Tag: coffee future

Yannis Apostolopoulos Speaks Frankly About the Past, Present, and Future of Specialty Coffee

Posted on by Qahwa World

Dubai – Qahwa World

The 5th Wave Podcast published a long interview with Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), under the title “The Past, Present and Future of Specialty Coffee.”
Given the importance of the insights shared, Qahwa World republishes the full conversation with minor editorial adaptation.

In today’s episode we’re speaking with Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association.

First established in the 1980s, the SCA is the largest coffee trade body globally and represents thousands of coffee professionals – from producers to baristas – all over the world.

In this conversation, Yannis discusses the evolution of the SCA and its ongoing efforts to make coffee more sustainable, equitable, and resilient, through research, standards, and education. He also shares his perspectives on the key challenges and opportunities in the industry, from climate change and sustainability to navigating economic uncertainty and the evolving role of technology and AI.

5thwave-the-business-of-c the-past-present-and-futu
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.
One of the conversations that needs to be at the forefront is about risk. Who is taking the risk and who gets compensated for that risk? Welcome back to the 5th Wave Podcast. I’m Geoffrey Young, Editor-in-Chief of 5th Wave.

In today’s episode, I’m delighted to be joined by Yanis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association. First established in the 1980s, the Specialty Coffee Association, or the SCA as it’s often known, is the largest global coffee trade body representing thousands of coffee professionals from producers to baristas all over the world. In our conversation, Yanis discusses the evolution of the SCA and their ongoing efforts to make coffee more sustainable, more equitable, and more resilient through research standards and education.

He also shares his perspective on the key challenges and opportunities for our industry, from climate change and sustainability to navigating economic uncertainty and the evolving role of technology and AI. Welcome, Yanis. It’s very nice to be here.

Very nice to see you, Geoffrey. We see each other around the world at different spots and really, really excited to have you here actually in the studio, in Serendipity Studios. I wonder if you’d just give us a little bit of intro just on your own career and what drew you into the world of coffee.

So first of all, thank you for having me. It’s really an honor and a pleasure to be here. Well, coffee is an interesting story.

My background is mostly in wines and spirits. And around 2009, the business I used to work for decided to get into coffee. And the more I get to know coffee, I just think that coffee has this amazing, I would say, attribute that brings people in.

And you meet people, the community, the actual beverage. It’s so unique in many ways. I think it was the first time in my career that I realized, okay, I’ve been selling wine, spirits, or soft drinks.

But this time, it’s something that it’s actually good for your health. And you can contribute in making an impact or a difference in the world by impacting the livelihoods of many people. And that’s what drew me into specialty coffee.

I got involved as a volunteer in the Greek chapter, then as a board director. And then during, I would say, the initial conversations between the merger between SCAA and SCAE, the European and the American organization, I found myself working for SCAE and leading eventually SCAE around end of 2018. Wow.

So that’s a good seven years already. Almost seven. Yeah.

Little I know that the year after I become the CEO, there would be COVID and everything would change in the world, at least when it comes to trade shows, because as you remember, it used to be just trade shows. Now we’re doing much, much more. And we at SCAE are trying to make coffee better, to make coffee more sustainable, equitable, and thriving as an endeavor for everyone in the value chain.

And we do that by doing research. We use the research to set standards. And one of our most famous standards is the capping form and the capping protocol, which we recently changed based on the work we’ve done around the coffee value assessment system.

And then we educate people around the world in using those standards and trying to make them get skills to, I would say, focus on the gaps that we have in the coffee industry. And then we do events to try to bring people together and use those opportunities to disseminate the information of our research and standards. So research events and bring people together at events.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it’s a formidable organization, I must say.

I was wondering if you could share how many people the SCAE educates in a given year. It’s very interesting. First of all, I have to say that it’s a collective effort.

I have an amazing team of people. They are really passionate about making coffee better. It’s a collective effort from the SCAE board that changed a lot over the years, but also the executive team.

On an annual basis, we educate over 80,000 people globally. It’s really something which I find it very interesting because a lot of people want to get engaged in the coffee industry. We have a lot of, say, churn when it comes to people who are trying to find a career in the coffee industry.

And what we’re trying is to provide tools and education to do so. It’s very interesting. And I think professions around hospitality are going to be much, much more attractive in the future, given the changes that we’re going to see in the global workplace with AI.

I think people will always enjoy experiences in food, in coffee. And coffee is a very human product at the end of the day. Exactly.

Now, thinking about those gaps, what do you think are the key issues that you and your organization are faced with out there in a world? For our industry, you get to speak to a whole array of human beings, from coffee farmers to people that produce equipment, to traders, to all the way down to the baristas, the roasters, and everything. The array of people that you talk to on a daily basis, it must give you a good instinct in terms of what are the big topics for our industry that we need to face over the next decade or two. What are you concerned with? …

 

The Future of Arabica: Between Climate Threats and Breeding Innovations

Posted on by Qahwa World

By: Matin Yazdi

Arabica coffee could look very different by 2050. Climate models warn that half of today’s Arabica-growing land is at risk of disappearing under the weight of rising heat, drought, pests, and erratic weather. This isn’t just a farmer’s crisis — it’s a challenge for every coffee drinker around the globe.

Yet, amid these sobering warnings, there is reason for optimism. Science is advancing at an unprecedented pace, ushering in what many experts are calling a “golden age” of coffee breeding. As climate pressures mount, new tools and innovations are reshaping the possibilities for resilient and sustainable coffee.

F1 Hybrids: Climate Champions

First-generation hybrids (F1 Hybrids), first pioneered in Central America, are showing extraordinary promise. These varieties deliver 30–60% higher yields compared to traditional Arabica and thrive in agroforestry systems that integrate shade trees and crops. They combine resilience with cup quality — a balance once thought difficult to achieve. The main challenge remains affordability and large-scale distribution, but advances in tissue culture and seed-based propagation are steadily closing that gap.

The Genome Maps Flavor and Resistance

A major breakthrough in recent years has been the sequencing of Arabica’s genome at chromosome level. This allows breeders to pinpoint genes tied to drought tolerance, disease resistance, and even sensory quality. With these tools, the process of developing new varieties can shrink from decades to just a few years — a radical transformation in the coffee world.

Diversity as Insurance for the Future

Genetic diversity is perhaps the most powerful safeguard for coffee’s survival. Robusta harbors hidden clusters of genes that could be tapped for resilience. Liberica is offering new species with surprising disease resistance. Meanwhile, wild relatives such as Coffea charrieriana — naturally caffeine-free — are no longer curiosities, but strategic resources. Preserving these species is not charity; it is a direct investment in the sustainability of coffee supply chains.

From Molecules to the Field

The next frontier is molecular breeding. Tools like metabolomics (the study of chemical compounds in plants) and DNA markers are moving out of research labs and into real-world breeding programs. That means breeders can select plants for sweetness, body, or resilience before they ever reach the field. This leap in precision is poised to redefine how quality and resilience are achieved in coffee.

Collaboration as the Accelerator

Scientific breakthroughs alone are not enough. True impact depends on collaboration across research institutions, companies, and producers. Initiatives such as World Coffee Research’s Innovea network and corporate-backed genome projects demonstrate that progress is fastest when stakeholders align. The critical challenge now is scaling funding and ensuring smallholder farmers — who grow most of the world’s coffee — gain access to these innovations.

A Race Between Climate and Innovation

The story of Arabica’s future is not one of despair, but of urgency. It is a race between mounting climate pressures and the speed of scientific innovation. The question is not whether coffee will change, but how we prepare to face that change. With the tools already available, the industry has the chance to secure a resilient, flavorful, and sustainable future for coffee lovers everywhere.

Even decaf enthusiasts may have reason to celebrate. Wild caffeine-free species could herald a new era of decaf coffee that finally delivers all the flavor — with none of the compromise.

Conclusion: The future of Arabica is not predetermined. It hangs in the balance between threats and opportunities. By embracing innovation and expanding collaboration, the global coffee community can ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy rich, sustainable, and high-quality coffee.

The Coffee Race: From Corporate Giants to Startups… Who Will Shape the Future?

Posted on by Qahwa World

Dubai – Ali Alzakry

The sale of Geisha coffee from the famed “Hacienda La Esmeralda” at the “Best of Panama 2025” auction was no ordinary event. A historic record was set when the washed Geisha fetched an unprecedented $30,204 per kilogram. Yet the bigger surprise was not the price itself, but the buyer: a Dubai-based startup, just one week old at the time, that stunned the industry by purchasing the entire 20-kilogram lot for a staggering $604,000. A dramatic scene that shook the markets and ignited debates among experts, investors, and coffee leaders worldwide.

And the shocks did not stop there. The sector was soon rattled by a string of announcements: “Coca-Cola” revealed it is considering the sale of “Costa Coffee”; “Burgerizzr” announced its acquisition of 60% of the café chain “Shuffle”; and a historic milestone was recorded with “Keurig Dr Pepper” acquiring “JDE Peet’s” for €15.7 billion. A whirlwind of events that disrupted the landscape and raised big questions about the future of coffee in Dubai and across the globe.

These developments prompted us at Qahwa World to open this file seriously, guided by the voices of seasoned leaders and pioneers in the coffee sector — people who combine boldness with credibility, and who know the market intimately. With them, we explored critical questions:

  • Are these events just a passing wave of headlines, or the signs of a long-term transformation?

  • How will Dubai and the region be impacted?

  • And what do these deals mean for producers, independent roasters, and young entrepreneurs?

Diverging Views: From Showmanship to the Core of Coffee

When we asked coffee experts about these developments, their views revealed striking contrasts — an intellectual confrontation that highlights the complexity of the challenges ahead.

“Kim Thompson” sees the sale of “Costa Coffee” as simply corporate repositioning that does not affect the fundamentals of specialty coffee, emphasizing that true value lies in farmer relationships. “Matt Toogood,” however, warns that extravagant moves — such as buying an entire lot of Geisha at a record price — risk harming the industry more than helping it. In contrast, “Katerina Borodich” argues that coffee has now become a strategic sector in its own right, while “Federico Ortile” views these changes as a signal of the industry’s shift toward innovation and partnerships. “Robert Jones,” meanwhile, believes we are at the dawn of a new era in coffee, with the global map being redrawn.

Kim Thompson: “Big Deals Don’t Change the Core of Specialty Coffee”

“Kim Thompson,” co-founder of “RAW Coffee Company,” describes Coca-Cola’s potential sale of “Costa Coffee” as interesting but unsurprising. She stresses that such moves do not alter the essence of what companies like RAW Coffee do: sourcing directly from trusted producers, ensuring fair trade, and serving customers who value quality and transparency.

According to Thompson, multinational repositioning reflects shareholder priorities, but the real work happens at origin and in independent roasteries. Corporate headlines may ripple across markets, but they do not affect the heart of the sector: ensuring farmers are fairly paid and consumers are served authentic coffee.

She notes that the industry’s deeper transformation lies in changing consumer tastes, rising interest in specialty coffee, and recognition of coffee as both culture and commodity.

On Panama, she believes that a Dubai startup purchasing the entire Geisha lot was headline-grabbing but not a true measure of sustainability or impact. For her, the real benchmark lies in how investments support farmers, knowledge-sharing, and meaningful consumer experiences.

Thompson warns that the sector must not be distracted by dramatic headlines and forget the daily challenges faced by producers — rising costs, volatile markets, and climate change. The future of coffee, she insists, will not be determined by billion-dollar deals but by empowering producers and supporting sustainable farming.

Matt Toogood: “Showmanship Harms Coffee More Than It Helps”

Matt Toogood,” CEO“RAW Coffee Company,

“Matt Toogood,” CEO “RAW Coffee Company,” describes Dubai as a unique laboratory for specialty coffee, where consumer tastes shifted over 15 years from bitter, traditional espresso to balanced, flavorful profiles. He emphasizes that this shift was driven not by big chains but by independent cafés that dared to serve coffee that was sweet, balanced, and not bitter.

He recalls that initial reactions ranged from confusion to excitement, but eventually consumers embraced the change.

In contrast, large chains, he says, adopted the language of quality without improving their products — masking poor coffee with milk and sugar. The true transformation, Toogood argues, was led by independent operators who adapted to consumer behavior.

Regarding Panama, he calls the record-breaking Geisha purchase “a theatrical stunt” with no commercial logic. He warns that such actions mislead farmers into thinking value lies in inflated prices, when in fact auctions are often choreographed months in advance for marketing purposes.

Katerina Borodich: “Coffee Is No Longer a Side Product… It’s a Strategic Sector”

Katerina Borodich,” CEO of “Drinkit UAE

“Katerina Borodich,” CEO of “Drinkit UAE,” sees “Burgerizzr’s” 60% acquisition of “Shuffle” as proof of a clear trend: coffee is no longer a complementary product in food and beverage — it is a strategic industry on its own.

She notes that regional demand is driven by fast-paced lifestyles and strong hospitality culture, with consumers seeking convenience, flavor, personalization, and speed. Drinkit’s tech-enabled platform, she says, delivers exactly that.

Borodich emphasizes that Dubai is more than a consumer market — it is a gateway and a global platform. The city rewards speed and innovation, and what succeeds there can succeed anywhere.

She acknowledges that competition will intensify, but insists this also creates more opportunities for startups. Success, she argues, comes not from “serving coffee” alone but from understanding consumers and delivering complete experiences.

For her, these deals reflect investor confidence in coffee’s future in the region, grounded in stable demand and strong government support.

Federico Ortile: “Dubai Is Not a Market… It’s a Global Laboratory”

Federico Ortile,” Managing Director of the “Simonelli Group Middle East

“Federico Ortile,” Managing Director of the “Simonelli Group Middle East,” sees Coca-Cola’s potential exit from “Costa Coffee” as part of a larger corporate trend — moving from owning retail brands to focusing on innovation and partnerships.

He views Burgerizzr’s investment in “Shuffle” as a landmark move, bringing regional capital into a space long dominated by international players. This, he argues, strengthens the region’s food and beverage ecosystem.

On “Keurig Dr Pepper’s” €15.7 billion acquisition of “JDE Peet’s,” Ortile calls it transformative, consolidating two global powerhouses. He notes that it will intensify competition but also open access to greater resources and platforms.

As for Dubai, Ortile describes it not as a mere consumer market but as a global laboratory — where international trends meet regional innovation. He believes its role as a hub for luxury coffee will only grow as local capital merges with global technology.

Robert Jones: “We Are on the Cusp of a New Era in Coffee”

Robert Jones,” Managing Director of “Coffee Planet

“Robert Jones,” Managing Director of Family First Cafe | GEMS Global,” interprets Coca-Cola’s reconsideration of “Costa Coffee” as a clear sign that even the biggest players are reassessing their bets in a changing market. Consumers, he says, no longer seek scale alone but quality and experience — and legacy brands risk irrelevance if they fail to evolve.

He views Burgerizzr’s acquisition of “Shuffle” as an investor move to control consumer dwell time and data — proof that coffee is now a lifestyle and emotional connection rather than just a beverage.

On the “Keurig Dr Pepper” deal for “JDE Peet’s,” Jones calls it a reshaping of the global value chain, with ripple effects on sourcing, pricing, and pressure on smaller brands to stand out through authenticity.

For him, Dubai is no longer peripheral but a central player in specialty coffee worldwide. The record Geisha purchase, he argues, was a strategic message that placed Dubai at the center of the global coffee stage.

“We are not witnessing a passing wave,” Jones concludes. “This is a complete redrawing of the coffee map. It is a new era for coffee — but success will go to those who build with vision and purpose, not those chasing spectacle.”

Conclusion

From Panama to Dubai, from auction halls to billion-euro deals, coffee has broken free of its role as a daily beverage or traditional trade. It has become a global investment arena — where corporate giants collide with ambitious startups, and visions clash between spectacle and substance, between quick profit and long-term sustainability.

This investigation revealed that there is no single answer to the question: What is happening in the coffee market?

  • “Kim Thompson” believes the core of specialty coffee remains unchanged.

  • “Matt Toogood” warns that theatrical excess could damage the industry.

  • “Katerina Borodich” stresses the future belongs to agile, innovative startups.

  • “Federico Ortile” sees Dubai as a global laboratory where capital meets innovation.

  • And “Robert Jones” insists the world is entering a new era where the coffee map itself is being redrawn.

One thing is certain: coffee is no longer in the shadows. It has taken center stage in the global economic and cultural landscape — and today’s developments will shape its future for decades to come.