The Weekly Roast / business

We’re in the era of convenience — streaming TV, on-demand groceries, music, car rides, and food delivery. Hell, we can even get weed and alcohol delivered to our doorstep. But just as much as Gen Z & Millennials like to keep it simple, we appreciate the quality of the product. And instant coffee is about as bottom as the barrel as you can get. (Sorry, abuela’s Nescafe Cafe de Olla, you’re past the prime.)According to market researcher Technavio, the instant coffee biz is expected to grow by over $9 billion in the next four years and is on pace to...

Prices for arabica coffee beans — the ones we use here at Sumato, also the most popular type used at coffee shops — are driving up prices.The reason? Historic droughts in Central and South America.“I’ve been growing coffee more than 50 years, and I’ve never seen as bad a drought as the one last year and this year,” third-generation Brazilian farmer Christina Valle told the Wall Street Journal. Agricultural officials say that Brazil is expected to churn out 15 million fewer bags than last year. Those bags typically carry over 100 pounds of coffee each.