Coffee is a universal language. Go almost anywhere in the world and you’ll find
coffee and the people who love it.
So it’s no surprise that Instagram’s endless scroll is full of coffee professionals, brands, cafes, roasters and activists –– as well as plenty of trendy drinks, caffeine memes and latte art.
Smash the blue button on these to drip more quality coffee communities into your feed.
Shops and roasters
☕️ Intelligentsia
This “thoughtfully sourced & roasted” superbrand has humble beginnings in Chicago. Since its founding in 1995, Intelligentsia has grown to include shops in Austin, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.
☕️ Stumptown
Stumptown is perhaps the quintessential Portland brand. This third-wave coffee pioneer is a certified B corporation that innovated the direct trade model in the early 2000s. Since it was acquired by Peet’s in 2015, Stumptown has grown its retail offerings (like bottled cold brew) that are found in supermarkets across America.
☕️ Bluestone Lane
Native Australian Nicholas Stone opened his first Aussie-inspired coffee shop in Midtown Manhattan in 2013. He modeled it after his favorite Melbourne cafés –– with sunny decor, fresh, veggie-filled breakfasts and of course, the original Down Under espresso drink, the Flat White.
He has since built it into a 50-store brand with locations along the U.S. East and West coasts, as well as Toronto.
☕️ Alfred
“But first, coffee.” The phrase that launched a million memes is actually trademarked by the ultimate Los Angeles coffee brand, Alfred. It was written in neon on the wall of its first cafe (on Melrose Place, no less) when it opened in 2013. Alfred shops are some of the most Instagrammable in the world –– and aside from that omnipresent phrase, they’re all delightfully different. And they’re expanding in some of the coolest cites: 12 in L.A., four in Tokyo and one in Austin. Plus, the brand regularly collaborates with artists and other brands on chic drink sleeves, pop-up events and merch.
Industry news and coffee businesses
☕️ Lavazza
This Italian superbrand is ubiquitous in shops, restaurants and supermarkets across the globe, but its collaborations with artists like Martin Parr (below) and genius marketing campaigns like “The Vanishing Color” with Pantone are what make Lavazza’s Instagram our favorite Italian import since Moschino.
☕️ Trade Coffee Co
Trade Coffee’s subscription service offers 400+ roasted-to-order coffees, tailored to each customers’ tastes and created by niche U.S. roasters who ethically source their beans. Its feed is a constant source of some of the funniest memes out there.
☕️ Perfect Daily Grind
Billing itself as “the world’s leading voice for coffee,” Perfect Daily Grind is an international daily trade journal –– a must-read for coffee business professionals. But even if you’re just a coffee lover, you’ll find plenty of compelling stories, infographics and photography that celebrates the magical tree (as well as the people who grow and harvest it).
☕️ Sip & Sonder
When it opened in 2017, Sip & Sonder's flagship location was the first specialty coffee house in Inglewood, California. Founded by two Black women, Sip & Sonder isn’t just a shop or even a brand. A coffee roaster, creative studio, and multi-purpose event space are also on site –– making it a true neighborhood hub and a cultural force in the Black community.
Community, baristas and activism
☕️ Liu GuoQiang
Chinese barista Liu GuoQiang is the 2019 China Latte Art Champion and an aspiring World champion. He got into the coffee business in 2014 to money to buy a new phone, and the rest is history. His feed is full of stunning images, but perhaps the most fascinating aspect of GuoQiang’s Insta is watching him refine his pours over weeks at a time.
☕️ Cxffeeblack
Entrepreneurs (and married couple) Bartholomew Jones and Renata Henderson launched the Cxfeeblack brand in 2018 to “reclaim the Black history of coffee and remain its Black future."
After building a successful e-commerce business, Jones and Henderson opened an IRL pop-up shop in their native Memphis in 2020 dubbed “Anti-Gentrification Coffee Club #1.”
☕️ Barista Hustle
Barista Hustle calls itself the “largest library of online coffee lessons, courses, and certifications in the world” –– and a number of its offerings are free. But if you’re not interested in pulling doppios, you might love its extensive collection of posters that feature striking photography, data visualization and guides like “how to cup.”
☕️ SAMECUP
SAMECUP is a not-for-profit organization that strives to improve the success, empowerment, and visibility of women and the LGBTQIA+ people in the Australian specialty coffee scene. It not only spreads the word (and the love) with super-sharable activist campaigns and portraits of its community members, it bundles some of their offerings together for sale so you can support (and discover new) Aussie indie brands.
☕️ International Women’s Coffee Alliance
IWCA is a nonprofit working to connect, empower and advance women in the international coffee community, in more than 27 countries. Its #StrongWomenStrongCoffee hashtag is worth a follow, too, as a way to discover female baristas, brand entrepreneurs, roasters and growers in far-flung locales.
Travel, culture and art
☕️ Bernulia
Italian artist Giulia Bernardelli became Insta-famous for her stunning still-lifes made with spilled or leftover food as well as incredibly detailed watercolor-style paintings using coffee and tea as the medium. Now, she partners with global brands like Bombay Sapphire and Calvé sauces on sponsored posts.
☕️ Book of Coffee
The folks behind tiny-house blog/resource portal "Book of Cabins" take to Instagram with a celebration of offbeat coffee shops, latte art, moody still lifes and snapshots of #coffeelife from around the world.
☕️ Elfqinkopi
Jakarta-based coffee blogger Ezekiel Tobing is obsessed with coffee and architecture. He proves that they’re perfect partners across Indonesia with an incredible eye for the quirky, stylish and off-the-beaten-path shops across the islands.
☕️ Coffee World Museum
The “World’s First Coffee Pop Up Museum” at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, California is the latest in Museum of Ice Cream-style, über-‘grammable pop-up happenings. You can buy tickets to explore the interactive exhibits or rent the 9,000-square-foot space for parties, photo shoots or other events.
