Demand for coffee is growing, and climate change threatens supply—yet consumers don’t want to pay more. In an intensified and unequal industry, however, someone always pays.
For paid subscribers: One of Howard Schultz’ final acts as Starbucks CEO was inflicting upon us a line of olive oil-infused coffee drinks. He was so confident the Oleato would change the world. It didn’t.
Winter is coming to an end in the Southern Hemisphere, but a heatwave threatens Brazil’s first coffee flowering—it’s currently 20° Fahrenheit higher than usual for this time of year.
Starbucks broke federal law when it raised wages and increased benefits explicitly for non-union workers, a National Labor Relations Board administrative judge has ruled. The decision is the first nationwide ruling against the company since Starbucks Workers United started organizing two years ago.
To, er, celebrate National Coffee Day, Peet’s briefly launched its own version of the disloyalty card—where customers can collect stamps from a number of different cafes as a way to foster community over competition—but made it one-way traffic. Customers of chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ could use their loyalty points at Peet’s, but not the other way around.
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. It's pronounced Fin (he/him)
