About
Manifesto
Coffee is more than what ends up in the cup.
It is the work of farmers, producers, roasters, café owners and baristas. It is neighbourhoods, friendships and everyday rituals. It is thousands of independent people choosing to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
CoffeeSpots exists to document and celebrate that culture.
We publish guides that help people discover remarkable cafés, recognise good work and strengthen the independent places that make cities more interesting to live in and visit.
We believe publishing can create opportunity. Recognition can help independent businesses thrive. Local knowledge deserves to be preserved. Great work deserves to be remembered.
CoffeeSpots is an independent publication. Every recommendation is made with care, curiosity and editorial independence.
One city at a time, we hope to leave behind a lasting record of coffee culture.
Editorial Principles
We publish for readers.
Every decision begins with what is genuinely useful to someone looking for great coffee, not with commercial interests.
Recommendations are earned.
CoffeeSpots includes places because we believe they belong in the guide. Recommendations from baristas are one of our strongest forms of editorial evidence, but every inclusion is ultimately an editorial decision.
Good work deserves recognition.
Independent cafés shape neighbourhoods in ways that extend far beyond coffee. We believe careful publishing can direct attention towards people doing exceptional work.
Accuracy is part of good publishing.
Coffee culture changes constantly. We revisit, verify and improve our guides so they remain useful long after they are first published.
Independence matters.
Editorial recommendations are never influenced by participation in CoffeeSpots Verified. Verified helps cafés keep their profiles current and supports the ongoing work of the publication.
We think long term.
CoffeeSpots is built as a publication that can grow city by city and year by year. Our aim is to create something that becomes more valuable with time.
CoffeeSpots Verified
CoffeeSpots Verified is available to cafés already included in CoffeeSpots.
Verified cafés participate in the ongoing care of the publication by keeping their profiles accurate and current while supporting CoffeeSpots' mission to document coffee culture.
Each year, Verified cafés receive the official CoffeeSpots Recommended window sticker, a sign of their active participation in the publication.
Joining Verified never influences editorial recommendations.
The People Who Publish CoffeeSpots
CoffeeSpots is edited and published by André Ribeirinho and Gonçalo Salgado.
André Ribeirinho is an editor and publisher who cares about coffee, wine, cooking, architecture and local culture. His work has long revolved around publishing, discovery and independent culture. Gonçalo Salgado cares about bicycles, urban life, entrepreneurship and the independent businesses that make neighbourhoods distinctive and livable.
Together, they publish CoffeeSpots as an independent publication dedicated to documenting coffee culture, supporting local businesses and creating meaningful editorial work.