Coffee News Roundup: Week Ending August 2nd

Starbucks dominates the news this week:

• Promotions and buy-one-get-one deals are (understandably) popular with Starbucks customers, but less so with workers. Long queues, complicated orders, and understaffing are causing staff to (understandably) quit in frustration.
• Researchers are researching whether robusta can grow at high altitudes, potentially as a way to replace or augment arabica crops that are struggling due to the climate crisis. (There is a conversation to be had about mitigation vs adaptation in coffee, but that’s for a longer piece I think.)
• Starbucks put a lot of effort into promoting their new drink the Oleato last year (that’s the olive oil latte, if you somehow forgot). Howard Schultz was especially keen, as he was the one who came up with the idea. As it turns out, Schultz also part-owns the olive oil company that has made millions supplying Starbucks.

Read more on all these stories, and some new coffee health research, over at Fresh Cup Magazine:

If you missed it, you can check out my latest article on a possible alternative to venture capital funding in coffee:

Equity Crowdfunding and the Democratisation of Coffee Investing

While many specialty coffee companies turn to venture capital to fuel their growth, others are going in the opposite direction: utilising equity crowdfunding to share ownership with their communities.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Until next week, it’s goodbye from Merlin: