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A weekly coffee industry roundup reports that Los Angeles-based Go Get Em Tiger plans to roast a growing share of its coffee in producing countries, while Brazilian authorities rescued 53 coffee workers during an August enforcement operation. The roundup also covers record auction bids, a tentative union contract, company expansions and new retail programs.
A Sept. 25 coffee industry roundup reported that Los Angeles company Go Get Em Tiger plans to roast more coffee in the countries where it is grown, while Brazilian authorities rescued 53 coffee workers from conditions legally defined as analogous to slavery during an August enforcement operation. The developments span two distinct concerns for the coffee sector: where value is added along the supply chain and the conditions faced by some workers producing coffee.
Go Get Em Tiger’s “Roasted at Origin” program will have select coffees roasted in their countries of origin, using profiles developed collaboratively, according to Daily Coffee News. The company’s homepage says it plans to move 20% of its roasting to producing countries by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2027. The report does not identify the countries or coffees involved in the initial program.
Brazil’s Ministry of Labor and Employment said 479 people were rescued nationwide during the August operation. Coffee cultivation had the second-highest number of rescued workers among individual sectors, behind construction. The report says authorities rescued 214 coffee workers from slavery-like conditions in 2024. It does not specify how many of the 53 workers were employed on particular farms or provide further details about their cases.
Other business and labor developments in the roundup included a tentative first contract between Verve Coffee Roasters and workers at numerous cafes in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California, according to UFCW Local 5. The union said the proposed agreement includes wage progression, scheduling guarantees, a path to full-time work and a requirement that people make final employment decisions involving AI systems. The report also said Starbucks chose Chennai, India, for a global technology hub; Reuters reported its initial phase could create about 800 jobs.
Roasting Plans and Worker Protections
The two lead developments point to different pressures across coffee’s supply chain. Origin roasting could shift some processing closer to farms and producing communities. Go Get Em Tiger has stated targets for moving a portion of its roasting, but the roundup does not detail how the program will affect producer income, local employment, prices or the company’s overall costs.
The Brazilian rescue figures put labor conditions in coffee production in view. The 53 workers rescued in August are part of a nationwide total of 479 people, and the ministry’s sector ranking places coffee cultivation behind construction by number of rescued workers. Those figures describe people identified in an enforcement operation; they do not establish the prevalence of abusive conditions across Brazil’s coffee industry. The separate 2024 figure offers a prior reference point, but the report does not provide a matching explanation of enforcement scope or methods for the two years.
For workers and consumers, the roundup also shows how labor questions extend beyond farms. The Verve agreement remains tentative, and its reported terms concern cafe scheduling, pay progression and the use of AI in employment decisions. Those provisions could matter to workers if ratified, but the report does not say when a vote or final contract will occur.
Coffee Industry Developments This Week
The roundup, published by Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine, gathers multiple developments rather than reporting a single company or government announcement. Alongside the origin-roasting plan and Brazilian labor enforcement, it reports three specialty coffee auctions on the M-Cultivo platform. Alo Coffee’s Echoes of the Peak auction drew 6,457 bids and reached $1,739 per kilogram. A coffee associated with Testi Specialty Coffee founder Faysel Abdosh sold for $2,376.50 per kilogram, while a Gesha lot from Bolivia’s Finca Takesi received a winning bid of $3,100 per kilogram, organizers told the publication. These are auction prices for specific lots, not general market prices.
Several companies also reported changes to operations and customer programs. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii moved its headquarters from Denver to Lexington, Kentucky, opened an East Coast distribution center and promoted Tom Wylie to president. The company said the steps support franchise growth; it had 48 locations, according to the roundup. Lavazza launched My Lavazza, its first U.S. loyalty program, awarding one “Bean” per dollar on eligible purchases online and through participating retailers. ARKO said it had refreshed coffee service with its Coffee Creations customization program across more than 1,000 stores.
The roundup also notes Mexico’s expansion of direct-to-consumer sales channels for small-scale agricultural producers, including coffee farmers, complementing the Café Bienestar program. Germany-based SEB Professional Beverage named William Yates commercial senior vice president, overseeing commercial and service functions for several equipment brands. These items provide industry context, but the publication did not present them as directly connected to the two lead developments.
““Roasted at Origin””
— Go Get Em Tiger, as described by Daily Coffee News
Program Scope and Case Details
The roundup does not name the producing countries where Go Get Em Tiger will begin roasting, explain how the collaborative roast profiles will be developed, or say how progress against the company’s 2026 and 2027 targets will be measured. It also does not describe the expected effect on farmers, local workers or coffee prices.
For Brazil, the report gives the number of coffee workers rescued but not their identities, locations, employers or the legal and support processes that followed. The ministry’s figures concern one enforcement operation, and the information provided does not establish whether the 2026 and 2024 counts were gathered under directly comparable conditions. The Verve agreement is tentative; its final terms and status are not reported.
Targets, Ratification and Follow-Up
Go Get Em Tiger’s stated milestones are 20% of roasting in producing countries by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2027. The roundup does not give dates for the first origin-roasted coffees or specify when the company will report progress. For Verve workers, the next step is to learn whether the tentative agreement is ratified and when its terms would take effect; no schedule was provided.
Further details from Brazilian authorities could clarify the circumstances of the rescued workers and the results of the August operation. The roundup does not identify a publication date for additional information. The auction, company and retail developments remain separate items, with no follow-up milestones specified in the report.
Key Questions
What does Go Get Em Tiger mean by “Roasted at Origin”?
The company plans to have selected coffees roasted in the countries where they were grown, using roast profiles developed collaboratively. The roundup does not name the countries or initial coffees.
How many coffee workers did Brazilian authorities rescue?
Authorities rescued 53 coffee workers during an August nationwide operation, according to the roundup. The Ministry of Labor and Employment reported 479 people rescued across all sectors.
What did the Verve Coffee tentative contract include?
UFCW Local 5 said the proposed first contract includes wage progression, scheduling guarantees, a path to full-time work and a provision that final employment decisions involving AI systems be made by people. The deal is tentative.
What were the highest coffee auction bids in the roundup?
A Gesha lot from Bolivia’s Finca Takesi received a $3,100-per-kilogram winning bid, according to organizers cited by Daily Coffee News. The other reported auction prices applied to specific lots and should not be read as general coffee prices.
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