The Food Economy

"Many people believe Gen Z only drinks those super colourful beverages with different layers, cream, and sprinkles. But this is not the typical Gen Z drink," says André Eiermann , founder of the Gen Z Coffee Intelligence Lab. How does Gen Z drink coffee differently than previous generations? André and his team have launched a global survey of coffee drinkers to find out. The initial results show t...

"The most effort in scientific research in coffee I see now is in securing the future of Arabica coffee." says Samo Smrke , Head of the Coffee Excellence Center at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The future of Arabica is only one of the topics that Samo and his team at the Coffee Excellence Center are researching. Coffee companies often turn to them for advice on how to develop innovations...

"Biochar is a very dominant solution. It does not only remove and store carbon in soils, but it also actually helps beyond that by transforming the way we produce food and it makes supply chains climate-resilient." says Thomas Käslin , CEO and co-founder of Cotierra . Coffee cultivation faces numerous challenges due to climate change, inclusing increased droughts and soil degradation. The Zurich-b...

"If a sommelier said to you: 'I have this wonderful wine made of grapes coming from Europe.' You would not accept only this information . But when it comes to coffee, people are satisfied with this ," says Philipp Schallberger , Managing Partner at Kaffeemacher .   We often do not know much about our coffee's origin, the type of beans used, or how they were processed. Have you ever wondered why mo...

"In the next three years, I expect there will be more new plantations coming and gaining. There will be higher yields because the green coffee price is so high now that farmers are happier than ever. And this is really good," says  Yana Mikhailova , Head of Coffee Zone Europe at Nestlé. Today, global demand for coffee is higher than ever and is expected to continue growing over the next years and...

Since August 2025, Swiss products imported into the United States have been subject to a tariff of 39 per cent. This new tax places the Swiss export industry under significant cost pressure. Thermoplan , a Swiss manufacturer of professional coffee machines, is one of the affected companies. At the same time, the firm presents an exemplary case of diversification by expanding into a new market. In...

"We call this the Thermoplan family: creating new ideas together and finding solutions for opportunities and sometimes also challenges. That's the core of my business. In the end, it's all about the people," says Adrian Steiner , CEO of Thermoplan . Thermoplan is a Swiss manufacturer of professional coffee machines supplying Starbucks and other key players in the industry. The company is renowned...

"As a merchant, we innovate. Through the innovative projects and work we do, we are able to bring the whole coffee supply chain forward. It's important for coffee to keep evolving over time," says Nicolas A. Tamari, CEO of Sucafina . The supply chain of coffee is complex and fragmented. It involves growers, traders, merchants, and many other stakeholders. But what distinguishes a coffee trader fro...

"In the coffee industry, we were not concerned about supply. Coffee was there, but it's not anymore, " says Raphael Studer , CEO and co-founder of the direct-sourcing platform Algrano .   Indeed, t he coffee market is currently in an unprecedented state: record-high prices, rising demand, unreliable harvests, and significant shipment delays. These issues affect all stakeholders in the supply chain...