- Specialty coffee gained much of its popularity through industry celebrities
- Coffee “stars” were often competition finalists who focused on technical coffee preparation content
- Today, new generations of consumers want more diverse and authentic content and celebrate new industry voices
EACH industry has its superstars, and specialty coffee is no different. Competitions and awards have enabled many individuals to become “big names” in the coffee industry – with significant influence over trends, innovations, and the popularity of certain products and methods.
However, times are changing, and the “OG” stars and big names of the coffee sector no longer carry the weight they once did.
The changing attitudes towards industry events like coffee competitions have weakened the influence of historic superstars, and a shift in how fans consume information about the world of coffee has seen a new era of “micro thought leaders” emerge.
There’s no shortage of specialty coffee influencers who have built a personal brand in the coffee world. But while many of them are still active in the industry, their role as influencers has shifted. As the industry has changed, younger consumers are engaging through different channels — which means different figures have come to the forefront.
“While many of these stars are still recognised as important in specialty coffee, the need to be continuously relevant has resulted in them being less known to newer generations,” says Kosta Kallivrousis, UK and Europe Sales Representative for Osito Coffee.
“In the past, one of the main ways individual coffee professionals could prove relevance was through competitions. Regardless of their background or business experience, winning them would open up guaranteed business opportunities and visibility platforms solely based on their competition placement.”
As these competitions continue to fall out of favour with audiences, such barista champions are arguably less industry-wide stars than they once were, and the run-off success less impactful.
“Coffee competitions do not hold the same status and prestige as they once did,” says Kosta. “Or at least, the allure that if you won it all you would set up your own brand and win big with brands, sponsorships and financing opportunities has waned.”
This isn’t to say that the influence of these coffee “stars” doesn’t still hold some weight – they remain relevant and well-respected, and indeed shaped much of the industry we have today. But many of them are now using their voice differently and evolving along with the landscape they operate in.
Coffee icons are now more about identity than merit
Historically, the specialty coffee industry operated like a meritocracy – with coffee competitions at the centre of its design. The sector stars and thought leaders were overwhelmingly born from this system.
Those who came from this period have achieved milestones within this meritocracy. As they gained success through competition, crowds turned to them in almost blind faith for their thoughts on the industry and adopted their techniques as doctrine for creating better coffee.
More recently, coffee competitions have faced criticisms of elitism and dissociation from the status quo of the coffee sector. This has led to a shift in dynamics, and community engagement, social media, and alignment with cultural values have become the new ways to earn trust and following.
Many Gen Z consumers are less concerned with the titles and prestige of former idols, such as coffee competitors, and instead seek to align themselves with coffee stars whose values and interests resonate with their own.
Founder of Cxffee Black, Bartholomew Jones is one such example. Co-founding the company in 2019 as a social enterprise to “return coffee to its African roots” and create “an equitable Black future,” he has obtained the popularity and fan base that in previous years would have been gained through competition success.
“People followed him around all over the Specialty Coffee Expo this year hoping to get a chance to interact with him – he oozes authenticity,” says Kosta. “In many ways, it’s the antithesis of what coffee competitions are: cookie-cutter and scripted. His message is sincere.”
In comparison to those who have become influencers in the coffee industry today – such as Emma Chamberlain, Martin Mayorga, Lance Hedrick, and Morgan Eckroth – have certainly played more into identity politics. Mainly through social media, they have attracted the attention of audiences who connect with their specific messaging and subject matter, rather than with their accolades.
The “old guard” focused a lot more on technical content and knowledge sharing, whereas the “new guard” is more interested in cultural knowledge. It’s now less about the product per se, and more about how communities interact with the product, and what it means to them.
“This feeds into a shift in perceptions of what represents a coffee professional. Identity is just as equal a form of knowledge as is how to brew a cup of coffee,” says Kosta.
“The idea of objective quality based on being scientifically precise and impersonal is one that people no longer value as much. People are increasingly accepting that culture, identity, history, and politics are just as valid forms of knowledge as definitions of quality when it comes to coffee.”
A shift towards a democratisation of knowledge
The historic structure of the meritocracy in specialty coffee has also meant there is a top-down delivery of knowledge. As champions and idols created or endorsed products, methods and ideas, they were adopted and embraced by a loyal fan base.
However, in recent years and with the growth of social media, the delivery of knowledge has become more democratic and segmented, with many more “micro thought leaders” across the specialty coffee industry.
Additionally, the channels people follow them through have changed — interest is shifting towards individual followings across social media platforms such as YouTube and Tiktok rather than people following events like the WBC.
Rather than have one person provide all the answers, new thought leaders are more diverse, more specialised, and offer their views or entertainment on particular subsects of the industry.
Examples include Morgan Eckroth, who has gained millions of followers for their social media videos about barista-customer cafe interactions, and Lance Hedrick, who explores and reviews technical aspects of coffee machinery in extensive videos.
“Specialty coffee has historically been white and male, and the focus on gear, scientific language and the competitive individual has reflected that,” says Kosta.
“Instead of consumers and coffee professionals trying to fit into one narrow identity of a coffee professional, they’re seeing that they can be themselves and their communities have their own traditions that are just as valid.”
Of course, this leaves space for new people to enter the sector, which is important to keep bringing in new views, and to diversify the industry. However, it also means that thought leadership in the specialty sector is becoming more fragmented – leaving lots of “experts” on narrow topics, rather than having overarching industry leaders.
While having many micro-experts and thought leaders might be less convenient for those seeking an all-around coffee idol like James Hoffmann for example, it also provides an opportunity for new audiences to embrace coffee. As more figures emerge that represent a range of cultures, backgrounds and views, new coffee consumer markets have potential to grow.
At the same time, there is so much information out there that it’s becoming increasingly harder to be considered an expert on any topic. As coffee audiences know a lot more than they once did, they hold thought leaders more accountable for the knowledge and views they share.
“People are looking to thought leaders to challenge the status quo,” Kosta says. “They expect to be inspired, and thought leaders are more accessible to collaborate and to be challenged than they once were. I think this has the possibility of leading to higher accountability.”
The future of the coffee sector – in terms of thought leadership – certainly looks as though it will continue to foster many micro leaders, with a wider diversity of backgrounds, more community engagement, and something for everyone.
Just as it’s unlikely that the “OG” superstars of coffee will ever completely disappear from the industry, it’s equally as unlikely that specialty audiences will return to worshipping competitors and other stars as they once did. As a range of new, influential voices grow in the industry, what will matter is not who they are, but who is listening.
Coffee Intelligence
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