2024 Was a Warning
The past year of climate shocks and surging coffee prices has felt portentous. Without significant investment and industry cooperation, coffee’s future seems increasingly uncertain.
2024 Was a Warning
The past year of climate shocks and surging coffee prices has felt portentous. Without significant investment and industry cooperation, coffee’s future seems increasingly uncertain.
The Purpose of the Coffee Industry Is What It Does
Coffee brands love to tout their ethics and human rights policies, yet the supply chain is still built on poverty. At some point, we have to judge the industry not by what it says but by its actions.
Coffee, Community, and a Year of Silence
The coffee industry loves “community”, but it doesn’t always love the solidarity that the word signifies. Nowhere is this more obvious than in its reaction—or lack thereof—to the genocide in Gaza.
Latest
From South to North: Farmer-Owned Coffee Companies Are Challenging the Industry's Power Structures
Companies in the Global North capture most of the profits generated along the coffee supply chain. But farmer-owned coffee roasters offer a more equitable model—and a path forward for the industry.
There Is No Such Thing as an 'Unskilled’ Coffee Job
Baristas and other hourly coffee workers are undervalued and underpaid—but they are far from unskilled, despite what the pernicious stereotypes suggest.
Corporate Philanthropy Will Not Save the Coffee Industry
Coffee companies love to fund projects that look good in press releases and impact reports. However, corporate philanthropy is mostly a shield to deflect criticism, protect power, and avoid regulation.
Starbucks and the Myth of the Third Place
Starbucks wants to be known as a community gathering space, even after morphing into the ultimate convenience-focused coffee chain. But was it ever truly a third place in the first place?
Please Just Let Millennials Enjoy Our Coffee
That latte you just bought is the reason you won’t be able to retire, according to the financial gurus. But why has coffee become such a potent symbol of Millennial misspending in the first place?
The Pesticides Underpinning Coffee’s Healthy Image
Seemingly every week, a new study reaffirms that coffee is beneficial to drinkers. Everyone’s favourite morning beverage has been
Where Are All the British Coffee Unions?
While a wave of coffee unionising washes over the United States, across the pond there’s barely a ripple. Why is that?
Equity Crowdfunding and the Democratisation of Coffee Investing
While many specialty coffee companies turn to venture capital to fuel their growth, others are going in the opposite direction: utilising equity crowdfunding to share ownership with their communities.
Corporate vs Specialty Coffee
Corporate Philanthropy Will Not Save the Coffee Industry
Coffee companies love to fund projects that look good in press releases and impact reports. However, corporate philanthropy is mostly a shield to deflect criticism, protect power, and avoid regulation.
Starbucks and the Myth of the Third Place
Starbucks wants to be known as a community gathering space, even after morphing into the ultimate convenience-focused coffee chain. But was it ever truly a third place in the first place?
Equity Crowdfunding and the Democratisation of Coffee Investing
While many specialty coffee companies turn to venture capital to fuel their growth, others are going in the opposite direction: utilising equity crowdfunding to share ownership with their communities.
How Corporations and Executives Captured the Coffee Industry’s Profits
The global coffee industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and yet many stakeholders struggle to make ends meet. As corporate revenues climb, it’s worth examining where those profits go.
Coffee and Climate
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Disposable Coffee Cups?
Single-use coffee cups are choking the planet. From discounts to levies to bans, solutions are out there—but changing consumer behaviour is the bigger challenge.
Connecting the Dots: Inside the 2023 Coffee Barometer
A conversation with the landmark report's lead author Sjoerd Panhuysen.
Can the Coffee Change Fund Save Coffee?
A coffee producer with a simple and affordable redistribution plan struggles to find industry backing.
Upcycled Coffeewashing
Putting coffee grounds into shoes and luxury watch straps isn't sustainable—it's a distraction.
Coffee Unions and Labour
There Is No Such Thing as an 'Unskilled’ Coffee Job
Baristas and other hourly coffee workers are undervalued and underpaid—but they are far from unskilled, despite what the pernicious stereotypes suggest.
Where Are All the British Coffee Unions?
While a wave of coffee unionising washes over the United States, across the pond there’s barely a ripple. Why is that?
Private Equity vs. the Coffee Workers
Big money pours into specialty coffee with one goal: wealth extraction. But as soon as things go wrong, workers are the first to suffer.
Philly is a (Coffee) Union Town
A wave of unionizing swept Philadelphia's coffee scene. Now the workers want a contract.