Voicing the supply chain

Abstract

The specialty coffee industry emphasizes the importance of personal relationships that span disparate levels of the supply chain and production models that focus on the wellbeing of coffee producers. This emphasis presents specialty coffee as a socially progressive form of consumption that is often represented as superior to mass-produced coffee. Discourses that emphasize relationships between baristas and professionals at other levels of the supply chain serve as a tool in marketing specialty coffee, with baristas serving as an interface between consumers and other levels of the supply chain. The somewhat recent elevation of baristas to professional status is due, in part, to the growth of barista competitions. This article takes barista competitions as a context for analysis, highlighting how baristas incorporate voices from across the supply chain into their competition performances. I argue that in voicing individuals from across the supply chain, baristas draw on the expertise and authority represented by coffee farmers and roasters to support the development of their own authentic professional persona. This article also shows that, by voicing the supply chain, baristas respond to consumer desires for more ethical forms of consumption through these narratives, providing the moral and emotional experience of coffee that consumers crave.