establishment can be expensive, and café workers who are accustomed to a regular daytime shift could be resistant to evening hours.

When working with a range of different products to appeal to people across a wider window, it can be helpful to have more flexibility, and superautomatic coffee machines can help with this.

These machines are already very common in places such as service stations and airports. The transition of coffee as an all-day drink could make superautomatic machines an attractive solution for other establishments hoping to serve coffee at less conventional hours of the day.

For example, the Carimali SilverAce has a user-friendly interface that customers can easily navigate. Plus, its four hoppers means that a decaf option can easily be stocked alongside one or more standard espresso offerings.

“Bean-to-cup machines are a great way of brewing delicious coffee,” says William. “We’ve actually roasted some of our classic espresso so it’s optimised for these machines.”

This shows how specialty coffee is being served is changing to cater to shifting demands. Coffee is increasingly becoming a drink for all times and seasons. As such, businesses now have an opportunity to reach a wider audience and increase their sales – and they would be wise not to miss out.

It’s long been argued that the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel does not comprehensively represent the increasingly global spectrum of specialty coffee consumers. While it has been an iconic resource for some time, it is now being deconstructed by coffee professionals from around the world.

At first, the Flavor Wheel was a guide for talking about the flavours found in coffee.

Andrew Hetzel is a former board member of the SCA and a coffee market expert. He explains: “We needed some sort of common terminology to describe a complex sensory experience, a vocabulary that identified specific sensory traits that could be essentially calibrated between different cuppers.” 

As such, the Flavor Wheel was created in the early 1990s by Ted Lingle of the Coffee Quality Institute and the Specialty Coffee Association of America. 

It created a standardised language for talking about coffee flavour, as well as a visual guide that could be used to codify the complex sensory experience of tasting.

In 2016, the Flavor Wheel was substantially revised in collaboration with World Coffee Research (WCR). 

The original was largely developed by coffee industry professionals, while the updated version incorporated the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon, itself a product of the largest piece of research on coffee flavour completed to date.

As specialty coffee has increased in popularity, the coffee flavour wheels have become ubiquitous – making their way out of the cupping lab and into cafés and the homes of coffee enthusiasts.

However, this was not the original purpose of coffee flavour wheels. Instead, it was intended to be a guidance tool for sensory assessment within the industry.

“The Flavor Wheel was never really designed for cuppers, it wasn’t intended to be consumer-facing,” says Andrew. “The idea was that someone independent of the coffee industry could evaluate coffee coming from different breeds.”

However, with this new purpose, there is an argument that the Flavor Wheel now needs to adapt.

Not fit for purpose?

The Flavor Wheel’s role in the industry has led to it attracting scrutiny in recent years. Perhaps the biggest piece of criticism is that the descriptors used are tied to words and flavours that are more identifiable for Western palates.

“Each flavour on the wheel has a standard in real life that can be purchased, tasted and compared to what you’re seeing in the cup,” Andrew says. He goes on to explain that the products were selected through the commissaries on American military bases to make sure flavours were as accessible as possible.

But in spite of this, many of the flavours remain unfamiliar to consumers beyond Europe and the United States.

“They’re not wrong,” Andrew says about those who criticise the flavour wheel as Western-centric. “The Flavor Wheel was created by Western institutions with the participation of Western tradespeople and academics.”

Having led coffee cupping courses in Africa and Asia, Andrew has direct experience trying to explain Western flavours to people who have never encountered Western foods before. 

He explains his attempts in Uganda: “If you’ve never tried an almond before, it’s something that you can’t really recall and define very clearly.”

Furthermore, some have argued that the position of certain flavours on the wheel is not truly neutral – giving them an implied “value” based on where they sit.

For example, “earthy” is an appreciated flavour in much of the Indian subcontinent. However, as Raghunath Rajaram explains, its position between “musty/dusty” and “animalic” suggests that it describes something inherently undesirable in coffee.

As a result, people are calling for localised versions of the Flavor Wheel to reduce cultural bias and improve inclusivity.

Communication is key

In response, people around the world have started to develop their own coffee flavour wheels. In doing so, they have decided on the terminology that best describes what they are tasting based on foods and flavours from their region. Several region-specific coffee flavour wheels have appeared in recent years.

The ASEAN Coffee Institute (ACI) announced the launch of the ASEAN Flavour Sphere in December 2022, with the goal of promoting southeast Asian coffee within the global industry.

Seniman Coffee and 5758 Coffee Lab in Indonesia have developed their own flavour wheel with 36 aroma references and 82 sensory descriptors. Elsewhere, Taiwan Coffee Laboratory released its own flavour wheel in 2018.

However, localised coffee flavour wheels do more than include under-represented regions on the global stage. They also help to create more accessible resources for coffee farmers in the region. 

Using regional flavour descriptors can help develop a farmer’s sense of taste, and help them gain a better understanding of the value consumers assign to their coffee. In turn, producers can develop coffees that are more suitable for buyers.

“There needs to be some sort of conversion chart though,” says Andrew. “It’s the buyers who are going to pay for those flavours so I think there’s more power in having some sort of a common vernacular.”

While localised coffee flavour wheels can give regions outside of Europe and the US their own terms of reference, it would be counterproductive to exclude purchasers from the global market. 

For example, the Indonesian Coffee Flavour Wheel categorises coffee pulp as “positive fermentation”, while the SCA-approved aromatic memorisation kit, Le Nez Du Café, classifies it as a defect. 

Andrew believes that working closely with farmers will help to reduce the gap in interpretation. “A short answer is that cupping together makes all the difference,” he says. “That is, I think, why a lot of buyers continue to work with their producers, certainly on the upper tier of quality.”

There are clear benefits to developing region-specific coffee flavour wheels. It makes the sensory lexicon more global, as well as improves representation on the global stage. But to truly drive improvement across the supply chain, we must remember that no flavour wheel is a substitute for good communication between farmer and buyer, or buyer and roaster.

What is the role of a barista?

Is it to highlight the nuances of a coffee? To look after the café? To manage the flow of customers, keep the bar topped up, and to serve cup after cup of consistently good coffee?

The truth is, a barista is expected to do all of these things. However, according to recent studies, one of the most important, yet overlooked aspects of a barista’s job is something we all do every day – and that’s talking.

As the third wave of coffee sweeps the globe, café owners are demanding their baristas play an increasingly communicative role in their jobs, engaging with customers and acting as the “face” of the business.

In fact, perfecting the art of small talk may actually benefit a coffee shop’s footfall and leave a positive and lasting impression on clientele.

In a study published in Social Psychology and Personality Science, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that customers who engaged in “friendly small talk” with baristas at coffee shops reported stronger feelings of happiness and satisfaction than those who didn’t.

“We found that when people were assigned to have a real social interaction with the barista, rather than getting in and out, they left feeling a great sense of belonging,” researcher Elizabeth Dunn told Business Insider.

“Humans are designed to have social interaction. These interactions are incredibly important for our overall well-being, and even the smallest ones can make the difference.”

But customer happiness and satisfaction may not be the only reason to engage in small talk. It can also help to increase overall revenue and foster a loyal customer base.

Indeed, a separate study published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management showed creating relationships with customers has a significant impact on brand loyalty and revenue in coffee shop chains.

“Due to the intense competition among international coffee players, brand loyalty has become a strategically critical factor in order for each and every coffee organisation to sustainably thrive in today’s marketplace,” the authors said.

“It is discovered that a 5% increase of customer retention subsequently results in an astounding 25-75% profit enhancement and keeping a customer loyal surprisingly costs a company five times less than attracting new potential ones.”

Breaking down barriers

From the lighting and decor to the music and furniture arrangements, most coffee shops are set up as third spaces to encourage social interactions.

However, sparking conversations with customers can be a little more tricky than meeting up with a friend. For one, the bar acts as a physical divide. But there are also preconceptions about baristas, particularly in the specialty coffee sector, which can act as immediate barriers.

Dario Scilipoti is the founder and head roaster of Bluebird Coffee Roastery in South Africa, which opened its own café in 2022. He believes that for baristas, avoiding elitism is crucial not only for engaging with customers, but also for helping educate them about coffee.

“We need to close the perceived knowledge gap by being relatable,” Dario explains. “Whether a seasoned barista or newbie specialty coffee consumer, we all started in the same place. It is the barista’s job to remember that and share from their experiences.

“For example, questions such as, ‘Do you brew coffee at home?’ or ‘Where do you normally drink coffee?’, will quickly guide the conversation and help the barista know where the customer is on their journey.”

Many coffee professionals maintain that conversations with customers don’t always need to focus on coffee, but rather they should open up opportunities to engage on a more casual level.

By starting conversations based on personal interests, for example, baristas can create a stronger and less contrived connection with their clientele.

Hany Ezzat is the sales and national guest roaster manager of ONA Coffee in Australia. When it comes to making the first step with small talk, he emphasises that creating a genuine connection beyond coffee is key.

“The reality is that customers are not just coming for your special, fancy Geisha. They come because of the atmosphere and how you make them feel – good,” he says.

“Baristas can initiate conversations by being genuine and curious about what [customers] do for a living, and how your cafe is a part of their daily commute. Keep it personal with them, be curious about what they do, and try to find your connection with them.

“This is the key to networking and creating successful cafés. You never know who you could be speaking with.”

The benefits of automation

When it comes to engaging in meaningful and genuine conversations with customers, time is often the biggest stumbling block.

Between pulling shots, steaming milk, cleaning surfaces, and topping up supplies, there is often little time left to engage in small talk, especially when queues are forming.

Helping baristas juggle their day-to-day responsibilities with the all-important customer interaction is automation. This involves passing some of the tasks – whether grinding, extracting, or milk steaming – to a machine, which can then carry them out to a high and consistent standard. 

“Automation is revolutionary for our industry,” Ezzat says. “Less time with our heads down means more time to chat, faster wait times, and more consistency.”

Dr Adam Carr, who runs the Coffee Science and Education Centre for Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, agrees. In a recent article for the Sydney Morning Herald, he highlighted how developments in semi-automatic and automatic equipment are providing more time to engage with clientele.

“If you look at cafés that have all the latest automatic and semi-automatic coffee technologies, you’ll find baristas have more hands-free time. Often, hands-free time translates to “brain-free” time and facilitates customer engagement,” he wrote.

“As most baristas start talking, their passion for coffee is revealed, leading to conversations about roasting, flavour profiles and all kinds of wonderful things. Customers also have the opportunity to develop a better relationship with their barista, and perhaps learn a little more about their coffee along the way.”

In addition to the use of technology such as milk dispensers and electronic POS systems, café owners are also increasingly exploring the exciting possibilities of automated espresso machines.

According to market research group Future Market Insights, the use of automatic espresso machines worldwide grew by 5.5% between 2016 to 2020, with the demand expected to continue through 2023 and beyond.

At a time when many industries have been altered by technology and new industry platforms – such as Amazon, Airbnb and Uber – some may fear that automation threatens the role of baristas in the future.

However, on the contrary, many in the coffee sector are embracing how automation has allowed more time to engage and connect with consumers.

“I am excited about any equipment that assists us in maintaining or improving quality while freeing my team up to do other things,” Scilipoti says.

“Automation in our workflow allows us to spend more time looking the customer in the eye and engaging with them. If that interaction leads to a regular customer, it is money well spent.”

There have never been so many places to drink coffee.

Between 2009 and 2019, the number of cafés in the UK alone surpassed 26,000, while other markets, such as Germany and France, have also experienced double-digit growth in recent years.

Even in spite of the crushing impact of Covid-19, which forced the temporary closure of many hospitality businesses around the world, most have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels and some have even expanded into new markets.

Driving the growth of coffee shops is their versatility and association with a healthy lifestyle. Today, coffee shops are also more than just a place to buy coffee, being seen as versatile spaces where customers can socialise, work, or spend some time alone.

This, along with a trend among younger generations that has seen alcohol consumption fall, means coffee shops are now expected to outnumber pubs in the UK by 2030.

However, not all coffee shops are successful. According to an April 2019 survey, around 62% of independent coffee shops fail within the first five years of opening, while 17% close within the first 12 months.

Navigating a difficult playing field

From the outset, coffee shops face an onslaught of challenges. Not only do they need substantial start-up capital to get the business off the ground, but they also need to ensure that staff are trained and they have a ready supply of products, from roasted coffee to cups and stirrers.

The overriding aim is to ensure that sales cover costs as soon as possible – or owners risk quickly running into debt. However, getting there is half the challenge and, often, a lot easier than it sounds.

Aaron Torres Guerrero is director of coffee at Ue Coffee Roasters, a UK specialty roastery and café. In his experience, location constitutes 90% of the success of a coffee shop.

He says has seen many coffee shops set up in locations with low footfall, which inevitably leads to failure. Lacking a business acumen, he says, can also make things difficult.

“Poor management is a common reason for failure,” Aaron says. “Just because people are passionate about coffee, it doesn’t mean they will be good at running a business.”

Indeed, this is among the most frequently cited reasons that businesses of any type fail. Although a degree of passion in what you are doing is important, it’s about finding a balance, which, in most cases, will mean putting pragmatism ahead of emotion.

In the fiercely competitive coffee shop market, this is especially salient, particularly in the midst of an energy crisis that has seen costs of production rise and profit margins squeezed. A sentimental commitment to exclusively serving pour-over single origin coffees from Colombia, for example, can be devastating if prices rise.

Luckily, the majority of coffee owners seem to be aware of these realities. When asked to select the two biggest reasons coffee shops failed, 128 out of 232 coffee shop owners selected being “unprepared for ownership”. The second reason they cited was lacking a distinct brand or experience.

Yet even the most aware can still let the business planning side fall in the face of passion, whether this means setting unrealistic targets or overstretching resources.

Finally, consistency and quality are of the utmost importance for any coffee shop that wants to avoid early failure, particularly when it comes to the coffee and customer service.

If customers aren’t presented with a high-quality, repeatable experience every time they come in, it’s unlikely they will come back (or recommend that anyone in their social group does). Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful tools for coffee shops in their first few years, so ensuring a positive experience for each person who walks through the door is fundamental.

Making your coffee shop a success

As with any business, running a successful coffee shop requires the willingness to continuously learn and adapt.

Consumer trends and preferences are constantly changing and a failure to evolve with them can be devastating for your bottom line. Ten years ago, for example, the thought of ordering cold coffee with oat milk using a mobile app was virtually unheard of – today it’s among the most popular orders for thousands of coffee shops around the world.

Consistent branding and a strong business ethos are also crucial. For this to aid success, it needs to be reflected throughout the coffee shop and its members of staff. Consumers are more conscious than ever about brand values, including environmental awareness, sustainability, and social responsibility.

Simply put, consumers aren’t just looking for quality coffee – modern coffee shops never stop evolving, doing whatever it takes to align with customers’ needs, leading to loyalty and success.

“To succeed, it’s very important to determine who your ideal customer is – and that what you have to offer to them is completely aligned,” Aaron says. “Anyone who opens a coffee shop should work in the industry first and take barista courses to understand coffee, make less mistakes, and move into profit faster.”

He adds that these aspiring owners should look to other businesses in their area to find examples of strategies that work.

“Once established, a coffee shop’s workflow efficiency may also have an impact on success,” Aaron explains. “By maximising the coffee shop’s layout to facilitate seamless service and increased customer engagement, both customers and baristas will experience less stress and more flexibility.”

Overall, launching and running a successful coffee shop is hard work. It demands a range of skills and a good set of employees in an industry where staff turnover can be high. However, instilling sound practices from the outset, alongside a robust business plan, can pay dividends and yield long-term results.

For many people around the world, sugar is an essential component of their daily coffee. However, in the realm of specialty coffee, added sugar has a less than flattering reputation.

Coffee variety, soil conditions, and growing altitude, as well as the care taken during processing, roasting, and brewing all affect subtle flavours in the final cup. For many in the specialty coffee sector, experiencing these is a window into the months and years spent producing the coffee.

Likewise, specialty coffee baristas strive to make these subtleties perceptible – subtleties that are inevitably obliterated by adding spoonfuls of sugar.

The addition of sugar to coffee has, in the last century or so, been informed by European espresso culture. Specifically, the world has come to know lower–grade, commodity coffees as the norm.

These coffees are typically roasted at high temperatures until all the natural sugars are broken down to one essential chemical compound, carbon, resulting in a distinctively bitter and burnt flavour profile. 

This serves a practical purpose for coffee chains around the world: if flavours are flattened out, the result is a consistent drink. Conversely, specialty coffee celebrates seasonality, variety, and complexity in coffee.

Despite this perception, it’s widely accepted that when added carefully, sugar can balance bitterness and acidity, actually bringing more subtle coffee flavours to the fore. From a health perspective, however, most consumers simply don’t measure their sugar intake.

A 2019 study by Action on Sugar found that 98% of 131 hot flavoured drinks from various coffee chains contain three times the recommended daily intake of sugar for adults.

“It is shocking that so many high street coffee chains are wilfully putting their customers’ health at risk despite sugar reduction targets for sugary milk drinks being set in 2018,” the organisation said at the time.

In response, it has called for milk and milk-alternative based drinks to be subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, asserting that such drinks being served by high-street chains far exceed the sugar content in fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola.

With these factors in mind, it’s understandable why many in the specialty sector find the mindless spooning of sugar into coffee upsetting. In fact, some specialty coffee shops have gone so far as to ban sugar altogether.

Is there a place for sugar in specialty coffee?

For all specialty coffee’s complexity and diversity, there is just one auxiliary ingredient that is widely accepted: milk. Even the World Barista Championships – arguably the pinnacle of specialty coffee preparation – involves a milk round, and in 2023, this will be amended to include the use of plant-based milks, such as oat.

However, for countless years, both milk and sugar have been considered coffee’s ideal companions. What many people don’t know, however, is that when steamed, the lactose in milk is broken down into simple sugars, possessing a higher perceived sweetness than their chemical compound predecessor.

For many coffee drinkers – specialty or otherwise – this sweetness is enough to offset any unpleasant characteristics. For example, milk is typically added to espresso-based coffees, often paired with coffees that have chocolatey, stone-fruity sweetness to bring balance to the cup.

Despite the negative perceptions around sugar in the specialty coffee sector, Scott James, founder of Coaltown Coffee Roasters in Wales, says that sugar can be used in a similar way to milk. However, this requires more than just chucking two packets of white sugar into the cup – there’s actually a huge variety of sugars out there.

Scott has been experimenting with panela, an unrefined whole cane sugar similar to the jaggery used in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. It’s made by boiling sugar cane juice until a thick slurry is formed, and it’s then left to solidify.

And, instead of adding the panela to his coffee after it’s been brewed, Scott mixes it into the ground coffee so that it dissolves during pre-infusion and enters the cup with the espresso.

His panela coffee shares similarities with café cubano, a type of espresso sweetened with demerara sugar. In this case, a few drops of the coffee are zealously whisked into the sugar, creating a distinctive “pseudo-crema” that’s prized in Cuba and other Caribbean regions.

Scott explains that his method inevitably leads to extraction issues like channelling, but for him, this isn’t the end of the story. Rather, he sees it as the beginning of specialty coffee’s reimagined relationship with sugar.

“The industry is opening up to different roasting profiles other than the light roasts that have dominated for years,” he elaborates. “Other flavours are there to be uncovered when roasts are pushed further.” 

What will it take for sugar to gain wider acceptance?

Quite often, specialty coffee roast profiles are designed to achieve balance, resulting in a coffee that can be enjoyed without any accompaniments. Alternatively, these profiles are crafted with milk in mind, and Scott believes the same can be done for sugar.

As such, he hopes that the dreaded “coffee with two sugars, please” order can be easily appeased by welcoming sugar into the specialty roasting fold, or even by simply making customers aware of the natural sweetness that coffee possesses.

He adds that this could open up the industry to higher quality, “specialty sugars” that are produced with different raw ingredients, different methods, and which add different flavours to coffee.

“Coffee growing regions have more to offer than just coffee,” he explains. “One of those things is sugar.”

Developing this idea could give sugar producers access to new markets, facilitating the establishment of sustainable trading relationships. In essence, this is an extension of the values of specialty coffee.

Broadly, however, the specialty coffee sector remains apprehensive about adding sugar to coffee. Customers are vilified for “soiling” high-quality coffee with lumps of sugar and are seen as disrespecting the tradition and history of coffee.

The future that Scott imagines is one of compromise. Ultimately, the sugar issue can be addressed by processing and roasting coffees to cater to those who simply refuse to let go of their sugary habits. At the same time, the remainder of the coffee menu can remain unspoiled and unsoiled.

As many baristas know, their disdain for sugar hasn’t dissuaded millions of consumers, despite their best efforts. Coffee shops will always have customers determined to dollop sugar into even the sweetest coffee – as is their right. 

By embracing sugar rather than demonising it, Scott hopes that sugar sachets will become a thing of the past. 

Back in 2021, the International Coffee Organisation estimated that during the preceding year, the world consumed nearly ten billion kilograms of coffee. Of all the coffee produced each year, the majority is Coffea arabica, with much of the remaining crop consisting of Coffea canephora, also known as robusta.

Arabica is universally considered the better quality coffee, lauded for its smooth, sweet cup profile, and virtually all specialty coffee is arabica. Robusta, on the other hand, is said to possess harsher, rubbery notes, and it’s primarily used in lower-quality coffee blends or as the basis for instant coffee.

Recently, however, more and more “specialty robustas” have appeared on the market, challenging perceptions that robusta has no place in specialty coffee. These coffees achieve cupping scores of 80 points and higher. 

Furthermore, the price of arabica coffee has risen sharply over the past couple of years as a result of several factors, including lower yields brought about by the effects of climate change, logistical issues, and increased demand.

“I genuinely believe the coffee prices have increased because of the change in the weather situation globally, and especially in Brazil, which dictates the worldwide coffee pricing,” says Vardhman Jain, the founder of Bonomi, a cold brew manufacturer based in Bangalore, India.

“Because of global warming, yields have dropped and demand is at an all-time high for arabica,” he continues. “Not to mention the COVID supply chain issues as well, where consignments got stuck for months and cafés and roasters were ready to pay a premium to get the stock in hand at any cost.”

Earlier this year, arabica futures reached a ten-year high of US 258.95 cents/lb, ranging dangerously close to the historic high seen in November 2011.

There are other reasons for the rise in coffee prices, including higher fertiliser costs as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as high labour costs in some coffee-producing countries, like Colombia.

Does this signal a new opportunity for robusta?

Around the world, coffee roasters are feeling the effects of the arabica price increase, with profit margins being squeezed to their limits. In many cases, coffee businesses have to play a careful game when passing these costs on to the consumer, wary of chasing them away.

“I think roasters are in a fix, specifically in a price-sensitive market like India, where users are still not used to paying US $12 for a 250g pack of roasted coffee,” Vardhman says.

What this means, he adds, is that some roasters are adjusting their margins by switching to specialty robusta, while “ensuring they still provide the best cup possible in a highly competitive market like India”.

“It’s definitely good news [for the robusta industry], but I genuinely think robusta requires a lot of education and specialty robusta has to experiment more, just like arabica,” Vardhman warns. “For example, fruit fermentation and yeast fermentation should be attempted with robusta too, and not just arabica.”

However, even with more diversity in the robusta offerings on the market, he doesn’t see cafés switching to the traditionally “inferior” product overnight.

“I don’t think the switch is too easy,” he explains. “It will come on the back of cafés brewing the best robusta cup and putting it next to an arabica cup, which [may] surprise the consumer in a good way.”

According to one recent study, climate change will have a detrimental impact on arabica, halving the land suitable for growing high-quality arabica coffee by 2050.

Vardhman believes that if humankind is unable to reduce the global temperature by at least two degrees Celcius each year, volatile rain and drought patterns will spell further trouble for coffee prices.

Ultimately, this positions robusta as a cheaper alternative, especially considering its ability to grow under far less ideal conditions than arabica. As such, more roasters are likely to explore using fine robusta going forward.

What does the future of coffee consumption look like?

Many in the coffee industry assert that greater interest in robusta will encourage producers to invest more in its production.

“In years to come, especially in India, farmers have to work on experimenting with micro-lots and processing techniques for robusta,” Vardhman elaborates. “Specialty robusta is the way to go, and the same level of dedication and detailing is required at the farm level.”

However, he reaffirms that changes won’t just be seen at farm level, but with roasters and cafés, as well.

“At the same time, it is up to the cafés and roasters to put an equal amount of effort into education and inform users that there is a possibility of tasting high scoring robusta,” he says.

In the early days of this transition, some specialty roasters have begun introducing single-origin robusta coffees. Although this seems like a conservative step, it’s a bold move in an industry where robusta has traditionally been used in primarily-arabica blends.

“I think this is happening already in India,” Vardhman notes. “We saw some estates and roasters launching single-origin specialty robusta. Here at Bonom, we also launched robusta cold brew.”

In his opinion, a quality robusta should taste “like an arabica with a fruity flavour profile or smooth, like black tea”.

“This will come only with experimentation at the farm level,” he adds. “As a community, everyone has to play an equal role in this.”

Ultimately, whether roasters decide to stick with robusta if arabica prices fall remains to be seen, but for the moment, consumers can expect to encounter more more and more examples of high-quality robusta on the market.