5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

In today’s episode Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood returns to 5THWAVE!
Maxwell is the founder of Colonna Coffee, a UK-based specialty coffee brand and roastery. He’s also an author, three-time UK Barista Champion, Project Waterfall board director and an influential voice in the global coffee industry.
In this conversation, we explore how the specialty coffee market is evolving and why some traditional approaches are finding renewed relevance. We also discuss what independent coffee businesses can learn from larger commercial operations, how industry perceptions are shifting, and what the next era of specialty coffee might look like.
Credits music: "Rise" by Catherine Taylor Dawson in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show
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Single-use packaging remains one of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the coffee industry. 
An estimated 300 to 500 billion single-use coffee cups are produced globally each year, alongside the millions of roaster bags, takeaway food containers and other packaging used across the coffee supply chain.
So in this episode, we explore some of the latest reusable packaging solutions emerging across the industry, and what it takes to make reuse work in practice.
How do you create a reusable takeaway system that scales across multiple sites? How do you get consumers to participate when convenience and habit rule? And how do you make reuse work commercially and operationally behind the scenes?

We speak with David McLagan, Founder, Ecoffee Cup, Ramon Schalch, CEO, ViCafe, and Dejan Mitrovic and Clare Brass, Founders, Moree.
Credits music: "Bigger Things" by Carolina Diego in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show
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In today's episode, we catch up with David Flynn, President and Co-founder of the iconic Belleville Brûlerie in Paris.
Founded in 2013, Belleville is a leading name in France's specialty coffee scene,  known for its exceptional coffees and distinctive bleu de travail worker's jackets – a celebration of French craftsmanship and artisan tradition.
In this conversation, David shares why France is becoming an increasingly interesting market for specialty coffee, and how the country's deep-rooted appreciation for food, flavour and gastronomy is helping to shape its coffee culture.
David also unpacks his decision to move away from coffee shops to focus on roasting and sourcing, and how he's embracing lean management to make the business more efficient while empowering his team to drive continuous improvement.
Credits music: "Trip The Light" by BlueBelle in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show

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In today’s episode, we're catching up with Patrik Rolf, Founder and CEO of Copenhagen-based April Coffee Roasters and its sister project, SP Coffee Shop.

Founded in 2016, April is a super-premium specialty roastery and brewing equipment company, while SP Coffee takes a wider range of coffees from April’s partner farmers and offers a more accessible coffee shop experience.

In this conversation, Patrik discusses the power of community and slow growth, his relentless focus on quality, and how consistency and building a loyal customer base over time have been key to April’s success.
He also introduces the new April Hand Grinder and the independent kickstarter campaign behind it – a huge success that reached its original target in just four hours! Find out how you can support the campaign here.
Credits music: "Wake Up (And Smell the Coffee)" by Lexie in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show

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In today’s episode, we’re exploring how technology and AI is transforming coffee operations, and the importance of creating connected tech ecosystems.

What are the commercial benefits of connected equipment and Internet of Things (IOTs)? How can data and telemetry help coffee businesses improve efficiency and reduce waste? And what role will AI play in shaping the future of coffee consumption?

We’ll hear from Scott Martin, Founder, Unity Coffee, Jochen Bauer, Head of Product Management Digital Solutions, Groupe SEB, and Raivis Vaitekūns, Global Partnership Manager, Vendon.

Credits music: "Bare Minimum" by Daisy Peacock in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show
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Subscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear