For paid subscribers: A look at what makes coffee health studies so attractive to news organisations and readers, and how such stories also benefit the coffee industry.
Coffee is always in the news, from health studies to novel products to stunt job postings. But what do these “earned media” stories tell us about the motivations behind such coverage?
Another week without any major Starbucks news? They’re slacking off. Here’s what else happened:
The commodity price of coffee has been increasing all year, and over the past few weeks arabica futures spiked to their highest level since 1977. The reasons are many, from climate breakdown to tariff threats to uncertainty over the EU’s deforestation legislation. What it means for coffee farmers—and whether prices will stay high long term—remains to be seen.
Nestlé and Keurig are both trying to capture the growing home cold coffee market, but it turns out that making cafe-quality iced coffee at home is harder than it looks.
How do you encourage consumers to ditch disposable cups? It’s something I have written about before, but now a team of researchers in Vancouver decided to use the prospect of winning free coffee to tempt college kids to bring their reusable cups. That’s right: a little light gambling might solve the single-use cup crisis.
Read more on all these stories—plus, how scientists in Costa Rica are exploring sustainable low-elevation coffee production in a heating world—over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
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.
