Running on coffee: Paradox persistence in the US coffee industry, 1910–2020

Organisations, industries, and societies often grapple with paradoxes – opposing and interrelated demands that persist over time. While questions of opposition and interrelation have received extensive scholarly attention, we know little about persistence, or why paradoxes resist closure and repeatedly resurface, regardless of how they are managed. Drawing on a qualitative historical analysis of the US coffee industry from the 1910s to the 2020s, we explore the temporal intricacies of paradox persistence through the ongoing tension between the industry’s idealism and pragmatism. We identify three mechanisms – ­catalysing contextual events, pole sedimentation, and ongoing attempts at balancing – that intertwine paradoxical concerns with history and characterise paradox persistence as both continuity and change over time. Our study contributes to paradox theory and business history by emphasising the significance of history and meaning evolution for paradox persistence, as well as the elusive nature of balancing processes.