The Specialty Coffee Industry at a Crossroads: Between Natural and Flavored Coffee

The Specialty Coffee Industry at a Crossroads: Between Natural and Flavored Coffee

The specialty coffee industry is currently embroiled in a heated debate between proponents of natural coffee and those who support flavored or processed varieties prepared with other substances. This divide was especially noticeable at this year’s World of Coffee and Expo events, where participants expressed their strong preferences through stickers, t-shirts, and discussions at cupping tables.

The Debate Between Natural and Flavored Coffee

The prestigious “Best of Panama” competition, an important event in the coffee industry, excluded flavored coffee entries this year, highlighting the ongoing conflict. The organizers of the competition aimed to maintain the integrity of showcasing the distinctive characteristics of coffee origins without external flavor influences. This decision was met with mixed reactions, reflecting a broader industry debate about authenticity, flavor manipulation, and market competitiveness.

Karl Wienhold, a researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Lisbon, commented: “When a group of people runs their own organization and sets their own rules, they can include or exclude whatever they want. Those who disagree can stop engaging with the organization. It’s not as if flavored coffee has become illegal.”

Opinions on Flavored Coffee

Supporters of flavored coffee argue that these innovations offer exciting and unique flavor profiles, giving lower-scoring coffees a chance to compete better. However, critics see it as an additional processing step that can make the coffee taste artificial and compromise the purity of traditional coffee profiles.

Alberto Berchmans Perangin Angin, General Manager of Opal Coffee Indonesia, said: “Flavored coffee is a derivative product of coffee itself. It can elevate the value of coffee but also affects the originality and authenticity of coffee beans.”

Miguel Hoyos Uribe, CEO and Founder of Flor a Fruto in Colombia, added: “Allowing food to be prepared alongside coffee beans can create unique flavor profiles, but this requires full transparency from producers to inform customers about the methods used.”

Market Transparency and Added Value

A major point of contention is the transparency of the methods used to create flavored coffee. Critics argue that co-preparation with other substances or the addition of artificial flavors could pose health risks and undermine the natural essence of the coffee bean. Calls for market transparency and consumer accountability have been raised to ensure that information regarding production processes and ingredients is available to buyers and consumers.

The market value implications of flavored coffee have also stirred debate, with concerns that the increasing demand for these products could overshadow traditional varieties based on natural or heritage characteristics, potentially devaluing premium single-origin coffees.

Karl Wienhold noted: “Using the concept of ‘heritage’ sounds to me like a unique claim to authenticity based on generational wealth and the authority to decide what real specialty coffee is, regardless of consumer preferences.”

Broader Challenges in the Industry

While the debate over natural versus flavored coffee is important, there are more pressing issues facing the coffee sector today, such as sustainability, climate resilience, supply chain transparency, and farmer livelihoods. Excessive focus on this debate risks overshadowing critical issues that affect the entire coffee value chain.

Karl Wienhold emphasized: “Not allowing flavored coffee into your private club because it kills the vibe you like is one thing, but creating a whole campaign against it seems kind of petty. Almost half of the world’s coffee farmers live in poverty, and here we are arguing about whether mixing stuff with coffee to make it taste different is good or not.”

Miguel Hoyos Uribe pointed out another pressing issue: “The generational shift is not helping farmers stay in agriculture. People prefer to be Instagram influencers, YouTubers, or engage in any other activity rather than doing hard work for low pay.”

Conclusion

While the debate between natural and flavored coffee continues to spark dialogue within the specialty coffee industry, it is essential to consider both sides of the argument and address the broader challenges facing the sector. Ensuring sustainability, supporting producers, and promoting ethical sourcing practices are vital for the long-term viability and prosperity of the specialty coffee industry.

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[:ar]Privacy Policy for qahwa world At qahwaworld, accessible from qahwaworld.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by qahwaworld and how we use it. If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in qahwaworld. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator. Consent By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. 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Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity. Qahwa World does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.[:ru]Privacy Policy for qahwa world At qahwaworld, accessible from qahwaworld.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by qahwaworld and how we use it. If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in qahwaworld. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator. Consent By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. Information we collect The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information. If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide. When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number. How we use your information We use the information we collect in various ways, including to: Provide, operate, and maintain our website Improve, personalize, and expand our website Understand and analyze how you use our website Develop new products, services, features, and functionality Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes Send you emails Find and prevent fraud Log Files qahwaworld follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services' analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users' movement on the website, and gathering demographic information. Cookies and Web Beacons Like any other website, qahwaworld uses 'cookies'. These cookies are used to store information including visitors' preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users' experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors' browser type and/or other information. For more general information on cookies, please read the Cookies article on Generate Privacy Policy website. 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Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on qahwaworld, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit. Note that qahwaworld has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. Third Party Privacy Policies qahwaworld's Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options. You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites. CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information) Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to: Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers. Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected. Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us. GDPR Data Protection Rights We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following: The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service. The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete. The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us. Children's Information Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity. qahwaworld does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.[:]
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