Hot Topics from World of Coffee Brussels 2026

If you attended this year’s event at the Brussels Expo, then congrats – you survived what was probably the hottest ever European World of Coffee.

Despite the Euro heatwave, the entire coffee supply chain turned out from June 25–27, including producers, traders, roasters, logistics, packaging...all the way to the suppliers of the mugs you drink from. Over 500 exhibitors filled three event halls, and if you were there, you know Hall 7 was where the air conditioning was working best!

Market Outlook 

For both commercial and specialty clients visiting our booth in the much warmer Hall 11, a hot topic of discussion (pun intended) was the market outlook for the rest of 2026 and early 2027. Despite a promising Brazilian crop ahead, low destination and certified stock inventories, coupled with expensive Colombian and Central American coffees, are a potential cause for concern.

Many are anticipating market tightness between now and year end, or at least until Brazilian coffee begins to ship in excess and new crop shipments from Central America begin to flow. Overall, the outlook for 2027 is positive – I heard the term ‘carry market’ being whispered more than once!

Origin Flexibility  

Central America/Peru coffee was another big topic and discussions surrounding prices and Peru availability, specifically, were immediately followed up with, “What are my options?”  Last year in my World of Coffee Geneva recap, I wrote: “Flexibility in qualities, baskets and blending is increasingly critical to competitiveness.” This has not changed. We spoke with many roasters who are looking outside of traditional offerings to cover their milds needs – from East Africa to Oceania.

Creativity is the name of the game, with plenty of conversations around adaptable and practical ways to approach sourcing, supported by closer collaboration with trading and origin partners. It was great to see so much interest in our Sucafina Originals range – one way we’re helping roasters meet this need. The lineup now includes our Chaak coffee from Guatemala and our Vietnamese Chim Lac – we brewed many liters of the latter at our stand.

Spot Availability and Instant Trends 

World of Coffee Europe keeps resonating with wider audiences. It was great to get face time with our network of commercial, specialty and instant coffee partners. For specialty traders and roasters, concern over depleted spot stock availability continues. Years of inverted markets have resulted in leaner spot positions and therefore fewer options available for flexible availability. Planning – and reaching out to your trader well in advance – are the key here. 

Meanwhile, our Instant team enjoyed many valuable conversations with customers and suppliers. These discussions highlighted strong, ongoing demand for cold brew and ready-to-drink (RTD) products in particular, alongside continued interest in instant formats more broadly. 

Regulations  

And of course, it would not be a coffee event without discussions on the regulatory environment. Roasters and traders alike are feeling the pressures not only of ‘old’ stories such as EUDR and OTA limits, but also of newer frameworks entering into force, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).  

Many roasters feel that the initiatives still lack clarity, and with instant most likely falling under the regulation earlier than anticipated, there was discussion on all sides around the responsibilities and practical requirements. Only time will tell how these directives will ultimately shape our industry and our way of working.  

Highlights from Our Booth 

As for the Sucafina team, we were lucky to host nine of our ‘Origin All Stars’ partners at our booth. They all brewed up some exceptional offerings from roasters across Europe – it was amazing to see producer–roaster relationships being strengthened and forged. Meanwhile, our East Africa team hosted an array of cuppings and roaster take-overs in the inaugural Producers’ Village. 

We met both current and new clients, modeled our cool matching polo shirts and handed out stickers, t-shirts, coffee bags and coloring kits galore. And if you didn’t get to say hi to our adorable goats, don’t worry: there’s still time to check out our livestock for income diversification project in Burundi.

See you in Lisbon next year!  

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Jamie White is a New Jersey expat currently located in Geneva. She has been with Sucafina since 2021 and works on the green coffee desk with clients primarily from Central and Northern Europe. She holds a master’s degree in commodity trading from the University of Geneva and is currently the SCTA Next Gen Council Lead. In this recap, Jamie shares her reflections on this year's World of Coffee, highlighting key moments and conversations shaping the industry.