Resolutions for Irresolute Times – in Coffee and in Life

I was at a holiday party and someone I’d just met asked, “What do you do?”

Everyone has been asked this before. Many times, likely. Sometimes I say, “a lot,” to be smart. But even though what we do may extend well beyond what we do for a living, we all usually answer the same way:

“I’m a teacher.”

“I’m a lawyer.”

“I work in marketing.”

“I’m a coffee trader,” I was proud to say (yes, even in late 2025).

I enjoy what I do and don’t mind the question considering that what I do and what I do for a living are closely intertwined. There’s heavy overlap in the type of global news and media that interests me, in where I travel (for both business and pleasure), in whom I’m friends with and in the first thing on my mind every morning, of course. 

Apparently, though, the parallels extend into the future as well. Over the holidays, I wrote some personal and professional New Year's resolutions and couldn’t help but see the 'work-life balance' on display.

Resolution #1: Rebuild my routine. 

In life and in trading, consistency matters more than occasional brilliance. Small, repeatable moments with loved ones or simple daily decisions in the office – made with a similar framework – compound over time. Big swings or overtures can feel decisive, but they often introduce unnecessary risk, especially in volatile environments subject to geopolitical or climatic whim. I think everyone has the hand-to-mouth trading part down by now, but is that by necessity or by design? 

While I won’t be mistaken for a Navy Seal anytime soon (outside of my Luminox watch), there is truth in the idea that 'discipline equals freedom'. In 2026, I’m resolved to prioritize process over impulse, knowing that results emerge from routine, not grand revelation.

Resolution #2: Improve my diet. 

Garbage in, garbage out, so they say. And the easiest of morsels are typically those that lack substance and rot you, tooth and mind. A meal, just like a well-written market recap or well-researched long-form article shouldn't be easy to make or to consume, for that matter. We all find ourselves clicking on splashy headlines with intraday, narrative-fitting updates because they feel good and scratch the itch. But they’re mostly empty calories. 

In a marketplace as demanding as ours, it’s important to get back to the fundamental vitamins and minerals of true research and analysis and to think about the longer term, not the flavor of the day (or hour). In 2026 I resolve to do just that. 

Resolution #3: Catch up with technology, namely AI. 

Early obsolescence is a tale as old as time. What’s new is the speed at which it might happen. Whether it’s keeping up with personal finance or keeping up with your kids, if you’re not intent on tracking and training yourself in matters of new technology, you’ll quickly feel disconnected. 

When I started as a coffee trading intern 20 years ago, we were recording trades on carbon paper and sending confirmations via facsimile. Today we’re emailing PDFs and managing data in Excel. In five years (or less), the work we do in fundamental research, supplier/customer interface, quality control and supply chain management will be heavily influenced, if not independently managed, by AI tools and automated processes. Dedicating oneself to learning about them is a no-brainer. 

Resolution #4: Focus on relationships (of the non-virtual variety). 

Strengthening your local social fabric or your less-local professional one isn’t complicated, but isn’t easy either, especially with all the digital tools that surround us. They’ve given us more access and productivity, but what have they taken away? Every week my phone updates me on last week’s screen time. I won’t share that embarrassing number here, but I’ll tell you that I’m resolved to cut it in half. Less scrolling, more help with schoolwork. Less messaging, more calling. Less time in the comments section, more time in person. 

Coffee is, as we all say, a “relationship business”, but no important partnership has ever been built through WhatsApp alone. In 2026, I’ll spend more time on the phone, at the event and across the table, investing in the relationships that are the foundations of work and life.

And that’s it. Now here's the part where I tie all of this together and leave you feeling optimistic about life and coffee in 2026, as if this will be the year. 

Unfortunately, that’s not what the data says. As Pew Research explains, about a third of Americans make resolutions each year, mostly focused on health and wealth. Of that third, only 9–12% of them see them through the year. And of the 70% that don’t make resolutions? Most cite the fact that they’ll break them anyway as the reason they don’t bother in the first place. 

Perhaps I should consider 'Know thyself' as my one resolution and just forget trying with the others, but I like the exercise regardless. More than ever before, we need these reflective moments in a world that’s losing its structure, overflowing with empty slop and rapidly dehumanizing. Whether you’re trying to have a better year for yourself or for your coffee career, rebuilding some structure, reconsidering your intake, rededicating yourself to knowledge and refocusing on your true relationships is always a good plan. 

^{Jordan Hooper began his coffee career at the end of a two-year volunteer stint in Nicaragua. He’s always worked in the trade, starting in the cupping lab of a specialty importer prior to experience in trading and managing both commercial and specialty trading businesses. Jordan joined Sucafina in 2016 as Managing Director of Sucafina Americas and transitioned into his role as Head of Green Coffee Trading in January 2024.}