Espresso #92 discusses how Generation Z is leading a new era of coffee consumption
Generation Z is rewriting the rules of consumption. Digital natives and connected on an unprecedented scale, these young people are entering adulthood ready to experiment, share references, and question established patterns. And coffee is part of this transformation.
In this edition's cover story, published in partnership with 5th Wave, we investigate how this new generation is redefining the relationship with beverages and influencing business models, marketing strategies, and consumption trends.
But the changes in contemporary coffee don't stop there. In Espírito Santo, the country's second-largest producing state, we went to see how different profiles of coffee growers—from small mountain producers to large Robusta coffee groups—are converging towards more sustainable practices. Common to all are initiatives related to environmental regeneration, efficient use of natural resources, traceability, and post-harvest innovation.
Adapting to climate change is also central to the report on irrigation. While the technology was previously seen as a tool to increase productivity, today it is consolidating itself as a strategy to ensure stability, distribute water precisely, and increase the resilience of crops in the face of extreme events.
We turn our attention to Japan, one of the most sophisticated markets on the planet, to understand how the country is expanding its sensory repertoire. Without abandoning the tradition of kissatens and dark roasts, consumers and professionals are incorporating new origins, roasting profiles, and experiences, revealing important trends for global specialty coffee.
We conclude this edition with an exclusive interview with Rodolfo Osorio de Oliveira, the new head of Embrapa Café. In advocating for more results-oriented research, closer collaboration between science and the field, and ongoing training programs, he points to paths for a coffee industry capable of meeting the challenges of the coming decades.
Although they deal with different themes, all these reports address the same question: how to build the future of coffee in a world that is changing ever faster.