Estimated studying time: 7 minutes
Key takeaways
- Romania’s specialty espresso market has grown from close to zero for the reason that late 2000s.
- Bucharest has a better 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 outlets within the early 2010s. Right this moment 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 Mission Café Europe. Homegrown chains like 5 To Go are increasing domestically and overseas, whereas the variety of specialty espresso outlets and roasteries retains rising.
You might also like our article on how specialty espresso is maturing within the Baltics.
Espresso’s place in Romanian tradition
Like many central and Japanese European nations, Romania’s relationship with espresso dates again to the Ottoman Empire. At first, it was reserved for the aristocracy and higher lessons earlier than coffeehouses started to open in cities. With espresso accessible to the lots, it turned deeply embedded in each day life and hospitality.
As Western European influences unfold into Bucharest through 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 outstanding cultural figures on the time.
However after World Conflict Two, when the nation fell beneath communist rule, espresso turned scarce and was thought of a luxurious. Households relied on dark-roasted Turkish espresso brewed at residence, a standard brewing technique in Romania nonetheless in the present day.
“My grandparents had an ibrik that sat on the range each morning. I watched them making espresso a whole bunch of occasions as a baby with out realising it was instructing me concerning the ritual of espresso,” says Daniel Stoica, a barista working in Bucharest. “After I began working in specialty espresso years later, I already understood that espresso required endurance, consideration, and approach.”
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 powerful basis for specialty espresso tradition.
Specialty espresso finds its footing
The EU27 espresso market was just about flat in quantity phrases between 2022 and 2024. Romania bucked the pattern, with gross sales rising by almost 2% throughout this era, in accordance with the newest European Espresso Report.
Inexperienced espresso imports into Romania rose by almost 3% over the identical interval to greater than 197,300 60kg baggage. Whole espresso gross sales reached round €690m in 2024, inserting Romania forward of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.
Romania’s specialty espresso scene took form within the late 2000s. In 2008, the nation’s SCA chapter was launched by Silvia Constantin, funding it herself alongside the Bucharest Espresso Competition and Barista Faculty Romania.
Companies like Coftale and Origo had been among the many first to introduce Bucharest to single origin coffees, diverse processing strategies, and brewing kinds 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 the way it ought to style. Individuals are asking extra questions on totally different brewing strategies, and are rather more educated about origin, processing, and flavour.”
Roasters and low outlets, 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 neighborhood of passionate people who’ve constructed the market from the bottom up.
Specialty espresso is now 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 quicker than virtually 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 troublesome to foretell.
Information from Mission Café Europe 2023 reveals 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 prolong 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 most important espresso chain in Romania and Japanese Europe.
Specialty espresso is about to construct momentum
Romanian specialty manufacturers are additionally increasing. Meron Espresso now operates over 20 cafés in additional than10 cities, together with a location in Hungary.
Romania’s espresso occasions mirror 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 Competition, now in its twelfth version, stays some of the recognised in Japanese Europe.
“Espresso occasions throughout Japanese Europe are serving to construct neighborhood,” Maria says. “They carry in worldwide specialists, which implies native baristas and roasters can maintain elevating requirements. In flip, client expectations will proceed to develop.”
Nonetheless, Romanian shoppers are typically extra price-conscious than these in different Japanese European nations. Romania continues to put up the best inflation fee within the EU, at 8.6% in December 2025, whereas rising meals and power prices are placing stress on households.
For the nation’s specialty espresso business, worth notion issues enormously. Shoppers could also be keen to spend on high quality, however they want a transparent purpose to take action.
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 shops, elevated 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 outlets proceed to lift the bar on high quality. The nation that after rationed espresso is now exporting espresso tradition to its neighbours.
In case you’re serious about rising your gross sales & buying extra leads, take a look at 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 likely one of the most important. Inexperienced espresso imports rose by almost 3% between 2022 and 2024 to over 197,300 60kg baggage. Whole gross sales reached round €690m in 2024, inserting 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, a better density than Berlin or Copenhagen. Progress 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 outstanding 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.
Picture credit: Meron Espresso, COFFeEAST
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