Kim Elena Ionescu closes out Day One of Re:co Symposium.

How do consumers navigate paradigm shifts across social, political, and environmental spheres? What can retailers do to support them in this tumultuous environment—and is it actually possible to build trust? Mel Bandler draws upon her experience as Sustainable Sourcing Manager at Bath & Body Works as well as her time working with grocery retailers to expand their responsible sourcing programs to propose a path forward.

We may be in an age of incredible technological advancements, but few of us are exploiting these opportunities. In this plenary talk, Miranda Caldwell shines a light on the power of mass customization and explores what each of the four types could look like in practice for the specialty coffee industry.

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?