Welcome to Recap, a brief overview of recent coffee developments every two weeks from the Specialty Coffee Association. 

A recent investigation highlights the financial risks small coffee producers face, including in specialty coffee value chains. Following an investigation by Thomson Reuters, a major Thai coffee brand has vowed to repay nearly 200 coffee farmers in a northern Thai town who have been waiting nearly three years for payment. Forced to take out high-interest loans to continue producing coffee, the farmers now face spiraling debts. In an interview disclosing the investigation, the company cites a poor economy as the underlying reason for the delayed payment. It also commits to paying the coffee farmers by June of this year. But the affected growers, members of minority ethnic groups known collectively as “the hill tribes,” fear they are now in a never-ending cycle of debt. One farmer, who wished to remain anonymous, cites that he is nearly US$9,600 in debt taking on high-interest loans while waiting on a payment of US$1,600. Supplied by rural development banks and village cooperatives, the loans were used for ongoing farm maintenance. According to Reuters, the company does not have written contracts with its suppliers. 

In coffee science, a recent study published in the journal BMC Plant Biology suggests that moonlight stresses coffee trees on a molecular level. A research team from CIRAD, the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development, was studying the impact of climate change on coffee trees’ circadian rhythm when they noticed atypical results gathered under a full moon. Curious, they began a separate study to explore the impact of moonlight on coffee plants’ gene expression, finding that plant photoreceptors interpret moonlight’s low-intensity wavelengths as a strong environmental signal. While moonlight appears to disrupt genes responsible for the plants’ function, causing plant stress, the study suggests that the effects on growth is mainly positive. 

And finally: When the baristas of a Wuhan coffee shop first learned that the city, located at the epicenter of this year’s Covid-19 outbreak, was on lockdown, they decided to provide free coffee for local front-line medical workers. Twice a day for the past three weeks, Wakanda Youth Coffee’s seven baristas have sent trolleys of coffee with messages of support thanking the hospital staff for their contributions. The deliveries coincide with shift changes at the hospital, amounting to around 300 cups of coffee in the morning and 200 in the afternoon. The story quickly spread across Chinese social media, flooding Wakanda with over 10,000 online orders dedicated to local medical professionals in less than three days. According to China Daily, the team posted a letter on Wednesday, February 20 promising to keep a public tally of the donations. Once the cost of the supplies have been covered, the remaining donation money will be put towards an expansion of the project with a goal to supply coffee to all the medical staff in Wuhan. As of February 14, Wakanda’s staff had already delivered 7,850 cups of free coffee to nearby hospital workers, each marked with a message of thanks. 

If you want to dive deeper into anything you heard today, check out the links in the description of this episode. Recap will be back in two weeks’ time. Thanks for listening. 

Related Links: 

• Reuters reports that a major Thai coffee brand will repay 200 farmers left in spiraling debt while waiting nearly three years for payment. 
• A study by CIRAD explores moonlight’s effect on coffee trees’ circadian rhythm. 
• Wuhan’s Wakanda Youth Coffee receives thousands of online orders for medical workers fighting the Covid-19 outbreak.
  • “Wuhan Latte: Coffee for Heroes in Locked Down City” (China Daily | Hong Kong)
  • “Café Provides Free Coffee for Wuhan Medical Workers” (China Plus) 
  • “A Story of Aromatic Coffee in the Locked Down City” (CGTN) 
  • “Mr. Sina Karami, a barista who had the opportunity to leave #Wuhan and return to #Iran. But he insist on staying here with Chinese colleagues, and to help by making coffee for those doctors and nurses who are fighting #coronavirus #COVID19.” (Shen Shiwei, Twitter)
  • “Iranians in China choose to stay and fight with Chinese friends.” (This is China, Youtube)