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A World United by Coffee
Coffee — A Common Language for Global Dialogue
Global Coffee Society (GCS)
Global Coffee Society (GCS)
GCS is a civil platform connecting coffee-producing and consuming nations through culture, knowledge, and dialogue.
Founded in Tokyo in 2026, GCS was built on a simple but radical idea: that coffee — the world's most widely shared beverage — can be more than a commodity. It can be a language. A bridge. A reason to meet as equals.
The gap between those who grow coffee and those who drink it is not only economic. It is a gap in voice, in knowledge, in whose story gets told. GCS works to close that gap — not through price negotiation, but through cultural respect and the exchange of knowledge.
When a coffee lover travels to the coffee producing countries as a learner — when they seek out the farmer's story, the ceremony, the landscape — something shifts. That shift is what GCS is designed to create, at scale.
"No bad people over coffee."
"No bad people over coffee."
There are many people in the world who want to make it better. Their energy takes countless forms, across countless fields.
We are one of them — with an approach that might be a little unexpected.
When coffee comes up in conversation, something shifts.
People lean in. They talk about their favorite origin, their preferred roast, the cup they'll never forget. Everyone feels it differently — and that's precisely why the conversation never ends.
Coffee is a drink that compresses the world and carries it with you. In the presence of that one cup — the climate, the soil, the hands, the journey it holds — people light up. They speak in their own words. And that is where real encounters begin.
Across languages, cultures, and backgrounds, something starts to resonate. A shared sense of wonder over a single cup.
GCS was born from the belief that this chain of connection can change the world.
At its origin is the life of one researcher — moving from philosophy to arts, to sociology, to geography, across Korea, China, Japan, the UK, and Ethiopia — until she encountered coffee. From the moment she fell under its spell, the chain began.
Wonder sparks curiosity.
Curiosity builds understanding.
Understanding becomes respect.
Respect grows into genuine friendship.
And we naturally want to take care of our genuine friends.
We want to create more opportunities for people across the world to connect through coffee — their shared language. To turn the world into a place filled with mutual understanding, respect, and friendship.
That is the peace we are working towards.
Until the day these words become a proverb known the world over —
"No bad people over coffee."
"No bad people over coffee."
Three Programs. One Mission.
Three Programs. One Mission.
Coffee Diplomacy Program
Coffee Diplomacy Program
Not just government-to-government. Coffee Diplomacy brings together every stakeholder in the coffee world — farmers, businesses, researchers, diplomats, NGOs, travel operators, media, and enthusiasts — to dialogue and collaborate across sectors. Coffee is the common language that makes this possible.
Coffee Studies Lab
Coffee Studies Lab
Producing and sharing knowledge across disciplines — from academic research and field work to corporate education and coffee tourism and beyond. Lectures, training, and consulting available upon request.
Coffee Commons
Coffee Commons
Building a community of curious minds — through podcasts, essays, events, and a growing network of people who believe coffee can change how we see the world.
Founded by Dr. Ohsoon YUN
Founded by Dr. Ohsoon YUN
Dr. YUN is a human geographer, Q Grader, and entrepreneur who has spent over 20 years at the intersection of coffee, culture, and diplomacy.
Her doctoral thesis on coffee tourism in Ethiopia (University of Exeter, 2014) pioneered a new way of thinking: that coffee-producing communities hold cultural authority — not just agricultural output — and that this authority, when recognized, can rebalance the relationship between producer and consumer nations.
She is currently a Visiting Researcher at the African Studies Center, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, where she leads research on the Asian Coffee Road.
"I have spent years in the Disneyland of coffee production — Ethiopia. Now I am working from the Disneyland of coffee consumption — Japan. The distance between these two worlds is where GCS lives."
— Dr. Ohsoon YUN
Selected Recognition
Selected Recognition
[EN] "On Tiny Cups: Tracing the Invisible Routes of Coffee Culture" The Newsletter, No.101, International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University (2025)
[EN] "Why Ethiopians Trust This Korean Coffee-Lover for Global Coffee Business" The Globalists, Arirang TV (2024)
[EN] "From Ewha to Ethiopia: the coffee geographer connecting cultures one cup at a time" Ewha Voice, Ewha Womans University (2026)
[EN] PhD Thesis: "Coffee Tourism in Ethiopia: Opportunities, Challenges, and Initiatives" University of Exeter (2014) — 1,000+ annual downloads worldwide
[KO] Featured in TV Documentary "세계테마기행 - 나는 전설이다,에티오피아 (I Am a Legend — Ethiopia)" (4 episodes, 2024), EBS (Korea Educational Broadcasting System)
[KO] "커피 종주국 인정 ‘커피 박사’ 윤오순의 '커피 외교술' 에티오피아 정부가 먼저 찾는 한국인 ("Coffee Doctor" Ohsoon YUN’s Coffee Diplomacy: The South Korean Expert the Ethiopian Government Calls on First )" Shin Dong-A, Dong-A Ilbo Group (2021)
Get in Touch
Get in Touch
Whether you are a diplomat, researcher, journalist, or coffee professional — if coffee connects us, we want to hear from you.
Speaking requests, research collaboration, media inquiries, or business consultations — all are welcome.
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