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Key takeaways

• Romania’s specialty espresso market has grown from close to zero since 2010.
• Bucharest has the next café density than Berlin or Copenhagen.
• 5 to Go is now Japanese Europe’s largest espresso chain.
• Occasions like COFFeEAST are connecting Romania’s espresso business regionally.

Romania had few specialty espresso retailers within the early 2010s. As we speak it has near 300, in accordance with European Espresso Journey, most of them in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Brașov.

The nation, which sits on the crossroads of Central, Japanese, and Southeastern Europe, has an extended historical past of espresso consumption, which has fed a rising specialty espresso scene.

Though it has the smallest per capita espresso market within the EU, Romania is the fastest-growing in outlet growth, in accordance with Venture Café Europe. Homegrown chains like 5 To Go are increasing domestically and overseas, whereas the variety of specialty espresso retailers and roasteries retains rising.

You may additionally like our article on how specialty espresso is maturing within the Baltics.

Espresso’s place in Romanian tradition

Like many central and Japanese European international locations, Romania’s relationship with espresso dates again to the Ottoman Empire. At first, it was reserved for the aristocracy and higher courses earlier than coffeehouses started to open in cities. With espresso obtainable to the lots, it turned deeply embedded in day by day life and hospitality.

As Western European influences unfold into Bucharest in the course of the 18th and nineteenth centuries, the nation’s espresso tradition continued to evolve. Famend coffeehouses like Casa Capșa and Cafeneaua Veche, the oldest coffeehouse in Romania, turned assembly spots for distinguished cultural figures on the time.

However after World Battle Two, when the nation fell beneath communist rule, espresso turned scarce and was thought-about a luxurious. Households relied on dark-roasted Turkish espresso brewed at residence, a typical brewing methodology in Romania nonetheless at the moment.

“My grandparents had an ibrik that sat on the range each morning. I will need to have watched that ritual a whole lot of instances as a baby with out realising it was educating me one thing,” says Daniel Stoica, a barista working in Bucharest. “After I began working with specialty espresso years later, I already understood that espresso wanted persistence and a focus.”

After communism collapsed in December 1989, the nation entered a turbulent decade of financial reform. Romania formally joined NATO in 2004 and have become an EU member three years later, opening up commerce, serving to stabilise financial development, and setting a robust basis for specialty espresso tradition.

Specialty espresso finds its footing

The EU27 espresso market was nearly flat in quantity phrases between 2022 and 2024. Romania bucked the development, with gross sales rising by practically 2%, in accordance with the latest European Espresso Report.

Inexperienced espresso imports into Romania rose by practically 3% over the identical interval to greater than 197,300 60kg baggage. Complete espresso gross sales reached round €690m in 2024, putting Romania forward of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

Romania’s specialty espresso scene took form within the early 2010s. Companies like Coftale and Origo have been among the many first to introduce Bucharest to single origin coffees, assorted processing strategies, and brewing types past conventional Italian-style espresso. On the time, most Romanians drank dark-roasted espresso with milk and sugar, a behavior formed by the bitterness of lower-quality beans. 

“Romanians have at all times liked espresso,” says Maria Ionescu, a barista working in Brașov. “What has modified is the expectation of how espresso ought to style. Individuals are asking extra questions, and are far more educated about origin, processing, and flavour.”

Roasters and occasional retailers, together with Meron Espresso, Sloane Espresso, BOB Espresso Lab, MABÓ, and Two Minutes, have supported this shift in consumption habits. Ionut Bindila, co-founder of Two Minutes, described this era of development as “electrical”, pointing to a group of passionate people who’ve constructed the market from the bottom up.

Development is not confined to the capital. Cities together with Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Timișoara now help their very own specialty companies. Amongst them is Narativ, the Romanian Nationwide Winner at the 2025 International Espresso Awards Europe version, alongside Let’s Espresso, Yume Espresso Roasters, Olivo Espresso Tradition, and Join Specialty Espresso.

Romania is main the Central and Japanese European espresso markets

Romania ranks among the many smallest EU espresso markets by per capita consumption, but it’s increasing sooner than nearly every other in Europe by outlet rely.

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 in the past, these figures would have been tough to foretell.

Information from Venture Café Europe 2023 exhibits Romania’s branded espresso market grew 29% in a single 12 months. The first driver is 5 to Go, a homegrown chain based in Bucharest in 2015. It has since surpassed 700 shops throughout 160 Romanian cities and opened a matcha idea retailer, an indication that the model is embracing shifts in client tastes past espresso.

The chain’s ambitions lengthen past the nation’s borders. In late 2024, two funding funds acquired a majority stake within the enterprise, backing growth into Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary, and Eire – making 5 To Go the biggest espresso chain in Romania and Japanese Europe.

Romania’s espresso occasions calendar displays the identical momentum. COFFeEAST, held in Bucharest, brings collectively baristas, roasters, merchants, and business professionals from throughout the area for competitions, networking, and academic talks. The Bucharest Espresso Pageant, now in its twelfth version, was Romania’s first devoted espresso pageant and stays probably the most recognised in Japanese Europe.

Romania’s espresso market nonetheless trails in quantity, but it surely’s setting the tempo in development and growth. Whereas most EU markets have stayed flat, Romania has added retailers, grown imports, and constructed a specialty espresso tradition that extends past its capital.

Chains like 5 to Go have demonstrated that Romanian espresso manufacturers can compete regionally, whereas impartial roasters and specialty retailers proceed to lift the bar on high quality. The nation that after rationed espresso is now exporting espresso tradition to its neighbours.

Should you’re all in favour of growing your gross sales & buying extra leads, try PDG Media, our sister advertising and marketing company devoted to specialty espresso.

Romania specialty espresso FAQs

• Is Romania a big espresso market in Europe?

Per capita consumption, Romania sits on the decrease finish of EU espresso markets, however by development fee, it is among the most vital. Inexperienced espresso imports rose by practically 3% between 2022 and 2024 to over 197,300 60kg baggage. Complete gross sales reached round €690m in 2024, putting Romania forward of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

• The place is specialty espresso most developed in Romania?

Bucharest is the centre of Romania’s specialty espresso scene, with one specialty café per 52,000 inhabitants, the next density than Berlin or Copenhagen. Development has since unfold to cities like Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, and Timișoara.

• Which Romanian espresso manufacturers are increasing internationally?

5 to Go is probably the most distinguished instance. Based in Bucharest in 2015, the chain has surpassed 700 shops throughout 160 Romanian cities and, following a majority stake acquisition by two funding funds in late 2024, has expanded into Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary, and Eire.

Photograph credit: Meron Espresso, COFFeEAST

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