Companies are turning to automation as a tool to fight back against industrial action. In coffee, that role could well be played by robot baristas—in fact, it sort of already has.
Coffee companies are going all in on automation. We’re told that it improves efficiency, cuts costs, and yields a better product. But what does it mean for the baristas whose labour these automations displace?
Iced Americanos are so popular in Korea that they’ve coined their own proverb: “Even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!” Plus, Kentucky is the focus of the US Department of Labor’s efforts to recover back wages for baristas, and coffee might lower your blood pressure. Or it might not. Hard to say.
Read the whole Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
I’ll be back with another full-length piece this Friday, but until then it’s goodbye from this week’s guest star Jun, who doesn’t seem to be happy with the Michigan weather:
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.
