Nick Tolley: Balancing Specialty Needs With Big Money Investment
Specialty coffee is often seen as inherently unscalable, while big money investment is focused on scale above all. At Re:co Dublin, Nick Tolley, co-founder of Taylor St. Baristas, and Harris+Hoole in partnership with Tesco, looks at how much truth there is in this opposition, and how to grow a specialty coffee culture in a scalable …
Roasters Guild Trierside Chat: U.S. Roaster Championship & Qualifying Event
Streamed live on Dec 14, 2016
Re:co Debate: Great Coffee – Does It Scale?
Re:co introduced a new session format this year at the Dublin event, with panelists debating the topic “Great Coffee – does it scale?” Find out how attendees felt on the subject before the debate with live-polling, and check back for the conclusion in Part 2 to find out if their perspectives changed!
Company Culture: Doing Good | A Letter From the Editor
The coffee industry has a long way to go on the road towards having a sustainable and equitable supply chain. However, it is clear that there are many smart and compassionate people working in coffee who strive to make a difference through their everyday actions. We see this through the work being done by roasting …
B Corporation: An Unexpected Journey
By Adam Pesce For as long as sustainability has been a topic of discussion in coffee, people have been arguing over the best way to achieve it—with no clear right answer (but a few clearly wrong ones). Many years ago, at an SCAA Expo, I witnessed one of the most informative discussions I had ever …
Energy Star Specifications For Commercial Coffee Brewers
By Kim Elena Ionescu Almost eight years ago, a piece of trivia about boiled potatoes completely changed the way I prepared my coffee (not to mention a bunch of other foods). A colleague of mine approached me at the lunch table, and related having heard that heating the water to boil a potato required more …
The Power of Organic Coffee
By Julie Craves Of all the certifications and labeling schemes that appear on consumable products, “organic” is probably the most familiar, and perhaps the most intuitively appealing. But even as demand grows, there is also a growing awareness that our perception of the purity of organic agriculture or understanding of organic certification may not completely …
Alternative Trade or Better Trade?
By Ed Canty I don’t like the term “alternative trade.” This might seem odd, considering I work for an organization that is considered an alternative trader. However, I feel that calling this philosophy of trading by that moniker limits its potential. For one, it implies that the issues facing coffee producers can be solved with …
Specialty Coffee Shops: Market Size in the U.S.
By Heather Ward Specialty coffee shops play a key role in shaping the consumer experience. It is the third place that connects the barista to the consumer, and finally, to the coffee beverage. In past SCAA research, specialty coffee consumers have consistently revealed the significance of their coffee shop experiences. They associate their coffee with …
Meditations on Branding
By Timothy J. Castle Brands are vessels built to hold meaning and sentiment about a particular enterprise and its products and services. When first molded, they are empty except for their “shape,” “structure,” and “hue.” The brand might be boxy or round; it could be—metaphorically—made of glass, metal, or wood; and its “coloring” could range …
Ensuring Coffee Viability Through Community and Sustainability
By Russ Kramer Specialty coffee customers expect the best. It’s the current state of the industry. The end user demands complex, distinctive flavor in every cup. It is important for our industry to understand that producing great coffee requires selecting coffee fruit from the “grand crux” producing regions of the world, and controlling their transformation …
Ask Emma: Shade-Grown Coffee
Dear Emma, My customers seem very interested in shade-grown coffee. Why does it matter?! How does it impact the coffee quality? Shouldn’t I just advise them to judge specialty coffee by its flavor? Thanks! Shady Business South Bend, IN Dear Shady, There are many factors that make coffee valuable to consumers. Shade matters to some …