PIR Expo: What the Exhibition Reveals About the Coffee Market

Professional trade exhibitions are more than showcases of equipment and brands. For the B2B market, they serve as indicators of real market dynamics — which segments are growing and which parts of the supply chain remain underrepresented.

A visit to PIR Expo, the largest HoReCa exhibition in Russia, highlighted several key observations relevant to roasters, coffee chains, and green coffee distributors.

Market Focus Shifts Toward Roasting

The most prominently represented segment at the exhibition was roasting equipment, followed by roasting companies primarily focused on the domestic market. Most participants are based in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, with noticeably fewer regional players.
This reflects the current market structure: active development of local processing alongside limited attention to raw materials and coffee origin.

Selective Interest in Green Coffee

Two clear approaches emerged in conversations with participants:
— some companies actively focus on origin, logistics, and supply stability;
— others prefer established sourcing channels and are not considering new origins.

Demand for high-quality green coffee exists, but the market remains inert and relatively closed without transparent conditions, expertise, and trust.

Limited International Presence

Producers from origin countries, international green coffee traders, and global logistics hubs were largely absent. Foreign participation was mainly limited to equipment suppliers. This highlights the weak integration of the international coffee supply chain into local industry exhibitions.

What This Means for Business

While the roasting and finished product segments continue to grow, access to international green coffee markets remains limited. In this context, professional importers and logistics partners play a critical role — not only as suppliers, but as facilitators of origin access and supply chain transparency.

The Role of Green Coffee Hub

Observations from PIR Expo confirm what Green Coffee Hub works with on a daily basis: international green coffee supply chains require a systematic approach, transparent logistics, and deep market expertise.
We operate where the market is not directly represented, connecting origin, logistics routes, and client business needs into a single, manageable supply system.