For years, coffee’s giants have been cast as villains. Their dominance, critics argue, squeezes farmers, depresses quality, and cheapens a product whose cultural cachet has soared in the past two decades. Producer countries’ share of commercial retail coffee prices has barely budged in the last 20 years, even with prices declining. Meanwhile at the upper end of the specialty market, prices rose by more than 75% – to whose benefit? Big roasters often run on thin margins balanced by scal...| Coffee Intelligence
J. M. Smucker raising its prices in the wake of US tariffs raises an alarm. The custodian of Folgers, Dunkin’ and Café Bustelo has long been a bellwether for America’s coffee market. But are tariffs the cause, or the final straw for a market already in decline? Smucker’s US retail coffee profits plunged 22% last quarter, as tariffs on Brazilian coffee increased input costs. Volumes fell 2% as net pricing went up 18%, signalling that households are cutting back. Tariffs could accelerate...| Coffee Intelligence