Coffee News Roundup

COFFEE NEWS ROUNDUP: WEEK ENDING MAY 25TH

Fionn Pooler

26 May 2018 — 4 min read

Another quick update this week, as I did not schedule myself well and ran out of time yesterday. However there's a lot going on, so let's get to it shall we.

Breaking: The SCA Pulls Coffee Competitions From Dubai - via Sprudge

When it was announced six months ago that the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) planned to host the world championships of some of its coffee competitions, as well as other events, in Dubai, a country not exactly known for its progressive views on subjects such as LGBTQIA rights, there was understandably some backlash from the wider coffee community.

Then came the "Deferred Candidacy Policy", a move the SCA said was “to protect competitors who may be prevented from participating in a world championship event due to nationality, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity/orientation, health, bereavement, or force majeure.” This, again, caused consternation among members of the community, as it was seen as dismissing the real fear of persecution for a large number of coffee professionals. For more insight, it's worth reading this article that features reactions to the decision from the queer coffee community.

The pushback was vocal, and grassroots pressure from inside the SCA seems to have succeeded, as this week it was announced that the association is withdrawing from Dubai and moving the competitions to Brazil instead. However, the SCA also announced the launch of a new annual trade show beginning in 2020. It's name? World of Coffee Dubai.

Read more from Sprudge here, or this article from Barista Magazine.

#CoffeeWhileBlack: Black-Owned Coffee Shops in Philly to Host Roundtable on Day of Starbucks Racial-Bias Training - via The Root

Starbucks will close all US stores on May 29th for racial bias training, in response to the incident which saw two black men arrested and detained for hours because they were waiting for someone to show up before ordering. On the same day, independent coffee shops in Philadelphia (where the incident took place) will be gathering together for a roundtable "focused on both how to stop retail racism and how to support black-owned businesses."

There is also a movement to encourage Starbucks customers to seek out and support black-owned coffee shops around the country on May 29th—and in Philadelphia you can even join a coffee crawl taking in three such businesses.

Hyundai wants to let you pay for coffee with your car - via CNET

If using Apple Pay/Samsung Pay/whatever to purchase your coffee isn't easy enough, soon you won't even have to get out of your car. You might not even have to come to a standstill—your car will order and pay as you pull into the drive through lane, and the barista can just fling your coffee through your open window as you roll by, waving in slow motion.

This shiny new and totally-not-pointless system can also be used for buying gas and paying for parking, making your inevitable tracking by shady security agencies or corporations that bit easier.