Companies are turning to automation as a tool to fight back against industrial action. In coffee, that role could well be played by robot baristas—in fact, it sort of already has.
Coffee companies are going all in on automation. We’re told that it improves efficiency, cuts costs, and yields a better product. But what does it mean for the baristas whose labour these automations displace?
Twenty-three years after they were displaced from their land so that Neumann Kaffee Gruppe could build a sprawling coffee farm, thousands of Ugandans are still waiting for compensation.
As Korea’s coffee market heats up and attracts investment from foreign chains, home-grown brands are looking abroad for new opportunities. Much of the expansion demand is fuelled by the Korean Wave or Hallyu, a term used to describe the increasing global popularity of Korean culture over the past three decades.
A chap named Winter is trying to visit every Starbucks on the planet. He’s been to 19,521 in 71 countries since he began his quest in 1997, and he’ll probably never finish: earlier this year, Starbucks opened 364 new cafes in just 13 weeks. (This story is absolutely wild and you should definitely read the whole thing.)
Fresh Cup also republished one of my Pourover pieces, so in case you haven’t read it yet (or want to read it again on a different website) you can check it out here: The Moral Complexities of Civet Coffee
I’ll be back on Friday with a new article, but until then it’s goodbye from Merlin:
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.
