Sri Lanka continues to be associated with tea production, largely driven by decades of government investment and policy directed towards infrastructure and development in the sector. However, the country could soon become a notable coffee origin.
It's estimated that around the world, we drink more than 400 billion cups of coffee every single year. And with consumption growing year on year, that means there's plenty of money to be made in the coffee sector. But who tops the list?
During his presentation at PRF El Salvador, Bram explored how “value” is assigned in the coffee industry – and how a more systematic approach to understanding value could lead to greater alignment between supply and demand.
Despite the fact that the definition is more complex, "specialty coffee" as a concept is still largely used to refer to small, single-store owner-operated businesses rather than larger organisations.
Blurring the traditional lines between “professional” and “consumer”, prosumers are individuals who seek to replicate a professional coffee experience at home. However, the grey area prosumers have historically occupied is becoming more defined – and it is an increasingly relevant space for espresso machine manufacturers.
DEMAND FOR flavoured coffees shows that the next generation of coffee consumers are after something different in their cup. While the pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks is now infamous, flavours such as strawberry cheesecake, s’mores, twinkies, and cinnamon toast are all increasingly being added to drinks in large coffee chains around the world.
As Americans became more health-conscious, Dunkin' pivoted to become a coffee-first brand. By 2021, it was selling more than 4bn cups per year.
Offering free coffee can help attract new customers. As Luckin and Tostao discovered, it can also bring businesses to the brink of collapse.
By the age of 10, the founder of Mayorga Coffee had been through more than most people would their entire lives.
Coffee cooperatives have existed since the first half of the 20th century.
The ICO estimates that just 8-10% of the coffee produced in El Salvador stays in the country.
Only 13% of coffee roasters in the US are Latino-owned – companies like Mayorga Coffee are carving out new opportunities.
A handful of innovative coffee producers are taking a renewed approach to stem the flow and put El Salvador back on the global coffee map.
As consumption in China grows 15% per year, the state has encouraged a focus on higher quality coffee production in the region.
Between the 1960s and 1990s, the FNC spent $1.3bn on marketing Colombian coffee – then the money ran dry.
In El Salvador, where coffee farms are generally smallholder and family-run, younger generations grow up knowing that one day they will take the reins from their parents.
Cup of Excellence (CoE) was launched in Brazil in 1999 as a platform for coffee producers – but private auctions have begun to eclipse its popularity.
Starbucks recently opened its 1,500th store in Latin America & the Caribbean – but is its appeal waning?
The German government charges Kaffeesteuer on all roasted coffee imported and sold domestically – but is it at risk of stifling growth?
A number of other industries, including chocolate, have borrowed concepts from specialty coffee with varying degrees of success.
