BOSS BARISTA

Home
Archive
About
We Should All Be Concerned—and Angry—About What’s Happening at Compass Coffee
The coffee chain allegedly packed its union vote with dozens of dubious new workers. While it’s been met with public outcry, that strategy remains a…
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
1
Coffee’s “Age of Average”
As we veer towards sameness, how can we reclaim variety in coffee—and protect the industry’s longevity in the process?
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
3
Blue Bottle Independent Union Takes On One of the World’s Largest Specialty Coffee Chains
Workers at Blue Bottle Coffee in Boston unionize and fight for worker protections and remind us that workers are the bedrock of any business.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
1
39:14
Sabrina Carpenter's 'Barista' Shift at Blank Street Was Weird
When celebrities pretend to do the work of 'normal people,' it just proves how out of touch they are.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
7

June 2024

Is Asking Consumers to Spend More on Coffee Just Trickle-Down Economics?
Most coffee farmers aren’t paid fairly—but as a new report shows, charging consumers more for coffee doesn’t address that baseline inequity. Here’s why.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
1
Coffee Beers And The People Who Hate Them
It's me. I'm people. And everything else we should stop putting coffee in.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez

May 2024

Innovation Is a Lie.
When “disruptors” present us with the same things we already know—wrapped in industry jargon and packaged as something new—we should be suspicious.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
4
Spending Truth to Power: The History and Impact of Consumer Boycotts (Part Two)
Consumer boycotts have become a widespread way of challenging food systems and corporations. But is their ubiquity limiting their impact?
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
1
The Right Not to Consume: The History and Impact of Consumer Boycotts (Part One)
Consumer boycotts have become a widespread way of challenging food systems and corporations. In this two-part series, I explore the boycott’s…
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
1

April 2024

Foxtrot Is Just Another Example of Careless Expansion
What VC money cannot replicate—and how a myopic desire to keep growing hurts people.
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
10

March 2024

February 2024

Is Coffee ... Good?
What does it mean for our coffee to be "moral"? And who's trying to convince you that their beans are better?
 • 
Ashley Rodriguez
7
© 2024 Boss Barista
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture