Re:co 2023 Recap
Sketching the Landscape: Driving Forces and Concepts
In order to map new, possible futures, we must first build a shared awareness of the cultural forces at play which will likely shape our journey ahead. Like the air we breathe, these concepts exist all around us, but we often take them for granted–and sometimes forget to take them into account when we’re trying to decide which path to take. In this session, we’ll deep-dive into some of the key concepts–uncertainty, value, and generational shifts–that have driven so much of our collective decision making over the past few years, and which seem poised to continue to play an active role in the years to come.
Drawing the Detail: Coffee Consumers and Communities
Once we have a sense of the overall terrain, we will begin to hone in on the details of what these concepts mean for specialty coffee, right now. Who will come on this journey with us? In this session, we’ll explore connections between consumers and community, attributes and identities. If we are no longer focused on a “singular” narrative of what specialty is–or could be–what range of experiences is currently being valued? By examining case studies, contextualized with market research, this session will help us to create a map of possibilities we’ll draw from later in the day.
Emerging Intersections: Questions of Intrinsic Identity
In the face of climate change and advances in technology, we’ve seen increasing interest in coffee’s many species and varieties as well as “bean-less,” “cultured,” and “molecular” coffee, all of which continue to prompt questions about authenticity and adulteration in green coffee. As new possible paths emerge along our journey, how can we decide which road we’d like to take when it comes to how we define and think about a coffee’s intrinsic attributes?
Developing Destinations: Extrinsic Possibilities
There’s no doubt of the increasing importance and recognition of extrinsic attributes as key drivers for a coffee’s value, but with such a wide variety of possibilities and an unknowable future, narrowing our focus–or even choosing an ideal destination–can feel daunting. In this session, we’ll explore substantial change taking place in the retail sector as an increasingly diverse audience seeks “unique-to-me” and “fair” products. What opportunities do these changes offer us as we seek to plan the route ahead?