A complex web of pressures, from climate change to tariffs, are pushing up coffee prices. But the industry has a challenge: How to communicate necessary price rises to consumers without scaring them off.
For paid subscribers: deleted scenes from last week's lexicon. Musings on the words "Sustainability", "Specialty", and the old-school buzzwords like "Artisan" and "Gourmet".
Coffee farmers in the Kona region of Hawaii used coffee fingerprinting to bolster their case against a group of distributors and grocery chains who they accuse of using the Kona name to misleadingly label much cheaper coffee. After a five-year-long legal battle, farmers won more than $41 million in settlements.
The denizens of r/decaf, a subreddit with more than 40,000 members, are very sure that coffee is bad for you. This corner of the internet believes that giving up caffeine is “a hero’s journey” and that doing so can cure a range of issues from acne and depression to insomnia and even existential angst.
Workers at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, coffee chain announced their intent to unionize. A few hours later the company announced that it was closing for, er, “financial” reasons.
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
