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".
Starbucks and its union announced that both parties will “begin discussions on a foundational framework to achieve collective bargaining agreements for represented stores and partners.” What a “foundational framework” means is still unclear, and labor experts are urging cautious optimism, but hopefully it’s a positive step towards winning a first contract for thousands of Starbucks workers.
Indonesia is in the midst of a drought which has caused coffee yields to plummet in the world’s fourth-largest coffee exporter. Coffee farmers blame the El Niño weather pattern for the heat and lack of rain, a wild swing from the previous two years when La Niña caused excessive rainfall.
Workers at Ultimo Coffee in Philadelphia won a tentative contract agreement with the company after more than a year of fractious negotiations, NLRB complaints, a boycott, and a one-day strike last week.
And the German coffee conglomerate Tchibo has announced a partnership with the sustainability auditor Enveritas to source 100 percent of its coffee “responsibly” by 2027. It isn’t entirely clear what Tchibo means by that word.
Speaking of coffeewashing, my latest Pourover piece looks at Nespresso’s relationship with George Clooney and how the suave superstar helps the coffee giant burnish its image as a sustainability pioneer even as it’s hit by scandal after scandal:
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
