More and more beer brands are venturing into specialty coffee based on perceived synergies. Opportunities exist, but beer brands will have to carefully consider the challenges of the coffee sector before entering the market.
Today, roasters large and small are modernising their identity and imagery. This rebranding frenzy is fuelled by market saturation, and compensating for cutting corners on quality in a context of inflation. A brand refresh also helps niche brands broaden their consumer appeal and reach new markets.
Many consuming countries levy a tax on roasted coffee, but not green beans - protecting the domestic production of goods by adding more value. But are these tariffs going anywhere?
The World Barista Championship is the most important event for baristas in the specialty coffee calendar. It makes sense, then, that winners are regarded with a sense of celebrity in the industry. However, recent WBC winners have been notably more quiet than past champions of ten or so years ago.
Since the late 2000s, social media has unequivocally become the primary method of how coffee roasters communicate with their audiences. But as specialty coffee grows and changes, so too does the way roasters talk to their customers.
China's Belt and Road Initiative is enormous, and it's impact on coffee-producing countries and the global industry could be significant.
Manufacturers seem to release a constant stream of new espresso machines. Can each product launch really improve from the last?
For many, hand-picking coffee represents the pinnacle of quality. However, with most of the people that pick the coffee lacking basic human necessities and social security, is it really that glamorous?
For many years, coffee varieties have been artificially developed to increase production yields, improve quality, combat plant diseases, and adapt to different environmental conditions. But can a single entity "own" one?
Digital sales channels have become crucial for roasters, but coffee producers have started stepping into the digital ring, too.
Specialty coffee roasters are increasingly using blends not just to protect their bottom lines; but to meet the broader demand that's shaping the sector.
As a coffee roaster scales, it faces the challenge of appealing to both new and existing customers. In the process, they risk what makes them authentic.
Across the world, coffee shops have been forced to increase their prices. However, some have been able to communicate this to customers better than others.
Over the last decade, the coffee has become increasingly consolidated. It's therefore an important question to ask – what happens to a specialty coffee brand when they get acquired?
There has been a longstanding conversation about how to objectively define green coffee quality. And as pricing mechanisms rely on a quantifiable measurement of quality, this represents an issue that is challenging to resolve.
As specialty coffee moves away from craftsmanship, the sector is trying to change perceptions on automation
As the specialty coffee sector continues to become more saturated, standing out has never been more important. However, while third wave coffee brands historically prided themselves on their unique branding, many of them are now starting to look the same.
Specialty coffee has become so popular that it is permeating other industries, and potentially becoming more of a lifestyle product.
For the past decade, plant milks have dominated the conversation in coffee shops around the world. But what about dairy?
As well as being a contributor to climate change, coffee production is also one of the most vulnerable to its effects. Some believe the environmental vulnerability of the coffee sector provides the greatest incentive to undertake carbon reduction projects.
