Brewing Troubles: Exploring the Challenges in the Coffee Supply Chain
Episode Notes
Today I'm going to talk about a thorny or topic, we're going to get into brewing troubles and explore the challenges in the coffee supply chain. So there are several issues and problems that can occur throughout the coffee supply chain. And I explored this in my episode about Illegal Trade and Organized Crime with Coffee. There, I touched on some of those pain points, and I will put a link in the show notes for that episode. But onto our brewing challenges. So labor exploitation is one of them. And it is a persistent problem in the coffee industry, particularly in developing countries where the majority of coffee is grown.
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Listen to this episode too! Nappuccino anyone?
Illegal Trade and Organized Crime in the Coffee Industry episode
#Coffee #barista #pumpkinspicedlatte #Starbucks #DunkinDonuts #blackcoffee #darkroast #lightroast #latte #macchiato #cappuccino #espresso#centralperk #Bulletproof #howtomakecoffee #coffeebeans #coffeedate #virtualcoffee #coffeebreak #coldbrew #coffeemachine #coffeegrinder #connection #community #frenchpress #coffeehousemusic #cafe #arabica #espresso #cuppajoe #decaffeinated #caffeine #coffeeaddiction #cappuccino
Transcript
Holly Shannon 0:00
Coffee Culture is brewed for connection under the guise of coffee. We've been meeting in cafes for centuries. Today is no different. Coffee Culture, the podcast explores the meetup. If you are a coffee enthusiast, maybe seeking Modern Love on a coffee date, we'll want some health hacks. We'll dig into that too. I'm Holly Shannon. Come wrap your hands around a hot cup of connection with me on coffee culture, low coffee culture family. Today I'm going to talk about a thorny or topic, we're going to get into brewing troubles and explore the challenges in the coffee supply chain. So there are several issues and problems that can occur throughout the coffee supply chain. And I explored this in my episode about illegal trade and organized crime with coffee. There, I touched on some of those pain points, and I will put a link in the show notes for that episode. But onto our brewing challenges. So labor exploitation is one of them. And it is a persistent problem in the coffee industry, particularly in developing countries where the majority of coffee is grown. Many workers particularly in small holder, and subsistence farms are paid low wages, have poor working conditions, and lack access to proper proper health care, education and other basic rights. This also requires me to touch on the topic of Fairtrade, because by design fairtrade coffee is a type of coffee that is grown and harvested by farmers who are members of Fairtrade organizations. These organizations set standards for fair wages, safe working conditions and sustainable farming practices. The farmers are also guaranteed a minimum price for their coffee, which helps to protect them from market fluctuations. The goal of fairtrade coffee is to promote social and economic justice for small scale farmers and to ensure that they are able to earn a living wage for their work. So now we have to tap into the price volatility a little bit because the price of coffee can fluctuate significantly, making it difficult for farmers to plan for the future and invest in their farms. Low prices can make it difficult for farmers to cover their costs and make a living, while high prices can make it difficult for consumers to afford coffee. So now I'd like to tap in a little bit to climate change. Climate change is already affecting the coffee industry in several ways, such as changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, droughts and changes in rainfall patterns, both of which can negatively impact crop yields. Additionally, pests and pathogens that were once confined to certain regions are able to survive in new areas, leading to increased crop losses. The coffee industry is already affected by climate change, and it is expected that the impacts will become more severe in the future. There is a growing interest in researching and developing and implementing more heat and drought resistant varieties of coffee plants, and implementing sustainable farming practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change. You've probably noticed that as a consumer, your pound of coffee for home brewing is really 12 ounces, and the cost of it is higher. And this goes for that expensive latte at the coffee shop too. And I also want to say that as we produce a product that's drought resistant, or pest resistant, we start to walk into GMOs, which are genetically modified organisms. So we've seen a lot of issues happen with GMOs in the US especially like with breads, with different flour that's used to make breads so we don't know how the body will tolerate changes made to the coffee if they are redesigned scientifically, to ward off one problem, they might be creating another right. Hey, coffee lovers, I have two quick announcements. I am opening a YouTube channel at Holly Shannon and I'm going to have all of coffee culture on there. So you can capture the little shorts for five minutes here and there or you can capture the full length interviews. Also, my book zero to podcast is on Amazon and it's on my website. And it is the How To Guide to start your podcast really fast and get your voice and ideas on iTunes and Spotify like I did. Makes a great holiday gift for you. Perhaps a graduation present or maybe it's your New Year's resolution. Both links are in the show notes and now back to our show coffee culture. So I'd like to also tap into lack of traceability so So it's hard for the consumer to know exactly where the coffee came from which farm, which specific beans and under what conditions it was produced, which makes it hard to ensure that it was produced under Fairtrade or sustainable standards. Further to this point, consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their coffee comes from, and under what conditions it was produced. There is a growing interest in traceability, transparency, and certifications that can ensure that the coffee is ethically and sustainably produced. I'm personally interested in the use of the blockchain here, but you didn't see that one coming. In season three of my show, we learned about the non fungible token or NF T and the structure of the blockchain. And I'll put a link to that here in the show notes. But the point is, is that the NFT and the blockchain offer the perfect framework for traceability of the beam. The use of technology like big data, IoT, which is the Internet of Things, blockchain and artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly popular in the coffee industry. The goal is to improve efficiency and traceability throughout the supply chain to optimize farming and processing methods and to engage in consumers with customized offers. The NFT is actually the perfect design for customized offer, and building brand loyalty. Now on to the next lack of sustainability. As I previously mentioned in another episode, coffee farming is an agricultural activity, and as such is exposed to the same environmental pressures that other crops are facing. With increasing pressure from consumers, industry and governments to produce coffee sustainably, there is a growing concern and focus on sustainable coffee farming methods and certifications, such as the Rainforest Alliance, u tz organic and bird friendly. One of the other subjects I want to talk about is specialty coffee. The specialty coffee market continues to grow with more consumers looking for high quality, unique and traceable coffee. As a result, there is a growing interest in exploring different coffee varieties, processing methods, and brewing techniques to produce high quality, unique and nuanced coffee. So in walks in one of my other points, innovation. With the growth of the coffee market, there is a constant effort to innovate from new brewing methods to new brewing equipment and packaging, to new flavored syrups and new business models like coffee subscriptions and online sales. So my coffee culture family, these are only some of the issues that can occur in the coffee supply chain. And it is a complex a complex and multifaceted problem that requires collaboration between different actors in the supply chain to find solutions and implement sustainable practices. So my coffee lovers, have you noticed the volatility in coffee prices at your coffee shop? And would you like me to dive deeper into any of these topics today? Thanks, everyone. Would you like to join the party coffee lovers? I have two ways for you. Please go over to YouTube now and subscribe to at Holly Shannon. And there'll be all the videos of this podcast there as well. What's the second way you can do that? You can leave a review with your ideas in Apple podcasts. Either way, I would love it if you share a hot cup of connection and coffee culture with a friend. And if you'd like to support this indie podcaster you can buy me a coffee the link is in the show notes. Thank you coffee lovers.
This season is produced by pale blue studios