If you’ve visited an independent café recently, you’ve probably heard the term specialty coffee. It appears on menus, packaging, and coffee shop websites — often alongside tasting notes, origin stories, and brewing methods.

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, but not all coffee is created equal. If you’ve ever wondered why some cafés charge more for a cup or why certain beans taste brighter and more complex, it can often come down to the difference between commercial coffee and specialty coffee.

In towns and cities across the UK, from Cardiff to Llanwrtyd Wells, independent cafés are thriving — even in the shadow of big chain giants like Costa, Starbucks, or Caffè Nero. But how do small, local cafés compete with these household names?