COFFEE MARKET IN GREECE

There is an imperative need, created by the market itself, for the organization and hosting of the ATHENS COFFEE FESTIVAL, at a time period when the coffee catering industry is rapidly growing, while the potential audience of home baristas and coffee lovers is constantly widening.

Since Turkish coffee was first introduced to the public (which was renamed Greek in the 1960s) until today that has been “benchmarked” by espresso and other coffee blends, the relation between Greek consumers and coffee grows stronger every year, every day… It is remarkable that during the period of the great economic crisis the number of cafés that opened was really impressive and the coffee brands saw their sales to skyrocketing. From 2015, when the 1st ATHENS COFFEE FESTIVAL took place, major Greek and international coffee brands are presenting products and services to professionals who are looking to upgrade their product and consumers who want to live a new, different experience related to coffee either at a coffee shop or at home.

Coffee is the leading beverage in consumption across the Western world after water, among all—alcoholic and non-alcoholic—beverages! The domestic market, year after year, has been showing a significant increase in the quantity of the coffee that is consumed but also a significant improvement in the quality of coffee reaching the final consumer. Let’s look at some details that confirm all the above:

In recent years, the third wave is dominating the coffee industry. In the third wave, coffee is essentially managed by specialized barista. Grains are imported directly from the production farms and the consumer drinks his coffee freshly roasted and not imported. Another feature of the third wave of coffee is that consumers choose mostly small, independent coffee shops that can accurately tell them how and where coffee plants were grown, who baked the grains and when. Also, the coffee is roasted in a way to match the extraction method that highlights the best qualities of each grain.

Consumers … of the fourth wave not only know which coffee blend to choose but they can also evaluate its quality. The consumer not only cares about where the coffee is grown but he is also informed about the cultivation methods and chooses the coffee based on them. The fourth wave is characterized by the gradual distance from the coffee machines and the approach of slower extraction methods that highlight the finesse of the taste while the barista’s contribution is not only important but crucial to the creation of a quality beverage.