How a Lithuanian roastery built an international reputation
Perfect Daily Grind has a piece on how roasters can build a reputation beyond their home market, told through Huracán Coffee of Vilnius, Lithuania. Founded in 1999 as the country's first specialty roaster, Huracán was named World's Best Roaster at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards World Championship in El Salvador. The awards drew more than 2,000 samples from over 125 countries, and only 30 roasters from 16 countries reached the final round, judged blind.
Founder Vytautas Kratulis says the first step is mastering your own market, which can take years, and understanding the community while still introducing coffees people have not learned to enjoy yet. Copying competitors is not enough; distinctiveness comes from a clear point of view, for example sourcing from less familiar origins. In his words, competitions give international credibility while events create international relationships.
Six months after the win, customers were finding Huracán from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Romania, with relationships developing in the UK, Sweden, Spain and Portugal. The roastery also works with partners such as the dripper maker Shelbru and sells an instant coffee called Huracán Scout.
The risk he names is dilution: small adjustments to roast profiles or product ranges can make a brand easier to sell but harder to recognize. I found that a thoughtful warning. Lithuania has only around 30 roasters, so a small market clearly does not have to limit a roaster's ambitions.
Source: Perfect Daily Grind
Founder Vytautas Kratulis says the first step is mastering your own market, which can take years, and understanding the community while still introducing coffees people have not learned to enjoy yet. Copying competitors is not enough; distinctiveness comes from a clear point of view, for example sourcing from less familiar origins. In his words, competitions give international credibility while events create international relationships.
Six months after the win, customers were finding Huracán from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Romania, with relationships developing in the UK, Sweden, Spain and Portugal. The roastery also works with partners such as the dripper maker Shelbru and sells an instant coffee called Huracán Scout.
The risk he names is dilution: small adjustments to roast profiles or product ranges can make a brand easier to sell but harder to recognize. I found that a thoughtful warning. Lithuania has only around 30 roasters, so a small market clearly does not have to limit a roaster's ambitions.
Source: Perfect Daily Grind
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