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.
“Absolutely unbearable”; “The worst day of the year”; “Mentally and physically abusive”; this is how baristas describe Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which took place last week. It’s the busiest day of the company’s year, where they hand out reusable red cups to customers who purchase a seasonal drink.
This year, the union fought back: the Red Cup Rebellion was a coordinated one-day strike involving thousands of baristas and over a hundred stores across the US.
Read about that, and all the other coffee news over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
If you missed it, you can read my latest post in which I interviewed Amethyst Coffee’s Elle Taylor about her company’s experiment with removing tips, the decision to close, and what counts as success in coffee:
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.
