Specialty coffee in Ukraine

Specialty coffee in Ukraine has kept growing through the full-scale war, and coffee shops are one of the few restaurant segments that expanded during it. Ukrainian coffee businesses have faced power outages, staff shortages and destroyed premises from Kharkiv and Odesa to Kyiv and Lviv, yet the sector grew. Roasters formed a shared Roasting Coworking space for displaced businesses and launched a joint export brand, Roasted in Ukraine. At the 2023 World of Coffee in Athens, Ukraine won bronze in the World Cup Tasters Championship and reached the World Barista Championship semi-finals for the first time; Ivan Bilousov later placed third in the World Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

Kyiv holds the largest share of cafés, and Lviv is the second centre. Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odesa each have their own roasters despite their proximity to the front, and Ternopil, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk, Poltava, Uzhhorod and Chernivtsi have smaller scenes.

Roasters that shape Ukrainian coffee include Madheads Coffee Roasters in Kyiv, Svit Kavy Roastery, Double Bit Axe, Chekhovych and Foundation Coffee Place.