By Heather Ward, SCAA Research Analyst One of the first things a coffee customer does upon walking into a cafe is to look at the prices on the menu. Prior to entering, the customer may have an idea of what beverage they want to drink and what it might cost. But, they will always look …
By Hanna Neuschwander, World Coffee Research Deciding which variety of coffee to plant is perhaps the most important decision a farmer will make about his or her farm. It represents an investment of at least 10-15 years, often longer. The stakes are high. Will the variety be productive enough for the farmer to make a …
By Emma Sage, SCAA Coffee Science Manager In late April 2015, I was privileged to join a scientific field expedition of a climate resiliency project, led by coffee botanist Dr. Aaron Davis, Senior Research Leader of Plant Resources at Kew Gardens in London. I spent my leg of the trip, which was about a week …
By Kim Elena Ionescu, SCAA Director of Sustainability I’m writing this article during the height of summer in the United States, when water is most likely to be a hot topic (pun intended) on the news. But while water’s appearance in the media tends to be seasonal, it’s equally necessary every day of the year, …
By Chad Trewick, Reciprocafé, LLC The coffee industry—and not only the specialty sector, although we lead the charge—is gradually realizing the future threats to its raw material supply, green coffee. Rising cost of production eroding earning potential, increasing competition from alternative economic activities, and market price volatility are all weakening our value chain due to …
By Ben Corey-Moran, Fair Trade USA Farmworkers are the backbone of coffee production. These women, men—and yes, sometimes children—are the labor force that drives coffee production, yet they toil behind the curtain of our industry’s awareness. In the well-worn hands of an estimated four million farmworkers rests the promise of great coffee, the hope for industry …
By Shawn Steiman, PhD There are times in life when you want confirmation that the contents of a package really match what is advertised on the outside of the package. Is the olive oil really from Italy? Is the sparkling wine really from Champagne? Is it truly Manuka honey? The reason we want to know these …
TJ Semanchin (left) & Caleb Nicholes (right), co-owners of Kickapoo Coffee Roasters What makes Kickapoo Coffee Roasters special? Our business is situated in the small progressive town of Viroqua (pop. 4500) in rural Wisconsin. Our county is home to more quality-focused organic farms per capita than anywhere else in the country. Living here has certainly …
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has designated October 1st as International Coffee Day. This is a day for celebrating coffee in all its diversity, appreciating the passion that coffee creates, as well as taking the opportunity to inform consumers about coffee as a product. Let’s celebrate coffee together on this day, (and every day, of course)! Do …
So often in our niche specialty coffee circles, we talk about the experience of coffee. We wonder whether we are providing our customers with the best, most authentic specialty coffee experience. We muse on the benefits or drawbacks of certain cafe layouts, and how each will improve or detract from the consumer’s experience, or how these …