For paid subscribers: Coffee is increasingly used to burnish the United Arab Emirates’ international image. Now it is being supercharged by merging with the popularity of the Dubai chocolate trend.
The coffee scene in Dubai is thriving, and the city is set to welcome the Specialty Coffee Association’s World of Coffee event next month. But underneath the glitzy facade and marketing buzz lies a moral quagmire.
Coffee farmers in India’s Araku Valley are planning an election protest due to lack of infrastructure investment and the “pittance” they are paid by brokers. According to Al Jazeera, “The farmers insist that they are not asking for much—better prices for their coffee berries, roads and medical facilities—and toilets.”
Blank Street Coffee has invented a revolutionary new concept: the coffee shop. The techy venture capital-backed startup grew quickly based on small footprint, high volume kiosks—but is now opening an “innovation cafe” to showcase things like “espresso with sparkling water on the side” and “breakfast sandwiches”. It’ll never catch on.
The Wydown Coffee Bar in Washington, DC, closed down both its locations just five days before a scheduled union election. “[Wydown owners] Chad and Alex McCracken would rather put 30 people out of work than face a union election,” organizers wrote on Instagram.
So many celebrity coffee brands launched last week that we had to create a new segment just to contain them all. I’m especially intrigued/horrified by Rudy Giuliani’s weird coffee grift.
I'm a coffee writer and creator of The Pourover. Based in Scotland, I have over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry. Ask me about coffeewashing. (he/him)
