Mergers, Acquisitions, and the Future of the Coffee Industry
Acquisitions and consolidation have always been part of coffee. Does the latest wave point to an industry in decline—or one ripe for renewal?
A Newsletter About Coffee
Coffee is at once an unassuming beverage enjoyed by tens of millions every morning, and a complex and often murky industry that spans the globe.
The Pourover aims to illuminate that murky complexity with deeply researched articles that analyse the industry and its biggest players.
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"Essential. In a noisy industry full of bland trade publications that are all on the take or overrun with PR bullshit, The Pourover keeps it 100 and keeps me up to date on everything happening in the coffee world".
Tony Konecny Yes Plz Coffee
Tony Konecny Yes Plz Coffee
Subscribers receive a bi-weekly deep dive into a different aspect of coffee, from private equity's hold over the industry to the ways in which climate breakdown is impacting farmers. On Mondays, you'll also receive a quick summary of the latest coffee news.
Here are some popular articles:
We’re All Trying To Find the Coffee Company Who Did This
Big brands love to bemoan the plight of coffee farmers without acknowledging their role in creating that plight.
Fionn Pooler
2024 Was a Warning
The past year of climate shocks and surging coffee prices has felt portentous. Without significant investment and industry cooperation, coffee’s future seems increasingly uncertain.
Fionn Pooler
Starbucks and the Myth of the Third Place
Starbucks wants to be known as a community gathering space, even after morphing into the ultimate convenience-focused coffee chain. But was it ever truly a third place in the first place?
Fionn Pooler
The Pourover is written by Fionn Pooler, a writer and sometime coffee roaster based in Scotland, with over a decade of experience (for better and worse) in the industry. Hi! đź‘‹
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"I've been reading your work for a long time. It's always phenomenal, and I really value what you have to say".
Morgan Eckroth MorganDrinksCoffee
Morgan Eckroth MorganDrinksCoffee
Paid Subscriptions Help Support My Work
The Pourover is an independent newsletter that is dedicated to exploring—and critiquing—a multi-billion-dollar industry.
You can help support this work by becoming a paid subscriber. In return, you'll receive a bonus article every other Friday with extra analysis and occasional rants that aren't suitable for the main newsletter.
Support The Pourover with a paid subscription from ÂŁ5 a month
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"Coffee media is becoming increasingly corporate. We need more real, unbiased news; supporting The Pourover to help make it financially viable was a no-brainer".
David Lalonde Rabbit Hole Roasters
David Lalonde Rabbit Hole Roasters
Some recent bonus articles for paid subscribers:
How Low Can Coffee Prices in China Go?
For paid subscribers: Competition among coffee chains in China is driving prices to ridiculous new lows. Where will it end?
Fionn Pooler
Starbucks’ MAHA Misstep
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.
Fionn Pooler
Who Will Fund the Future of Coffee?
For paid subscribers: some thoughts on the loss of USAID funding for coffee research, and the possibly misguided hope that corporations will step up.
Fionn Pooler