Why Emerging Markets Are Rewriting the Rules of Specialty Coffee
If you’ve ever wondered why coffee shops in Shanghai are booming while European cafes struggle to keep customers, the answer lies in a quiet revolution. Emerging markets are redefining what specialty coffee can be—by blending passion with pragmatism, they’re proving that creativity outpaces competition. In places like India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, coffee isn’t just a drink; it’s a cultural conversation. These regions are growing at double the pace of Western markets, with India’s coffee shops expanding at twice the rate of their US counterparts. Meanwhile, Shanghai’s rise as a global coffee hub shows that novelty, not just quality, still…

