5THWAVE - The Business of Coffee and Hospitality

As a special Christmas bonus episode we're bringing you a playlist of some of our favourite The Coffee Music Project tracks featured on the podcast this year - including a few special Festive numbers from our talented artists.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all those celebrating. We wish everyone a warm and peaceful end to the year, and a happy start to 2026.

Tracklist:

• Attention by Dudley Music
• Carolina Gold by DANI
• Christmas Time by Erin Bowman
• Fly To You by Matt Kent and Daisy Chute
• I Wish You Love by Mimi Rose
• If You're Wondering by Zana Messia
• Not Mine by Alessia Piermarini
• Plane Jane by Lexie
• Ride with Santa by Natalie Good
• Sad Old Baby Dolls by The Misty
• Talk About A Movie by Z.M.A
• The Weight by Eirra

Thank you to SEB Collective for all your support, creativity and championing of emerging and talented musicians.

Discover more of the artists featured on the podcast by tuning into the 5THWAVE Playlist on Spotify

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In this episode, we continue the conversation around technology, automation and the future of coffee with an expert panel discussion recorded at the COHO Business Insight Summit.

In this session we're joined by Scott Martin, CEO, Unity Coffee, Miranda Caldwell, Marketing Director, Eversys, and Boris Zwick, CEO, Übermilk, to explore the latest advancements in technology and how automation helps baristas deliver quality and consistency at scale.

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We continue our European Coffee Symposium + COHO series with a keynote from Scott Martin, founder of Unity Coffee and the mastermind behind Coffee Nation and Costa Express.

In this fascinating session, Scott explores the impact of technology and automation on our industry, arguing that robust infrastructure will outlast flashy innovation. He also shares why the future of coffee will not be defined by “human vs. machine” but a seamless combination of both.

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Continuing our series of unfiltered discussions from The European Coffee Symposium, we are at the COHO Head of Coffee Summit, led by James Hennebry, Co-founder of Rosslyn Coffee. 

James is joined by an exceptional panel of leaders: Agnes Potter, Managing Director, Allpress UK, Josh Brown, Commercial Director. WatchHouse, Julian Weresch, Head of Coffee UK&I, Sodexo and Travis Wilson, Head of Coffee, La Maison.

This candid and inspiring session brought together some of the most experienced minds in specialty coffee to explore what truly moves the dial when scaling a high-quality coffee programme across multiple sites.

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Next in our series of unfiltered talks from the European Coffee Symposium + COHO stages, we turn our attention to the future of the UK coffee shop market with a panel of seasoned leaders in specialty coffee.

We’re joined by Marta Pogroszewska, Non-Executive Director, Bread Holdings, Paul Kelly, Global Marketing Director, La Marzocco, and Caroline Ottoy, Managing Director, WatchHouse.

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Next up in our European Coffee Symposium Live series, is a talk from Egor Kolpakov, Founder & CEO of The Miners – an unconventional specialty coffee chain from Prague that’s expanding at remarkable pace across Europe.

In this session, Egor shares his vision to inject the energy of New York’s coffee scene into Eastern Europe, and discusses how The Miners’ fast-paced, movement-driven service model is designed for efficiency, connection and contemporary active lifestyle.

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Last month saw the return of the European Coffee Symposium (ECS) + COHO in Berlin. Across three days, we welcomed 50 influential speakers from around the world to share their insights, inspiration, and bold ideas shaping the future of coffee and hospitality.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you a collection of these unfiltered conversations, panel discussions and keynote sessions – direct from the ECS + COHO stages. We start with a talk by Matt Chitharanjan, Co-founder & CEO of Blue Tokai – a coffee shop chain and specialty coffee roastery in India. 

In this session, Matt offers sharp insights into India’s rapidly-growing coffee market, highlighting the huge opportunities in an under-served coffee landscape, and the difficulties of balancing growth with profitability.

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Subscribe to 5THWAVE on Instagram @5thWaveCoffee and tell us what topics you'd like to hear

Last week saw the return of the European Coffee Symposium (ECS) + COHO in Berlin. Across three days, we welcomed 50 influential speakers from around the world to share their insights, inspiration, and bold ideas shaping the future of coffee and hospitality.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you a collection of these unfiltered conversations, panel discussions and keynote sessions – direct from the ECS + COHO stages. And what better place to begin, than with a talk from James Hoffmann – a pioneer of specialty coffee and one of the most respected thinkers in our industry.

In this talk, James explores the evolving dynamics shaping coffee - asking whether we’ve reached “peak coffee geek” at home, and the dangers of being stuck in the middle market. He also shares his thoughts on AI and Large Language Models in social media, and champions the coffee shop’s timeless value as a space for humanity.

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 joined by Sarina Prabasi, Co-founder of Buunni Coffee – a business of two community-driven cafés and a wholesale roastery based in New York City.

Sarina has had a remarkable journey from her native Nepal via Ethiopia to New York City. She’s also had impressive career in social justice and sustainability, especially in her role as CEO of WaterAid USA.

She founded Buunni Coffee in 2011 with her partner, Elias Gurmu, Their vision was to share exceptional Ethiopian coffee and hospitality with New Yorkers, while creating spaces that nurture connection, community and joy.

In this conversation, Sarina reflects on the realities of starting a business, the immigrant experience, and what it means to build a meaningful community in a new city. We also unpack her memoir, The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times, highlighting how cafés can become places for connection with a deep sense of belonging.

Credits music: "The Weight" by Eirra 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 breaking down the dos and don’ts of signing a retail property lease – from due diligence and heads of terms to rent reviews and exit strategies.

We'll speak with a leading broker and two real estate lawyers in London and New York to uncover how operators can navigate the small print, negotiate a fair deal, and protect themselves from personal exposure.

Our guests are Russel Helbling, Managing Director, Katz & Associates, Jason Dunietz, Real Estate Group Chair, Helbraun & Levey, Ian Leigh, Partner, CBG.

Credits music: "Talk About A Movie" by Z.M.A 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