Waking Up America: The Guise of Coffee Culture and its Harmful Effects
analytical Essay
1444 words
Coffee, the bean we love. To many it is known as the magic elixir, brain juice, or nectar of the gods, while others see it as the devil in a cup. America is a country that is obsessed with its coffee, now more than ever before. Although coffee has spanned generations, the craze did not exist like it does today. According to anthropologist William Roseberry of UBC, coffee was on the decline in the 1960’s and hit an all time low in the 90’s with only half the country drinking about a cup a day (D’Costa). However, with coffee being the world’s most commonly traded commodity, second to crude oil, much money is at stake when people stop drinking it. Thus the coffee empire was rebuilt, coffee revamped, and redefined to suit the needs of the “me generation” by turning the product into an individual taste, image, and culture (D’Costa, Moore). When put into the hands of those who stood to profit, every angle of coffee was pushed and maximized until people consumed it, or in this case, bought into it. Accordingly, the coffee industry devised a very aggressive marketing strategy that appealed to every person by speaking to individual preferences with specialty coffees (D’Costa). Assertive entrepreneurs like Starbucks, dressed coffee up with exotic names and gave it its own terminology: venti, pico, plenta and for hardcore drinkers, “the quad”. They invented “the coffee experience” whereby coffee was no longer “just coffee”, but rather a “lifestyle” that continues to assert productivity at every hour-- an image that America glorifies, because in this millennium, it is how we define success (D’Costa). Placed into the hands of famous icons in films and TV shows, while associating brand names next to coffee, they generated status around this sim...
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that america is obsessed with its coffee, now more than ever before. according to anthropologist william roseberry of ubc, coffee was on the decline in the 1960’s and hit an all-time low.
- Argues that coffee culture is hard on the environment because the disposable cup is the badge of honor, which defines who they are by their coffee and the coffee houses they frequent.
- Explains that disposable cups vary in environmental impact. styrofoam has no biodegradable properties and will never decompose, which means a cup in the landfill will exist in 500 years.
- Analyzes the impact of burgeoning coffee culture on the environment in developing countries. monoculture and sun cultivation have disrupted the human-land use equilibrium.
- Analyzes how the commercial success of the single-serve coffee maker is fast becoming coffee lovers' latest trend and trash.
- Analyzes how coffee culture is a fabricated bond that unites all coffee drinkers. it's symbolized by the disposable cup and surrounds us at every corner by coffee shops.
- Cites borg, john, d'costa, krystal, and moore, victoria. "environmental impact of the coffee trade - facts and figures."
Related
- analytical
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- opinionated
- Coffee Drinkers' Unknown Role in Societyanalytical essayCoffee Drinkers’ Unknown Role in Society Being one of the most consumed beverages in the world, coffee has played a vital role in today’s culture. At present, it is hard to imagine a world without coffee, however, before the thirteenth century, making the beverage from coffee beans was undiscovered. Coffee got its start in Ethiopia, and by the fifteenth century, coffee spread to the Arabian Peninsula and became an integral part of their religious ceremonies. Coffee houses began to open up and they became a trendy place to engage in conversation, listen to music, watch entertainers, play chess, and hear the recent news. These places of assembly became so important for the exchange of information that they were often referred to the “Schools of the Wise”.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that coffee has played a vital role in today's culture. before the thirteenth century, making the beverage from coffee beans was undiscovered.
- Explains that coffee drinkers make up 54 percent of the adult population in the united states, and that they have a positive effect on society.
- Explains the decline in socializing behavior in the united states due to advancement of technology and a change in american’s priorities.
- Explains that being a "coffee drinker" is more about interacting and building tour relationships with fellow coffee drinkers.
- Explains that they belong to the coffee drinkers in their home community, but they also identify with international coffee-drinkers. they spent the summer living and working on a coffee plantation in matagalpa, nicaragua, learning about the international trade of coffee.
- Analyzes how steven topik's article, "coffee as a social drug," argues that coffee farming and trading has motivated empires, fueled armies, and provoked revolutions.
- Analyzes how steve topik recognizes the current ways in which coffee drinkers have a positive impact on america both locally and internationally.
- Analyzes how topik's article proves that coffee drinkers have a positive effect on the nation by encouraging an increase in the social capital in community.
- Explains that coffee has had a positive effect on society by bringing people together to share ideas, beliefs, and values.
- Explains that carmen hefner, an american who owns a coffee plantation in nicaragua, believes that coffee drinkers have positive influence in the united states.
- Analyzes how carmen's experience with her coworkers is an example of how coffee drinkers have a positive effect on the community.
- Analyzes how carmen, a coffee drinker, plantation owner, and traveler understands coffee's positive impact on the united states.
- Explains that coffee drinkers are an important social group to the united states because of their focus on fabricating a sense of community.
- Explains that coffee drinkers are important to businesses because their habit of socializing increases social capital in a business. social capital refers to the accretion of resources developed through private and professional networks.
- Explains that each individual coffee consumer is part of a larger social group of coffee drinkers. social capital has positive effects on any nation because it's directly linked to higher happiness levels, trust, respect, academic performance, and participation levels.
- Opines that coffee plays a silent role in our society. food editorials.
- States that hill, graham, "the history of coffee." ncausa. national coffee association, 2002.
- States topik, steven c., "coffee as a social drug." cultural critique, 71 (2009): 81-106.
- States topik, steven c., "culture, economy, and coffee." latin american research review, 32.1 (1997): 124-138.
2524 wordsRead More - Starbuck’s and the Environmentexplanatory essayCoffee is a worldwide cash crop of which demand has exponentially increased over the years. “Coffee is (after oil) the world’s second most important traded commodity” (Cleaver 61). Competing coffee brewing companies wage war on offering the freshest, best tasting coffee the market has to offer. With such stiff competition there must be enough coffee beans deemed to be good enough in quality to supply the increasing demand. Starbucks can be considered one of today’s top competitors if not thee top coffee manufacturer presently in business. This successful company has had a huge impact on the coffee industry as well as the world. They have gone through great length to provide consumers with an excellent product as well as create a legacy that shows how to best go about running a massive corporation while keeping the environment clean and healthy.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that coffee is a worldwide cash crop of which demand has exponentially increased over the years. competing coffee brewing companies wage war on offering the freshest, best tasting coffee.
- Explains that starbucks utilizes only the highest quality coffee beans for their products, which requires them to carry out a rigorous quality control process. coffee beans vary in complexity and taste depending on where they are grown.
- Explains that starbucks collects coffee from thousands of farmers in over 30 countries even though these family farms have only a few dozen acres. the 1994 genocide in rwanda is of special interest to the founder.
- Explains that starbuck's roasting process is a delicate process involving heats and time that extracts the full flavor and richness from that tiny little bean.
- Opines that a successful company like starbucks has an impact on the society as well as the world.
- Explains that coffee is a naturally farmed substance with no harmful waste associated with it.
- Cites domosh, mona, roderick neumann, patricia price, and terry jordan-bychkov. the human mosaic: a cultural approach to human geography.
952 wordsRead More - Starbucksexplanatory essayStarbucks at the time did not typically sell coffee drinks. Beans and coffee makers were their forte. In 1983, Schultz traveled to Milan, Italy, where he was struck by the numerous coffee bars. He saw “not only the romance of coffee . . . but a sense of community” in these c...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of their coffee.
- Explains that starbucks was founded by jerry baldwin, gordon bowker, and zev siegl on march 30, 1971.
- Explains that starbucks' mission statement is to inspire and nurture the human spirit — conducting their business ethically and striving to do the right thing are a vital part of the company.
- Explains how howard schultz resigned from the ceo position at starbucks in 2000. he appointed orio smith to this position and to the position of president of the company.
- Explains that starbucks coffee was removed from the company's logo in 2011, leaving only the picture of the mermaid. schultz struck a deal with green mountain coffee roasters to distribute starbucks coffees and teas for keurig single-serving systems.
- Explains that there are more sizes of coffee than those listed on the menu. the trenta size at starbucks is larger than the capacity of the average human's stomach at 916 milliliters.
1995 wordsRead More - Coffee has played a major role in the lives of many people around the world. “Yet, poetic as its taste may be, coffee’s history is rife with controversy and politics…[becoming a] creator of revolutionary sedition in Arab countries and in Europe” (Pendergrast xvi). After reading Uncommon Grounds, it is apparent that the history of coffee is intertwined with the aspects of the globalization process, the role of Multi-National Corporations, and global economic issues.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how pendergrast's novel encompasses the history of coffee which can be linked to the globalization process, the role of mncs, and global economic issues.
- Explains the dimensions of "distance" that affect starbucks, including cultural, administrative, geographical, and economic factors. countries are similar in many aspects, but have extreme differences.
- Explains the three principles that starbucks should follow when shaping its ethical behavior.
- Explains that intercultural competency has become an important ingredient for the success of international managers.
- Explains forsgren, matt, and theories of the multinational firm.
- Analyzes how coffee's history is intertwined with the globalization process, the role of multi-national corporations, and global economic issues.
- Analyzes the five-year trend of global production of coffee from the international coffee organization data. the top three major coffee producing countries were brazil, vietnam, and ethiopia.
- Opines that managers must be aware of their subjectivity and immerse themselves into all types of cultures to experience traditions, customs, and religions first-hand.
1949 wordsRead More - Food And Drink In World History Essayanalytical essay- Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed our World, Mark Pendergrast
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the course aims to use the lens of food and drink to examine some of the larger themes in world history.
- Cites bill finlayson and greame m. warren, changing natures: hunter-gatherers, first farmers and the modern world.
- Explains that the professor reserves the right to make any necessary changes to this syllabus throughout the year.
- Advises students to familiarize themselves with the virginia tech honor system, as ignorance is not an acceptable excuse.
- Advises that students with disabilities or medical conditions should speak with me at the beginning of the semester, and i will be happy to make the learning environment conducive to their needs.
- Describes bill finlayson and greame m. warren's changing natures: hunter-gatherers, first farmers and the modern world.
- Cites jared diamond's the fates of human societies, part two: the rise and spread of food production.
- Analyzes tom standage's a history of the world in 6 glasses, chapter three: spirits in the colonial period.
- Compares alfred w. crosby jr.'s the columbian exchange with nelson foster and linda s. cordell.
- Analyzes paul freedman's food: the history of taste, chapter six: new worlds, new tastes and chapter seven, the birth of the modern consumer age.
- Analyzes mark pendergrast's uncommon grounds: the history of coffee and how it transformed our world.
- Describes the ironies of household technology from the open hearth to the microwave, ruth schwartz.
- Analyzes the late victorian holocausts: el nino famines and the making of the third world, by mike davis.
- Analyzes mark pendergrast's uncommon grounds, ruth schwartz' more work for mother, and mike davis' late victorian holocausts.
- Explains that students will always treat one another with respect, and the classroom environment will be one in which ideas can be shared freely. students are expected to attend each class session except in the case of emergency.
- Explains that students are expected to engage in thoughtful discussion of the readings for each class. they will be required to turn in five one-page single-spaced reaction papers at the beginning of every class, with the lowest score being dropped from the final grade.
- Explains the a, b, and c ranges of work that show quality exceeding what is expected of a student.
- Cites pamela goyan kittler and kathryn p. sucher's chapter four: food and culture and tom standage’s a history of the world in 6 glasses.
1672 wordsRead More - Starbucksanalytical essayThere is an excessive demand and cost for gasoline nowadays, coffee is believed to be the following utmost exchanged product in the global market place succeeding to oil. Coffee is developed way more than fifty nations in a stretch everywhere around the equator and offers an income for more than twenty million growers. Overall, estimation is about one hundred million societies universally that are included in the spreading, releasing, interchanging and selling of the production. During 2001, coffee growers and farms created around fifteen billion pounds of coffee whereas the global market place merely acquired thirteen billion pounds. The overstock in the coffee business is not a typical mechanism and is one of the main motives as to why the expenses differ all over in the business. One of the key establishments that is currently aiming to dominate a big amount of the stock of coffee is Starbuck. The Starbucks Organization is directing vendors, roasting, brewing, and the trademark of expertise of coffee around the globe. Starbucks is buying, roasts, and promotes whole bean and rich-brewed coffees, espresso drinks, wintry mixed drinks, also a collection of food products, coffee interrelated features and gear, a range of excellent teas, music, and so forth. Starbucks has about 23,187 store sites in sixty four nations and yet it is still remaining to raise. When coffee is considered Starbucks has created a universal brand for themselves and has grown into a big achievement.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that coffee is an exchanged product in the global market place succeeding to oil. overstock is one of the main motives as to why the expenses differ all over the business.
- Analyzes how starbucks is creating an association to guarantee that a supportable supply of high value of coffee is produced in latin america.
- Explains that coffee is one of the biggest taxed goods in the united states. the volume of coffee people through the last period went up by seventy-five percent.
- Explains that supply and demand are important terms in economics and it can solve to several inquiries that relates to the change in the value.
- Opines that starbucks is a challenger to other coffee businesses in terms of the influence of supply and demand.
747 wordsRead More - Nespresso Case Studyanalytical essayNespresso sells very well in Europe and is experiencing continued growth in the U.S. As we as a country and a world slowly come out of the recession, there will be increased sales in the luxury products and people will be more willing to spend money on luxury products to indulge and pamper themselves. Nespresso has found their place in the coffee market between high-end premium coffee makers and the less expenses lower quality systems. As the New York Times said in 1949, “over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy. [Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat.” (New York Times)
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes shannon's book, "economic stimulation: the history and hope of coffee in development," which discusses the history and economics of the coffee industry, fair trade, and how the u.s government has responded to changes in the market.
- Analyzes the impact of fair trade organizations (ftos) on the coffee market.
- Analyzes how shannon discusses the u.s. government's response to issues related to the coffee market.
- Analyzes the growth of the home and business capsule coffee and coffee systems, specifically nespresso brand, and how it is dealing with new entries into its market.
- Explains that the launch of nespresso's new line of coffee systems will revolutionize the north american coffee market.
- Explains that the coffee market is inelastic, while nespresso products are elastic. they are a global pioneer and market leader in highest-quality premium portioned coffee.
- Opines that nespresso is a well-run and maintained company. with the addition of new competitors, they will have to add new products and expand their coffee verities.
2101 wordsRead More - The Pros And Cons Of Fair Trade Coffeeexplanatory essayStarbucks. Seattle’s Best. Dutch Brothers. These three are only a few of the many major coffee marketers in the United States. We have turned into a nation obsessed with coffee. As each day dawns, the rising sun meets the rising aroma of brewing coffee. And it does not stop there either: though Americans do drink 65% of their coffee during the morning breakfast time, 30% is consumed away from the mealtable (Huffington Post). But how many of the 100 million Americans who help to drink the 146 million cups of coffee consumed by the United States each year (Huffington Post) actually understand where their coffee comes from? Awareness has risen in recent decades, leading to concern for the living conditions of coffee farmers and those living in third-world countries in general. In turn this has led to the creation of the Fair Trade vision, supposedly an system to ensure that coffee farmers earn a living wage and that they have access to the opportunity for a better life. This eases the conscience of the average American, who thinks, “Good. Now I don’t have to feel bad about those coffee farmers anymore. I can have my morning coffee and know that I’m doing my part to help those who have less than we do.” But does Fair Trade accomplish its goal? Does it really provide maximum benefit to the farmer? Fair Trade coffee is not as simple a concept as it may seem: some aspects benefit farmers while others hinder them. Rules for Fair Trade Coffee as they stand today require some revision in order for Fair Trade agreements to truly live up to their full potential to help famers.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that fair trade coffee is not as simple a concept as it may seem. some aspects benefit farmers while others hinder them.
- Explains that coffee farmers earn miserable wages in exchange for backbreaking work. fair trade's coffee market was born from a desire to help struggling farmers and workers.
- Explains that fair trade is a guaranteed market, meaning certified farmers can sell their coffee on the floor price regardless of quality. farmers have no motivation to produce the best product.
- Explains fair trade's history and policy, stating that it is a holistic approach that works with small farmers to ensure they can survive and provide for their families.
- Asks whether fair trade's stance against child labor has redeeming qualities or should be eliminated altogether.
1675 wordsRead More - Starbucks SWOT Analysisopinionated essayHowever, such success requires high maintenance. In fact, due to high competition and declining revenues, in year 2005, Starbucks introduced new products to their menu, which included pastries, sandwiches, and deserts. Such strategy helped the company regain its market power. Regrettably for the investors, such static fixture provides only a short-term relief in a highly volatile and competitive market. Mr. Schultz have expressed his concern that the company is taking a route that is causing the brand to lose its well known image of friendly coffee house (Seaford, et. al, 2012). The market that was once cornered by Starbucks has started to slip away from the grips of the company once McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts,...
In this essay, the author
- Explains how starbucks was inspired by the book and movie about moby dick. howard schultz introduced the new italian coffee bean and italian style of coffee drinking.
- Opines that starbucks is taking a route that is causing the brand to lose its well-known image of friendly coffee house.
- Explains that starbucks refocused its attention on coffee in 2009, and introduced via instant coffee to steal back the market that was once theirs from the competitors such as panera bread.
- Explains that branding a new product is not as easy as placing it on the shelves and hope for the consumers to buy it. a strong marketing team is required for affective branding, as they understand the issues while doing so.
- Opines that starbucks has done a good job for packaging their instant coffee.
- Opines that starbucks must increase its advertising budget and increase the use of the media to counter the said problems.
- Explains that the key issue starbucks via faces is the negative image already engraved in consumer’s mind by other brands of instant coffee.
- Explains that there are many solutions to brand via now that the key issues have been identified. the company must try to lower the price by cutting unnecessary overheads such as excessive advertisements.
- Explains that starbucks has done a great job with the current packaging, but it's flawed. the most effective packaging is the one that advertises the product until the end of its consumption.
- Recommends a few starbucks via cups with each package sold to keep the overhead cost moderately low. they also recommend giving customers the option to purchase additional cups for $0.10.
- Explains that via brand will be starbucks minus the baristas-and the brewing.
- Explains starbucks' mission statement, which can be found at http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/mission-statement.
1431 wordsRead More - Starbucks Environmental Scananalytical essayStarbucks is a company in which purchases and roasts high quality whole bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment (starbucks.com). During my environmental scan in which took place at the Starbucks on the corner of Fair and Newport across the street from vanguard, I noticed many things in which where never brought to my attention in prior stays and visits at Starbucks; such as the many social groups in which choose to have their meetings at Starbucks. Thus in this essay we will discuss things in which many people do not really notice when going to Starbucks.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the starbucks environmental scan, a company that purchases and roasts high quality whole bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, italian style espresso beverages, pastries and confections.
- Analyzes the demographic make-up of starbucks' customers. the average age of each customer was from the low to mid-twenties, but there were occasional older folks who brought in their children.
- Explains that customers ordered hot drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. starbucks' coffee language was spoken fluently.
- Describes how the store was decorated with modern and urban furniture and lights, as well as pictures and posters of bean plantations and other places around the world.
- Opines that starbucks has the best employees when it comes to interaction with their customers.
- Explains that most people who got drinks and stayed at the store were college students and had study groups inside since it is worm and quiet. when people came to starbucks most came in a group and kept conversation within there group.
- Explains that starbucks is known worldwide as a place in which you can come get coffee and relax for an hour or so.
- Explains that doing this environmental scan made them realize that starbucks is a place for people to get drinks, sit down, relax, and get things done.
1125 wordsRead More