Welcome to Roast Radar, your essential update on the latest happenings in the coffee and roasting world! Here’s all you need to know this week:
📰 Industry News & Updates
Tariff Troubles & Price Surges
President Trump has announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian coffee imports, effective August 1, 2025. Brazil supplies roughly one-third of US coffee imports, and the looming tariff has caused market volatility, triggering stockpiles from traders and early price transmission to consumers. Small Brazilian producers are particularly concerned; many fear they may not survive these economic shocks.
Source: Bloomberg reporting on trade risk
Brazil–US Trade Talks Stalled
Brazil’s finance minister acknowledged that a trade agreement might not be finalized before August 1, leaving exporters in limbo. Brazilian officials are preparing contingency plans to redirect goods to other markets, though implementation remains difficult.
Source: Reuters
Global Coffee Awards Open for Applications
Roasters can now apply to the Global Coffee Awards—an opportunity to showcase excellence and gain recognition in the specialty sector.
Source: Official Global Coffee Awards website
Starbucks Reserve Expands in Asia
Starbucks has launched its largest Reserve space to date: a 21,000 sq. ft. Dream Plaza in Taipei, furthering its premium retail expansion.
Source: Taipei Times
Westrock Coffee Opens Massive Pod Factory
The Arkansas-based company is expanding with a new 525,000 sq. ft. facility for coffee pod production, scaling up capacity to meet growing demand.
Source: Talk Business & Politics
Kona Coffee Co. Explores New Markets
The Kona Coffee Company in Hawai‘i is diversifying its offerings—introducing Kona blends and rare single-origin lines beyond the traditional 100% Kona label.
Source: PR News Wire
🌍 Sustainability & Regulation Spotlight
Industry Cautious on EU Deforestation Rules (EUDR)
New EU regulations require commodities like coffee to be traced back to non-deforested land. While Brazil and Vietnam are better prepared, regions like Ethiopia and other African countries face severe traceability challenges—many smallholders risk exclusion.
Source: AP News
Corporate Concern Over Compliance
Coffee companies like Lavazza, Nestlé, and Mondelez are urging a delay in enforcement of EUDR regulations, citing compliance costs and complexity—especially for producers in Africa and Central America.
Source: Reuters
🎥 Videos & Industry Buzz
- Bloomberg QuickTake recently produced a video discussing price volatility in coffee markets amid tariff threats—worth a watch to understand the broader financial impact.
Source: Bloomberg Coffee Price Volatility - Coffee Content Evolution: “The Real Sprometheus” released a video reflecting on the changing landscape of online coffee content and his strategy for 2025—provides useful insight if you create coffee media.
Search: State of Coffee Content 2025 Sprometheus - Data Blindness in Roasting: Roast Magazine and related industry sources are highlighting how lack of data insight negatively affects roaster margins—especially relevant amid rising green bean costs.
Source: RoastMag and industry publications Roast Magazine
📝 Wrap-Up & Your Call to Action
The approaching tariff battle is shaking global coffee markets, with major impacts on prices, sourcing, and sustainability compliance. Keep monitoring your supply—even if you’re a home or micro-roaster—to see how things trickle down.
We hope this “Roast Radar” helps you stay current with the latest happenings in the coffee and coffee roasting world! See you next Saturday for another update.
👉 We’d love to hear your perspective: What trends are you seeing in roasting or sourcing? Drop a comment below
