Coffee Retail
Articles covering corporate and independent coffee shops and roasters and the consumption side of the coffee supply chain.
Up All Night: Why the Graveyard Shift Represents an Untapped Coffee Market
Many people visit cafes during the workday—but for those who work nights, good coffee remains woefully scarce. Now, one enterprising Australian is trying to change that.
What Does Success in Coffee Look Like? (Republish)
Denver’s Amethyst Coffee closed in 2022, two years after raising prices to better compensate staff. But that doesn’t mean the project was a failure—in fact, it still offers lessons for the industry today.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and the Future of the Coffee Industry
Acquisitions and consolidation have always been part of coffee. Does the latest wave point to an industry in decline—or one ripe for renewal?
Forget Starbucks—Yemeni Coffeehouses Are the Real Third Places
While Starbucks tries to return to its coffeehouse roots, a new wave of cafes spreading across the United States show how to really build a welcoming third place.
The $10 Latte is Coming—But Who Will Buy It?
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.
Rudy Giuliani and Our Uneasy Fascination with Celebrity Coffee Brands
Today, there are more celebrity coffee companies than ever. But as Rudy Coffee has demonstrated, that might not be a good thing.
From South to North: Farmer-Owned Coffee Companies Are Challenging the Industry's Power Structures
Companies in the Global North capture most of the profits generated along the coffee supply chain. But farmer-owned coffee roasters offer a more equitable model—and a path forward for the industry.
There Is No Such Thing as an 'Unskilled’ Coffee Job
Baristas and other hourly coffee workers are undervalued and underpaid—but they are far from unskilled, despite what the pernicious stereotypes suggest.
Starbucks and the Myth of the Third Place
Starbucks wants to be known as a community gathering space, even after morphing into the ultimate convenience-focused coffee chain. But was it ever truly a third place in the first place?
Please Just Let Millennials Enjoy Our Coffee
That latte you just bought is the reason you won’t be able to retire, according to the financial gurus. But why has coffee become such a potent symbol of Millennial misspending in the first place?
Where Are All the British Coffee Unions?
While a wave of coffee unionising washes over the United States, across the pond there’s barely a ripple. Why is that?
Equity Crowdfunding and the Democratisation of Coffee Investing
While many specialty coffee companies turn to venture capital to fuel their growth, others are going in the opposite direction: utilising equity crowdfunding to share ownership with their communities.