Photographer JUAN PÁEZ asks: With so many of the younger generation seeking job opportunities and education elsewhere, is it possible to preserve Colombia’s coffee culture? Since 2011, Marsella Risaralda has been a part of the UNESCO-protected Colombian Coffee Cultural Landscape, made up of six sites with eighteen urban settlements inthe central part of the Andes …
ANDREA OTTE asks: Why does farmworker invisibility persist? What can be done? Photos by JUAN PÁEZ. This low profitability, combined with difficult, often dangerous working conditions and discrimination against women, migrants, and minorities, has led to circumstances of profound hardship and uncertainty for many farmworkers. To challenge this, we often look to premiums associated with …
STEPHANIE ALCALA explores the current state of genetic diversity and how we can create climate resilient crops, as she shares some highlights from her research project investigating the genetic composition of the beloved Panamanian Geisha.[1] The specialty coffee industry is most vulnerable to climate change, because it relies solely on the production of Coffea arabica, …
Dr. JOSEPH KING explores the role of specialty coffee across two case studies of conflict and development efforts in Rwanda and Eastern Congo. All photos by Dr. King. The peoples of the Great Lakes region are as diverse as its ecosystems, geographically marked by volcanoes, rainforests, savannas, and lakes. Numerous tribal groups, national boundaries, and …
HANES MOTSINGER explores the opportunities and limitations of different types of initiatives in Issue 07 of 25 Magazine. Today, coffee businesses of all shapes and sizes promote practices that improve producer livelihoods, protect areas of biodiversity, and yield higher quality artisanal coffees. Certifications and direct trade business models strive to provide higher wages, protect ecosystems, …
ELIZABETH DOERR explores how the Dominican Republic’s largest coffee company seeks to change local coffee culture through baristas in Issue 06 of 25 Magazine. Strong, short, and sweet – made by stovetop with the Greca coffee maker – is deemed “traditional” Dominican coffee. Part of this could be custom, but the sugar could also be …
At the April 2017 Re:co Symposium, an annual event hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association, a panel debated the question: are we in a coffee bubble? Panelists DAN MCCLOSKEY and JANICE ANDERSON, using their extensive experience mapping the growth of specialty coffee across the US, offer their perspective on the state of the market in …
Together with a team of research colleagues, DR. AARON DAVIS began charting the Ethiopian coffee landscape five years ago. What followed was an extraordinary journey around one of Africa’s most important producing countries, which he shares here in Issue 4 of 25 Magazine. In 2013 a team based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in …
ELIZABETH DOERR talks to the team at 1951 Coffee Company in Issue 3 of 25 Magazine. You may have heard of the country Bhutan. You may have heard about its lush jagged peaks due to its perch at the eastern base of the Himalayas. You may have heard that Bhutan exceeds in “Gross National Happiness,” …
By THOMAS COPPLE for Issue 2 of 25 Magazine Washed Arabicas – the lifeblood of the specialty sector – are under pressure. While there are some great naturally processed coffees, and even some specialty Robustas, washed Arabicas are the industry’s most prized coffees. The trouble is they’re only grown in a handful of countries, and the …