By Simran Sethi Specialty coffee, like craft chocolate, is a category that continues to evolve. The term “specialty coffee” was coined by Erna Knutsen during a 1974 interview in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Erna, considered one of coffee’s living legends, used it to describe unique coffees from Ethiopia, Yemen and Indonesia that had …
The National Coffee Association (NCA) Coffee Summit, held at the end of last month in Austin, Texas, was dedicated to sustainability discussions and digging deeper into key issues for the coffee industry. Participants split their time among activities that included self-directed group discussions, learning exchanges, directed interactive forums, traditional presentations, and more. Session topics included Sustainability Beyond Origin, Single-Serve and its Journey to a …
In the latest video release from Re:co Symposium, Heather Ward, SCAA’s Research Analyst, and Ben Pitts, Vice President of Food Service & Hospitality for Royal Cup Coffee, give a relatively consumer-focused look at the specialty coffee industry, assuring us that the vital signs of the coffee market look positive. People like–and are willing to pay for–specialty coffee, …
By Eton Tsuno, Director of Coffee, Temple Coffee Roasters Inc. The University of California Davis officially opened their new coffee lab on Friday, October 22, 2015. This may sound odd, as coffee is generally not thought of as an academic subject, but at the University of California Davis it is taken seriously. UCD has a …
The specialty coffee supply chain is intricate and complex, consisting of many different and connected parts. Along this chain, coffee is vulnerable to threats that impact not only quality, but also its very existence. Every day, coffee fights for survival, confronted with erratic weather patterns, disease and pests, drought, as well as labor shortages and …
By Kassy Holmes, The Rainforest Alliance In the coastal coffee-growing region of Oaxaca, Mexico, indigenous communities, conservation organizations, coffee traders, and cooperatives have come together to launch an innovative model for combating deforestation, promoting climate-smart coffee production, and fostering resilient livelihoods for farmers already facing the challenges of climate change. Oaxaca once exemplified Mexico’s diversity …
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 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 …