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Unicorn Frappuccino? Not at these unionized Starbucks stores. Plus, Colombian coffee farmers recovering from the recent earthquake fear the impact of El Niño, and why do so many specialty coffee shops look the same? Researchers try to find out.
‘El Niño, Not Quake, to Hit Colombian Coffee Harvest, Sector Leader Says’ – via Reuters
It has been two weeks since a deadly earthquake struck Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland. The 7.4-magnitude quake’s epicenter was in the department of Chocó, while nearby departments such as Risaralda, Quindío, and Antioquia saw significant damage.
Germán Bahamón, head of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), told Reuters that more than 10,000 coffee-producing families were in the disaster zone, with 8,000 reporting damage to their homes or processing facilities. The FNC will work with the government to help farmers rebuild, Bahamón said.
The Pacific coast port of Buenaventura, responsible for exporting 60% of Colombia’s coffee, paused operations for several days following the quake. Bahamón said that exports were now “proceeding perfectly.”
Despite the damage, Bahamón said farmers are more concerned about the potential impact of El Niño, a climate pattern that can cause drought, flooding, and erratic weather around the globe. “Production itself is not affected by the earthquake,” he said. “Production will very likely be affected by the El Niño phenomenon.”
This year’s El Niño is predicted to be particularly intense, and could impact coffee production worldwide. In Colombia, the FNC expects it to cause an 8% fall in production for next year’s harvest.
Read the full story on the Colombian earthquake and farmers’ El Niño concerns here.
‘Researchers Investigate Why All Coffee Shops Look the Same’
Have you ever visited two different Starbucks—either blocks away from one another or whole continents apart—and thought, “these stores all look the same?”
There’s a reason for that: consistency is one of the key selling points of large chains, and it’s the reason why stores and restaurants like Target, McDonald’s, and Panera Bread look the same no matter where you go.
Independent coffee shops, on the other hand, often hang their hats on individuality. But recent research suggests social media and other cultural influences have created a monoculture aesthetic, meaning more and more independent shops look the same.
The idea of aesthetic homogenization isn’t new. In 2016, cultural critic Kyle Chayka coined the term “AirSpace” for the sterile international travel experience created by tech companies like Google, AirBnB, and WeWork. No matter where in the world you go, you can have the same experience—and this extends to coffee. Chayka wrote in The Verge that cafes from Los Angeles to Seoul might feature “the same raw wood tables, exposed brick, and hanging Edison bulbs.”
A new study, published in March in the journal City, Culture and Society, attempted to quantify this theory. The researchers built a list of 23 elements found in 50 U.S. and Canadian coffee shops—things like exposed brickwork, reclaimed wood, and tattooed baristas. They asked participants to identify their favorite local coffee shop and choose which of the 23 elements applied to the space. They were also asked to upload photos of the shop.
Two-thirds of respondents identified baristas with tattoos or piercings in their favorite coffee shops; 56% noted reclaimed wood elements; and half noted exposed brick.
In the second part of the study, a new group of participants were asked to match the coffee shops in the uploaded photos with a particular city; they were generally unable to do so. “I consider [locating the survey coffee shops] impossible,” one participant wrote. “Honestly, these aesthetics are very transferable now,” noted another.
“Independent coffee shops in North America have become so similar aesthetically that their location cannot be picked from a lineup,” the study’s authors wrote in an article for The Conversation. They point to social media algorithms as one potential cause. Platforms like Instagram, the authors argue, promote aesthetics that the widest selection of people will like and engage with. Another possible culprit is the financial costs of opening a coffee shop, which causes owners to choose from the same cheap, accessible materials like reclaimed wood.
Notably, the study was conducted between 2017 and 2020. Since then, the trend may have shifted back toward individuality and fun. As Mikey Rinaldo wrote for Fresh Cup in 2022, “many brands are rallying against minimalist trends, embracing maximalism as an aesthetic with colorful branding and busy and bright designs.”
Read more on Edison bulbs and exposed brickwork here.
More News
‘What We Touch with Our Hands May Affect What We Taste in the Cup’ via Daily Coffee News
‘Would You Drink A Cream Cheese Everything Bagel Latte?’ via Sprudge
‘Brazil Police Seize 702 kg of Cocaine Hidden in Coffee Cargo at Santos’ via Datamar News
‘UCC Launches Regenerative Coffee Pilot in Vietnam’ via Daily Coffee News
The Week in Coffee Unionizing
Last week, Starbucks re-released its viral Unicorn Frappuccino. The drink, which the company describes as a “sweet and tart blend of creamy mango flavors, tangy blue drizzle, whipped cream, and pink and blue topping,” debuted in 2017. Despite being available for only four days, it was a huge hit—though not with everyone. Anthony Bourdain notably referred to it as “the perfect nexus of awfulness.”
Having teased its release earlier this summer at Coachella, Starbucks made the Unicorn Frappuccino available for an even shorter time: a single weekend. The reduced availability drove record sales, although some media outlets reported that influencers bought the drinks to take photos of and then discarded them.
Much like Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, in which the company hands out free limited edition cups, being behind the bar on these days can be overwhelming for workers. To coincide with the release, Starbucks Workers United staged several strikes around the country as it tries to pressure the coffee giant into agreeing to a first contract. Workers in California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Minnesota all walked off the job and picketed their stores.
In Nashville, Tennessee, striking workers chanted “No contract? No coffee. No workers? No Starbucks.” Baristas told the Nashville Banner their store has been chronically understaffed and workers underpaid. They criticized the $30 million grant the state of Tennessee gave Starbucks for moving to the city. “For them to have moved their headquarters right here in Nashville and still be so selfish with how they pay us, I can’t stand it as a Nashville native,” said barista Rachael Cullen.
Starbucks told the Banner that it continues to bargain in good faith. “Throughout negotiations, we have remained focused on reaching agreements that support partners and strengthen the Starbucks experience,” a spokesperson said.
Is Coffee Good For You?
Polyphenols are compounds found in plants that have been shown to have antioxidants and other protective health properties. Coffee contains many beneficial polyphenols, including phenolic acids and lignans. New research from a team of Brazilian researchers showed that consuming these compounds had a beneficial effect for women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, followed 95 breast cancer patients for an average of 11.5 years. Researchers found that polyphenol intake in general, and phenolic acid and lignan intake specifically, were associated with lower mortality from breast cancer. Polyphenols were also associated with lower cancer recurrence.
The researchers noted that coffee was a major source of polyphenols for the participants, without detailing the exact amount participants consumed.
For more context, Medical News Today spoke with Tracy Crane, an associate professor and co-lead of the Cancer Control Research Program at the University of Miami, who was not involved with the study. Crane said that its findings were encouraging, albeit with some caveats. “This study identifies an important signal,” she said, “but it does not establish that increasing polyphenol intake will prevent recurrence or extend survival.”
Crane also urged further research on larger and more diverse populations to replicate the findings and determine whether coffee is the source of the benefits. Researchers should “separate the effects of individual food sources, particularly coffee, from those of the broader dietary pattern,” she said.
Beyond the Headlines
‘How the Global Coffee Community Is Supporting Colombians After the Earthquake’ by Chloé Skye Weiser
‘Why That Small Clothing (or Record, or Book) Store You Love Also Sells Coffee’ by Matthew Ritchie
