No, it’s not a sign that coffee aficionados have invented an even more exclusive beverage with ever more pretentious ingredients. It is a clever comparison highlighting the conflict in Yemen which is pushing the price of food beyond the reach of most people.

Sparked as a result of the Arab uprisings in 2011 – the UN has described the ongoing conflict as “world’s worst” humanitarian crisis. Imperial War Museum North is promoting the UK’s first exhibition to address the issues –Yemen: Inside the Crisis with advertising on branded coffee cups.

In Yemen, a staggering 80% of the country’s men, women and children are starving and in desperate need of assistance. IWM North have invested in powerful messaging using crazy prices on branded coffee cups distributed in Coffee Shops across Manchester to draw attention to the critical situation people in Yemen are experiencing.

The exhibit runs up to January 2020 and showcases objects and photographs exclusively sourced from Yemen. The content explores how the fighting has tipped an already fragile nation into an economic tailspin, whilst also examining the role Britain’s complex relationship with Yemen in its control of Aden in the 19th and 20th centuries, to the paradoxical role it plays today.

With Coffee Shops at the heart of everyday conversation it makes perfect sense that IWM North would use this as a platform to drive awareness and get Britons talking about a truly critical global issue.