The Insider: Headlines from the Coffee Industry

Our recurring round-up of the latest specialty-coffee industry news.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Featured image by Joshua Earle

Study Shows Significant Drop in Brazil’s Coffee Consumption

Reuters reports that in Brazil, the world’s largest coffee-producing country, daily coffee consumption has gone down significantly, primarily due to inflation. In a bi-annual study that surveyed over 4,000 people residing in Brazil, 24% of respondents reported that they’ve reduced their coffee consumption over the past year.

Coffee Watch Reports on Extreme Deforestation in Brazil

Photo courtesy of Coffee Watch.

In a newly published report, Coffee Watch maps out coffee-linked deforestation in Brazil, showing that from 2001 to 2023, municipalities with dense coffee cultivation lost more than 11 million hectares of forest. Click here to read the full report.

Dialogue Express Café: A Coffee Shop Run by Deaf Baristas

Photo courtesy of Dialogue Express Café on Instagram.

Located in East London, Dialogue Express Café is a coffee shop run entirely by Deaf and hard-of-hearing staff. When ordering at the shop, customers are required to order in British Sign Language. “The café not only promotes BSL as a form of communication but also invites the wider community to engage with a new way of interacting, helping to bridge the gap between Deaf and hearing individuals,” owner Hakan Elbir told PopuloLiving.

5 Coffee Shops in Washington Unite Against Cup Waste

Photo courtesy of Dubsea Coffee.

5 cafés across 10 locations in the state of Washington are uniting to inform consumers about the impact of disposable cup waste. Each coffee shop will post the same informative flyer and encourage their customers to bring their own reusable cups. The participating cafes are Amazonia Café, Dubsea Coffee, FIT BAR Superfood Cafe, Farmer’s Union Coffee Roasters, and Cafe Dulzura. For those who want to join the campaign, copies of the flyer are available here.

Research Links Regular Coffee Consumption to Improved Mood

Photo by Vitaly Gariev.

A study conducted in Europe found that drinking coffee regularly can help boost alertness and feelings of happiness and satisfaction. This phenomenon happens because of caffeine’s ability to block adenosine receptors, which increases dopamine activity in crucial brain regions.

Yelp Releases List of Top 100 Coffee Shops

Photo by Esra Afsar.

Yelp has compiled a list of the top 100 coffee shops in the U.S., according to crowd-sourced reviews. Las Vegas-based Yaw Farm Coffee Roaster, which boasts 95% five-star reviews on Yelp, was named #1. Click here for the full list.

Scientists Explore Making Cement With Coffee Grounds

Photo by Devin Avery.

Researchers in Australia are exploring the idea of adding coffee grounds to concrete, which they say can strengthen the material produced by 30%. The idea would also address the coffee industry’s issue of waste, as the global coffee industry is estimated to produce 18 billion kilograms (22 billion pounds) of coffee waste annually.