Fresh Cup relaunched in April of this year after a ~1.5-year hiatus when Jan Weigel, one of the magazine’s original co-founders, embarked on a well-earned retirement. Since our relaunch, we’ve published dozens of new stories—here are the most popular stories of 2022.
For this article, we defined “top articles” by creating a simple equation. We looked at: (1) total reads and (2) average time readers engaged with articles. This seemed a balanced way to think about popularity—it’s not just about views but about how compelling an article was beyond the headline. We also disregarded previously published articles to focus on brand-new stories written in 2022.
In other words, these are the top ten Fresh Cup articles of 2022 by total active reading time. How many of these have you read?
It’s been an incredible first year carrying on the Fresh Cup legacy. We hope you’ll continue to join us as we move into 2023!
–Garrett Oden, owner and publisher
The Sustainability Dilemma of Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
The explosion of nitro-infused coffee hasn’t happened without some unintended consequences. This article explores the growing carbon footprint of many nitrogen systems—shoutout to our partner NitroBrew, who sponsored this piece.
A Breakdown of 6 Coffee Ads (And Why They Work)
Everyone’s advertising on Google or Facebook these days, and standing out is more challenging than ever. Coffee marketer Anne Mercer evaluates a few stand-out digital ads from around the industry to find out what it takes to leave a lasting impression.
Cold Coffee for a New Cohort: What Chamberlain Coffee Says About Gen Z Coffee Drinkers
This article made me feel old, and I’m not quite thirty. The behaviors and preferences of coffee’s youngest drinkers are fascinating, and understanding them is essential to capturing their attention and patronage.
With A Push Of A Button — How Automation Bridges The Gap Between Convenience and Craftsmanship
The automation versus barista conversation has been around for decades, but it’s a tired one. Technology doesn’t have to oppose the craft of making coffee—in many ways, it can enhance it.
Does Freshness Matter? — What We Talk About When We Talk About Freshness in Coffee
Short answer: yes, freshness matters. Long answer? Maybe not as much as we have claimed. Many roasters and cafés have anchored their value proposition to ultra-fresh coffee that’s a week off-roast (or less). We should probably look for other ways to set our brands apart.
Training For Efficiency Starts From the Ground Up
Miranda Haney dives deep into the training practices and mechanisms she employs at Greater Goods Coffee in Austin, Texas, that enable baristas to work quickly and effectively.
Be Bold: Embracing Maximalism in Coffee Branding
The age of the stark white café with minimal branding is coming to a rapid close. Welcome to the era of the bold, the risk-takers, and the maximalists.
How Café Owners Are Fighting Inflation
The cost of goods everything went wild over the last year, triggering a domino effect on shrinking margins and wage increases across hospitality. Café owners struggled to adapt.
Is a Living Wage Valuable—Or Even Viable For The Coffee Industry?
This was a particularly salient piece by Valorie Clark. The topic of wages among coffee workers has been hot this year amid inflation, quiet quitting, a unionization movement, and the great resignation. This piece explores the center of it all: living wages.
Pricing Your Café Menu for Profitability
Many café owners enter the business to create community spaces and don’t want to be seen as greedy. It’s about connection, not money. Unsustainably low prices, however, are a slow-sinking ship (especially in the wake of inflation). Realizing your vision requires designing a menu that works long-term.
A heartfelt thank you to all the writers who helped revive Fresh Cup this year with thoughtful and practical reporting. And thank you, reader, for giving us a reason to do so.
