Coffee & Politics
Coffee is political. There's no getting away from it, no matter how much the industry would like to ignore its connection to the wider world.
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.
Rudy Giuliani and Our Uneasy Fascination with Celebrity Coffee Brands
Today, there are more celebrity coffee companies than ever. But as Rudy Coffee has demonstrated, that might not be a good thing.
Coffee, Community, and a Year of Silence
The coffee industry loves “community”, but it doesn’t always love the solidarity that the word signifies. Nowhere is this more obvious than in its reaction—or lack thereof—to the genocide in Gaza.
Please Just Let Millennials Enjoy Our Coffee
That latte you just bought is the reason you won’t be able to retire, according to the financial gurus. But why has coffee become such a potent symbol of Millennial misspending in the first place?
How Corporations and Executives Captured the Coffee Industry’s Profits
The global coffee industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and yet many stakeholders struggle to make ends meet. As corporate revenues climb, it’s worth examining where those profits go.
Meme Accounts Are the Coffee Industry's Conscience
While it can often seem immune from criticism, there is one place where the coffee industry is held to account: Instagram meme pages.
Coffee's Tech Dystopia
Technology is deeply embedded in the coffee industry, from loyalty apps to blockchain traceability platforms. But is that a good thing?
Ballad of the Indian Coffee House
Despite evolving tastes and increased competition, India’s oldest and largest coffee chain—a communist-founded, worker-owned cooperative—is still going after 70 years.
The Cost of Competing
For many, elite coffee competitions represent the pinnacle of the industry. But the huge costs to compete prevent those without financial support from participating—and harm the industry as a whole.
Private Equity vs. the Coffee Workers
Big money pours into specialty coffee with one goal: wealth extraction. But as soon as things go wrong, workers are the first to suffer.
The Moral Complexities of Civet Coffee
Coffee collected from the droppings of civets is sought after by the rich and deplored by animal welfare advocates. Caught in the middle are the farmers who produce it.
'Capitalism on Steroids': Private Equity and the Future of Specialty Coffee
It’s hard to shake the feeling that all the money that has flowed into specialty coffee over the past decade or so is warping the industry in ways that we haven’t yet begun to grasp.