24 - 26 NOVEMBER 2026 | JW MARRIOTT BERLIN

Full Programme Announced

Summits & Symposium

JW Marriott Berlin  ·  24–26 November 2026

Every session, every confirmed speaker, across the Procurement Summit, the Business Insights Summit and the 17th Symposium. Three days, listed in full below.

3Talks programmes
21Sessions
36Confirmed speakers

Sessions and timings confirmed. Further speakers announced as they are secured.

01

Day 1 — Tuesday 24 November

The Procurement Summit

Five sessions on the decisions that reshape a menu and a supply base. Hosted by Tobias Pearce, Editor, 5THWAVE, World Coffee Portal, and Jeffrey Young, Founder & CEO, Allegra Group.

14:00 — 17:15Running time5Sessions21Speakers

Highlights

14:00 — 14:45Gen Z: The Consumer Your Business Cannot Afford to MisunderstandHow the next decade of demand is already being set by a cohort most menus were not built for.
14:45 — 15:30Elevating Your Beverage MenuMatcha, adaptogens, prebiotic sodas. Which categories are growing, which are noise, and what a diversified menu does to basket size.
15:30 — 16:15Winning the One-Stop VisitOperators from both sides of the convergence on what worked, what failed and what the supply chain had to do to keep up.
16:45 — 17:15Plant-Based Beverages and the Return of DairyPlant-based held the growth story for a decade. Dairy is taking shelf and menu space back.

Full Programme & Timings

14:00 — 14:45Panel

Gen Z: The Consumer Your Business Cannot Afford to Misunderstand

Social-first discovery, visual drink choices and values alignment. How the next decade of demand is already being set by a cohort most menus were not built for.

14:20 — 14:40Panel
  • André EiermannGlobal Product Management CoffeeMelitta Professional
  • Lucie MavlianCommercial DirectorOld Spike Roastery
  • Caroline OttoyManaging DirectorWatchHouse
  • Tonalli ArreolaCo-FounderLAP Coffee
  • Kai EllerbrockManaging PartnerMarket Grounds
  • ModeratorTobias PearceEditor, 5THWAVEWorld Coffee Portal
14:45 — 15:30Panel

Elevating Your Beverage Menu: Functional Drinks and Alternative Categories

Matcha, adaptogens, prebiotic sodas. Which categories are genuinely growing, which are noise, and what a diversified menu does to basket size.

15:05 — 15:25Panel
  • Ryan MilsteinFounderLa Main Noire
  • Pierre CoquillotGlobal Beverage ManagerCafé Kitsuné
  • Ilya AksamentovBrand DirectorThe Miners
  • Jaxx JacksonBrand DirectorCUPP
  • Zoe HarrisCommercial Beverage Consultantex-Oatly
  • ModeratorTobias PearceEditor, 5THWAVEWorld Coffee Portal
15:30 — 16:15Mini keynote + panel

Winning the One-Stop Visit: Bakeries vs. Coffee Shops

Operators from both sides of the convergence on what worked, what failed and what the supply chain had to do to keep up.

15:30 — 15:50Mini keynote
  • Jeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
15:50 — 16:10Panel
  • Tom ClarkFounder & CEOCoutume
  • Sebastian SorensenDirector of CoffeeHagen
  • Ralf RüllerFounder & CEOThe Barn
  • Max DubielFounderRedemption Roasters
  • Jessica WordenHead of CoffeeGAIL's
  • ModeratorJeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
16:15 — 16:45Keynote

Communities Aren’t Built on Social Media

A deep dive into the role of the coffee shop and hospitality in a digital-first society.

  • Koral IbrahimFounder & Managing DirectorThe Ready House
16:45 — 17:15PanelNew for 2026

Plant-Based Beverages and the Return of Dairy

Plant-based held the growth story for a decade. Dairy is taking shelf and menu space back. What that means for cost, for margin and for the pour.

  • Gerard Bowers-McIntyreChief Operating Officer92 Degrees
  • Helen MayohUK Culinary LeadArla
  • Ondrej SedlakHead of CoffeeInsomnia
  • ModeratorTobias PearceEditor, 5THWAVEWorld Coffee Portal
02

Day 2 — Wednesday 25 November

The Business Insights Summit

Six research-led sessions of market intelligence, running alongside the Supply & Innovation Day, COHO Expo and the European Coffee & Hospitality Awards.

10:00 — 16:30Running time6Sessions5Speakers

Highlights

10:00 — 16:30World Coffee Portal market deep divesOne summit, six markets and categories examined in sequence: coffee in DACH, the technology investments separating leaders from the rest, the coffee shop of the future, France, China, and the fast-growing European markets you did not expect.

Full Programme & Timings

10:00 — 11:00Mini keynote + panel

Coffee in DACH 2026 — Premiumisation, Competition and the Rising Tide

The largest coffee market in continental Europe, and where the next tier of competition is coming from.

10:00 — 10:20Mini keynote
  • Gerd Mueller-PfeifferFounderInternational Coffee Consulting
10:20 — 10:40Panel
  • Martin ElwertFounder & CEOCoffee Circle
  • ModeratorJeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
11:00 — 12:00Consecutive mini keynotes

The Technology Market — Investments Separating Leaders from the Rest

Short keynotes, back to back, on where technology spend is actually returning.

11:20 — 11:40Mini keynote
  • Gerd Mueller-PfeifferFounderInternational Coffee Consulting
11:40 — 12:00Mini keynote
  • Chris LeglerFounder & CEOAxios Growth Consultants
12:00 — 13:00Mini keynote + panel

The Coffee Shop of the Future — presented by Groupe SEB

Exploring the coffee shop of the future, where automation, personalised beverages and cold drink innovation reshape the customer experience.

13:00 — 14:00Lunch
14:00 — 15:00Mini keynote

France: From Underdeveloped to Unmissable

A market that has moved faster than the rest of Europe expected, and what is driving it.

  • Jeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
15:00 — 16:00Mini keynote

China: The Most Significant Competitive Force Entering European Coffee

The latest World Coffee Portal data on China’s rapid coffee growth and its growing competitive influence across European markets.

  • Mark LoganLead Partnership & Media ManagerAllegra Group
16:00 — 16:30Mini keynote

Europe’s Next Coffee Hotspots: Fast Growing Markets You Didn’t Expect

The latest World Coffee Portal data on Europe’s emerging coffee hotspots: Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan and Portugal.

  • Mark LoganLead Partnership & Media ManagerAllegra Group
03

Day 3 — Thursday 26 November

The European Coffee Symposium

The 17th edition. Two halves, and the operators who have already done what the rest of the room is planning.

10:00 — 15:30Running time10Sessions13Speakers

Highlights

10:00 — 12:30Operators Scaling Fast + Building a Cult BrandThe morning half. Part One of the deep dive, then five operators on what it took to scale — and how a brand earns a following rather than buying one.
13:20 — 15:30Convenience, Scale + SustainabilityThe afternoon half. Coffee vending, the operators meeting demand anywhere — forecourt, travel, grocery — and a panel on scaling sustainably.

Full Programme & Timings

10:00 — 12:30

Operators Scaling Fast + Building a Cult Brand

6 sessions

The morning half. Part One of the Project Café Europe deep dive, then five operators on what it took to scale — from New York to Romania to Japan.

10:00 — 10:20Keynote

Project Café Europe Deep Dive, Part One: Scaling Fast, Building Cult Brands

Key findings from World Coffee Portal’s flagship European market report, uncovering brands that are scaling fast and those building cult followings.

  • Jeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
10:20 — 10:40Keynote

Global Growth by Design: The Specialty Brand Playbook

How The Coffee is scaling small-format specialty coffee across 25+ markets.

  • Nano HendersonRegional Manager, EuropeThe Coffee
10:40 — 11:00Keynote

Scaling with Soul: Lessons from Two Decades Building One of New York’s Most Enduring Coffee Brands

The lessons behind Joe Coffee’s two decades of growth, and how it has built an enduring New York coffee brand.

  • Jonathan RubinsteinFounder and Head of GrowthJoe Coffee
11:00 — 11:20Keynote

How to Build a Cult Brand: Learnings from Building Two of the Most Iconic Specialty Coffee Brands

The creative thinking, community and conviction behind two iconic specialty brands.

  • Stuart ForsythCo-Founder and CEOMinor Figures
11:20 — 11:40Keynote

Spotlight on Romania: Building a Cult Following in an Emerging Coffee Market

Go inside Romania’s rapidly evolving coffee scene and discover how local brands are building loyal followings in an emerging market.

  • Crina CiocianFounderMeron
  • Bogdan CiocianFounderMeron
11:40 — 12:00Q&A

Culture Stores: How Culturally Rich Brands Build Cult Followings

What makes a brand culturally powerful? Koral Ibrahim shares insights from his new book Culture Stores on building brands people want to belong to.

  • Koral IbrahimFounder & Managing DirectorThe Ready House
12:30 — 13:20Lunch
13:20 — 15:30

Convenience, Scale + Sustainability

4 sessions

The afternoon half. Part Two of the deep dive, the future of coffee vending, and the operators meeting demand for quality coffee anywhere — forecourt, travel, grocery.

13:20 — 13:40Keynote

Project Café Europe Deep Dive, Part Two: Convenience, Scale & Sustainability

Key findings from World Coffee Portal’s flagship European market report, examining convenience, scale and sustainability across the sector.

  • Jeffrey YoungFounder & CEOAllegra Group
13:40 — 14:00Keynote

The Future of Coffee Vending

The mastermind behind Coffee Nation and Coffee Express shares his vision for the next era in coffee vending.

  • Scott MartinFounderUnity Coffee
14:00 — 14:30Panel

Coffee on the Move: Meeting the Demand for Quality Coffee, Anytime, Anywhere

From forecourts to travel hubs, discover how operators are bringing better coffee to consumers wherever their journey takes them.

  • Daria MaiOffer & Partnership ManagerBP
  • Alison LynchEuropean Director Coffee and Dispensed BeveragesCircle K
  • Mark Stewart-MaunderFounder and DirectorBarista Bar
  • Liz GarnellCo-Founder and Managing DirectorGourmet Coffee Bar & Kitchen
14:30 — 15:00Panel

Scaling Sustainably

How businesses can scale while embedding sustainability into everyday operations.

  • Kajsa-Lisa LjudénHead of SustainabilityLöfbergs

The full line-up is released.
Three days. One decision environment.

21 sessions, 36 confirmed speakers and the operators managing €6bn in European buying power, in one room in Berlin. Places are allocated in advance.

Complimentary industry accreditation is available to qualifying operators and buyers. Applications are reviewed individually.

ECS + COHO 2026  ·  JW Marriott Berlin  ·  24–26 November Allegra Group & World Coffee Portal