Why Paying Attention Matters: Facing Coffee’s Realities Together | Week 37, 2025
Coffee INDUSTRY & MARKET: Why Paying Attention Matters - Facing Coffee’s Realities Together
As someone who has built a career around listening, really listening, to what's happening in the coffee industry, I’ve found that being concerned isn’t just rational, it’s responsible.
This week, I was particularly struck by something Brené Brown said on The Interview Podcast: she spoke about the importance of having the courage to speak up when you see things going wrong, even when others dismiss your concerns as alarmist. It was a powerful reminder, especially as I continue speaking with coffee professionals around the world who feel like their worries are being ignored or minimized.
This week on the global podcast with Felipe Croce and Angel Barrera, you’ll see a distinct change in tone from the discussion earlier this year, where Felipe mentioned he felt like Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the movie ‘Don’t Look Up’.
No matter how many times the three of us warned in previous podcast series that this situation in coffee was far more serious than people are being led to believe by industry trade associations and publications, many in our industry still thought we were being alarmists. And then 2025 started 2025-ing!
Concern ≠ Alarmism
If you're reading this and you’ve been sensing that something feels off but others around you don’t seem to be alert to the same thing, I want you to know, you’re not crazy. You're paying attention.
Whether you're noticing inconsistencies and volatility in green coffee pricing, delayed shipments, growing uncertainty in long-standing relationships, aggressive market behavior from large players, or lasting shifts in consumer behaviour, your instincts are trying to tell you something. Things have changed. This is not a short-term “bump in the road” for coffee. This is a new normal for our entire industry. Ignoring these signs doesn't help us; acknowledging them does.
This post is for the people who are paying attention. You’re not being negative, you're being proactive. That’s not something to feel shame about. It’s something to lean into and be proud of.
Why the Silence of Others Shouldn't Drown Out Your Voice
When people in power insist that “everything is fine,” it’s worth asking: who benefits from you believing that? The reality is, staying quiet about real problems often serves those who profit from the status quo.
This week, farmers in Brazil are nervous about early flowering, high temperatures, and no rain in sight until later in the month. This could have ramifications for the 2026 crop.
If this were an isolated incident, we’d say, “Well, farming is at the will of nature.”. However, this is another in a long series of constantly unpredictable weather patterns wreaking havoc for producers at all origins that will add more volatility to the entire supply chain. Combine this volatility with the disruptive nature of the past few years, and it’s a stress that few small, medium, and even larger businesses will be able to weather.
On the flip side, speaking up, especially when you’re raising inconvenient truths, can feel lonely. But you’re not alone. The more of us who call things what they are, the more prepared we’ll be to build something better. And we can only do that if we are willing to engage with the reality in front of us, not the illusions we wish were true. Coffee is experiencing a monumental shift. Most people will not accept that reality till it’s too late.
This Is Not About Panic. It’s About Responsibility.
It’s tempting to retreat into business-as-usual. But the coffee industry doesn’t need more wishful thinking right now. It needs realism. It needs people brave enough to ask hard questions, assess risk clearly, and pivot when necessary.
Being concerned isn’t a liability; it’s a leadership trait. If you’re paying attention, if you’re questioning things, if you're making bold decisions based on what you're seeing, thank you. You're doing the work that lays the foundation for what comes next in coffee.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
Map It Forward is committed to helping you make informed, strategic decisions, especially in uncertain times. The podcast is an amazing FREE resource where you can listen to serious and responsible people in coffee sharing their perspectives on how they’re navigating this transition.
Our vision is “Responsible coffee businesses with responsible pricing models across the coffee ecosystem”. The reality of what’s happening across the supply chain is changing how we’ll all achieve that together. Conspiring to each other’s success is going to be an important part of making that happen.
Because the truth is that it’s not alarmist to pay attention and use your voice. It’s leadership!
THIS WEEK ON OUR PODCASTS….
NEW ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: As a YouTube partner, all new uploads to our channel come with automatic audio overdubs in many different languages. We go to a lot of trouble to make sure that the transcript is accurate for a better experience, so we hope you enjoy it. You can turn this feature on, go to “Settings” in the bottom right of the video, and then select “Audio Track”…ENJOY!
If the work we do at Map It Forward is valuable to you, your business, or your professional life in coffee, consider supporting this independent work by joining our Patreon, becoming a premium subscriber on our YouTube Channel, or purchasing our workshops for yourself, your staff, or your producing partners.
If you’re looking for ways to support us for free, subscribe to our socials and YouTube channel, engage with our content, and share this blog post with your colleagues in the coffee industry.
It really does help us get this information out to more people.
Now here’s who we’ve got on our podcasts this week…
The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast (GLOBAL)
Series Theme: Coffee Crisis Check-In for Q4 2025 - volatility, consolidation, origin pressures, and an 18-month outlook.
Guests: Felipe Croce (FAF Coffees, Brazil) & Angel Barrera (Belco, Colombia).
Why watch: Revisit early-2025 predictions against reality, stress-test margins and cash flow before year-end, and align contracts and sourcing with a clear view to 2026-27.
Episode guide:
2025 Coffee Market So Far: Where forecasts met reality; price action, differentials, and demand signals. https://youtu.be/9ogTc89Mw_o
Volatility in Global Coffee 2025: What’s driving swings now and how operators can hedge with ops, not just finance. https://youtu.be/sprQmYDJLww
Challenges at Coffee Origin in 2025: Weather, labor, liquidity, and how they translate into availability and quality. https://youtu.be/IXzJ-Lwvhmc
Coffee Industry Consolidation: Who’s gaining leverage, the “middle squeeze,” and buyer–seller power shifts. https://youtu.be/HlNePLOInHI
18 Month Global Coffee Outlook: Practical scenarios for 2026, contract structures, and inventory/cash planning. https://youtu.be/ouy150HDwGI
Note: None of the information in this series should be taken as advice for your business.
Map It Forward Middle East podcast
Series Theme: Can we still “make coffee better”? Pragmatic takes on quality narratives and origin realities for MENA operators.
Guest: Brendan Adams (Founder, Semilla Coffee, Canada).
Why watch: Reset expectations, align “quality” with what’s deliverable, and sharpen procurement, pricing, and customer communication for Q4 in the Middle East.
Episode guide:
Specialty Coffee, Then and Now: How the story of specialty coffee evolved, and what to keep vs. let go. https://youtu.be/EH4xbpQJNFU
The Discussion Around Quality Coffee: Defining quality customers will pay for in 2025. https://youtu.be/DsjcSsHEEW8
The Questions We Should Be Asking In Coffee: Better questions for sourcing, pricing, and partnerships. https://youtu.be/LSe2bPsL6bg
The Truth About Origin: Myths vs. realities producers and buyers must reconcile. https://youtu.be/UCaI9kvedTo
Is the Future of Coffee Guaranteed?: What resilience looks like for roasters, cafés, and importers in MENA. https://youtu.be/DLrHw5K8jv8
Map It Forward Japan
Series Theme: The Changes at the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)
Guest: Michael Sheridan, CEO at Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)
Why watch: Same series and flow as the Middle East Podcast above, re-aired for the Japan audience. Michael Sheridan (CQI) discusses the CQI–SCA licensing arrangement for the Q Grader program, what changed at SCA Expo (Houston), and the road ahead for CQI. Japan faces the same transitions; use this to understand certification changes and how they impact training and buying.
Episode guide
The History and Mission of the CQI - How CQI started, what it set out to solve, and how certification fit into that mission. https://youtu.be/H9FPF9bcHf8
The Agreement Between the SCA and the CQI - What the new licensing arrangement covers, governance questions it raises, and practical implications for stakeholders. https://youtu.be/qrpaONy_4oo
Your Reaction to the Changes to the Q - Michael responds to community feedback, concerns from students and instructors, and immediate transition issues. https://youtu.be/1K26tkBX4aw
What’s Next for the CQI - Program pathways after the Q changes, priorities CQI is focusing on, and how success will be measured. https://youtu.be/G0qBhu9mwvw
The Long-Term Focus for CQI - Where CQI aims to add value over the next few years and how the wider ecosystem (education, testing, standards) may evolve. https://youtu.be/vnS_x5f7_nM
Access “Introduction to Regenerative Coffee Farming” On-Demand for as little as $10 at the new Map It Forward On-Demand Learning Hub here: www.ondemand.mapitforward.coffee
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