Share

cover art for NEW SERIES: Exploring the Future of Coffee Jobs

United Baristas Audio Articles

NEW SERIES: Exploring the Future of Coffee Jobs

Season 1, Ep. 1
How to prepare for the future in coffee


As coronavirus continues to impact the coffee industry, Caffeina and United Baristas embark on a new series to help you get ahead in coffee.


Exploring the present


As winter lockdowns sweep Europe, Caffeina and United Baristas start a new series exploring the variety of roles that exist in the coffee industry.


We want to better understand what roles exist, how people who work in these roles got their jobs, what they actually do, and to offer tips, insights and advice for coffee people looking to move into these roles either now or in the future.


We’re planning for the future


Each week we are interviewing interesting coffee people to gain firsthand insights into their job.


Emma and Tim will also be offering practical advice on working in coffee, exploring a variety of ways to get training and experience, and trying to answer your questions.


Ask us, and we’ll do our best to answer or at least try and find someone who can:


Coronavirus is having a profound impact on the coffee industry and by working together we hope that this series will help coffee people to better prepare for their future and to continue to help the coffee industry restart and reinvent itself. Despite the challenges, we believe the industry’s best days are ahead of us.


Go behind the screens


Learn more about why Emma and Tim are collaborating on this series and what we hope it can contribute to the coffee industry in this recorded Zoom call.


Follow the series


  • Get the audio version of this series wherever you get your podcasts
  • Subscribe to our YouTube channel to follow the entire series. New films dropping each week.

More episodes

View all episodes

  •  Green coffee carbon calculators are wildly inaccurate

    20:53
    Science, industry research and carbon calculators agree that coffee production is a key cause of coffee’s carbon footprint. However, the carbon footprint of green coffee production varies depending on the specific farming and production methods. Some studies calculate emissions to be as low as 0.5 Kg per kilogram of green coffee at milling. Other researchers estimate the carbon footprint of green coffee to be as high as 12 Kg per kilogram.With such a large range, how can coffee businesses identify an accurate figure to estimate their carbon footprint? This article explains that there is currently no good way to pick a figure. Plus, the carbon models require updating, so any figure you choose is likely to be wrong. At present the uncertainty is so great that, for most coffee businesses, calculating your green's carbon footprint is a fool’s errand. There are, however, a number of workarounds. We explain where the science is at, what scientists are current doing to improve the accuracy of carbon calculators and how you can start cutting your carbon footprint now. This article was originally published on United Baristas. You can read the full article and view the references at https://unitedbaristas.com/articles/insights/green-coffee-carbon-calculators-are-wildly-inaccurate/And how are you cutting your coffee's footprint? There's many things you can do from crop to cup. Feel free to drop us a line and tell us what you're doing, United Baristas is on all the usual channels.
  • Progressing from barista to manager

    05:04
    In the latest United Baristas managing people and building teams newsletter we look at the skills required to help the people on your team progress from the shop floor to taking on management responsibility – whether that's better managing themselves on the job, or beginning to manage their colleagues, a project or even a business unit.These four steps are based on Zarvana's Critical Thinking Roadmaphttps://www.zarvana.com/how-to-building-your-teams-critical-thinking-skills/ If you found these tips useful, make sure you subscribe to our managing people and building teams newsletter. Every other month you'll get a tip specifically for coffee people whose job it is to manage other coffee people.  https://unitedbaristas.com/newsletters/ Finally, we'll be exploring topics like this at Total Coffee 2023, a new talks programme at Caffè Culture curated by United Baristas. Find out more and get your free ticket at https://unitedbaristas.com/events/total-coffee/  
  • Introducing Total Coffee

    01:36
    Today we announce the first sessions of our new talks programme, Total Coffee. We’re bringing together a range of practitioners, experts and industry leaders to empower coffee people.Join us at any of the dozen sessions taking place at Cafè Culture this October for powerful insights plus actionable ideas.You can find out more about Total Coffee and register:• unitedbaristas.com/events/total-coffee • caffecultureshow.comWe look forward to seeing you at Total Coffee. 
  • How to have a fight 🤜 🤛

    05:27
    When workplace disagreements arise, it's tempting to smooth things over or rush to compromise. But strong opinions – when harnessed – can lead to better decision-making. Plus, disagreements are a sign that people care.This audio article is from our latest Managing People & Building Teams newsletter, especially for coffee people who manage other coffee people. Subscribe and get a tip every other month at unitedbaristas.com/newsletters/managing-people-building-teams.
  • Culture Counts: don't outsource your company culture

    05:40
    In the first managing people and building teams for 2023, we explore how company culture is a practical tool that explains what gets prioritised, how things get done and what the rewards and penalties are.Many owners and managers have attempted to delegate the creation and maintenance of their company culture to shop managers or HR. We explain why this approach isn't working – and what you can do about it.Subscribers get more information and resources to help them build their company culture in 2023. Subscribe at https://unitedbaristas.com/newsletters/managing-people-building-teams/
  • Offsetting is for wimps

    05:49
    You can offset a tonne of carbon dioxide more easily than buying a bag of coffee. Offsetting websites are online shops, it costs just £9 to offset a tonne of CO2e. In this episode we explore why offsetting is fraught with challenge and absolutely not a substitute for carbon reduction.You can read the original article, and view the relevant references, at unitedbaristas.com/articles/think-pieces/offsetting-is-for-wimps
  • Coffee is Opportunity: How can we make specialty coffee more sustainable?

    10:39
    We start a new series by explaining how coffee’s scale, reach and connections enable us to play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The new series explores how we can make specialty coffee more sustainable.You can read the original article on United Baristas https://unitedbaristas.com/articles/insights/how-can-we-make-specialty-coffee-more-sustainable/and if you would like to view the video of Hans Rosling explaining the correlation between human health and income click here.What’s your experience of sustainability? Let United Baristas know, we’re on all the usual channels. And if you found this information useful, make sure you share it with someone else who will benefit too.You can find more resources for baristas and coffee businesses on unitedbaristas.com.
  • What are the opportunities and challenges for coffee after Brexit?

    21:05
    The Brexit debate was hotter than a steam boiler. Now, six years after the referendum, the conversation has cooled. And, like when cupping coffee, that makes it easier to grade. United Baristas explores what Brexit has served up to the coffee community.We’ve spoken with dozens of people including importers, business owners, baristas and brokers. There was a range of political opinion, but when it comes to the impacts and repercussions there was much in common.You can read the full article at https://unitedbaristas.com/articles/insights/opportunities-and-challenges-for-coffee-after-brexit/ and do let us know your experience of Brexit.And if you found this information useful, make sure you share it with someone else who will benefit too.You can find more resources for baristas and coffee businesses at https://unitedbaristas.com.
  • Increasing coffee prices makes sense

    12:40
    United Baristas explores why increasing coffee cup prices is necessary with current rising costs. And explains how to successfully implement a price rise in your coffee shop.We refer to several previous articles in this audio article. You can read them on United Baristas:One Size Doesn’t Fit All - on segmenting coffee businesses by size and focusInsights from the Iron Triangle - exploring why coffee shops can only pick two of fast, quality and cheapUnited Baristas also explained to baristas earlier in the year that they should support price increases. You can read the article here and find the original audio article in our feed.There are more articles on pricing as part of our Coffee Shop Viability series.