by Karl Wienhold
Roast Magazine Releases Cheap Coffee Book
A Look Behind the Curtain of the Global Coffee Trade by Karl Wienhold
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 16, 2021) — A new book called “Cheap Coffee: A Look Behind the Curtain of the Global Coffee Trade” by Karl Wienhold looks at the supply chain of green coffee. The supply chain for coffee is broken. Cheap Coffee provides a broad explanation of the economics, mechanics and power structures that define the industry today. It is a readable and digestible synthesis of thousands of pages of academic literature and expert interviews, in disciplines ranging from economics to anthropology and from environmental science to history. Change, restructuring and conscientious participation from all stakeholders are needed if coffee farming is to be a viable livelihood for the next generation and part of the solution to the climate crisis that is upon us.
“I decided to write Cheap Coffee in hopes of fostering collaboration among diverse actors in the coffee industry, including consumers, through greater empathy,” Wienhold says. “Everyone can see the symptoms of the problems that exist around the coffee value chain — such as environmental degradation, poverty, and human rights issues — but I have found that individuals’ diagnoses of the root problems and drivers differ significantly. I hope the book will bust myths, absolve scapegoats and allow readers to comprehend the realities being faced by actors at different stages of the supply chain — their needs, struggles and goals — so that they can be better customers, suppliers and partners to one another.”
The 248-page paperback book sells for $14.95 paperback and $9.95 digital. Find out more at cheapcoffeebook.com.
