Big If True: Nestle Considering Blue Bottle Coffee Sale

The Moral Cost of Dubai’s Coffee Boom

The coffee scene in Dubai is thriving, and the city is set to welcome the Specialty Coffee Association’s World of Coffee event next month. But underneath the glitzy facade and marketing buzz lies a moral quagmire.

Hello, and welcome to the Roundup. Every week, I read all the coffee news and write about the best bits for Fresh Cup Magazine. Then, I summarise those bits for you in this newsletter.

As the climate crisis continues to impact coffee production, farmers in Brazil are increasingly switching from growing arabica to its hardier cousin robusta. While arabica is still the main coffee species grown in Brazil—the country is the world's number one producer—robusta is becoming ever more popular: Brazilian robusta production climbed 81% over the past 10 years.
Nestlé, the Swiss multinational whose coffee brands are frequent subjects of this newsletter, is reportedly considering selling off Blue Bottle Coffee after eight years, according to Reuters. The move is part of a broader "strategic review" that the company's new CEO is conducting in a bid to streamline the food and beverage giant's operations. Sources told Reuters that Blue Bottle, purchased for about $425 million back in 2017, would probably sell for a discount on that price.

I write about Blue Bottle pretty often. Here's a recent one.

Starbucks has agreed to pay $35 million to 15,000 of its workers after an investigation found the company had violated New York City's Fair Workweek law. The law requires employers to provide stable, predictable schedules to its workers, something Starbucks failed to do at hundreds of stores over the course of three years. Those affected will receive $50 for each week they worked between July 4, 2021, and July 7, 2024.

For more on all these stories, plus news that coffee could help slow premature ageing in people suffering from severe mental illness, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

If you missed it, why not check out my latest piece on the moral issues surrounding the Specialty Coffee Association's upcoming World of Coffee Dubai trade show next month:

Paid subscribers will receive a bonus article this Friday, but until then it's goodbye once again from my sister's cat Maru, who is enjoying a nap in the Danish sun: