Topsy-turvy coffee predictions from Brazil, a survey to promote wage transparency, and Starbucks continues closing unionized stores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s a roundup of this week’s biggest coffee headlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coffee yield predictions in Brazil have been all over the place. After better-than-expected rainfall this season, farmers and experts predicted an increase in coffee production. Traders and analysts foretold an eight<\/a> or even ten percent<\/a> rise in output from the world\u2019s largest coffee producer; the New York arabica futures market took note, and the C price plummeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The C market has now recovered slightly as Brazilian producers and researchers scale back expectations for next year\u2019s crop. Reports have come in of unsatisfactory fruit production after the rain-induced flowering, with experts worried that less fruit on stressed trees could lead to lower yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were expecting an increase in yields (for 2023), but we changed ideas after the flowering development,\u201d producer Paulo Armelin told Reuters<\/em>. Armelin hypothesized the previous dry winter in Brazil could be to blame, saying that many trees weren\u2019t healthy enough to convert enough flowers to fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooxupe, the country\u2019s largest coffee co-op, said that next year\u2019s harvest will be similar in size to the previous two years, which were both impacted by poor weather. The US Department of Agriculture also cut its projection<\/a> for Brazil\u2019s 2023 arabica harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These reports add more uncertainty to a global coffee industry still based on<\/a> the ever-volatile and unpredictable C price, where the whims of traders and analysts affect more than just coffee prices\u2014their judgments can directly impact the livelihoods of millions of farmers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you a US-based coffee worker? You can help Go Fund Bean explore the state of wages in the coffee industry by filling out their survey<\/a> before December 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, wage transparency was a hot topic<\/a> among baristas\u2014 numerous crowd-sourced spreadsheets circulated in different cities across the country showing significant discrepancies in pay among workers in similar jobs. Now Go Fund Bean<\/a> is looking to revitalize the conversation and see if anything has changed in the years since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe movement toward greater transparency on the service side of the coffee industry in 2019 was an important one that got somewhat interrupted by COVID,\u201d Go Fund Bean said in a press release. \u201cWe want to encourage this conversation again. Without clear data about where the industry stands currently, we can\u2019t move forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go Fund Bean started as a website collating virtual tip jars for baristas during the first months of the pandemic and has since grown into a non-profit that supports hourly coffee workers with grants<\/a>, mental health programs<\/a>, professional development initiatives<\/a>, and lots more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once gathered, Go Fund Bean plans to use the data in a few ways, including comparing findings with wage surveys from 2019 and the MIT Living Wage calculator<\/a>. Open to hourly and salaried workers, Go Fund Bean hopes the survey will be relevant to all industry sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a> and take the survey here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Former Russian Krispy Kreme Franchisee Launches\u2019 Krunchy Dream\u201d<\/a> – via World Coffee Portal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018La Colombe and Molson Coors Prematurely Ending Distribution Deal\u2019<\/a> – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Labor Federation Asks SEC to Examine Starbucks\u2019 Gift Card Breakage Rate\u2019<\/a> – via Restaurant Dive<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Luckin Coffee Continues Rapid Outlet Expansion Across China\u2019<\/a> – via World Coffee Portal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Starbucks Opens Three-Story Store Inside Empire State Building\u2019<\/a> – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lots of news this week, and this time it\u2019s not just Starbucks-related:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nespresso is launching<\/a> a home-compostable coffee pod. The company says the move is in response to customer demand for compostable packaging. Nespresso also cites its recent B Corp certification as inspiration for the new pod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince becoming a B Corp earlier this year, we\u2019re more committed than ever to widening the sustainable choices we offer our consumers,\u201d said Nespresso CEO Guillaume Le Cunff. Nespresso received B Corp certification in May 2022, and there was quite a backlash from fair trade groups<\/a> and other coffee companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new pods will \u201ccomplement our offering of aluminum capsules that are both recyclable and made using 80% recycled aluminum,\u201d Le Cunff continued. This is the part of the newsletter where we\u2014again\u2014point out that just 5% of Nespresso pods ever get recycled<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The paper-based compostable pods will be trialed in France and Switzerland next spring before being launched \u201cin several other European countries within a year.\u201d Will these eco pods be anything more than a good PR move in the 14 billion pod-per-year market? We\u2019ll have to wait and see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mixed news this week, with two studies coming to slightly different conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the one hand, a new study<\/a> in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em><\/a> found that drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in people with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a form of diabetes first diagnosed during pregnancy, and aside from possible adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, those who suffer from it are also at higher risk for T2D later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This study followed 4,522 participants for over 20 years and found that habitual coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing T2D. The study appears to point to caffeine as the main reason, but as noted in a journal editorial<\/a>, the researchers didn\u2019t investigate tea consumption, which could have shined more light on caffeine\u2019s impact on T2D in countries where tea is the primary caffeine source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, researchers in Spain found<\/a> that coffee might not have as many anti-inflammatory properties as previously thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Published in the journal Nutrients<\/em><\/a>, the study looked at plasma concentrations of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers in 244 participants, cross-referencing their height, weight, and body composition with self-reported data about coffee consumption, diet, and activity levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results found a link between \u201clow caffeine intake\u201d and slightly lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a pro-inflammation marker, meaning that \u201cregular caffeine consumption induced very limited anti-inflammatory effects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018In Naples, Reviving The Lost Coffee Brewing Method Of \u201cLa Cuccuma\u201d\u2019 by Molly Fitzpatrick<\/a>\u2018Take The Coffee Wage Survey With GoFundBean\u2019 – via <\/strong>Fresh Cup Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
More News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Week in Coffee Unionizing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Week in Corporate Coffeewashing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is Coffee Good For You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Headlines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Coffee Production in Guinea\u2019 by Peter Gakuo<\/a>
\u2018Brewing A New Narrative For Vietnamese Coffee In America\u2019 by Jenn Chen<\/a>
\u2018How Istanbul\u2019s Ancient Coffee Culture is Holding Its Own in the Modern World\u2019 by Connor McGovern<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n