State of Missouri vs Starbucks

It's the Coffee News Roundup: Week Ending February 14th

A Chemex pouring coffee into a cup on a table, seen from above, overlaid with logos for Fresh Cup Magazine and The Pourover

The coffee news never sleeps–probably all that caffeine...

Here's a quick summary of what happened last week (read the whole thing at Fresh Cup Magazine):

  • Researchers are exploring how physical defects in green coffee–broken and chipped beans, insect damage, that sort of thing–affect the final coffee's flavour and aroma. "We want to understand how many green coffee beans of a physical defect have an actual perceptible effect on the cup", said Sebastian Opitz from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
  • South Korea has an incredibly competitive coffee sector, with foreign chains and home-grown companies battling for a slice of the market. This has led to price wars in the past, but after the surge in the coffee futures market, at least one budget brand has decided to raise its prices.
South Korea’s Coffee Wars
The country has too many coffee shops, and it’s causing problems.

I wrote about the Korean coffee market a couple of years ago:

  • Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, is suing Starbucks because of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that Starbucks' hiring practices led to "systemic racial, sexual, and sexual orientation discrimination" because of a tiny change in its workforce demographics over four years. It's all a bit silly (and typo-ridden). Starbucks called the claims "inaccurate" and defended its hiring practices.

For more on all these stories, as well as allegations of a toxic workplace at Colectivo Coffee, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

Coffee News Club: Week of February 17th
Missouri attorney general takes Starbucks to court over DEI, plus stories on coffee defects and the Korean coffee market. Here’s the news for February 17th.

If you missed it, why not check out my latest article, a deep dive into all the ways the chaotic last few week's in U.S. politics has impacted–and will continue to impact–the coffee industry:

Musk and Trump’s ‘Plutocratic Coup’ Could Upend the Coffee Industry
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are bulldozing the U.S. government. While nothing is certain, the impact on the coffee industry is already significant.

Until next week, it's goodbye from my sister's cat Maru, who is doing a little windowsill gardening:

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to The Pourover.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.