5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

Today we’re diving into the exciting world of tea innovation with Emilie Holmes, Founder of Good & Proper Tea. Historically a challenging category for coffee operators, tea has seen a real surge in recent years, largely driven by the meteoric rise of matcha and growing consumer demand for wellness and iced formats. In this conversation, we explore the latest trends in tea innovation, from cold...

In today’s episode, we catch up with Jack Simpson of Axil Coffee Roasters in Melbourne and the reigning World Barista Champion. After taking the Australian Barista Championship title three years in a row, Jack claimed the world crown in Milan in November, 2025. In this conversation, Jack reflects on the experience of winning on the biggest coffee stage in the world, the pressure and opportunities...

Today, we’re bringing you two standout conversations recorded live on the 5THWAVE stage at The Amsterdam Coffee Festival 2026. First up, we're joined by Menno Simons, Founder of Bocca Coffee and a pioneer of the Dutch specialty coffee scene. In this thought-provoking conversation, Menno reflects on 25 years of Bocca, the evolution and longevity of specialty coffee, and why even the most establishe...

In today’s episode, we’re bringing you highlights from a series of live conversations recorded at Le Paris Café Festival earlier this year, exploring the future of France’s burgeoning specialty coffee market. In the first conversation we speak Sandra Bouckenooghe, La Marzocco France , Christophe Servell, Terres De Café and Julie Duval at Oatly France , to  discuss the evolution of the French coffe...

In today’s episode, we’re diving into the fast-moving world of beverage innovation. Everyone wants to know what the next big beverage trend will be – the next iced matcha, mushroom latte or ube cold foam moment. But true beverage innovation is more than chasing trends. It’s about understanding what consumers value, recognising emerging opportunities, and delivering products in ways that feel relev...

This year’s London Coffee Festival is fast approaching – once again bringing together thousands of coffee professionals and enthusiasts for four days of conversation, innovation, and endless tastings in the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic coffee cities. Since launching in 2011, the festival has become far more than a celebration of coffee culture. It’s a key moment for the industry to con...

In today’s episode, we're speaking with Lisa Lawson, founder of Scotland’s Dear Green Coffee Roasters. Lisa started in the coffee industry working alongside Toby Smith in the early days of creating Toby’s Estate in Sydney, and went on to launch Dear Green in Glasgow in 2011, with a mission to bring sustainably sourced coffees to her local community.  Since then, Dear Green has become a cornerstone...

In today’s episode, we’re exploring the rise of coffee shop concepts within boutique retail spaces, and speaking with Marcus Sanders, Vice President of Global Food and Beverage at luxury fashion brand Coach. While best known for its designer handbags, Coach launched The Coach Coffee Shop in 2024 as a way to expand the brand beyond traditional retail. The concept has since grown to more than 20 loc...

In today’s episode, we're speaking with Trish Rothgeb, founder of Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters in San Francisco. With over 30 years in the coffee industry, Trish was a true pioneer of the West Coast specialty coffee movement in the early 2000s and is widely credited with popularising the term “Third Wave Coffee.” In this conversation, we explore the evolution of specialty coffee culture and the m...

In today’s episode we’re exploring how climate change and deforestation are impacting global coffee production, with Dr. Aaron Davis , Senior Research Leader for Crops & Global Change at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Aaron has spent more than three decades researching coffee species and is a leading voice on climate resilience and future-proofing global coffee production.  In this thought-...

In today’s episode, we're speaking Gabriel Shohet, Co-founder of of UK coffee trailblazer Black Sheep Coffee . Founded in 2013 with friend and business partner Eirik Holth, Black Sheep had a bold vision: to champion specialty-grade robusta at a time when the industry was almost entirely focused on arabica. Since then, the brand has achieved remarkable success, scaling to over 130 outlets across fi...

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis, Co-founders of Swiss specialty coffee business MAME . Multiple-time Swiss competition winners, Emi and Mathieu founded MAME in Zurich in 2016, driven by a shared passion for coffee tasting, sensory analysis and competition craft, combined with Japanese precision. Today, they operate eight coffee shops across Zurich and Geneva...

In today’s episode, we explore Vienna’s fascinating and distinct coffee culture – from the grand 19th-century coffee houses that shaped the city’s intellectual life to the specialty scene redefining coffee today. What is the lasting legacy of Vienna’s historic coffee houses? How do heritage and modernity coexist in Vienna? And how has specialty coffee carved out its place within the city's deeply...

In today’s episode, we’re sharing two standout conversations recorded live on stage at the European Coffee Symposium last year, featuring Brazil’s The Coffee and Germany’s Lap Coffee – two highly ambitious, scalable brands built for the modern consumer. First, Frank Maeda, Head of Europe at The Coffee, explores the brand’s rapid global expansion, shaped by Japanese minimalism, high-tech efficiency...

In today’s episode, we welcome back to the studio Edwin Harrison, Co-founder of London’s Artisan and Curious Roo Coffee Roasters . Founded in 2011 by Edwin and his wife Magda, Artisan is a pioneering and influential voice in London’s specialty coffee scene. Edwin and Magda also run the Artisan Coffee School, where they share their expertise and work to elevate standards across the industry. In thi...

Today, we’re bringing you two live recordings from last year’s European Coffee Symposium , featuring conversations with Joe & The Juice and Hagen . While both are Danish-inspired concepts, each offers a distinct perspective on growth and the customer experience. Thomas Nørøxe, CEO of Joe & The Juice, shares how the business has built a high-performance culture rooted in energy, ambition an...

Today we’re bringing you a special episode in collaboration with the London Coffee Guide and Podcast, and republishing an insightful conversation with Nick Mabey and Michael Cleland, co-founders of London’s Assembly Coffee . Founded in 2015, Assembly Coffee is an innovative specialty coffee roastery known for its commitment to sustainability and excellence. In this conversation, Nick and Michael d...

Today we’re bringing you another session recorded live at the European Coffee Symposium + COHO . Taking to the stage is Gerd Müller-Pfeiffer, Founder of International Coffee Consulting. In this session, Gerd explores the key trends shaping the DACH coffee shop market and how consumers are continuing to trade up and seek premium experiences despite ongoing inflation pressures. He also highlights ho...

As we take a short break over the New Year period we’re bringing you a couple of our favourite conversations from the past year. We start with Christophe Servell, Founder of Terres de Café - a trailblazing Paris-based specialty roaster and café group. In this conversation, Christophe discusses the evolution of the specialty coffee landscape in Paris as well as the challenges and future opportuniti...

As a special Christmas bonus episode we're bringing you a playlist of some of our favourite The Coffee Music Project tracks featured on the podcast this year - including a few special Festive numbers from our talented artists. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all those celebrating. We wish everyone a warm and peaceful end to the year, and a happy start to 2026. Tracklist: Attention by Dudley...

In this episode, we continue the conversation around technology, automation and the future of coffee with an expert panel discussion recorded at the COHO Business Insight Summit. In this session we're joined by Scott Martin, CEO, Unity Coffee , Miranda Caldwell, Marketing Director, Eversys , and Boris Zwick, CEO, Übermilk , to explore the latest advancements in technology and how automation helps...

We continue our European Coffee Symposium + COHO series with a keynote from Scott Martin, founder of Unity Coffee and the mastermind behind Coffee Nation and Costa Express. In this fascinating session, Scott explores the impact of technology and automation on our industry, arguing that robust infrastructure will outlast flashy innovation. He also shares why the future of coffee will not be defined...

Continuing our series of unfiltered discussions from The European Coffee Symposium , we are at the COHO Head of Coffee Summit, led by James Hennebry, Co-founder of Rosslyn Coffee.  James is joined by an exceptional panel of leaders: Agnes Potter, Managing Director, Allpress UK , Josh Brown, Commercial Director. WatchHouse , Julian Weresch, Head of Coffee UK&I, Sodexo and Travis Wilson, Head of...

Next in our series of unfiltered talks from the European Coffee Symposium + COHO stages, we turn our attention to the future of the UK coffee shop market with a panel of seasoned leaders in specialty coffee. We’re joined by Marta Pogroszewska, Non-Executive Director, Bread Holdings, Paul Kelly, Global Marketing Director, La Marzocco , and Caroline Ottoy, Managing Director, WatchHouse. Sign up for...

Next up in our European Coffee Symposium Live series, is a talk from Egor Kolpakov, Founder & CEO of The Miners – an unconventional specialty coffee chain from Prague that’s expanding at remarkable pace across Europe. In this session, Egor shares his vision to inject the energy of New York’s coffee scene into Eastern Europe, and discusses how The Miners’ fast-paced, movement-driven service mod...