History of Coffee in Belgium

Belgium's coffee culture dates to the late 17th century when coffee houses opened in Antwerp and Brussels. The Congo connection - a Belgian colony from 1908 - brought Robusta cultivation to Africa, though Belgians historically drank blended cafe des comptoirs. The modern specialty wave began around 2010 with pioneers like MOK (Ghent, 2011), Caffenation (Antwerp, 2009), and OR Coffee Roasters (Ghent, 2011), placing Belgium at the forefront of European third-wave culture. Today, Brussels hosts the Brussels Coffee Show.