Lecture on Coffee / Interculturality

Service Description

The History of Coffee and Cross-Cultural Communication Rasmus gives lectures on cross-cultural communication and how cultural differences affect business and communication practices, especially in countries like Kenya. In one of his lectures, he focused on the coffee industry and how understanding cultural nuances can make a big difference in the collaboration between Western companies and Kenyan coffee producers. Kenya is world-famous for its coffee, but the country's coffee industry is also very much influenced by local traditions and norms. Rasmus highlights how cross-cultural communication plays a central role in understanding both the subtle and obvious differences in how one conducts business, participates in negotiations and interacts with local actors. In Kenya, relationships and trust are fundamental, and it often takes time to build solid collaboration. Here, Rasmus emphasizes how Western business people can translate their own communication norms directly to the Kenyan context and thus risk misunderstanding or underestimating the importance that politeness, respect and indirect communication have in Kenya. At the same time, he points out that coffee is not just a product, but also part of Kenyan culture. It is important to understand the social and historical layers that surround coffee production – from the small coffee plantations that many local families run, to the global markets that demand the unique Kenyan coffee. The presentations include concrete examples of how differences in communication can lead to misunderstandings, but also how cultural understanding can create more effective collaborations and sustainable business relationships.