5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Stephan Bredell, Co-Founder of Platō Coffee – a fast-growing specialty coffee chain based in South Africa. Launched in December 2019 with his brother Petrus, Platō Coffee began as a single café with a mission to serve high-quality coffee in welcoming, beautifully designed spaces. With a focus on opening sites in local, lifestyle destinations and growing thro...

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Dion Cohen, Co-founder of Single O – an iconic name in Australian specialty coffee. Originally known as Single Origin Coffee Roasters, Dion founded the business in 2003 alongside his wife and business partner, Emma Cohen. Their vision was to bring greater transparency to the coffee supply chain while building a brand that was fun, engaging, and unafraid to b...

In today’s episode, we're speaking with James Sweeting, Co-founder of Lincoln & York – a highly respected private label coffee roaster based in the North of England. James founded Lincoln & York with business partner Simon Herring in 1994 and over the past 30 years, the company has grown into one of the UK’s largest independent coffee roasters. With decades of experience under his belt, Ja...

This year’s London Coffee Festival is right around the corner and with it comes four days of caffeine-fuelled celebration in this city’s ever-evolving coffee scene. Founded in 2011, The London Coffee Festival is a major event in global industry’s calendar, drawing thousands of coffee professionals, enthusiasts, and innovators from around the world to connect, collaborate, and share their passion f...

In today’s episode we’re bringing you the first in a series of interviews and discussions recorded live at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival 2025. Celebrating its 10th year, the festival was buzzing with energy, ideas, and innovation, as industry leaders and entrepreneurs from all across Europe came together for an inspiring celebration of coffee. In this 5THWAVE live session, we’re diving into the wo...

In today’s episode we’re speaking with Eve Wagg, Founder and CEO of Well Grounded – a UK-based social enterprise supporting unemployed individuals to gain access to meaningful careers in coffee. Since its inception in 2016, Well Grounded has trained over 1,000 people and delivered more than 15,000 hours of work placements in partnership with leading brands like GAIL’s, WatchHouse, and the Company...

With Le Paris Café Festival 2025 happening this week, today we’re concluding our series on the rise of specialty coffee in France. Over the past four episodes, we’ve heard some incredible stories from industry pioneers and trailblazers across the French specialty coffee scene. In today’s closing episode, we take a step back to reflect on how far the market has come, unpack what’s driving growth to...

In today’s episode, we continue our series on the rise of specialty coffee in France and speak with Tom Clark, Co-founder and CEO of Coutume . Originally from Australia, Tom was among the early pioneers of Paris’ specialty coffee movement. While studying in the city, he spotted a clear gap in the market to bring high-quality coffee to French consumers and set up Coutume in 2011. Today, the busines...

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Amsterdam Coffee Festival – a celebration of the edgy Dutch coffee scene and its passionate coffee community. This year, we’re thrilled to bring 5THWAVE Live to the Festival, where we’ll be showcasing two days of dynamic discussions with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and coffee innovators. And to whet your appetite, in this episode we’re speaking with Yor...

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Fleur Studd, co-founder of Australia's Market Lane and Melbourne Coffee Merchants. Established in Melbourne in 2009, Market Lane is a highly-respected specialty roaster and retailer with ten outlets across the city. Since its inception, the company has placed a strong emphasis on responsible business practices, and in 2022 achieved B-Corp certification with...

In today’s episode, we continue our series on the rise of specialty coffee in France and speak with Mihaela Iordache, Head Roaster at Paris’ iconic Belleville Brûlerie . Founded in 2013, Belleville is a pioneering specialty roaster, known for its high-quality coffees and the staff’s signature Bleu de Travail outfit – the classic French blue workwear jacket that’s become a symbol of their craft. In...

Matcha has seen significant growth in coffee shops in recent years. With its striking green colour, promoted health benefits, and aspirational lifestyle appeal, this Japanese-origin tea has firmly captured the attention of Western consumers. In this episode we're asking what’s driving this surge in popularity, what’s next for the category, and will there be enough matcha to go around as demand sta...

In today’s episode we continue our series on the rise of specialty coffee in France and speak with Hippolyte Courty, Founder of L' Arbre à Café. Established in 2009, L’Arbre à Café is a Paris-based specialty coffee roaster and operator, and a pioneering force in the French specialty coffee scene. With a background in wine and fine gastronomy, Hippolyte has helped to redefine French coffee culture,...

In today’s episode, we’re launching a new deep-dive series in collaboration with 5THWAVE magazine exploring the rise of specialty coffee in France. Once known for its traditional dark espressos and modest coffee standards, France is undergoing a transformation. All across the country, interest in specialty coffee is exploding, with a growing number of consumers seeking quality and a new wave of ar...

In today’s episode, we speak with Tom Molnar, Co-founder and CEO of GAIL’s Artisan Bakery – a highly influential UK-based bakery and coffee chain. Tom partnered with the eponymous Gail in London in the early 2000s, transforming her wholesale bakery business for chefs into a thriving neighbourhood chain. Today, GAIL’s is a much-loved UK bakery-cafe group with over 150 bakeries nationwide. In this i...

As consumer interest in specialty coffee continues to rise, so too does demand beyond the café. Today’s customers expect high-quality coffee to be available wherever they are – whether commuting, travelling or shopping. In this episode, we explore the businesses redefining coffee service outside the traditional bricks-and-mortar model. From mobile coffee trucks to travel kiosks and small-format re...

In this episode, we're joined by Nicolas O’Connell – an influential coffee and business expert and a former Partner at La Colombe Coffee Roasters . Nicolas joined La Colombe in the mid-1990s as a barista and quickly rose through the ranks, playing a key role in launching the brand’s pioneering wholesale programme. Though he’s often worked behind the scenes, Nicolas' business acumen and strategic v...

In today’s episode we speak with Mark Sciberras, Director of The Common E2 and Common Ground Workshop – an East London café and architecture studio specialising in hospitality and residential design.   Originally from Melbourne, Mark trained as an architect before moving to London in the mid-2000s. Inspired by the city’s emerging specialty coffee scene, he opened The Common E2 in 2014, creating a...

In our final live session from the event, we’re joined by Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, CEO of Coffee Island , and Alex Pantziaros, founder of Coffeeco Upcycle , to explore their mission of transforming coffee waste into high-value products. Coffee Island is Greece’s largest coffee chain, with over 450 outlets in Greece and an additional 50 across nine international markets. Coffeeco Upcycle set...

In today’s episode we’re speaking with a very special guest – Paul Ross, founder of Special Guests Coffee , a boundary-pushing specialty coffee business based in the heart of London.  A two-time UK Barista Champion, Paul founded Special Guests in 2022 with a mission to curate rare specialty coffees from around the world and showcase these hidden gems to wider audiences through his coffee venue and...

In today's episode we’re finding out how specialty roasters and distributors are navigating the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce coffee.  In an era where the competition is now global, how do brands stand out from the crowd? How can businesses engage with consumers and build loyal audiences online? And what lies ahead for the burgeoning new coffee discovery segment? We'll speak with Menno Sim...

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Stuart Forsyth, CEO & Co-founder of distinctive and influential oat milk brand, Minor Figures.   Stuart set up Minor Figures in London back in 2015 with a vision to create an accessible alternative milk brand that complements the taste of coffee and champions our industry. Today, Minor Figures is a leading player in the global oat milk category operating...

For the second revisit episode of our Holiday break, we’re returning to one of the most inspiring conversations of last year, with Cemal Ezel, Founder of the social enterprise Change Please and Old Spike Roastery . Cemal’s insight into balancing social impact with commercial success is thought-provoking and powerful. In this extended interview, he shares how Change Please uses a unique business mo...

As we take a short break over Christmas and New Year, we’re re-sharing some of our favourite conversations from the past 12 months. First up, we’re revisiting an inspiring conversation with Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, Founders of Maman – the French-inspired boutique café and bakery chain that began in New York and has since expanded across the US and into Canada. Since its launch in 2014...

In today's episode we're continuing our tradition of sharing an alternative Christmas playlist to soundtrack your celebrations over the Christmas period! We love to close each episode with music from up-and-coming artists, in association with The Coffee Music Project . So, today, we’re bringing you a special bonus episode filled with some of the best tracks we’ve featured this year. So grab a glas...