Roast Magazine Releases ‘Cheap Coffee: A Look Behind the Curtain of the Global Coffee Trade’

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.

About the author/photographer:

Karl Wienhold is a researcher, consultant, and operator of post-colonial rural development, specifically the intersection between agrarian communities and the global economy, endeavoring to understand and undo extractive power structures in favor of equitable alternatives. His professional background is in management consulting, agriculture, and coffee trading. He is the founder of an organization that advocates for the empowerment of smallholder coffee farmers in Colombia, where he calls home.

About Roast magazine:

Roast magazine is a bi-monthly technical trade magazine based in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to the success and growth of the specialty coffee industry. Roast addresses the art, science and business of coffee roasters by covering the issues most important to them with quality editorial content focused on the technical aspects of coffee. For more information, visit roastmagazine.com