Scotland’s largest celebration of specialty coffee drew record crowds this year — proving the strength and resilience of the industry amid a challenging time for the industry.
More than 2,000 visitors attended this year’s Glasgow Coffee Festival, held across two sold-out days last month. The event welcomed more exhibitors, workshops, and attendees than ever before, thanks to the newly opened Clyde Market Halls — a sign of both the festival’s evolution and the growing appetite for high-quality, ethically sourced coffee in Scotland.
Founded in 2014 by Lisa Lawson, the event is now hands down Scotland’s biggest coffee event and a key fixture in the UK’s specialty coffee calendar. Last week, it was named Best Sustainable Event at the recent Scottish Event Awards.
Despite a turbulent year for the global coffee trade – with green coffee prices hitting historic highs – the festival continued to put sustainability first. It remained entirely single-use cup-free, thanks to partnerships with Borrow Cup, Reposit, and environmental charity Hubbub, part of a city-wide campaign to promote reuse. Since adopting the policy in 2018, the festival has stopped tens of thousands of disposable cups from reaching landfill.
What’s more, coffee grounds from this year’s festival were collected and repurposed by Revive Eco, a Glasgow-based company that transforms waste coffee into sustainable alternatives.
Speaking after the event, Lawson – founder of B Corp Dear Green Coffee Roasters – said: “We’ve built this festival to celebrate Scotland’s incredible coffee scene, which continues to punch above its weight on the world stage, and to prove that events of this scale can be run responsibly.“From composting and active travel to partnerships with social enterprises, it’s all designed to show what’s possible when you put values first. Sustainability is absolutely at the heart of everything we do.”
As well as donating 1% for the Planet, this year also welcomed a new charity partner, Bike for Good, a Glasgow-based organisation founded to promote cycling and active travel.
Coffee aficionados old and new were treated to the final of the SCA UK Cup Tasters Championship, with Will Greavner of Butterworths Coffee crowned winner. He will now represent the UK at the World Championships in Geneva this June.
Cairngorm Coffee took home the title of Roast Hero, winning the peer-assessed competition against roasters from across Scotland.
Meanwhile, festival-goers took part in hands-on workshops, tastings, talks, and creative activities — from pedal-powered frappe-making via a custom bike installation by Bike for Good, to a visit to the “world’s smallest cinema”, hosted by Mossgiel Farm.
The festival also celebrated a special milestone: the 40th anniversary of the espresso martini, marked with a session hosted by Bea Bradsell, daughter of the drink’s legendary creator, Dick Bradsell.
Looking ahead, Lawson believes the festival offers plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the future of Scotland’s coffee scene but anticipates wider shifts as independent businesses face increasing pressure.
She said: “Prices are going up, and that’s not something the industry can absorb without consequences.
“The global cost of raw coffee is at an all-time high. It’s affecting producers, roasters, cafés — everyone in the value chain. But what I saw this weekend gives me hope. We had record numbers through the door, people asking the right questions, willing to taste new things, and hungry to learn.
“Glasgow’s coffee culture is growing and evolving simultaneously. We’re seeing more adventurous processing methods on the market, more shops experimenting with brew precision, and a greater commitment to transparency. The industry is endlessly creative and resilient, and consumers are more passionate than ever before.
“Meeting the people at the festival, I know this industry will survive and thrive — because so many people continue to do things properly, even when things get hard.”
This year’s festival was supported by sponsors including Dear Green, La Marzocco, Oatly, Mossgiel Farm, Brew It Group, Brewed By Hand, The Social Hub, Story Shop, and BWT.
For more information or to register interest for the 2026 festival, visit glasgowcoffeefestival.com or follow @glasgowcoffeefestival on Instagram
