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When we began thinking about how we would approach this assignment, we wanted to address an issue that we felt would be relatable but also touch on the greater systemic issues in agriculture and consumption. Looking at both of our stories, our most obvious overlap was coffee consumption (as for many students), and we felt this little bean could be the catalyst for the conversations we wanted to inspire. 

 

How can something as “basic” as a cup of coffee be investigated, evaluated and translated to a story that could better inform the average consumer the next time they purchase and take a sip of their morning motivation? 

 

The obvious issues arise when we think about the farming of a prized but rather low valued tiny red fruit grown in tropical areas by typically low-income and marginalized populations: unfair wages, unsafe working conditions, lack of benefits and worker’s rights, child labour, decimation of ecosystems for agriculture and transportation routes, water contamination, etc. The reality is that this list went on and on when we started system mapping – and that was just a nested map! There were also the many issues that arise with coffee consumption once it’s ready to be consumed: Multinational coffee chains and their respective social and ecological impacts, coffee pods and machines, production-chain transparency, import/export policies…yet another weighty list of issues. 

 

After beginning to investigate the issue of waste and production ethics, we came to a grinding halt at the midway point of our Tim Horton’s take down. This little bean so many of us depend on for a little pep, warmth, comfort, is as problematic as crude oil or palm oil. We couldn’t wrap our heads around how we could attack one of these issues, let alone propose that our data story would offer a leverage point for consumers to make a more mindful decision. It seemed like we were on the path to writing a data story that would turn the readers off because, let’s be honest, no one wants to read a story about how they are failing the world and our global siblings in rural farming communities. 

 

We went back to the bean and discussed what might inspire a consumer to take action towards a better cup themselves? How could we interpret our cultural value of coffee and spin it so that our value goes beyond that of typical western coffee culture? To do this, we asked ourselves what are some things we think about when we think of coffee culture? 

 

We love that it wakes us up

 

It’s associated with being productive (and our distorted value of burn-out level work habits)

 

We reach for it for that mid-day pick up

 

We look forward to it on lazy weekend mornings

 

We look forward to sharing it with friends at a café 

 

We can sip it

 

We can chug litres of it 

 

We like supporting our local roasters and small cafes

 

We like the brand identities marketed by bigger name companies cough Tim Hortons Patriotism cough the making of NHL level hockey players cough

 

This little brainstorm illuminated three components: identity, timescales and value perception.

 

If we could create a data-story communicating the amount of effort, time and resources it took to produce that morning cup of black gold, perhaps we could create a narrative that allowed consumers to identify with producers and valued their work, influencing better consumption decisions that might adequately supported coffee farmers and the land on which they work. 

 

And like that our heavy-guilt trip of a story turned into a piece highlighting the work of farmers and a call to action for equity and ecological awareness!