Why Romania’s specialty coffee market is growing so fast

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Key takeaways

• Romania’s specialty coffee market has grown from near zero since the late 2000s.
• Bucharest has a higher café density than Berlin or Copenhagen.
• 5 to Go is now Eastern Europe’s largest coffee chain.
• Events like COFFeEAST and Slow Coffee Festival are connecting Romania’s coffee industry regionally.

Romania had few specialty coffee shops in the early 2010s. Today, it has close to 300, according to European Coffee Trip, most of them in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Brașov.

“Romania’s coffee market has evolved quickly and in a very positive way,” says Mihai Panfil, founder of Origo and COFFeEAST, held in Bucharest. “Starting later turned out to be an advantage: we could learn from some of the world’s most developed coffee markets and build on strong foundations from day one.

“Central and Eastern Europe has developed one of the most dynamic coffee scenes in the world, and over the last decade, the region has built a strong reputation for quality, entrepreneurship and innovation in specialty coffee.”

The country, which sits at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, has a long history of coffee consumption, which has fed a growing specialty coffee scene.

Although it has the smallest per capita coffee market in the EU, Romania is the fastest-growing in outlet expansion, according to Project Café Europe. Homegrown chains like 5 To Go are expanding domestically and abroad, while the number of specialty coffee shops and roasteries keeps rising.

You may also like our article on how specialty coffee is maturing in the Baltics.

Coffee’s place in Romanian culture

Like many central and Eastern European countries, Romania’s relationship with coffee dates back to the Ottoman Empire. At first, it was reserved for the aristocracy and upper classes before coffeehouses began to open in cities. With coffee available to the masses, it became deeply embedded in daily life and hospitality.

As Western European influences spread into Bucharest during the 18th and 19th centuries, the country’s coffee culture continued to evolve. Renowned coffeehouses like Casa Capșa and Cafeneaua Veche, the oldest coffeehouse in Romania, became meeting spots for prominent cultural figures at the time.

But after World War Two, when the country fell under communist rule, coffee became scarce and was considered a luxury. Families relied on dark-roasted Turkish coffee brewed at home, a common brewing method in Romania still today.

“My grandparents had an ibrik that sat on the stove every morning. I watched them making coffee hundreds of times as a child without realising it was teaching me about the ritual of coffee,” says Daniel Stoica, a barista working in Bucharest. “When I started working in specialty coffee years later, I already understood that coffee required patience, attention, and technique.”

After communism collapsed in December 1989, the country entered a turbulent decade of economic reform. Romania officially joined NATO in 2004 and became an EU member three years later, opening up trade, helping stabilise economic growth, and setting a strong foundation for specialty coffee culture.

Specialty coffee finds its footing

The EU27 coffee market was virtually flat in volume terms between 2022 and 2024. Romania bucked the trend, with sales growing by nearly 2% during this period, according to the most recent European Coffee Report.

Green coffee imports into Romania rose by nearly 3% over the same period to more than 197,300 60kg bags. Total coffee sales reached around €690m in 2024, placing Romania ahead of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

Romania’s specialty coffee scene took shape in the late 2000s. In 2008, the country’s SCA chapter was launched by Silvia Constantin, funding it herself alongside the Bucharest Coffee Festival and Barista School Romania.

Businesses like Coftale and Origo were among the first to introduce Bucharest to single origin coffees, varied processing methods, and brewing styles beyond traditional Italian-style espresso. At the time, most Romanians drank dark-roasted coffee with milk and sugar, a habit shaped by the bitterness of lower-quality beans.

“Romanians have always loved coffee,” says Maria Ionescu, a barista working in Brașov. “What has changed is the expectation of how it should taste. People are asking more questions about different brewing methods, and are much more knowledgeable about origin, processing, and flavour.”

Independent brands are leading

Roasters and coffee shops, including Meron Coffee, Sloane Coffee, BOB Coffee Lab, MABÓ, and Two Minutes, have supported this shift in consumption habits. Ionut Bindila, co-founder of Two Minutes, described this period of growth as “electric”, pointing to a community of passionate individuals who have built the market from the ground up.

“Romania’s specialty coffee market is largely shaped by independent local entrepreneurs,” Mihai says. “Many coffee businesses are built by people who remain very close to their guests and to the day-to-day reality of the business. This gives the Romanian scene a personal energy.”

Specialty coffee is also no longer confined to the capital. Cities including Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Timișoara now support their own specialty businesses. Among them is Narativ, the Romanian National Winner at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards Europe edition, alongside Let’s Coffee, Yume Coffee Roasters, Olivo Coffee Culture, and Connect Specialty Coffee.

Romania is leading the Central and Eastern European coffee markets

Romania ranks among the smallest EU coffee markets by per capita consumption, yet it is expanding faster than almost any other in Europe by outlet count.

Bucharest now has one specialty café per 52,000 inhabitants, a ratio that exceeds Berlin at one per 67,000 and Copenhagen at one per 72,000. A decade ago, those figures would have been difficult to predict.

Data from Project Café Europe 2023 shows Romania’s branded coffee market grew 29% in a single year. The primary driver is 5 to Go, a homegrown chain founded in Bucharest in 2015. It has since surpassed 700 stores across 160 Romanian cities and opened a matcha concept store, a sign that the brand is embracing shifts in consumer tastes beyond coffee.

The chain’s ambitions extend beyond the country’s borders. In late 2024, two investment funds acquired a majority stake in the business, backing expansion into Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary, and Ireland – making 5 To Go the largest coffee chain in Romania and Eastern Europe.

Romanian specialty brands are also expanding. Meron Coffee now operates over 20 cafés across more than 10 cities, including one in Hungary.

The growing number of coffee events reflects the same momentum. COFFeEAST brings together industry professionals from across the region for competitions, networking, and educational talks. The Bucharest Coffee Festival, now in its 12th edition, remains one of the most recognised in Eastern Europe, while the Slow Coffee Festival will celebrate its tenth edition this year and host the 2026 Romanian AeroPress Championship.

“A coffee scene can’t grow only through individual cafés and roasteries; it also needs platforms where professionals meet, exchange knowledge, discover new products, build partnerships, and understand themselves as part of a wider community,” Mihai says.

Market challenges could lie ahead

However, Romanian consumers tend to be more price-conscious than those in other Eastern European countries. Romania continues to post the highest inflation rate in the EU, at 8.6% in December 2025, while rising food and energy costs are putting pressure on households.

For the country’s specialty coffee industry, value perception matters enormously. Consumers may be willing to spend on quality, but they need a clear reason to do so.

“For a long time, the question was whether specialty coffee could become mainstream,” Mihai says. “Today, I think the more interesting question is what kind of culture we want to build around it. I believe we will see more maturity across the whole value chain. The talent is here, the community is here, and the entrepreneurial energy is very strong.

“The next step is to build with more consistency, collaboration and confidence in our own identity,” he adds. “People in Romania have a real sensitivity for good experiences, which gives coffee the opportunity to become culturally relevant, not just commercially successful.”

Romania’s coffee market still trails in volume, but it’s setting the pace in growth and expansion. While most EU markets have stayed flat, Romania has added outlets, increased imports, and built a specialty coffee culture that extends beyond its capital.

Chains like 5 to Go have demonstrated that Romanian coffee brands can compete regionally, while independent roasters and specialty shops continue to raise the bar on quality. The country that once rationed coffee is now exporting coffee culture to its neighbours.

Romania specialty coffee FAQs

• Is Romania a significant coffee market in Europe?

Per capita consumption, Romania sits at the lower end of EU coffee markets, but by growth rate, it is one of the most significant. Green coffee imports rose by nearly 3% between 2022 and 2024 to over 197,300 60kg bags. Total sales reached around €690m in 2024, placing Romania ahead of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

• Where is specialty coffee most developed in Romania?

Bucharest is the centre of Romania’s specialty coffee scene, with one specialty café per 52,000 inhabitants, a higher density than Berlin or Copenhagen. Growth has since spread to cities like Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Timișoara.

• Which Romanian coffee brands are expanding internationally?

5 to Go is the most prominent example. Founded in Bucharest in 2015, the chain has surpassed 700 stores across 160 Romanian cities and, following a majority stake acquisition by two investment funds in late 2024, has expanded into Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary, and Ireland.

If you’re interested in increasing your sales & acquiring more leads, check out PDG Media, our sister marketing agency dedicated to specialty coffee.

Photo credits: Meron Coffee, COFFeEAST

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