Nearly five years since the first Starbucks location unionised, contract negotiations are still dragging on. Can external pressure from shareholders and human-rights campaigners make a difference?
Hello, and welcome to the Roundup. Every week, I read all the coffee news and write about the best bits for Fresh Cup Magazine. Then, I summarise those bits for you in this newsletter.
The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is happening in some of those countries' key coffee-producing regions. At least one coffee-related NGO has launched an emergency response in DRC, distributing hand-washing materials and healthcare information. The outbreak has also impacted coffee production: with the border closed, farmers are having trouble accessing materials such as fertiliser.
The DRC-Uganda border is particularly porous, and coffee is often smuggled back and forth.
Hoping to capitalise on the rise in coffee prices over the past few years, companies in Japan are getting into coffee farming. However, they aren't coffee brands: both Nichibei United Corp., an oil and gas conglomerate, and Ishizuka Glass Co., which makes glass products, have started growing coffee in greenhouses. It has been... tricky. “Agriculture is tough. We have faced a series of unexpected events", Kenji Tsujino, who runs Nichibei United's coffee farming operation, told Kyodo News.
Lavazza is embracing the plastic-free coffee pod trend with its new Tablì system. Instead of plastic or aluminium capsules, the Tablì uses small round discs made from compressed ground coffee. The system is marketed (and reported on) as a sustainable alternative to coffee pods—Keurig did something similar with its K-Rounds coffee puck a few years ago. But as with the K-Round, in order to enjoy the Tablì you'll need to upgrade to a completely new machine, and presumably get rid of your old one. Is that environmentally-friendly?
For more on all these stories, plus how Fairtrade International is helping its members prepare for the dreaded EUDR, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
In case you missed it, the latest Pourover long read is on the still-ongoing unionisation drive at Starbucks, and whether external pressure can help move the needle (includes an interview with UN-appointed human-rights expert Gina Romero):
Paid subscribers will receive their customary bonus article on Friday, but until then it's goodbye from my friend Angela's cat Clem, who is enjoying the Michigan sunshine / practising here gargoyle impression:
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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)
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