5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

In today’s episode we’re exploring how climate change and deforestation are impacting global coffee production, with Dr. Aaron Davis, Senior Research Leader for Crops & Global Change at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

Aaron has spent more than three decades researching coffee species and is a leading voice on climate resilience and future-proofing global coffee production. 

In this thought-provoking conversation, Aaron unpacks coffee farming’s complex relationship with deforestation and assesses its impact on forest ecosystems. He also highlights the rise of alternative coffee species, and why transparency and unlocking genetic diversity are key to our industry’s long-term survival.

Credits music: "Natures Hands" by Flo Perlin 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 speaking Gabriel Shohet, Co-founder of of UK coffee trailblazer Black Sheep Coffee.

Founded in 2013 with friend and business partner Eirik Holth, Black Sheep had a bold vision: to champion specialty-grade robusta at a time when the industry was almost entirely focused on arabica. Since then, the brand has achieved remarkable success, scaling to over 130 outlets across five markets and capturing the attention of a new generation of coffee drinkers along the way. 
In this conversation, Gabriel reflects on Black Sheep’s philosophy of challenging the status quo and choosing not to blindly follow industry trends. He also shares insight into the brand’s US expansion strategy – targeting Sunbelt states like Texas and Florida over more well-trodden markets such as New York and LA – to show the model resonates with a broader, more inclusive American audience.

Credits music: "Shock Me" by Gina Zo 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 speaking with Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis, Co-founders of Swiss specialty coffee business MAME.

Multiple-time Swiss competition winners, Emi and Mathieu founded MAME in Zurich in 2016, driven by a shared passion for coffee tasting, sensory analysis and competition craft, combined with Japanese precision. Today, they operate eight coffee shops across Zurich and Geneva and, one most recently, Tokyo.

In this conversation, Emi and Mathieu share their guiding principles for tailoring every guest experience and creating memorable coffee moments. They also discuss how they’ve drawn inspiration from Michelin-starred chefs to scale high-quality and maintain a strong brand identity as they grow internationally.
Credits music: "Lay on Grass" by Sam Stokes 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 explore Vienna’s fascinating and distinct coffee culture – from the grand 19th-century coffee houses that shaped the city’s intellectual life to the specialty scene redefining coffee today.
What is the lasting legacy of Vienna’s historic coffee houses? How do heritage and modernity coexist in Vienna? And how has specialty coffee carved out its place within the city's deeply rooted café tradition?

We’ll hear from Art Historian Jamie Reurs, Johanna Parker (née Wechselberger), Founder of The Vienna School of Coffee and Philip Feyer Founder, of Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters.

Credits music: "Miraculous Wonders" by Akeira Jade in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective. Tune into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify for more music from the show
To The Coffee House by Peter Altenberg
If you have troubles of one sort or another – to the coffee house
She can't come to you for some reason, no matter how plausible – to the coffee house
You have holes in your shoes – the coffee house
You have a salary of 400 crowns and spend 500 – the coffee house
You are frugal and permit yourself nothing – the coffee house
You find no woman who suits you – the coffee house
You hate and disdain people and yet you cannot do without them – go to the coffee house
Nobody extends you any more credit anywhere – the coffee house
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In today’s episode, we’re sharing two standout conversations recorded live on stage at the European Coffee Symposium last year, featuring Brazil’s The Coffee and Germany’s Lap Coffee – two highly ambitious, scalable brands built for the modern consumer.
First, Frank Maeda, Head of Europe at The Coffee, explores the brand’s rapid global expansion, shaped by Japanese minimalism, high-tech efficiency and a digital-first approach.
Then, Tonalli Arreola, Co-Founder of Lap Coffee, shares how automation and digitisation streamline operations, freeing up baristas to focus on what matters most – the hospitality experience.

Credits music: "Good Morning" by Lua de Morais and Sharon Mor 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