Vietnam Proves an Instant Coffee Attraction
Following a number of major investments in the production of instant coffee, the Vietnamese coffee industry appears to have been suitably stirred up, according to a local newspaper.
Earlier in September 2010, a CCL Products Group affiliate and one of India’s largest coffee processing businesses, Ngon Coffee Company Limited, started the development of its new plant in the province of Dak Dak, situated within the country’s Central Highland region. The move marks the province’s first foreign investments in the area’s instant coffee processing and is expected to source all raw materials locally. The project is valued at US$18 million and is expected to cover 24 hectares of land once complete. …continue reading Vietnam Proves an Instant Coffee Attraction
New Ground for Biofuel Development
With respect to weight, a reported 16 billion pounds of coffee are produced every year, with the elements used to brew cups of coffee barely scratching the surface in terms of the beans’ potential.
A significant proportion of used coffee grounds end up in landfills and are seldom considered for their alternative uses, other than being a possible fertiliser for the garden.
According to industry comment, following the announcement in 2008 by the American Chemical Society, this could change. As reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, coffee grounds are an economically-attractive source of biofuel that should be harnessed.
At present, less than 2 per cent of the world’s consumption of fuel for vehicular purposes is derived from biofuel. Used as a resource, it could prove less expensive to produce biofuels from used coffee grounds, as opposed to raw plant material sources, as it would otherwise be considered a waste product, with the expenses of growing a crop to solely create biofuel subsequently irrelevant.
Producing a cup of coffee dissolves just a small amount of the coffee bean in water, with the remaining oils needing to be extracted through the use of chemical solvents. The resulting product is an alcohol that meets the required standards for industries’ commercial usage.
It is thought that waste coffee grounds have the potential to considerable increase the dependence on biofuels. Currently only 0.5 per cent of the 40 billion gallons of diesel fuel guzzled up for transportation purposes is sourced from biofuels but their capacity is said to be in the region of 200-350 million gallons a year on a worldwide scale.
More Allure for Malaysian White Coffee
In the race amongst coffee producers across the globe to introduce innovative and fashionable new drinks, Ipoh, the Malaysian capital city of Perak, joins the pursuit for the next big thing within the world of coffee.
Local residents of the capital have created their own brand of coffee, an aptly-named White Coffee, the pure and intense aroma of which have been luring many people to the city.
Ho Seong Hoey, the producer of the new white coffee, said that its taste is multi-faceted, with many distinctly different layers. Usually combined with condensed milk to give it a smooth mouthfeel, the coffee is also thick and aromatic.
Seong Hoey is the managing director of a coffee outlet called Home’s Cafe, which is apparently one of the longest-standing white coffee specialists in Ipoh with nearly 50 years experience within the industry.
Building on the success its white coffee has generated in its home market, the company has started producing instant white coffee to cater for numerous export markets. Home’s Cafe has chosen to concentrate on soluble coffee for its external clients due to its longer, two year shelf-life. Exporting to markets such as the US can take up to two months, so a product’s longevity is of considerable importance in giving enough of a timeframe for consumers to enjoy the coffee.
In other coffee news, Tanzania has been chosen to host the 8th African Fine Coffee Conference, to be attended by international traders, roasting companies as well as industry professionals and experts. Facilitated by the Eastern African Fine Coffees Association, the event will take place on 17-19 February 2011.
Photo by: Nguyễn Thành Lam
Coffee Board Suggests Changes in Replanting Support
Agricultural commodity growing enterprises active in India’s coffee industry may soon be able to benefit from replanting subsidies, if a proposal by the country’s Coffee Board is favourably considered.
The board’s proposition, which suggests that corporates as well as cooperatives may be suitable for subsidy, reportedly only puts forward two different tiers of financial support, these being based on the amount of land concerned.
This proposal of only a pair of replanting subsidy options is apparently against the current system, since there are usually three tranches involved. A two tier programme is more typical of the tea industry, where corporate enterprises are also eligible to receive financial assistance.
The proposed norms advise that replanting subsidies of up to 50 per cent of the unit cost should be available to those owning 10 hectares of land or less, with 25 per cent of the unit cost the suggested amount for landowners with over 10 hectares. This will remove the distinction between those with less than two hectares and those with between two and 10 hectares of land. Having until now been excluded from any subsidy, corporates and cooperatives are most likely to fall into the over 10 hectare categorisation.
In terms of subsidies currently available, these allow for financial support in cases where Arabica and Robusta coffee plants have been around for 30 and 40 years respectively. Discussion has arisen around the varying unit costs between estates, with a call for these to be increased.
Macmillan ‘App’lies Free Technology to Help People Find the Coffee
In a world where communication is increasingly influenced by technology, Macmillan Cancer Support has introduced a free iPhone app to help people locate their nearest and best cup of coffee.
Embarking with over 900 cafés and coffee shops that have been reviewed and rated across the country, the user-friendly application is designed to encourage people to meet up with friends, all part of its World’s Biggest Coffee Morning campaign on 24 September, when friends will be getting together to raise money for those individuals and families affected by cancer.
Key features of the new app for iPhone users are mug ratings for coffee outlets and the ability to upload photos of the venue, the coffee and pastries and to post comments about them. Equipped with clever filters, the app allows people to find the type of café that suits them best, be it one with gallery spaces, alfresco dining, wifi access and organic produce. Also, incorporating a map of the UK, users can quickly locate their chosen coffee shop.
Commenting on the development, Noel Lyon,s of award-winning, London-based design agency KentLyons, said, “We wanted to come up with an interesting and fun tool for users which also helps Macmillan to spread their message while making it easy for people to donate and take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.” Alternatively, there is the option of donating £3, the cost of a cup of coffee, to Macmillan by texting “cafe” to 70123.
Baked with a Kick
In Iowa, US, a fledging bakery, A Snack in the Face, has introduced what it suggests is the next best ‘alternative energy’ to fuel consumers across the country.
In the form of chocolate brownies, the magic ingredient of Allison Nelson’s business is pharmaceutical-grade caffeine, with 200mg in each of the bakery’s 10cm-long treats.
Positioned as the country’s first so-called ‘caffeine bakery,’ which also produces caffeinated cookies and truffles in addition to its flagship brownies, A Snack in the Face has already been in operation for a year and is planning to expand to a larger facility to supply convenience stores in Iowa and nationwide.
The US energy drinks market is big business, with manufacturers continually looking for innovative ways to meet consumers’ energy needs – hence the birth of the energy shots market and the increasing availability of these derivatives, such as energy strips, sprays and confectionery.
Caffeinated bakery is an interesting departure from the norms to date and could well set a precedent for further developments along the same of similar caffeine-fuelled lines.
Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, runners of next weekend’s 32nd annual Great Race, set to be the largest yet, could well be in need of such energy boosting offerings.
With pasta a well-known pre-race fuel for athletes, Runner’s World magazine editor, Joanna Golub, who keeps up to date with the latest in sports nutrition, has spoken of the benefits of coffee. “There is a huge body of evidence that shows that coffee enhances athletic performance,” she said.
Furthermore, combining caffeine with carbohydrates can apparently also help post-run recovery, thanks to caffeine’s accelerating effect on glycogen absorption.
Gustavus Gives Green Light to ‘Green’ Coffee
Turning green, although not in the colour of the coffee beans it uses, educational establishment café venue, Gustavus Market Place, will this year be serving eco-responsibly sourced coffee to its visitors.
It’s set to produce its brews with Tiny Footprint Coffee, which is roasted by the Minneapolis-based business, Roastery 7, an artisan coffee bean supplier to the worldwide wholesale market. Gustavus represents the first college or university to enter into a business agreement with the sustainable coffee brand.
Tiny Footprint Coffee is marketed as the first carbon-negative offering of its kind, with an average carbon to coffee ratio of 4:1. For every pound in weight of its coffee that is purchased by businesses or educational establishments, the environmentally-conscious brand contributes financial support towards the planting of carbon-hungry trees, that can draw up to 54 pounds from the environment, as well as helping to reclaim sections of Ecuadorian Cloudforest that were lost to deforestation many years ago. In terms of coffee types, Tiny Footprint Coffee uses the Arabica variety of bean.
In other colourful coffee news, the new Bodum bistro coffee grinder claims to add colour to the kitchen, but without the clutter, thanks to the cleanly-designed product’s cord being stored within the machine base. Available in green, red, black or orange colour variants, the latest coffee bean grinder is equipped with stainless steel blades and a transparent lid to produce the perfect granularity, be it of coffee beans, as per its primary purpose, or of spices – an additional suggested usage for the unit.
New York Women Attracted by Coffee Aroma
It is a known fact that scent plays an important role in the science of attraction.
According to a survey commissioned by male grooming product manufacturer, AXE, designed to identify what scents most attract women, it appears that this can vary by geographical location.
In New York, females are apparently most attracted to male dates if they sense a coffee aroma, which, being as the city is the nation’s top city for singles, AXE advises men to use to their advantage.
Decoding what scents lure women elsewhere across the US, the survey, compiled by Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, revealed that the scent of lavender quickened pulses in Los Angeles, whilst the smell of burning campfires made temperatures rise for women in Dallas. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, males stand more chance of attracting the other sex with an aroma of clean laundry, with vanilla essence sending women into a spin ubiquitously.
Meanwhile outside of the big apple, an industrial engineer has launched an additional pair of small independent coffee outlets, with the aim of providing his clientele with genuinely freshly brewed coffee they should be able to expect.
In pursuit of his goal for ultimate freshness, the former engineer put his previous experience to good use. From humble beginnings in his basement workshop in 2003, where he experimented with old vacuum cleaner parts, Mike Caswell created what has been officially named the Javabot and is patented worldwide.
Once Javabot was ready for public consumption, Caswell opened Roasting Plant in Manhattan in 2007 and has since seen his business grow from strength to strength.
Uncovering Benefits the of Shade-grown Coffee
Several decades ago, the vast majority of coffee was grown under shady conditions. These days though, many coffee farmers have abandoned such cultivation methods, in preference for so-called ‘clear-cutting.’
Clearing trees and allowing sunlight to reach coffee plantations may result in higher yields, but the environmental impact is not to be ignored. That said, while the eco properties of coffee cultivated in shadier surroundings are undeniably greater, taste is also of paramount importance to the worldwide coffee drinking business.
In a broadcast discussion, a University of California researcher, Shalene Jha, who is investigating the superior green credentials of shade-grown coffee, met with Nick Cho of US coffee house, Wrecking Ball Coffee, for a taste session.
Talking first about the benefits of supporting rainforest ecosystems, Jha communicated the importance of encouraging a diversity of bees so as to boost pollination. Such pollinators, according to the researcher, also help to promote the reproduction of native trees, rendering these habitats more easily reforested.
Other studies have apparently shown that birds and bats negate the need for pesticides and themselves perform a good pest control service within the coffee plant leaves. Furthermore, in unfortunate cases of any sort of epidemic or damage, shadier coffee growing conditions mean that forest fragments may well remain where areas that might have otherwise been lost are quickly recolonised.
Meanwhile in terms of taste, it seems that shade-grown coffee may leave a slightly sweeter impression, a somewhat caramelised aftertaste, according to the discussion host, which, although linked to the art of roasting, means that the greater sugar content would have been there in the first place.
Rivals Put Up United Front in Quest for Eco Coffee Cup
Three US coffee competitors have shelved their rivalry and joined forces in search of the greater good – an environmentally-sustainable coffee cup.
Whilst celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a coffee cup summit, part hosted by the Society for Organizational Learning, made it resoundingly clear that the situation is a “lot more complicated than people think” and that there really is no alternative other than getting such companies to work together on achieving such a challenging goal.
Reaching a sustainable coffee cup solution that meets cost, performance and environmental requirements is a tricky business, with many half measures such as wax-coated cups not actually being recyclable and eco-friendly foam alternatives not making the distance. Moving towards paper may not be the answer either, according to industry sceptics, with the coffee giants’ joint initiative to encourage paper mills undertaking the recycling of coffee cups to produce quality boxes from the reused material, viewed as a better solution.
Temperatures are also rising elsewhere amidst preparations for the world’s biggest coffee morning on Friday 24 September, a charity move in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Aiming to raise £8.3 million overall from the day, the research and support services organisation is hoping to generate £169,000 from an event at historic Cheslyn Gardens in Hertfordshire, the latest news surrounding the cause’s most significant fundraising effort to date. An honorary freeman of the borough of Watford, Mavis Trywhitt, has arranged the occasion, which will take place at the Nascot Wood Road gardens from 10am to 12pm.