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Volcanic activity takes the buzz out of Hawaii's coffee harvest

Feb 4, 2019
Coffee farmers in Hawaii are citing volcanic activity for a poor harvest.
Lava spews in Kilauea's East Rift Zone on May 23, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii, amid eruptions from the Kilauea volcano.
RONIT FAHL/AFP/Getty Images

Cold brew coffee is straight hotness right now

Jan 23, 2019
Across the United States, more people are getting their caffeine drinks ice-cold instead of steaming-hot.
Cold brew sales surged more than 500% from 2011 to 2016, according to the National Coffee Association.
Renata Sago/Marketplace

Dunkin' aims at Starbucks with revamped espresso drinks

Oct 24, 2018
Dunkin’ recently dropped “Donuts” from its name, and now we know one reason why. It wants people to think more about fancy coffee drinks. The chain says it’ll be brewing lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos at its 9,200 stores by the holidays. That’s a pretty big pivot to coffee. Click the audio player above to hear […]
Getty Images for Dunkin'' Donuts

Dunkin' aims at Starbucks with revamped espresso drinks

Oct 24, 2018
Dunkin’ recently dropped “Donuts” from its name, and now we know one reason why. It wants people to think more about fancy coffee drinks. The chain says it’ll be brewing lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos at its 9,200 stores by the holidays. That’s a pretty big pivot to coffee. Click the audio player above to hear […]
Getty Images for Dunkin'' Donuts

Coca-Cola and Costa: Here’s why coffee is so … hot

Aug 31, 2018
Coca-Cola is the latest corporation to make a big bet on coffee. It’s planning to buy the United Kingdom’s biggest coffee chain, Costa, for $5.1 billion. It seems as if everyone wants a piece of the coffee action these days. European conglomerate JAB has picked up Peet’s, Caribou and  Stumptown. Nestle owns the high-end Blue […]

Coffee Bean speeds back to New York as retail real estate slows

Jun 26, 2018
New York or LA? Headlines in recent years have been all about people leaving the Big Apple in droves, heading for SoCal. But sometimes the flow does ebb. Witness the announcement today from LA-based Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It’s planning to open 100 new locations in New York City over the next decade. What’s […]

Employed, but still homeless

Jun 17, 2018
One formerly-homeless barista describes working while living out of her car.
"But no, I never thought I'd be here," said Charlene Long, a barista who was formerly homeless. "And here I am, knowing how to make cortados, espressos, macchiatos. I didn't even know what a macchiato was last year. You know, it's crazy." 
HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The U.S. tries to boost poor neighborhoods, again. Will it work this time?

Mar 26, 2018
Some experts refer to Opportunity Zones as "a zombie program, staggering on despite moribund results."
The one-time Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, has been turned into a seven-story research lab.
Marketplace

Why does a latte cost $4?

Dec 25, 2017
We dug into the costs and profits behind your delicious frothy drink.
It's not just coffee and milk. 
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Do you consider pizza a commodity?

Dec 8, 2016
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said pizza, unlike coffee, is a commodity. You guys weighed in.
MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr