For paid subscribers: Donald Trump’s latest arbitrary tariff threat, this time against Brazil, has once again enveloped the coffee industry in chaos and uncertainty. When will it end?
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.
A pretty quiet week, news-wise, but a few coffee things still happened:
World Coffee Portal put out their latest report on the state of the “branded coffee shop market” in the United States (that is, the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin as well as smaller companies that “graduated to branded coffee chain status after surpassing five outlets”). The TL;DR of the report is that competition is heating up and everyone’s a bit glum over the short term future, leading to a focus on value to entice more price-sensitive customers.
Young Vietnamese entrepreneurs are going against their parents’ wishes and eschewing more traditional careers in favour of opening coffee shops. These youngsters are “using espressos to challenge family expectations around work,” according to the AFP’s Alice Philipson.
Unionised Starbucks employees won a contract! However, it’s not Starbucks Workers United—these workers are in Canada, the first of five Ontario cafes represented by United Steelworkers to secure a collective bargaining agreement. In the U.S., organisers continue to negotiate with the company.
Read more on all these stories, plus some new research on the safety of coffee consumption during pregnancy, over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
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.
Fionn Pooler
