The United States has long been at the centre of the global coffee industry. But as policies shift under the Trump administration, that dominance is under threat.
For paid subscribers: What Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol’s meeting with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says about the company’s embrace of coffee’s wellness trend—and the trend’s darker side.
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The SCA has officially updated its coffee tasting protocols, marking the first revision in twenty years. The new Coffee Value Assessment aims to give a more holistic and well-rounded representation of a coffee’s quality, rather than relying on the old protocol’s single 100-point score.
A grande latte for Flynn? Starbucks is bringing back the Sharpie and asking baristas to write customers’ names on their to-go cups again. It’s yet another of new CEO Brian Niccol’s schemes to revitalise the ailing coffee giant, adding “that additional human touch on every coffee experience.”
Coffee companies take note: it turns out that being pro-union is good for business. A new coffee shop owner expressly encouraged his employees to unionise, and the feedback was hugely positive. “[Someone] was like, ‘Hey congratulations on the union,’” Bichota Coffee owner C. Terrence Anderson said. “A couple of customers are like, ‘This is the most progressive shit I’ve ever seen’”.
I'm the creator and writer of The Pourover. Based in Scotland, I have over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry as a barista, roaster, and writer. Ask me about coffeewashing.
Fionn Pooler
