Alejandro Cadena from Caravela Coffee on the Podcast | Week 41, 2025
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Alejandro Cadena - co-founder of Caravela Coffee
This week on The Daily Coffee Pro by Map It Forward, Alejandro Cadena - CEO and co-founder of Caravela Coffee, a leading specialty exporter in Latin America and importer into consuming regions - joins us to dissect how 2025 has become the most challenging year in a decade for coffee. From geopolitics and tariffs to financing lines, margin calls, and the squeeze on the middle market, Alejandro offers an operator’s view of what’s real, what’s noise, and how to plan for the next 18 months.
Why watch
A clear operator’s read on 2025 volatility (weather, stocks, geopolitics, tariffs)
Practical pricing & financing insights (inventory funding, margin calls, contract design)
How roasters and traders are repositioning: niche focus vs. the “middle squeeze”
A grounded outlook for demand, Brazil’s weather risk, and simplifying operations
Episode guide:
1. 2025 in Coffee So Far - https://youtu.be/KDm2BwmiRKA Why 2025 is a reckoning year: who’s exposed, who’s adapting, and where geopolitics is biting.
2. Volatility, Markets, and Coffee Dynamics - https://youtu.be/j0-alZQRyFE Drivers of the swings (Brazil weather, certified stocks, trade conflicts) and strategic shifts.
3. Coffee Pricing and Financing - https://youtu.be/Qo88IggKf9A How importers finance roaster inventories, navigating margin calls, and specialty vs. commercial pricing.
4. Reassessing the Value Proposition of Coffee - https://youtu.be/70qH5iyzgG4 What “value” means now, from brand moves to regen claims, and where operators should refocus.
5. The Next 18 Months in Coffee - https://youtu.be/C3Wg5fHDNbk Scenarios for 2026: Brazil risk, high-price persistence, simplifying ops, and geopolitical overhangs.
Watch/Listen
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