Ready-to-drink cocktails are trying to become more than convenient
There is a moment when a format stops looking like a shortcut and starts trying to develop its own language. In the case of ready-to-drink cocktails, that shift is not only about convenience: in a number of recent launches, the more striking move is the attempt to give the product a clearer identity, one that […]
Spirits
Spirits and culture: when the product becomes a story
There is a moment when a spirit stops being just a drink. It is not defined by alcohol strength, nor by aging long enough to earn a premium label. It happens when the people who make it, present it and choose it begin to treat it as part of a story larger than the liquid […]
Coffee
Independent coffee shops: surviving the squeeze on margins
Opening a coffee shop has never been easy. For many independent operators, though, it now means working inside a far more fragile balance, where planning mistakes carry a heavier cost and unexpected expenses eat into the business faster than they once did. Green coffee, energy and labour costs have risen in recent years, squeezing margins […]
Tea and infusions
Tea’s digital shift: two case studies from quality and pay
Digital change in tea is not unfolding in a single, neat direction, and that is part of the story. In India, an AI-assisted grading project is trying to improve the way quality is read, judged and compared. In Malawi, digital tools are being introduced in a much more immediate part of the chain: paying workers […]