Coffee News Roundup

Coffee News Roundup: Week Ending February 11th

Fionn Pooler

Feb 12, 2022 — 14 min read

It’s another Saturday, and that means another edition of the Coffee News Roundup. Lots going on this week, so let’s dive in.

Starbucks Fires Memphis Workers Involved in Unionization Efforts - via New York Times

Earlier this week, Starbucks fired seven workers from a Memphis location that had recently filed to unionize, ostensibly for violating company policies. The union that is seeking to organize the store claims that the firings were in retaliation for labor activities.

The seven baristas had given an interview to local television at the store and after hours—something that Starbucks claims violates several of their policies.

“Among the violations, [company spokesperson] Mr. Borges said, were opening a locked door at their store; remaining inside the store without authorization after it had closed; allowing other unauthorized individuals inside the store after it had closed; and allowing unauthorized individuals in parts of the store where access is typically restricted.”

The fired employees say that these supposed violations were in fact common practice, and that nobody had previously been disciplined—let alone fired—for them: “They said, for example, that off-duty employees frequently went to the back of the store to check their schedules, which are posted there.”

Starbucks Workers United, in a statement, said that “Starbucks chose to selectively enforce policies that have not previously been consistently enforced as a pretext to fire union leaders.”

Read the full story here.

A Wisconsin Man Took a Job at a Coffee Company and Wound Up With Lung Damage. In a Landmark Verdict, a Jury Awarded Him $5.3 million - via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

As a coffee roaster, this wasn’t a fun read.

Except for the description of coffee roasting, which is… odd:

“The 63-year-old's new gig at Backroads Coffee was straightforward: scoop between 5 and 25 pounds of coffee from a bag and pour it into a roaster. After 20 minutes or so, open the chute and let the beans spill into the cooling pan. Once cool, add flavoring to the beans, grind or package them — in some cases, do all three. Then repeat.”

While technically mostly true, “straightforward” isn’t the word I’d use to describe the job.

Anyway.

Nick Moncel’s work—and especially the “add flavoring to the beans” part—led him to develop lung problems and eventually to be awarded $5.3 million when “a jury decided, indeed, the chemicals were to blame for his illness.”

Diacetyl is a chemical that occurs naturally in several cooking and fermentation processes (it gives butter its buttery taste), as well as in coffee roasting and grinding. Its distinctive butteriness means it is used to create artificial butter flavouring, and has been utilized extensively in the microwave popcorn industry.

Prolonged exposure to diacetyl can also cause severe lung issues, for example the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans—or “popcorn lung” as it has been dubbed.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has investigated diacetyl in coffee manufacturing before—the Roundup covered it back in 2018—which alerted Moncel to the possibility of his work impacting his health. The investigation found several coffee roasters, including those not flavouring their coffees, had exposed workers to levels of diacetyl above the recommended limit.

On the other hand, the National Coffee Association says, in an FAQ about diacetyl, “scientific evidence does not support a link between natural diacetyl exposure in coffee production and obstructive lung disease.”

Read the full story here.

Coffee Reserves Plunge to Lowest in More Than Two Decades - via Bloomberg

Stockpiles of what Bloomberg always amusingly calls “high-end arabica beans, a favorite of artisan coffee shops and chains like Starbucks Corp.” have dropped to the lowest levels since the year 2000, putting additional pressure on the C price that is already at multi-year highs.

Coffee reserves fell to just over a million bags, according the ICE Futures U.S. exchange, and have been declining since September due to shipping delays and bad weather in Brazil. High shipping costs are reportedly leading to Brazilian producers selling their crops domestically rather than bother with exports.

“Shrinking inventories are a concern because countries tap them when they aren’t getting enough product from overseas” Bloomberg reports. “It’s a sign that demand is outstripping supplies, and a condition for rising prices.”

Read the full story here.

Yes, You Can Milk A Potato And Make A Latte With It - via Sprudge

Can you? Sure.

Should you?

Well, probably. Potatoes are very sustainable, for one—much more so than almonds, and even more so than oats. As Sprudge notes, “Growing potatoes uses about half the land that growing oats requires and requires less than 2% of the water almonds need.”

But how does it taste? Not sure, but I ordered some (Dug, the subject of the Sprudge article, is a Swedish company that supplies the UK) so keep an eye on the Pourover’s Instagram for updates.

Read the full story here.

More Headlines

Black Rifle Coffee Company Joins the New York Stock Exchange

Re:co Opens 2022 Fellowship Program for Applications

Chinese Investment Firm Acquires Luckin Coffee

Uganda Withdraws from the International Coffee Agreement

The Week in Coffee Unionizing

Just a quick update here to note that, in amongst the multiple new Starbucks locations announcing their plans to unionize each week, the New York Times mentions that each of the ten person manufacturing team at Starbucks’ flagship Reserve roastery in New York City have signed union cards.

The current number of locations announcing intent to unionize, as of last night, stands at 78 stores in 23 states.

Is Coffee Good For You?

Drinking coffee makes you live longer. 12% longer, according to a new study. Nearly half a million participants from the UK Biobank were analyzed by researchers and categorized by how much coffee they consumed. Turns out, about three cups a day is the sweet spot.

“Light-to-moderate coffee consumption was associated with a 12% lower risk of overall mortality,” said Dr. Judit Simon, PhD student at the Semmelweis University, who led the study, “and with a 17% lower risk of death caused by cardiovascular diseases compared to non-coffee drinkers. In addition, from half to three cups of coffee was associated with a 21% lower risk of stroke.”

Instant coffee drinkers weren’t so lucky, however. The benefits listed above were apparent in caffeinated and decaf coffee, but not instant—and although heavy coffee drinkers didn’t display negative outcomes, they also didn’t show any positive results.