Episode Details

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Episode Description

This is part 5 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest on the podcast for this series is Norbert Niederhauser, co-founder and Impact & Sustainability Officer at Cropster.

In this final episode, Lee and Norbert look ahead and ask what coffee might actually look like over the next 20 years.

Norbert is optimistic that coffee will still be here, but he expects the industry to change significantly. Climate pressure, shrinking suitable growing areas, new coffee varieties, changes in consumer behaviour, rising prices, technology, and different approaches to production will all shape what survives and what does not.

From an agricultural perspective, Norbert discusses the pressure climate change is placing on coffee production, particularly Arabica. As temperatures rise, suitable growing areas may shift to higher elevations, where there is naturally less available land. At the same time, work on more climate-resilient varieties may help protect quality and production in the years ahead.

The conversation also explores whether consumers may eventually drink less coffee but value it more. Norbert suggests that coffee could become a more deliberate experience rather than simply a caffeine delivery system, with consumers drinking fewer cups but being more willing to pay prices that support a sustainable supply chain.

Lee and Norbert then turn to the rapid growth of experimental processing and fermentation. Norbert is cautious about treating these techniques as a universal solution. While controlled fermentation can create value, it can also introduce significant risk when producers lack the equipment, knowledge, or buyer relationships needed to manage the process consistently.

They discuss why experimental processing may make more sense inside closely connected supply chains where roasters and producers share the risk, investment, product development, and responsibility for finding a market for the final coffee.

The conversation also questions the idea that the future of coffee will simply become “hyper-specialty.” Norbert warns against assuming that because a small number of consumers will pay extraordinary prices, the wider market will follow. Highly exclusive coffee may continue to exist, but it is unlikely to represent the majority of the industry.

Pricing is another major part of the discussion. Norbert argues that a sustainable future requires both higher prices for farmers and greater price stability. Rapid price swings make planning difficult across the supply chain, while continually pushing commodity prices lower fails to account for the environmental systems coffee production depends on.

Technology