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".
This week's Roundup comes to you from Speyside, which is like California's wine country but for Scottish whisky. There are rolling hills and distilleries everywhere. It's very pretty. I don't drink, but there are worse places to spend a sunny bank holiday.
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has teamed up with the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) to implement its updated coffee evaluation standards, the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA). (There are a lot of acronyms involved.) Considering the size and importance of the FNC—Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, and the FNC represents more than half a million farmers—this deal could help with the SCA’s push for wider industry adoption of the CVA.
Right behind Colombia in terms of coffee output is Indonesia, the world's fourth-largest producer. However, experts say that falling yields and increased domestic demand means the country could have to import more coffee than it exports over the next few years unless more is done to increase production.
Starbucks has long been a keen adopter of technological innovation—it has previously gone big on mobile ordering and consumer-facing loyalty apps (and who can forget its wildly successful move into the metaverse and NFTs?). But now, as it continues to struggle—even after new CEO Brian Niccol's "Back to Starbucks" campaign to make the company more like its old "third place" self—the company has decided that its next big innovation will be: less innovation. Niccol announced that Starbucks will pause rollout of its technology-heavy workflow platform Siren Craft System, and instead focus on hiring more baristas and staffing its stores better.
For more on all these stories, plus how coffee could help us as we age, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
And paid subscribers received first access to my interview with photojournalist Stuart Freedman about the Indian Coffee House, featuring a few of the amazing photos from his book on the subject, The Palaces of Memory:
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
Fionn Pooler
Fionn Pooler
