Rémi Tremblay, President and CEO of Cafe William in Canada, shares his coffee industry predictions for 2025.
Our biggest focus this year will be the expansion of our sustainable series throughout Canada. Furthermore, we would like to develop a partnership with one or more United States retailers for the distribution of sail cargo and clean electric energy roasted coffee.
Coffee prices will continue to dominate conversation in the international coffee industry. The market price almost doubled in 2024 and increased 30 per cent in November. For roasters, higher prices are not a major concern, even if at some point it might affect consumption. Turbulences and instability are more of a concern, but this is something we do not control. The supply and demand, principally for coffee from Brazil, will dominate the market in the upcoming months. EUDR will also be an important topic.
In the long term, climate change and worldwide production will challenge the industry. Having higher prices will encourage producers and farmers to invest in more production, so higher prices are not all negatives – they might soften the impact of climate change in some ways. Increasing global production might compensate for regional climate-related events that affect crops. As for a lot of things, finding the right balance will be key. When I say the right balance, it’s between the origin prices, production, fair compensation of producers and workers, prices to end consumers, and a fair compensation for all stakeholders in the industry for the efforts and investment that are made and the related risks.
We have a wonderful – and necessary – industry. There is an enormous amount of work behind the morning cup that many of us enjoy. I wish that globally we keep on working and finding solutions to reduce the speed and impact of climate change and that we will find the right balance for all the industry stakeholders. I am a positive person, I believe in human goodness and creativity. We’ll find solutions and end up in a place where future generations will keep on enjoying coffee in a sustainable way.
This article was first published in the January/February 2025 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
