World of Coffee Brussels is four weeks away and the industry is mobilising
Attendee registration is open for World of Coffee Brussels, taking place 25-27 June at Brussels Expo the first time the SCA's flagship European trade show has been held in Belgium. With 430+ exhibitors confirmed and the World Brewers Cup among the headline competitions, Brussels is the most significant European industry gathering of the year.
Featuring a Tasting Lab, Roasters' Village showcasing leading UK roasters, and expert-led tastings.
Two days of education and peer exchange at the Daily Coffee News flagship event for roasters.
Potential valuation approaching $400 500m a signal that emerging-market specialty chains are attracting serious late-stage capital.
Ethiopia is about to overtake Indonesia as the world's fourth-largest coffee producer
The USDA projects Ethiopia's 2026/27 harvest at 12.1 million bags up 4.7% while Indonesia falls 8% to 11.38 million bags. Four consecutive years of Ethiopian agronomic improvement versus robusta flowering disruptions in Sumatra and Java. For specialty buyers: more Ethiopian availability in 2027, tighter Indonesian supply widening differentials.
Exports reach 28.5m bags as shipments to Germany (+46%), the US (+37%), and Italy (+31%) surge. El Niño risk looms over 2026/27.
Robusta expansion and acreage growth to 595,000 hectares make Uganda one of the year's most underrated origin stories.
Arabica slid further on Friday while robusta rallied 1.7% after spotty rainfall in Vietnam's Central Highlands raised fresh crop concerns. The two grades are now trading on different supply narratives arabica softness is harvest-driven, but robusta's floor is less settled than recent lows implied.
Speaking at the Trento Economics Festival, illycaffè President Andrea Illy confirmed a listing is 'a possibility' with no timeline. He called 2025 a transition year of higher debt and lower profitability, and expects 2026 to be the year of recovery.
A shipment stolen in transit from New Orleans to Knoxville in May 2025 has triggered a federal lawsuit involving Zurich American Insurance a reminder that supply chain theft is a real logistics risk for US roasters.
Ethiopia is becoming the new safe haven for specialty buyers and producers know it
Ethiopia targets US$3bn in export revenue for 2025/26, with 12.1 million bags projected for 2026/27 and 800,000 hectares of harvested area. The structural expansion is happening exactly when roasters are diversifying away from two-country dependency. Roasters who build direct relationships in Yirgacheffe, Guji, and Sidama now before Brussels, before the 2027 crop will be better positioned than those who wait for the differential to move.
Sources
Perfect Daily Grind · Comunicaffe International · Global Coffee Report · World Coffee Portal · Daily Coffee News · SCA News · Barchart · USDA FAS · Ecofin Agency