You can have a $7 coffee, as a treat. Plus, the EU’s deforestation law could have unintended consequences, and Starbucks sees lackluster foot traffic on Red Cup Day.
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Deforestation is a pressing issue in the fight against climate change. In December 2022, the European Union passed a landmark law<\/a> to ban the import of deforestation-linked commodities like coffee, cocoa, palm oil, beef, and more. However, some coffee stocks held in European warehouses might be destroyed to adhere to the new rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To gain access to the EU’s colossal coffee market, which accounts for<\/a> almost one-third of global consumption, beginning in 2025, importers will have to prove that their coffee does not contribute to deforestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although organizations like Greenpeace hailed the law<\/a> as “a major breakthrough for forests and people standing up to protect them,” the coffee industry’s reaction has been less positive. Lavazza called it<\/a> “difficult to implement” due to the supply chain’s inherent complexity. At the same time, some NGOs have expressed concern<\/a> that the costs and burdens of adhering to the new rules could be pushed<\/a> onto smallholder farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The deforestation law includes a transition period through December 2024, during which companies can import and trade without restriction. However, as the Financial Times<\/em> first reported<\/a>, coffee and cocoa can take a long time to pass through EU customs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Coffee and cocoa are particularly impacted,” the FT <\/em>writes, “because they are not immediately cleared through customs on arrival in the EU and can spend more than 18 months\u2014the length of the transition period set out in the deforestation law\u2014in bonded warehouses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n This could lead to coffee produced and shipped during the transition period needing to be sold outside the EU or “dumped.” The coffee trading marketplace Intercontinental Exchange<\/a> stores about 150,000 metric tons (330 million pounds) of green coffee at warehouses around Europe, and the company warned that confusion around this issue “will impact the industry’s ability to trade products in a frictionless way, and manage risk responsibly and effectively.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. Red Cup Day is one of the busiest of the year for Starbucks. Every November, to mark the start of the festive season, the company hands out free reusable cups to customers who purchase one of its many holiday drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s usually incredibly hectic, and for baristas, it can be quite hellish to work behind the bar on Red Cup Day. In 2022, one worker described the day to VICE News<\/em><\/a> as “pure chaos” and “mentally and physically abusive.” For the past two years, Starbucks Workers United has staged<\/a> Red Cup Rebellion, holding strikes nationwide on the same day to highlight many issues employees face, such as understaffing and overworking. SBWU described Red Cup Day<\/a> as “one of the most infamously hard, understaffed days for the baristas.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether the 200+ strikes<\/a> were the reason, according to The Takeout<\/em>, this year’s Red Cup Day “saw only a modest boost in foot traffic in 2023, versus the certifiable spikes of previous years.” While foot traffic did increase, it was far below the levels of the previous Red Cup days over the last three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The article offers theories on why foot traffic was down, from an uninspired holiday drink lineup to the possibility that we may already have too many reusable cups. The other theory is that the union’s actions played a part, or at least “definitely garnered significant coverage from the nation’s most prominent news outlets.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. While they might not be as enamored of Red Cup Day as they used to, most millennials are still willing to spend $7 a day on their favorite coffee\u2014simply “because it brings them joy.” That’s according to a new report<\/a> from the financial services giant Empower, which surveyed more than 2,000 Americans as part of its “Financial Happiness” study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey found that 62% of millennials, defined by Newsweek <\/em>as those born between 1981 and 1996, were willing to spend $7 a day, or “a whopping $2,520 a year,” on coffee. Although the article implies that this makes millennials financially reckless, an expert from Ogilvy Consulting notes that younger generations are merely reacting to the times in which they live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “For many millennials as well as Gen Z, the world feels tenuous,” Ogilvy’s global consulting director Reid Litman said. “A sense of security is rare\u2014we’re talking about individuals whose lived experience spans the Great Recession, record gun violence, a global pandemic, the climate crisis, ‘Code Red for Humanity’ to name a few.” Indulging in so-called “little treat” culture, Litman says, is a way to deal with a stressful world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Millennials have long been associated<\/a> with specialty coffee consumption. Newsweek <\/em>notes that according to the most recent National Coffee Association trends report<\/a>, “younger generations [are] increasingly fueling the custom coffee movement.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. Getchusomegear<\/a>, the grassroots organization that, among other things<\/a>, gives away free coffee equipment to marginalized baristas, is holding a presale<\/a> for its iconic “Coffee is Healing” sweatshirts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coffee influencers like James Hoffmann<\/a> and coffee pros<\/a> around the world have sported the sweatshirts, posting photos of themselves wearing the sweatshirt. Proceeds from this print round will support three coffee professionals as they enter the qualifiers for the 2024 US Coffee Championships. If the presale sells 300 sweatshirts, each competitor will receive $1100 towards the cost of competing (direct donations also accepted<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0pre-order a sweatshirt here<\/a>. ‘The Fresh Cup Gift Guide 2023<\/a>‘ – via Fresh Cup Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Madison’s JBC Coffee Earns Top Spot in Coffee Review’s Best of 2023<\/a>‘ – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘NKG, Satelligence Tackle Deforestation in Honduras and Uganda’<\/a> – via Global Coffee Report<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Al Liu to Lead Sustainable Harvest’s Expansion of ‘Let’s Talk Coffee”<\/a> – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Geothermal Heat Being Used for Coffee Processing in Indonesia’<\/a> – via Think Geoenergy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Behold The 20-Bean Espresso Blend<\/a>‘ – via Sprudge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Suntory Invests in ‘Beanless Coffee’ Company Atomo<\/a>‘ – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Nestle Says India and China Are ‘Big Focus’ for Coffee Growth<\/a>‘ – via\u00a0Bloomberg<\/em> Some weeks, the news tells us that coffee can help lower the risk<\/a> of diabetes, protect against certain cancers<\/a>, or even slow<\/a> the Grim Reaper’s inevitable approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other weeks, the news tells us coffee can help with IBS<\/a>. Not exactly glamorous, but still worthwhile research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a new meta-analysis<\/a>, coffee might help protect against the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or relieve some of its symptoms. Researchers in Singapore looked at eight studies with over 400,000 participants and found that those who drink coffee were 16% less likely to develop IBS than those who don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Published in Nutrients<\/em><\/a>, the meta-analysis found that although five studies showed that coffee was protective against IBS, three found the opposite. This correlates with previous research, which is inconclusive about coffee’s effect on IBS\u2014some studies find it beneficial<\/a>, while in others, it can increase risk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “On the whole, the current evidence suggests a potential protective effect of coffee against IBS,” lead author Dr. Qin Xiang Ng from the National University of Singapore told\u00a0Medical News Today<\/em>. “We know that drinking coffee is safe at expected human consumption levels, and coffee may have health benefits for the gut that should be further studied in large prospective cohort studies.” ‘Are Rents Rising in Your Philly Neighborhood? Don’t Blame the Baristas’ by Geoff Moss<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Let’s End Two Weeks’ Notice’ by Ashley Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n‘Starbucks’ Red Cup Day Drooped in 2023′ – via <\/strong>The Takeout<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n‘Millennials Willing to Spend $7 on Coffee Because It Makes Them Happy’ – via <\/strong>Newsweek<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n‘Pre-Order Getchusomegear’s Coffee Is Healing Sweatshirt’ – via <\/strong>Sprudge<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Week in Coffee Unionizing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeyond the Headlines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n