The Business of Specialty Coffee

The Business of Specialty Coffee by Maxwell Dashwood

From cup to company, The Business of Specialty Coffee navigates the commercial currents behind specialty coffee with clarity and depth. Structured in eight parts, Maxwell Dashwood, co-founder of Colonna Coffee in the UK, walks you through industry foundations, values, branding, strategies, and market trends (without prescribing a single “right” path).

Whether you’re dreaming of your first café, scaling an existing business, or simply fascinated by the industry’s dynamics, this book offers both insight and inspiration for carving your niche in this evolving world.

Special Features

• Practical advice from a successful specialty café owner
  
• A panoramic, journalistic breakdown of what makes specialty coffee unique in business—from market forces to customer expectations.
• Covers practical areas: branding, marketing, values-driven business decisions, and future opportunities.
• No cookie-cutter model; instead, tools to help you adapt to your context and goals.
• Elegant design, clear layout, full of actionable ideas and reflections grounded in real events and trends

About the Author

Maxwell Dashwood is a three-time UK Barista Champion recognized for his thoughtful approach to coffee both on stage and behind the bar. He co-owns Colonna, an award-winning roastery and coffee shop in Bath, and has spent years traveling the world to explore coffee’s science, culture, and craft. He is also the co-author of Water for Coffee with Dr. Christopher Hendon, a groundbreaking study of how water chemistry shapes flavor, and he continues to collaborate across the coffee chain to push quality, innovation, and understanding forward.

Book Details

• Title: The Business of Specialty Coffee
• Author: Maxwell Dashwood
• Format: Hardcover
• Subject: Opening a café, the broader industry of specialty coffee
• Publication Date: 2023
• Publisher: Maxwell Dashwood
• Dimensions: 178 x 100 x 50mm
• Weight: 710g