The End of Cheap Coffee
Despite us currently enjoying the boom of the 'coffee for the masses' trend that high-street chains like Starbucks and Costa have brought us over the last decade, some would say that we have lost something in the process. Mass production has killed the intimacy and intricacy of making a really good coffee. The magic has gone so to speak. All that could be changing, however, as coffee crops have been dwindling in recent years due to climate change and higher demand, seeing a steady rise in prices across the board.
The rise in prices has not been passed onto the farmers, who are benefiting the least. Those looking to keep prices down have been left buying beans of lower quality, robbing the consumer of the higher standards which they deserve. Crisis gives rise to in ingenuity however, as a return to the 'coffee experience' business model could see a move towards serving coffee in a way that makes the customer happy to pay more.
A coffee shop called Intelligensia goes through the whole process of making a coffee right in front of the customer, breaking it down into stages and explaining all the science along the way. A coffee lover's heaven! Time will tell whether such an idea will catch on, giving coffee enjoyment which is worth its weight in gold!