El colapso del que nadie habla en el café | Ep. 625

https://lavaive.com/   / cafelavaive   In this episode, we discuss the pressures currently facing the entire coffee supply chain: the sustained rise in prices, tariffs, political decisions, and new environmental regulations that are changing the rules of the game. We analyze the signs of exhaustion we see in the sector: roasters closing locations or raising prices at the expense of their clientele, exporters pressured by more expensive loans, and companies that had been riding the momentum of three years ago and now find themselves facing a completely different landscape. We also talk about the illusion of coffee marketing, the growing demand for traceability and detail that puts pressure on every link—from cultivation to the cup—and the new European Union deforestation law, which requires importers and producers to provide data to substantiate what was previously taken for granted. We're sharing what we observed at a roasters' competition in Berlin, featuring roasters from 13 countries. There, the same coffee produced completely different profiles, and we'll explain why the subjectivity of quality compels us to understand the palates of the market we sell to, not the ones we think exist. And we arrive at the central point: those stuck in the middle are the ones collapsing. Large corporations have hedges and financial muscle. Super-specialty roasters have direct relationships and long-term negotiations. But those who don't define themselves—neither by volume nor niche—can't compete with anyone, and the market will eventually eliminate them. The future is indeed promising: there is a market, and there will continue to be. What's ending isn't coffee consumption, but rather the companies that aren't competitive in the playing field they themselves chose. Now it's your turn: how are you seeing the future of coffee from your perspective as coffee entrepreneurs? Are you focused on a specific niche, or are you still stuck in the middle? Tell us in the comments; we love reading them.