As specialty coffee reaches new markets—and the number of individuals making these choices increases—it becomes increasingly enmeshed with our sense of identity. We constantly navigate brands (personal and product) in online and real-life spaces—how can we use signifiers across these various brand landscapes to better connect with consumers? What trends are emerging inside—and out—of the sector, and how can we leverage them?

Dagmawi I.E. re-introduces Ethiopian coffee and its consumption, tracing emerging trends in Ethiopia and situating them in context to trends seen in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Traditional and emerging markets alike can learn from Ethiopia's lessons in charting a way forward through in their own unique context.

Will Frith, Founder of Building Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City, believes it’s past time for a new narrative about Vietnam, and not only as a coffee producing country – Vietnam’s coffee retail and consumption trends point to new ways for coffee drinkers to connect to each other internationally and across supply chains domestically.

Using her experience studying specialty coffee in France (a traditional market) and Brazil (a domestic market), Noa Berger shares more about an exciting intersection of cultural identity and specialty coffee driving the growth of the Israeli specialty coffee market.

What are the customer expectations in 2022, and how do you meet them? This panel discussion features Pascal Herzog, Executive at ViCAFE and Serafina Luginbühl, Finance & Business Development Manager at Kaffeezentrale Switzerland.