ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- The high-end specialty coffee industry is n't immune to the effects of a recession , but many companies are still doing well . Growers , roasters and equipment manufacturers were represented at the coffee expo in Atlanta . Portland Roasting had a slow holiday season , but business is picking up , said owner Mark Stell . `` February was a great month for us , '' he said . Stell traveled from Oregon to Atlanta , Georgia , for the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo , where the show floor was filled with nearly 800 booths featuring everything from exotic coffee beans to the latest Italian espresso machines . Stell 's company sells about a million pounds of coffee a year . He said sales to offices and hotels are down but are being replaced by orders from grocers and universities . `` People do n't leave coffee , '' he said . `` They just get it differently . '' Tony Riffel owns Octane Coffee in Atlanta and was watching the 10th annual World Barista Championship , held in conjunction with the expo at the Georgia World Congress Center . Pushcart owner Gwilym Davies of London , England , won the 2009 barista crown . Watch baristas battle for the world title » . Riffel said business at his coffee shop was flat last summer , but sales are up 10 percent for the first quarter of 2009 . `` The first part of this year has been our best ever , '' he said . `` People are being careful with what they 're spending money on , but they 're spending it on quality products . '' Business is good enough that Riffel plans to open a second location this year . `` Now is a really good time to do that , '' he said . `` Developers and landlords are more flexible and negotiable , '' even though banks are `` pickier than normal . '' Joseph Taguman also knows about picky banks . The general manager of the Zambia Growers Association said the lack of financing is holding back the association 's 80 farmers . Taguman said the farmers could grow more than their current rate of about 300 metric tons per year , but trees take time to grow and long-term financing is hard to come by in Zambia . A couple of aisles over from Taguman 's booth , Shawn Contreras sees a similar problem . Contreras is the sales director for Diedrich Manufacturing , which has been selling roasting equipment for nearly 30 years . He said wholesale roasters are continuing to grow , but smaller operations are having `` an extraordinarily difficult time '' getting funding . Consultant Andrew Hetzel acknowledges that credit is a hindering factor for companies , but he is optimistic about the specialty coffee industry . `` The U.S. market is continuing at a steady pace , '' he said . But it 's a slower pace than the past few years . `` Coffee is something that has been with humanity for 1,500 years , '' Hetzel said . `` It 's not going anywhere any time soon . ''
High - end American coffee industry not immune to effects of recession . Many companies still doing well , with some continuing to expand . Hundreds of companies from around the world gathered in Atlanta for annual expo . British company wins World Coffee Championship held in conjunction with expo .