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.
For paid subscribers: What Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol’s meeting with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says about the company’s embrace of coffee’s wellness trend—and the trend’s darker side.
As the rightwing backlash to LGBTQ+ rights in the United States continues, some Starbucks workers have been told they can’t decorate their stores for Pride Month. Managers have even removed already-hung flags, although Starbucks denies that the moves are corporate policy. The union, meanwhile, calls them “a clear continuation of Starbucks’ anti-union campaign to intimidate workers.”
Nordic Approach, is the latest specialty coffee importer to be acquired by a billion-dollar multinational after its takeover by Neumann Kaffee Gruppe.
Workers at three Peet’s Coffee locations in Berkeley and Oakland, California, have filed for union elections citing “wage stagnation, understaffing, and unsafe working conditions.”
And Starbucks wants to green its milk supply chain, although it’s kinda hard when dairy is such a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
