🎁 'Tis the season to support public service journalism Donate Now

Coca-Cola and Costa: Here’s why coffee is so … hot

Aug 31, 2018
Coca-Cola is the latest corporation to make a big bet on coffee. It’s planning to buy the United Kingdom’s biggest coffee chain, Costa, for $5.1 billion. It seems as if everyone wants a piece of the coffee action these days. European conglomerate JAB has picked up Peet’s, Caribou and  Stumptown. Nestle owns the high-end Blue […]

Coffee Bean speeds back to New York as retail real estate slows

Jun 26, 2018
New York or LA? Headlines in recent years have been all about people leaving the Big Apple in droves, heading for SoCal. But sometimes the flow does ebb. Witness the announcement today from LA-based Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It’s planning to open 100 new locations in New York City over the next decade. What’s […]

Employed, but still homeless

Jun 17, 2018
One formerly-homeless barista describes working while living out of her car.
"But no, I never thought I'd be here," said Charlene Long, a barista who was formerly homeless. "And here I am, knowing how to make cortados, espressos, macchiatos. I didn't even know what a macchiato was last year. You know, it's crazy." 
HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. tries to boost poor neighborhoods, again. Will it work this time?

Mar 26, 2018
Some experts refer to Opportunity Zones as "a zombie program, staggering on despite moribund results."
The one-time Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, has been turned into a seven-story research lab.
Marketplace

Why does a latte cost $4?

Dec 25, 2017
We dug into the costs and profits behind your delicious frothy drink.
It's not just coffee and milk. 
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Do you consider pizza a commodity?

Dec 8, 2016
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said pizza, unlike coffee, is a commodity. You guys weighed in.
MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on handing over the reins and creating the 'Willy Wonka' of coffee

Dec 8, 2016
Schultz joined us to talk about Starbucks' high-end coffee pursuits, the incoming CEO, and whether he wants to get involved in politics.
Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz speaks during the company's annual shareholders meeting last year in Seattle, Washington. 
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Get ready for a higher-end cup of coffee

Dec 2, 2016
Starbucks CEO will focus on a new gourmet brand after leaving his current position.
The interior of a Starbucks Reserve Roasting Room and Tasting Room.
Flickr

What’s next for Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz?

Dec 2, 2016
He’ll focus on the company’s fancy coffee pursuits.
Howard Schultz drinks a cup of coffee at the first Starbucks store in Chongqing, China back in 2006. 
China Photos/Getty Images

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz steps down

Dec 1, 2016
The coffee magnate will stay at Starbucks and focus on bigger-picture initiatives.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz speaks during during the Starbucks Annual Shareholders Meeting on March 23, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. 

 
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images