SCA Expo took place in Houston in April, and as part of the many auxiliary events, Cafe Imports put on a live podcast taping of Source: A Green Coffee Buying Panel. Moderated by Cat & Cloud’s Chris Baca and featuring representatives from Cafe Imports as well as other specialty coffee importers Atlas and Royal Coffee, the podcast discussed all things coffee buying in today’s uncertain marketplace.
It was an illuminating event for all in attendance, and for those unable to catch it live, the first half of the podcast has just been released.
Released June 2nd on the Cat & Cloud podcast as well as the coffee roaster’s YouTube channel, part one of the two-part series has a 50-minute runtime and features insights from Cafe Imports’ Omar Herrera and Piero Cristiani, Susan Heller Evenson of Atlas, and Charlie Habegger of Royal. The primary topics of discussion for the front half are very of the moment, tackling issues like the C market and how tariffs are changing the coffee landscape for both buyers and customers.
The panelists go deep on how the rise in C market prices, which have historically not played a significant factor, are now reshaping direct trade pricing for specialty coffee. They also “share strategies like price averaging and direct trade contracts as tools for navigating a volatile market—highlighting the real-world effects on producers and roasters, from maintaining quality to managing risk and security in an unpredictable system.”
Part two, which will be released next week, focuses on an open Q&A session with members of the live audience.
But for now, check out part one of Source: A Green Coffee Buying Panel, available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
