Two Scottish independent coffee businesses say they are fearful of the impact that climate change will have on coffee in the next few years.
Following a Fairtrade report which found that as much as half of the area which is used for coffee farming could no longer be suitable by 2050, the two business owners have spoken out. Robi Lambie, who owns Cairngorm Coffee Roaster has three cafés in Edinburgh and supplies other outlets all over the UK with beans roasted in Leith. Robi said the findings of the report are a big concern for Cairngorm but also the farmers they work with.
The 33-year-old said: “We certainly have witnessed the impact of erratic weather such as the overnight frost in coffee producing regions in Brazil in 2021 which caused irreparable damage to coffee plants and meaning many farmers lost 50% of their crop for the 2022 harvest.
“The result of this was more demand for the remaining harvest, pushing Brazilian coffee to its highest price since 2014.
“Arabica is notoriously a very challenging crop to maintain and is very susceptible to disease and pest damage. These can largely be controlled with the right means and with the current progress in cultivation techniques, but climate change is a factor that is outwith the control of producers.
“There is no doubt that coffee yield is likely to be subject to complications over the next few decades and that is not only a concern for cafe and roastery businesses like us, but the producers in coffee producing origins who rely on it for their livelihood.”
Lisa Lawson, founder of the Glasgow Coffee Festival and owner of Dear Green Coffee Roasters in Glasgow has also said that the direct effect of climate change on people and nature is evident. The smallholder farmers often rely on agriculture as their main industry and source of income and she warns the result could be catastrophic. She said that action needs to be taken now.
“Producing countries are generally carbon neutral as they don’t have the same industrialisation as us. This is an international product which requires international awareness of the devastation caused in order to reverse the current trend. We can’t be selfish about our own luxury needs today as we are impacting the basic needs of others right now in coffee producing countries.
“As residents in an emitting country we are all accountable, our collective actions negatively impact products we love and the people who we rely on to produce them for us. We all have to act now to protect people and nature for the future.”
The 46-year-old Dear Green Coffee owner, who has committed to tackling the issue by ensuring her company pursues B Corp certification and pledges to become Net Zero by 2030, believes coffee drinkers in the UK can each play a vital role in the fight against climate change.
Asked what consumers can do to make a difference, Lisa said: “Remaining aware of how your actions affect global warming. Don’t be influenced by greenwashing. Buying from reputable coffee businesses who are buying as ethically as they can in this unethical world. Changing habits by not buying coffee in virgin plastic packaging. Sit in or always use a reusable cup rather than accepting a takeaway paper cup.
“Most of all, question where you spend and don’t buy from multinationals who invest in deforestation. Question your financial commitments like where you bank or have a pension – what is that finance funding? By changing and influencing daily habits, buying habits and financial habits, our actions can influence change on a far bigger scale and ensure you still have some coffee in your cup in 2050.”
Price fluctuations can also be the result of climate change. When harvests fail then Robi admits it is “an ongoing gamble to try and get things right”. He wants to strengthen links with coffee producers to help everyone in the business.
Robi said: “The price fluctuations are something we have had to become quite used to, and we are having to keep our coffee stocks leaner at the roastery in anticipation of the markets correcting themselves. We’ve fallen foul in the past of trying to stockpile more coffee and find that as things have improvedwe’ve paid far more than the market value.
“On an ethical standpoint, it is certainly inspiring us to be more connected to farmers and we’re in the process of trying to align ourselves with producers who we can have more longevity with on a buying front.
“A commitment to purchasing over a number of years gives them more faith that we will support them through the harder times, but they generally appreciate the security of us promising to purchase harvests in advance as long as the quality prevails.”
https://www.deargreencoffee.com
https://glasgowcoffeefestival.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
