Extreme weather events are ravaging coffee farms across Hawaiʻi and Indonesia. Plus, a worker at Hydrangea Coffee Roasters accuses owner of sexual harassment, and unionized Starbucks baristas ask supporters to boycott the brand.
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‘Lala Took Toll on Hawaiʻi Island Coffee Farms’ – via Hawaiʻi Public Radio
On August 15, Hurricane Lala struck Hawaiʻi, hitting the Big Island with up to 43 inches of rain and winds that reached 130 mph. Although it never made direct landfall on the island, the storm passed very close and caused significant damage. Three people were killed, and many roads were washed away.
The Kaʻū region on the island’s southern tip suffered most of the damage, including many smallholder coffee producers who farm the area. “Thousands of trees are down, a lot of it just washed away completely, and the road is completely destroyed,” Alla Kostenko, who owns an estate called A Coffee Farm, told SFGate.
Kaʻū has about 500 acres of coffee farms, and producers were getting ready for the area’s annual harvest.
The Kona region also saw damage from the hurricane, although not as much as in Kaʻū. “Some farmers are reporting the loss of 20% or more of their coffee trees, mostly caused by larger downed trees,” Abigail Munoz, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Coffee Association, told Hawaii Public Radio.
Many are still without power and water from Lala, while some farms are still recovering from the impact of the Kona low storms that hit Hawaiʻi in March, destroying trees and causing $15 million in damage. Farmers are also dealing with the fallout after an earthquake in July destroyed many water catchment tanks. And just a week after Lala, Tropical Storm Moke brought even more rain to the islands.
Kostenko said there’s not much to do but start the recovery process. “A lot of the farmers are obviously going to persevere and just continue doing whatever they’ve been doing for, you know, decades,” she said. “You know, you just roll up your sleeves and you continue going.”
Read the full story on the impact of Hurricane Lala in Hawaiʻi here.
‘Female Employee Alleges Berkeley Coffee Roaster Owner Sexually Harassed Her’ – via SFGate
A roaster at a Californian specialty coffee company has filed a lawsuit alleging that the company’s owner sexually harassed her over several months.
In a complaint filed August 25, an employee alleges that Hydrangea Coffee Roasters owner Bill Li sexually harassed her and created a hostile work environment. The complaint also alleges that the company failed to prevent the harassment.
Li recruited the employee to work for Hydrangea after they met at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston in 2025. He messaged her on Instagram, and relocated from North Carolina to California to work for the company as a roaster and procurement lead. Without anywhere to stay, Hydrangea arranged for the employee to stay at Li’s house temporarily.
According to the complaint, the employee agreed, “with no alternative options offered, and with limited resources and knowledge of the area.” It was in Li’s home that the alleged harassment “almost immediately” began.
The lawsuit says that on multiple occasions, Li “touched her thighs and tickled her stomach.” Over the following months, both at and outside of work, Li more than once “cornered and poked her cheeks, stomach, and waist.” On other occasions, the complaint alleges that Li took unsolicited candid photographs of her and even entered her apartment without consent and photographed the interior.
The harassment culminated at a company holiday party in December 2025. The lawsuit described an incident in which Li took the employee’s phone and car keys for 30 minutes to stop her from leaving the party.
“We intend to litigate this matter in court,” attorney Liane Katzenstein Ly told SF Gate in a statement.
The lawsuit also names Hydrangea, alleging that the company failed to provide required sexual harassment training. The lawsuit seeks damages for lost earnings and benefits as well as compensation for emotional distress.
“Hydrangea is aware of a recent lawsuit that was filed, and understand that our employees, as well as customers and partners, may have questions,” attorney Andrew K. Jacobson said in a statement. “The judicial process is the place to address those claims, while Hydrangea’s commitment to serving our stakeholders and ethical business practices remains constant.”
Read more on the lawsuit here.
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‘Political Tensions Put Nicaragua’s Coffee Trade Under the Spotlight’ via StoneX
‘Best Coffee Will Be Harder to Get as Downpours Hit Brazil’s Trees’ – via Bloomberg
‘SCA Announces Board of Directors Candidates’ via Global Coffee Report
The Week in Coffee Unionizing
It has been almost five years since the first Starbucks location unionized in Buffalo, New York. And more than two years after negotiations began, Starbucks Workers United still waits for a first contract.
Over the past several months, the union has increased pressure on the company to finalize a contract, staging multiple strikes and urging customers to delete the Starbucks app. Now, workers are calling for patrons to boycott the brand.
“At a time when working-class people across the country are struggling in a challenging economy, it is no longer possible to be both a Starbucks customer and in support of workers,” the union said in a statement. “Choosing to spend money at Starbucks is choosing a law-breaking corporation over the baristas who make your coffee everyday exactly as you ask for it.”
The first Starbucks unionized in December 2021, and bargaining began in 2024. However, contract negotiations stalled a year later, with both sides blaming the other for lack of progress. Starbucks continues to claim that it is willing to negotiate. “As we have always been, we’re committed to engaging in productive bargaining,” spokesperson Jaci Anderson told the Seattle Times.
Starbucks Workers United currently represents about 700 stores and 12,000 workers across the U.S. Last week, the union claimed at least one victory: Starbucks stopped using a blending powder that workers had said was causing health issues. “We know our collective action prompted the company to direct stores to remove the powder by the end of August,” barista Jasmine Leli told the New York Times. Starbucks said the removal was part of its standard seasonal drink rotation.
Coffee and the Climate Crisis
Part of the reason we’re seeing so much storm activity in Hawai’i is partially due to this year’s “Super” El Niño. Occurring roughly every two to seven years, El Niño is a Pacific climate pattern that can bring increased droughts, storms, and floods to many regions around the world. El Niño tends to result in a quieter Atlantic hurricane season, but can strengthen Pacific storms. According to new research, El Niño is getting stronger—and more destructive—because of climate change.
The study found that modern El Niños are 36% stronger than they were 40 years ago, which the authors say points to climate change being the culprit. “If I get pushback on that, I would like to know what the alternative is,” lead author Julia Cole said in a press release.
Climate change is also fueling other catastrophes around the globe, many of which threaten coffee production. Indonesia is dealing with several wildfires across the archipelago, with thousands of firefighters battling blazes that span more than 107,000 hectares. Local news reports say the fires threatened coffee plantations in East Java and South Sumatra. Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest coffee grower. The USDA predicts that its output will fall 8% over the coming year because of excessive rainfall.
The deadly flash floods that hit the Nepal-Tibet border last week also impacted the region’s small but growing coffee production. In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, many farms were completely washed away. “It was filled with coffee farms,” a witness told Agence France-Presse. “It’s all gone.” In the Nuwakot district, another witness described similar scenes. Experts said a melting glacier, driven by climate change, contributed to the flooding. Rescue workers continue to search for thousands of missing people.
Beyond the Headlines
‘A Glass Of Coffee: Glassblowing Steps Into The Coffee Spotlight’ by Jenn Chen
‘Social Forestry in Indonesia Seeks Room for Coffee and Conservation’ by Baston Gokkon
