Smuggling has been a part of coffee since the beginning, and continues in many forms today. In the process, it reveals much about the industry’s power structures.
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.
This week: climate studies in China, overeager Starbucks customers in Korea, and a coffee shop owner detained by ICE in the U.S.
As the world heats and climates change, coffee production is expected to shift to areas and altitudes once considered unsuitable for cultivation. To investigate how weather might impact coffee grown in these new locations, researchers in China studied 30 years of data from the Yunnan region, which sits right at the northern edge of the "coffee belt". Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering that its northerly location means lower temperatures, the researchers found frost or "chill stress" to be the main threat to coffee production.
A Florida-based coffee shop owner was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading her neighbours, customers, and a city councillor to rally and show their support. “These are individuals that are doing the right things in our country and our city, and it shouldn’t matter where they come from or what their status is", Jacksonville city councillor Jimmy Peluso said.
Starbucks in Korea is tired of people bringing their desktop computers and printers into the cafe. The rise in remote working has resulted in “cagongjok", a term for the trend where people like to set up their own personal offices—sometimes complete with a three-sided desk partition!—at coffee shops. Starbucks has had to update its policies to counter these seat hogs, asking customers to leave their bulky office equipment at home "so all customers can have a pleasant and accessible store experience".
For more on all these stories, plus an investigation into just how "clean" your coffee is, check out the full Roundup 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.
Fionn Pooler
Fionn Pooler
