mycuppa February 2024 newsletter

"Not all those who wander are lost."- J.R.R. Tolkein

Welcome to our subscriber newsletter.

Keeping with the theme of a short month and a late publishing date, we offer you a truly memorable Secret Label with its cocoa and dark chocolate-infused goodness. Don't miss out.

Roaster's Rant is back, but this time, he's aiming at all those fake "ethically sourced" coffee ads polluting social media platforms. 

Surely consumers should be treated better?

Secret Label

This month, walk on the dark side with cocoa nibs, toffee, caramel, hazelnut and prized dark chocolate.

There are some high-end coffees in this blend, and it sure does show class.

February's Secret Label coffee offers prodigious flavour, juicy and sweet acidity, and excellent structure for how layers of cocoa integrate with dark chocolate.

Delicious, grab it before the end of the month to avoid disappointment.

Ethically unethical

The word ethical can often mean so many different things to people, and you must wonder if it needs to be more specific.

Ethics can be an opinion or how you feel about a certain topic; it might represent your values or principles, and then, for some people, it could be about political or social issues.

Coffee marketers are often guilty of "stretching the truth" in their claims about a product or its performance, not unlike the sellers of nutritional products or anti-aging formulations.

Outrageous claims without being held accountable must be the easiest game in town.

In many other industries, there are penalties for misrepresenting or making untrue or unproven claims. Not so for coffee.

Today, it's almost impossible to escape the barrage of digital advertising using social media platforms or many useful websites and internet resources.

Many Australian coffee brands use the phrase "ethically sourced" without qualifying or explaining how they claim their ethical status.

We think those lazy throwaway taglines copied and pasted into ads are a desperate attempt by brands paranoid at seeing all the other brands promoting their own "ethically sourced" feature.

Mostly, this deception becomes a self-propagating lie spreading around the advertising circuit - FOMO is always a cruel affliction.

Brands claiming ethically sourced buy all their coffees from the same half-dozen importers everyone else uses.

Less than 0.4% of coffee brands in Australia are self-importing, and then close to half of that is via large commodity exporters that also feed the Australian green bean brokers.

In truth, it's a case of same-same.

Ethics in coffee encompass a wide range of values and principles that guide the production and consumption of coffee.

At its core, we commit to socially just, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable coffee production.

It also means that coffee companies must consider the well-being of all those involved in the coffee supply chain, from the farmers who grow the beans to the workers who roast and package them.

Making "ethically sourced" statements creates the illusion or smoke-screen that a brand is doing something extra or different to other brands when, in fact, they may not.

Sorry to rain on the parade; I'm afraid it's all complete BS.

Australian coffee brands don't pay more to feel like they are being ethical - heck no.

They haggle, trade, play-off, price-off, pay late and do everything possible to save a single cent on every kilo because it all adds up.

And folks, there is nothing wrong with behaviour driven by trying to contain costs - just like shopping for insurance, loans, vehicles, houses, food or holidays.

A business will only survive when it complies with a budget, and we don't have to explain the ridiculous costs of everything these days.

It's impossible to budget accurately in the coffee world.

Brazilian coffee was $460 per ton more expensive yesterday than it is today. When you buy 26 tons of that coffee a $12K difference is significant to the bottom line.

These sorts of pricing swings are a regular part of life in coffee.

Demand for coffee continues to outstrip supply, and as we have noted in many previous blogs, the price surges upwards when a shortage or any commodity is perceived.

It's why coffee prices are still almost at 12-year highs and why no coffee brands anywhere worldwide are willing to pay a cent more than they need to.

So we hope that marketers of coffee can evolve with a sense of maturity to realize that pretending to be "ethically sourcing" is nothing but a hollow promise unless it's backed up with transparent metrics and clear evidence of values in fairness, sustainability and responsibility.

Otherwise, they should stop treating consumers as fools.