Welcome to The Pourover

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The Pourover is a newsletter about the coffee industry, written by me, Fionn Pooler. Hi! 👋 I'm a writer and sometime coffee roaster based in Scotland, with over a decade of experience (for better and worse) in the industry.

This newsletter consists of two main sections:

• Every other Friday: A new deep dive digging in to a different aspect of the coffee industry–from the influence of private equity to the impact of the climate crisis to, every so often, a story about celebrity coffee brands.
• Each Monday: a short summary of my weekly news roundup, formerly a Pourover original but now published by Fresh Cup Magazine.

If you'd like to get a flavour for what sort of articles The Pourover publishes, here are a few recent favourites:

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?

The PouroverFionn Pooler

The Cynical Evolution of Coffee Substitutes

We used to grudgingly turn to coffee alternatives in times of turmoil. Now, however, there is a new breed of venture capital-backed substitutes, with a more antagonistic relationship to coffee.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Corporate Philanthropy Will Not Save the Coffee Industry

Coffee companies love to fund projects that look good in press releases and impact reports. However, corporate philanthropy is mostly a shield to deflect criticism, protect power, and avoid regulation.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Paid subscribers also receive biweekly bonus articles, and every month or so there's a new Q&A with a coffee luminary in the Coffee Conversations series.

Some recent paid bonus articles include:

Who Will Fund the Future of Coffee?

For paid subscribers: some thoughts on the loss of USAID funding for coffee research, and the possibly misguided hope that corporations will step up.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Yes, Starbucks Engages in Coffeewashing. But Don’t Let Reactionaries Weaponise It.

For paid subscribers: I’ve written before about Starbucks’ myriad climate issues, but now conservative activist shareholders are trying to weaponise those failings in service of a climate denialist goal.

The PouroverFionn Pooler

Testimonials From Free and Paid Subscribers

Thanks for subscribing, and please don't hesitate to get in touch with feedback, suggestions, or tips: thepouroverblog [at] gmail [dot] com