More Than Meets the Eye | 25, Issue 23
Coffee is a subject that grows more intricate the deeper you explore it. This seems daunting at times, but the opportunity for endless learning is what draws so many of us to this field.
We marvel that coffee has thousands of compounds that contribute to flavor complexity and we can reflect on the rich cultural tapestry of coffee growing, drinking, and sharing traditions in a similar way.
In this issue, authors search for complexity: tracking the human eye to better understand consumer psychology, seeking farmer perspectives on deforestation regulation and information accessibility, unpacking structural causes of gender inequity, and using speculative thought to bring joy, ritual, and connection back to coffee.
In Business, Lucas Teixeira uses eye-tracking technology to reveal how consumers interact with coffee labels—which attributes they look at and for how long—and how this influences their buying decisions. His findings show it’s not just about grabbing attention; he suggests that educating consumers about the words and terms we use on labels can help increase coffee’s value in their eyes.
Outside the lab, the very human act of conversation is a great way to learn about complexity in the coffee sector. In Business, María Paz Lobo shares insights from her qualitative research in Amazonas, Peru, into the impacts of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Through her work interviewing farmers and local experts, she brings to light the complex causes of deforestation, which are not easily addressed by “one-size-fits-all solutions.” With EUDR implementation delayed by twelve months, Lobo’s feature offers a timely update to Eileen Gordon-Laity’s introduction to the regulation from 25’s last issue.[1]
One reason why we named this issue “More than Meets the Eye” is because we believe that perceptions tell us a lot about how systems are working in reality. In Insight, Gustavo Peña and Jhon Jairo Vega Díaz share results from surveys they conducted with small specialty coffee farmers in Tolima, Colombia, asking 52 farmers about the market information they consider important for decision-making. They share farmers’ perceptions on how limited information affects their agency and bargaining power, challenging us to reflect on whether there’s a difference between information that’s “technically accessible” and “easily accessible.”
Also in Insight, Dr. Erika Koss shares testimony from over 150 interviews she conducted as part of her PhD research in Kenya and East Africa, uncovering the complex challenges women face across the coffee value chain. Using an intersectional feminist lens, she highlights how colonial, capitalist, and patriarchal systems have excluded women from coffee’s value, despite the sector’s reliance on their labor: what she names the “Gendered Coffee Paradox.”
Addressing these kinds of systemic inequities is essential to fostering a sustainable coffee sector. In the Program Spotlight, Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Sustainability Director, Andrés Montenegro, provides an update on our Sustainability Awards. He shares recent changes to make the awards process more equitable and to move the program beyond generating visibility for its winners to using their experience as a roadmap for other businesses.
By looking to the past and imagining a globally prosperous coffee future, we can begin to envision a more connected, equitable, thriving, and joyous value chain. In Viewpoint, Bartholomew Jones from Cxffeeblack helps us understand that creative sampling is a key tool for us to make coffee better. He takes us on a vivid journey through celebratory events, historic rituals, and personal revelation, to show how both sampling (taking elements from cultural references and applying them to coffee) and Afrofuturism—a cultural framework blending African diasporic history with speculative thought—can help all people honor coffee’s roots.
I hope that you enjoy reading this issue of 25, perhaps with a cup of coffee that you find special. ◊
LAUREL CARMICHAEL (they/them), Editor, 25
References
[1] Eileen Gordon-Laity, “Cracking Coffee Regulation: The Coffee Supply Chain Challenges with EUDR Compliance,” 25, Issue 22 (2024), sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-22/cracking-coffee-regulation.
We hope you are as excited as we are about the release of 25, Issue 23. This issue of 25 is made possible with the contributions of specialty coffee businesses who support the activities of the Specialty Coffee Association through its underwriting and sponsorship programs. Learn more about our underwriters here.