Coffee companies are going all in on automation. We’re told that it improves efficiency, cuts costs, and yields a better product. But what does it mean for the baristas whose labour these automations displace?
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 commodity price of coffee hit another new high last week, breaking a record it had set six months earlier. The reasons for this latest spike are too numerous to explore in depth here—that's what the full Roundup at Fresh Cup is for—but among other thing they include: adverse weather in Brazil (or, at least, reports of possible adverse weather, which is apparently enough to spook traders); low coffee reserves in warehouses, and increasing demand for those reserves; yet more tariff nonsense; and the European Commission backtracking on its plans to delay its deforestation legislation by a year.
Speaking of deforestation, a new report from the nonprofit Coffee Watch found that it is still rampant in Brazil's key coffee-producing regions. Between 2001 and 2023, the report found, more than 700,000 hectares of land on coffee farms were deforested, with 300,000 hectares cleared specifically to grow coffee. The report linked the deforestation to climate shocks in Brazil, including drought and crop failures. “The ecologically destructive way we grow coffee is going to result in us not having coffee”, Coffee Watch’s director Etelle Higonnet told the New York Times.
As contract negotiations with Starbucks continue to stall, Starbucks Workers United is polling its members over whether to go on strike. SBWU has been conducting practice pickets over the past couple of months, and will continue to do so as voting takes place. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to secure this contract”, barista and organizer Jasmine Leli told CNBC.
For more on all these stories, including why Starbucks' role as official coffee partner of the 2028 Olympics is under scrutiny, check out the full Roundup over at Fresh Cup Magazine:
If you missed it, why not check out my latest piece on coffee automation, the way it's promoted, and what happens to the baristas whose labour it displaces:
I also have a new feature in Fresh Cup exploring the past, present, and future of coffee wilt disease. It devastated robusta production and livelihoods in West and Central Africa during the mid to late 20th century, and although the disease has retreated in recent times—and has consequently been largely forgotten—it remains a threat:
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
