5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

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 how the bakery segment has quietly become a critical engine of out-of-home coffee growth across Germany.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 opportunities for coffee across France.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 MusicCarolina Gold by DANIChristmas Time by Erin BowmanFly To You by Matt Kent and Daisy ChuteI Wish You Love by Mimi RoseIf You're Wondering by Zana MessiaNot Mine by Alessia PiermariniPlane Jane by LexieRide with Santa by Natalie GoodSad Old Baby Dolls by The MistyTalk About A Movie by Z.M.AThe Weight by EirraThank you to SEB Collective for all your support, creativity and championing of emerging and talented musicians.Discover more of the artists featured on the podcast by tuning into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 baristas deliver quality and consistency at scale.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 by “human vs. machine” but a seamless combination of both.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 Coffee, La Maison.This candid and inspiring session brought together some of the most experienced minds in specialty coffee to explore what truly moves the dial when scaling a high-quality coffee programme across multiple sites.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

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 model is designed for efficiency, connection and contemporary active lifestyle.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

Last month saw the return of the European Coffee Symposium (ECS) + COHO in Berlin. Across three days, we welcomed 50 influential speakers from around the world to share their insights, inspiration, and bold ideas shaping the future of coffee and hospitality.Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you a collection of these unfiltered conversations, panel discussions and keynote sessions – direct from the ECS + COHO stages. We start with a talk by Matt Chitharanjan, Co-founder & CEO of Blue Tokai – a coffee shop chain and specialty coffee roastery in India. In this session, Matt offers sharp insights into India’s rapidly-growing coffee market, highlighting the huge opportunities in an under-served coffee landscape, and the difficulties of balancing growth with profitability.Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

In today’s episode, we're joined by Sarina Prabasi, Co-founder of Buunni Coffee – a business of two community-driven cafés and a wholesale roastery based in New York City.Sarina has had a remarkable journey from her native Nepal via Ethiopia to New York City. She’s also had impressive career in social justice and sustainability, especially in her role as CEO of WaterAid USA.She founded Buunni Coffee in 2011 with her partner, Elias Gurmu, Their vision was to share exceptional Ethiopian coffee and hospitality with New Yorkers, while creating spaces that nurture connection, community and joy.In this conversation, Sarina reflects on the realities of starting a business, the immigrant experience, and what it means to build a meaningful community in a new city. We also unpack her memoir, The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times, highlighting how cafés can become places for connection with a deep sense of belonging.Credits music: "The Weight" by Eirra in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the showSign up for our newsletter to receive the latest coffee news at worldcoffeeportal.comSubscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear