The coffee market in Poland has been growing for several years. Coffee-drinking culture is also becoming increasingly sophisticated. There are several thousand cafés in operation, around 500 of which are speciality establishments. ‘From a purely market-based perspective, it seems to me that there are currently simply too many cafés in Poland. Supply has begun to outstrip demand,’ says Krzysztof Rzyman, founder of STOR cafés.

Magdalena Brzózka

22.07.2026, 03:45

‘There are currently over 500 specialty cafés operating in Poland. In 2018, there were around 180 of them, which shows how dynamically this segment is growing. There is still considerable potential, even though specialty cafés currently account for only a small part of the market – probably around 10 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent consists of all other cafés, including chain cafés. Independent cafés are typically run by people who are deeply committed to a specific location. Chains, on the other hand, can afford to experiment with different locations and close those that prove unprofitable’, says Krzysztof Rzyman, founder of the STOR café.

This article explores:

• The history of the Warsaw-based specialty coffee chain STOR.
• The state of the café market in Poland.
• What Krzysztof Rzyman, the founder and owner of STOR, is doing in Thailand.

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks among Europeans. In terms of consumption, the Scandinavians lead the way, drinking around 10-11 kg per person a year. The average Pole consumes around 3 kg of coffee a year. Alongside mass-market and popular products, specialty coffee and cafés are growing in popularity in Poland. Specialty coffee is high-quality coffee with a unique flavour profile, assessed according to rigorous standards and sourced from precisely controlled plantations.

The café market in Poland

There are currently several thousand cafés operating in Poland, including over 500 specialty cafés.

‘In 2018, there were around 180 of them, which shows how dynamically this segment is growing. There is still considerable potential, even though specialty cafés currently account for only a small part of the market – probably around 10 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent consists of all other cafés, including chain cafés. Independent cafés are typically run people who are deeply committed to a specific location. Chains, on the other hand, can afford to experiment with different locations and close those that prove unprofitable. However, if it weren’t for the chain cafés, it would be difficult to build a culture of going out for coffee in Poland,’ admits Krzysztof Rzyman, founder of STOR cafés.

At present, however, competition in the market is very fierce.

‘Just from a purely market-based perspective, it seems to me that there are simply too many cafés in Poland. Supply has begun to outstrip demand. The last few quarters have been difficult for most catering establishments. Last winter showed just how much this business depends on the weather, and also on customers’ financial circumstances. Inflation and the high living costs mean that some people are cutting back on visits to cafés,’ says the owner of STOR cafés.

On top of that, there is a growing perception that cafés are exceptionally expensive places to visit.

‘In some places, prices may indeed be too high. In my opinion, paying 30 zloty for matcha with syrup is too much. At STOR, we’re strongly committed to sustainability, but we understand it in a broader sense than just the environmental context. It also has a social and economic dimension. We want coffee farmers and tea growers to be able to make a decent living, but we also want our café guests to be able to afford these drinks,’ assures Krzysztof Rzyman.

This raises the question of where the line is drawn in terms of affordability when prices rise sharply.

‘We want to keep our margins at a reasonable level, but at the same time we don’t want them to become detached from reality. When it comes to pricing policy, we have a fairly simple ‘followers’ strategy. We observe the competition and adapt to it to some extent. We don’t try to set trends in terms of prices. We have other specialities,’ explains Krzysztof Rzyman.

Good to know

Newspresso Tonic. XYZ coffee at STOR cafés

At XYZ, we believe that good journalism requires time, attention to detail and integrity. At STOR, that’s exactly how good coffee is made. These shared values have enabled us to create Newspresso Tonic – a combination of coffee from the Warsaw-based ROST roastery and our own tonic made using orange peel and orange blossom syrup.

Newspresso Tonic is available until the end of August at STOR cafés on Bracka Street and Tamka Street in Warsaw. Our subscribers get a discount on coffee, and others will receive a code for temporary free access to our content when they buy a coffee. Come and join us!

XYZ

STOR, or a brief history of the specialty coffee shop market

Krzysztof Rzyman is the founder of two STOR specialty coffee shops in Warsaw and the ROST roastery, and was previously a journalist and podcaster.

‘We opened our first café in 2014 on Tamka Street in Warsaw. My business partner, Michał Janica, and I knew that we wanted to create our own space, but we weren’t initially sure what form it would take. We considered both a café and a bar. When we found the premises on Tamka Street and entered the competition for city-owned premises, we decided that the large display windows would work best just for a café,’ recalls Krzysztof Rzyman.

Once they had decided on a café, they focused on speciality coffee.

‘We decided that if we were going to do something, we’d do it well. At that time, specialty coffee was only just emerging in Poland. There were already a few roasters and a few specialty coffee shops in Warsaw, but it was still a new market segment. We also noticed that, in many cafés, baristas were reluctant to talk to customers who didn’t know much about coffee. We wanted to change that and show that good coffee is for everyone. That’s why, to this day, our shop windows bear the slogan: “Good coffee is not black magic”,’ adds Krzysztof Rzyman.

During the meeting on 18 July at the STOR specialty coffee shop in Warsaw, we spoke to Krzysztof Rzyman, the café’s founder, about the café market in Poland and the trends shaping it.

Waiting for profitability

The second STOR café opened on Bracka Street in 2019.

‘It came as a big surprise to us, because we only intended to open it as a pop-up for three months, just for the summer holidays, but we ended up staying there permanently. However, the beginnings weren’t easy. We opened the café in 2019, then the pandemic hit and, shortly afterwards, renovation work began in the neighbourhood. When we started out, what we had above all  was a lot of enthusiasm and energy. We also had our own sales forecasts, which turned out to be very optimistic. A few years later, I came across those calculations and thought it would be great if we could have achieved them. In fact, the café wasn’t profitable for the first three years,’ says Krzysztof Rzyman.

Over time, Krzysztof bought out Michał’s shares and continued to develop the café on his own.

‘At the beginning, we had no experience, but we surrounded ourselves with people who did. Well, in the catering industry, people are the most important thing. Running a café is often romanticised. We tend to think it’s just a lovely, pleasant little business. But in reality, it’s all about Excel spreadsheets, problems, breakdowns and a very long wait to break even.

In the expert’s opinion

Coffee is becoming an increasingly important part of Polish home and café culture

The average Pole drinks 2.5-3.7 kg of coffee per year, equivalent to around 90-95 litres of the beverage. Although we are still far from the Nordic record holders, coffee is becoming an increasingly important part of Polish culture, both at home and in cafés.

According to data from the International Coffee Organisation, Poles usually drink two to three cups of coffee a day (51% of responses), while 28.5% of respondents drink it once a day. Just over 5% drink four to five cups, and nearly 9% consume coffee occasionally, less than once a day. Over 6% of respondents do not drink coffee at all. This presents an opportunity for sales growth and a shift in daily habits. When we think the market has been properly segmented and each segment has found its rightful place, it turns out there is room for new products and that it is still worth working on changing consumer habits.

Coffee is regularly purchased by 96% of Polish households. Instant coffee is the most popular choice (38-40% of consumers). However, the growing popularity of whole bean coffees and automatic coffee machines is evident, and Poland is currently one of the European leaders in terms of coffee equipment sales. Poles are increasingly choosing premium coffee, experimenting with alternative brewing methods and visiting specialty coffee shops, which indicates growing consumer awareness.

Sylwia Mokrysz

President of the Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute

The ins and outs of coffee

Above all, the specialty segment is distinguished by its approach to the product and the people behind it.

‘The coffee comes from a specific region and is grown by a particular producer. Drinking coffee, especially black coffee, can be seen as a journey through the different regions of the world and a way of discovering the places where the beans come from, the methods used to process them and the ways they are brewed. Transparency is also a key element of this segment. You know when the coffee was harvested, the altitude of the plantation, the processing method used, when it arrived in Europe, and the roasting date is always shown on the packaging. This makes it easier to feel a connection with the people behind the production of this coffee,’ explains Krzysztof Rzyman.

The founder of STOR cafés has been living in Thailand for two years where he is working on his PhD.

‘I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time. I decided that if I were to write a PhD on coffee, it would be best to do so in a country where it’s grown. That’s why I’m researching transparency among coffee producers in Thailand. I love visiting coffee plantations and meeting farmers, because they’re people who do their work with immense passion. Thanks to the changes taking place around the world and the widespread availability of smartphones, they’re becoming increasingly aware of who their coffee reaches and what its consumers pay attention to, regardless of where they live. That’s why they are experimenting with new processing methods, fermenting coffee with fruit or working on improving the quality of the beans.

Are there any plans to open a STOR café in Thailand?

‘It’s on my list of ideas. However, the fact is that the café scene in Thailand is five times bigger than in Poland. You could say that everything’s already there,’ says Krzysztof Rzyman.

Does this mean that a business like a café can be run remotely?

‘I’m combining my PhD with my professional work, as I still manage the coffee shops on a day-to-day basis. We meet with the team on Google Meet a few times a week. This is actually quite unusual, as we’re one of the few cafés in Poland that is managed in a hybrid, intercontinental manner, with a 5-6-hour time difference. I’m here regularly, every three or four months, and so far, there haven’t been any extraordinary situations. However, I think that, in the long term, it’s not possible to manage a business like a café remotely. I feel that a café owner should be on site and regularly spend time there,’ says Krzysztof Rzyman.

Trends in the coffee market

Which trends will shape the coffee and café market in the coming years?

‘The growing no-alcohol trend will certainly benefit coffee and matcha, as we still want to meet up with friends out over a drink. Besides, I get the impression that we’ve started to drink coffee more consciously and view it functionally, considering what it offers us. Many people have concluded that one or two coffees a day are quite enough, ideally consumed before a certain time. After that, some people opt for matcha or another drink to better manage their energy levels. Trends related to cutting down on caffeine are clearly visible and are also developing in cafés,’ replies Krzysztof Rzyman.

As for the cafés themselves, the concept of the ‘third place’ – and even the so-called ‘fourth place’ – is really taking off.

‘The ‘third place’ is a space where we go to spend time after work. The concept of the ‘fourth place’ takes this a step further, combining the function of a meeting place with a space to work. This is developing very rapidly because we all need a sense of belonging to a community. Many cafés are responding brilliantly to this need. They host running clubs, and coffee raves [morning cultural and musical events organised in cafés, combining the energy of a club event with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee – ed.], group book readings, vinyl record listening sessions and many other events that bring people together are becoming increasingly popular. Another trend is combining cafés with other businesses, such as record shops or vintage clothing stores.’

Layered drinks with foam, as well as new textures and additions in the form of exotic fruits, most often Asian, are gaining popularity in both coffee and matcha.

‘Today, a café owner must be a manager across many areas. He or she must oversee the day-to-day running of the establishment, manage the finances and the team, and at the same time have a flair for marketing and create a space that looks good on social media. That’s why there’s also a certain race to find products that are visually appealing and look good on Instagram. This explains, among other things, the huge popularity of matcha, with its intense green colour, or ube, with its distinctive purple hue,’ adds Krzysztof Rzyman.

Functional drinks are also a very strong trend.

‘At our cafés, you can enjoy matcha with creatine or collagen. We don’t have protein matcha yet, but there are already places offering such drinks. Consumers increasingly expect a drink to offer them something more than just flavour. However, cappuccino, pour-over coffee and cold brew remain the biggest sellers.

Key takeaways

• There are several thousand cafés operating in Poland, including over 500 specialty cafés. In 2018, there were around 180 of them, which shows how dynamically this segment is growing.
• There is still considerable potential, even though specialty cafés currently account for only a small part of the market, around 10 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent consists of all other cafés, including chain cafés.
• Independent cafés are typically run by people who are deeply committed to a specific location. Chains, on the other hand, can afford to experiment with different locations and close those that prove unprofitable. However, if it weren’t for the chain cafés, it would be difficult to build a culture of going out for coffee in Poland.

Article published in issue no. 529