Melissa Çevikel
September
As the weather is slowly getting gloomy, many students start to count on coffee shops to foster their get-togethers, study dates and warm feelings. Coffee shops have undoubtedly become an irreplaceable part of most Western individuals’ everyday lives. Before or after class, prior to everyday tasks, when you actually want to drink coffee or when you simply want a part of your day to feel productive; coffee shops are the place to go in order to satisfy these cravings. Renowned British sociologist Anthony Giddens notes that chances are when two people arrange to meet for coffee they are most likely more interested in getting together and conversing than in what they’re drinking. While we all seek to enjoy the comfort as well as the aesthetic pleasures coffee shops offer us, we seldom stop and think about how the coffee we drink got here, how many people suffered to get it to us and who profited off of our momentary enjoyment.
Coffee shop culture first emerged in Istanbul, Turkey, in the 16th century. While those coffee shops only served a specific demographic of males of a certain social class, they became popular during the 17th century thanks to their ease and affordability to upkeep. This allowed for the working class to socialize and voice their opinions on a budget in the age of enlightenment. While these coffee shops allowed for many—with the exception of women—to engage in social encounters and enjoy all the freedom these intellectually thriving places had to offer, those sourcing the coffee unfortunately lived under much worse circumstances.
Tracing the origins of Turkish coffee—an issue that underscores the longstanding significance of coffee shop culture—reveals that coffee beans were first sourced from Yemen. Though coffee was first found in Kaffa, Ethiopia, it was brought to the coffee shops in Istanbul by the Turkish Ambassador in Yemen who was mesmerized by the drink there. When told this way, the story may seem as an innocent cultural exchange, yet we must not forget that around this time the Ottoman Empire had made the conquest of Egypt, during which Yemen had entered Ottoman domination. Keeping this in mind, we are safe to assume that even at that time, coffee symbolized exploitation and colonialism in vulnerable counties compared to the social and intellectual symbolisms it served in Europe.
Nowadays though, if you were to think of the coffee shop you spend most of your time at, you would most likely think of some sort of aesthetically pleasing third generation coffee shop—with a very hard-to-pronounce name—which serves coffee in ceramic mugs a random white woman/hippie couple made in their weekend ceramics class. In reality, another vital type of coffee shops is ignored or simply forgotten: coffee shop chains. Acknowledging that this can easily differ from region to region; from the moment you step down from a plane in any western region, the first thing greeting you after the passport control or the luggage collection point will most likely be a Starbucks. When you leave the airport you will see at least two more (possibly smaller and more localized but still under the same category e.g. Caffe Nero, Gloria Jean’s, Costa Coffee) coffeehouse chains, and if you don’t feel like going to any of them it will only take you a single trip to any shopping mall to be surrounded by tens of them and enter an inescapable loop of becoming their client.
At first glance, there is nothing wrong with satisfying your craving for coffee at such cafes. After all, not only are you a single individual who probably does not have much influence on the overall economic scheme surrounding the chain, you’re also just a tired and thirsty person who wants to have a rest with a side of coffee. After you get your Starbucks, you will soon realize that it’s both tasty and accessible—and-in certain areas—even budget friendly! You will no longer want to try out other coffee shops; not only will the dim lights, comfortable couches and business-casual aesthetic of Starbucks suit you well for your meetings, solo study dates and meet ups, they will also serve good and arguably affordable coffee and have an aesthetically pleasing interior.
In the early-to-mid 2010s, what made Starbucks appealing to the general public was that it was very recognizable and that its cups and labels created a sense of community and feeling of elitism in middle class citizens. Nowadays, I would disagree with this argument—with the exception of the U.S.—due to the amount of hate Starbucks and its consumers have received because of the company’s indirect economic links to Israel. I find the argument that people are simply too lazy to go out of their way to search for a more ethical coffee shop, which they might like just as much, more likely.
Besides the boycott Starbucks is facing following their alleged indirect funding of Israel, Starbucks has also received backlash due to suing a workers union because of their support of Palestine which, in theory, contradicts with their Global Human Rights Statement. Lastly, Starbucks representatives have claimed to have never made any comments in support of Israel in their concerningly short statement, which you may read and choose whether to believe or not for yourself. There are also many incidents, which could be counted as local, surrounding the controversy of the brand, such as their lack of cooperation during the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.
While all these are equally important aspects to consider while choosing a coffee shop, the main characteristic of coffee shop culture discussed in this article is related to its production and sourcing. Looking back at the Starbucks example given to illustrate a general image of coffee shop chains, their ethical sourcing policies have been a topic of concern for many consumers and organizations,more specifically about how deceptive they are. Lawsuits have been filed against Strabucks, pointing towards the fact that they source their coffee from coffee farms located in Guatemala, Kenya and Brazil, which are known for their human rights abuse. Moreover, they have actively tried to deprive governments of profit e.g. the government of Ethiopia— the birthplace of coffee—could have provided an extra $88 million (USD) per year to the coffee farmers.
All of this information piled up in one place does pose the question: What should I do to ethically live out my aesthetic fall coffee shop dreams? The answer is quite simple: just your research! The information that coffee shop chains have unethical principles at their core—they're called "chains" for a reason—is in no way near revolutionary. Howeverbeing reminded that certain chains are boycotted not because of “cancel-culture” but because of how their actions and decisions actively affect people’s lives can certainly be useful. There shouldn’t have to be a lawsuit for one to choose a small family-owned coffee shop over a multi million dollar coffeehouse chain. And while there are certain arguments against local coffee shops, such as them not serving iced coffees or having very limited seating, this could be seen as an opportunity to engage with the owners and introduce ideas they could consider implementing.
So, the next time you’re in search of a great meet up or study spot, try to discover new places and take the risk of possibly not drinking the best coffee of your life. After all, what Anthony Giddens said is more often than not true. Therefore, take your time and get to know the century old stories of your coffee, the coffee shop owners and the farmers who had to give up many things to be able to source it.