In recent months we have been hearing a lot about the rise in the coffee price worldwide, but what is the reason for this and what should a specialty coffee shops do? (Cuela’s Opinion)
The rise in the price of coffee was quite predictive because there is less and less labor and agricultural workers who want to work the land. This problem does not only exempt Puerto Rico. In September of last year I had the opportunity to travel to Colombia for some courses and talking to several coffee growers they highlighted the following situation.
“It is difficult for me to find responsible people to pick coffee and I’m loosing too much coffee.”
In the whole world there’s something real happening thanks to the access that technology brings where workers that used to pick coffee are looking for better work conditions and that’s completely understandable. There is another issue that concerns us all and is our Planet and climate change. The main reason coffee prices reached $4.00 per pound on the stock market was because of the frosts in Brazil, which caused a massive loss of the product in this great coffee producing country. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of coffee worldwide. It produces around 2.6 million tons per year. The increase is partly good for producers because if you have a coffee of normal or low quality, you cannot justify quality and they buy from you based on the price on the stock market, which this year is convenient for the coffee grower.
In Puerto Rico, it is possible that we will see an increase in semi-roasted coffee, which is the most consumed and its imported from Mexico. Puerto Rico consumes around 300,000 quintals and about 30,000 quintals are produced in the island. As for 100% Puerto Rican coffee, we have always had the challenge of high production costs due to political, socioeconomic issues, labor shortages, etc. In our case, even before the pandemic, a commercial coffee costs about $3 per pound to produce and a specialty coffee costs about $4 per pound to produce. These numbers vary every year.
So far this year we have been constantly bombed with news like the rise in the cost of living, inflation, everything goes up, etc. What can we do if you work in the coffee sector? The answer that applies to all business models within coffee, from coffee growers to coffee shop owners, is education based on experiences. It is our duty to create conscious customers because in the end this brings community and this is where we want to get. The community usually seeks that common good because it believes in something that has a purpose and that its existence is necessary. In our case, we believe, not only in the coffee industry in Puerto Rico, but in the international industry as well. We nurture from them.
It is for this reason that at Cuela we will be creating a series of events on the last Sunday of each month under the name Cuela es Café de Puerto Rico in which we will collaborate with different colleagues in the industry. From baristas, coffee growers, roasters, artisans and chefs in order to provide enriching experiences to our community. The intention is based on what has always been our purpose since we were just an online platform, connecting coffee lovers with Puerto Rican Specialty Coffee Growers and in this case with other culinary experiences.
Each of these colleagues will bring their value proposition to Cuela and presented to our community. We want to expose the passion and purpose for which they get up to work every day. This also will be accompanied by a culinary experience inspired in the Puerto Rican Coffee Industry created by the Cuela Team.
Difficult times are necessary. It brings out the best in each one of us, it strengthens us. Difficult moments must be used to think, reflect, create and act, not to sit back and do nothing. The famous phrase, “necessity is the mother of invention” is no coincidence. At Cuela we will not stop working to promote our coffee industry, but above all to give the best of each one of us for Puerto Rico.
We look forward to seeing you at Cuela is Café de Puerto Rico. Please join us!
Cuela Coffee Shop Location: https://g.co/kgs/maBCNBB
