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 […]
In specialty coffee, quality is built long before a bean reaches the cup. Those working across the chain have known this for some time: variety, microclimate and altitude still matter, but post-harvest processing is playing a growing role in shaping the final sensory profile, alongside the factors tied to origin. The shift is most visible […]
Coffee remains the beverage consumed by more American adults each day, surpassing even tap or bottled water. And for the first time, more people in the US say they drink specialty coffee daily than traditional coffee. It is a meaningful shift, because it says a lot about changing tastes and habits. But it only tells […]
In the United States, specialty coffee continues to gain ground in everyday consumption. National Coffee Association, the US coffee trade group, reports that nearly half of adults drank specialty coffee the day before they were surveyed, a record high. Espresso-based drinks also reached new highs, out-of-home coffee consumption edged back toward pre-pandemic levels, and app-based […]
For decades, coffee followed a fairly clear route: from producing countries toward the major consuming markets of the West, where it was roasted, packaged, narrated and sold at margins far higher than those recognised to the people who grew it. That route has not disappeared, but some origins are now trying to create more value […]
There are moments when coffee seems abundant and others when the supply chain feels suspended between expectation and scarcity. The current one is hard to read: some major producing countries are heading toward larger harvests, yet prices remain elevated, certified arabica stocks are at multi-year lows and the people who grow coffee are still struggling […]
There is a point where scientific research stops living only in journals and conferences and starts entering the language of the market. In coffee, that shift is especially visible: new findings, institutional statements and industry readings are giving producers and roasters a different vocabulary for talking about a cup. The American Heart Association, one of […]
Coffee prices have reached record levels in recent years, and Brazil — the world’s leading producer — recorded historically high export revenues in 2025, even as shipped volumes fell sharply. Behind those numbers, though, the people who grow coffee are working in an increasingly fragile environment. The real question is no longer just how much […]
For a while, the coffee market went through a phase many had been waiting for: very high prices, solid demand, export numbers rising fast. Arabica futures reached historically high levels on international commodity exchanges, some East African origins recorded notable revenue gains over just a few years, and in countries like Uganda and Ethiopia export […]
What should a coffee shop be today? The question sounds simple, but the answer is becoming more layered. In some markets, venues are reworking their layouts to welcome remote workers, turning into something between a café and a shared office. Elsewhere, especially in the United States, drive-through formats built around speed and personalisation continue to […]