Chatbots telling us what we want. Robots making our coffee. Baristas reduced to smiling servers. If Starbucks and other brands get their way, this is the future: a frictionless, interactionless, lifeless coffee experience.
The NLRB’s regional director in Seattle alleged that Starbucks “failed and refused” to bargain with 144 newly-unionized stores “with no intention of reaching [an] agreement” with the union. It’s not the first time they’ve been accused of these sorts of shenanigans, either.
Gesha was very popular at the recent US Barista Championships, with half of the semi-finalists and four of six finalists utilizing the prized coffee variety in their routines.
‘In 2023, San Francisco Coffee Shops Want You to Get the Hell Out’ is a heck of a headline.
In case you missed it, you can read my latest piece interviewing Victoria Magaña Ledesma about taking over the family farm in Hawaii after her father was deported:
I'm a coffee writer and creator of The Pourover. Based in Scotland, I have over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry. Ask me about coffeewashing. It's pronounced Fin (he/him)
Fionn Pooler
