Coffee Meets Politics
In the run up to the US midterm elections, a latte-inspired reaction to the conservative Tea Party group has entered the political arena.
Capturing the attention of a huge following online, over 300,000 people are keeping up with the party’s actions via the online networking site, Facebook.
With the caffeine-fuelled tagline, ‘Wake Up and Stand Up,’ the movement is, as yet, a one man band in terms of its candidate representation. With Jeff Reed competing for a safe Republican seat in Missouri’s 9th district, the party has not achieved the same popularity as the Tea Party group, which supports 139 candidates in the House of Representatives on the back of an ‘anti-big government’ feeling. Reed nevertheless remains assured by his substantial Facebook following.
A documentary producer from the outskirts of Washington, Annabel Park, launched the idea for the Coffee Party earlier this year as a result of being tired by the Tea Party and its ways of trying to implement change. Unlike this strong anti-Washington tone, the Coffee Party is positioned with a softer approach, appreciative of the fact that the “the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will.”
Park also added that she wants to raise civility as well as inclusiveness in debates of a political nature, with hopes among the party’s followers that it will one day carry a lot more weight in politics, although as advocate Gregg Reynolds, 65, said, “I don’t see that happening in my lifetime.”
Coffee Education in Thailand
The Thai importer and distributor of a leading Italian coffee brand, Italasia Trading, has set up a ‘coffee university’ to help raise awareness of its premium offering in Thailand.
The company’s coffee culture manager, Roberto Morelli, said the Universita del caffe della Thailandia (UDC) forms part of its overall vision of bolstering the Italian coffee culture in the market.
The Italian firm has identified Thailand as having considerable potential within the area of coffee as the Asian economy rapidly recovers from the effects of the global economic downturn. The overall coffee market is reported to be valued at around 8 billion baht, or the equivalent of 300-400 tonnes of Arabica beans in volume terms, per annum.
The main aim of the UDC is to teach coffee lovers, including growers, professional baristas and interested individuals about each of the processes surrounding coffee preparation, from the initial planting of the bean through to creating the perfect cup of espresso.
The leading Italian producer has 20 coffee universities across the globe, with six of these positioned within Asia. As for the latest addition, it is expected that this will train in the region of 1,200 industry professionals over the course of the first year, with 10 million baht having been invested in training rooms and other facilities at the company’s existing Bangkok office.
The brand owner also hopes to attract a higher proportion of high-end consumers by introducing an additional full service outlet at the Siam Paragon next month, complementing the existing facility at Emporium.
Coffee Meets Specific Dietary Requirements
With significant potential in what is said to be an emerging market with millions of consumers to cater for, a new offering by the name of Puroast Low Acid Coffee is debuting with retailers and dieticians across the US.
And with the annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE), scheduled to take place in Boston on 6 November, the gourmet brand will be available for tasting by the country’s largest gathering of dieticians.
Company CEO, Kerry Sachs, claims that the premium coffee has half the level of acid of other brands and is a great-tasting solution for those coffee enthusiasts that currently suffer from heartburn or acid reflux after consuming their favourite brew. Supported by “validated research to confirm the low acid benefit,” Sachs feels that his company’s coffee is an entirely unique proposition.
Interest around reduced acid diets is said to be mounting amongst health professionals, with Puroast having undergone extensive consumer research and scientific investigation to prove its position in such consumer diets. Indeed the company is said to be the only one of its kind of have its results published in a dedicated food science journal. University of California PhD food scientist, Dr Taka Shibamoto, commented, “Our laboratory research shows other leading brands to have approximately three times more acid than Puroast.”
The low acid coffee brand is currently being rolled out at Walmart, Kroger, Hannaford Brothers, Publix and Kings and hopes to raise awareness of its low acid credentials at the upcoming FNCE, through blind sampling opportunities.
Exhibition Revisits the Creation of Coffee
Running until January 2011, The Birth of Coffee – a photographic exhibition exploring the economic and cultural impact of the universally enjoyed beverage on the countries that produce it – is being held at Los Angeles’ Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM).
The exhibition has been based on a book of the same name by Daniel Lorenzetti and Linda Rice Lorenzetti. Using what is said to be stunning black and white photography, the visual display covers four continents and eight countries, in the pair’s efforts to raise awareness of the long and difficult path that their favourite commodity has to travel from plant to cup.
Not only will the exhibition be a feast for millions of Americans’ eyes in terms of its photography, historic artefacts from the Yemen, Ethiopia, Colombia and numerous other coffee-growing nations will also be available to view, with plenty of coffee to whet visitors’ appetites and bring the story to life.
With 400 million cups reportedly served in the US alone each day, the impact coffee has on the world and on the nations that grow the product is not to be underestimated.
The Birth of Coffee, the book, also has black and white fine-art photography as its main content, with the pictures taken and reportedly colour enhanced with coffee itself, by Daniel Lorenzetti. Focusing on coffee growers across the world whose livelihoods depend on the commodity, the book’s text – organised by country and written by Linda Rice Lorenzetti – relates coffee’s importance to the history and society of its producers, caption by caption.
Coffee Enters Theatre World through Private Label Opportunity
Thanks to a partnership with Java Distribution, American filmmaker and visual artist, David Lynch, is to bring his private label organic coffee, David Lynch Signature Cup Coffees, to theatres, fans and other coffee enthusiasts across the country that are seeking good quality organic coffee.
The industry distributor represents Allegro Coffee Company, the firm that will be producing the coffee portfolio for Lynch, with the latest news following closely after Allegro Kenya Grand Cru was named as the leading Kenyan coffee, in last month’s issue of Consumer Report. Not only this, but the coffee has also been considered as the only ‘excellent’ Kenyan coffee available, according to reports.
Java Distribution handles the supply of Allegro Coffee Company’s products across the country, serving both corporate customers as well as individuals in search of speciality coffee for in-home delivery. A section of the online site where orders are placed, will now be dedicated to the David Lynch line of coffees.
Commenting on the quality of its service and the coffee it supplies, Holly McGee, joint owner of Java Distribution with her husband, said, “We’re fortunate to have a winning formula – serving the customer in a ‘small business way’ and representing a coffee line that consistently delivers.”
In terms of David Lynch’s own coffee brand, the filmmaker – an avid coffee drinker himself – is said to have taste-tested hundreds of coffees, before identifying those against which to put his name. After a long selection period, his portfolio comprises three premium variants: Organic Espresso, Organic House Roast and Organic Decaf French Roast.
Philippine Coffee Encapsulated
For what is said to be the first time during its availability so far, Philippine barako coffee can now be found in capsule form.
Launched in Makati, Manila, along with a German-owned cube coffee maker just last week, the convenient coffee format claims to produce the perfect cup of coffee, without the need for ground beans and strainers and so taps growing consumer demand for such convenient packaging formats.
For the recent sampling event, the coffee entrepreneur Pacita U Juan, reported that she had sent somewhere in the region of 10kg of roasted coffee beans from the province of Cavite to Germany, during the summer of last year, for processing into capsules.
“Filipinos have always sent roasted barako coffee beans abroad,” commented Juan. She added that ground coffee can lose its flavour in days, but promoted the barako coffee capsules’ ability to preserve freshness and flavour for at least a year.
“A coffee capsule gives a coffee-lover the same taste and the same high-quality coffee sold at expensive coffee shops at affordable prices,” commented the manufacturer of the German coffee machine using the barako capsules during the event.
The trend towards coffee capsules, ideal for espresso purposes, has been growing internationally for some time, but this marks the first occasion where they have become available in the Philippines. And Asia is said to have a fast-growing coffee industry, where the demand for high quality coffee is constantly increasing, with Japan, China and Korea in particular shifting from their tea-drinking history and tradition towards more coffee consumption.
Peruvian River Valley Coffee Wins National Competition
A coffee grown in the Apruimac river valley of Peru has won first prize in the country’s most prestigious coffee contest, VI Concurso Nacional de Cafés de Calidad, which seeks to promote coffee growing over the production of coca.
Called Café Tipica, the winning coffee is produced by Alfredo Yuccra, a member of a regional coffee co-operative local to the VRAE region. It was successful over a significant number of other entrants.
Organised by the National Coffee Board, the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID’s Alternative Development Program and the Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cacao Bean, coffees from 14 coffee-growing regions were entered into the contest. These amounted to almost 350 different samples being evaluated. Of these, 111 qualified for the national stage, which concluded with a judging panel, comprising five international and five national judges, evaluating the seasonal coffees for their acidity, aroma and body.
Last year’s winner of the same Peruvian competition, Wilson Sucaticona, went on to win the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) contest, where his coffee, Café Tunki, was named the world’s best.
Peru’s coffee export earnings amounted to almost US$600 million in 2009, with Germany the main destination for these exports. With over 1,500 square miles of coffee cultivated in the country, there are 3,513 coffee-growing families in the regions of San Martín, Huánuco and Ucayali participating in the USAID’s Alternative Development Program.
In terms of coca, the main growing regions are the Alto Huallaga, the Ene and Apurimac River Valleys (the VRAE area).
Cosying Up for Coffee in Finland
With the cold weather setting in, Finns – long-standing coffee drinkers – are cosying up for their favourite seasonal brew at the official start of a so-called ‘cosy season,’ according to a businessman and blogger visiting the country.
On initial impression, Finland may not appear the most obvious choice in terms of coffee culture, but an afternoon in Café Ekberg in the middle of Helsinki, is apparently enough to convince sceptical opinion.
Visiting the café late afternoon, its frequenters are a mix of male and female professionals starting to finish work for the day, students in skinny jeans and the occasional tourist. In terms of its décor, Café Ekberg has cane-backed chairs, table-tops of green marble and newspapers in wooden holders.
Finland, in the midst of a re-branding exercise that is due for imminent release, will reportedly soon see a refined mission and messaging both domestically and abroad. While much of the overhaul will focus on education and technology, ‘cosiness’ should be part of the country’s national identity, according to reporter comment.
With regards to Finland’s long-standing coffee tradition, Finns are amongst the biggest coffee consumers in the world, consuming some 12kg of coffee per person per year on average – double the amount of other Europeans.
Arriving in Finland in the early 18th century, coffee received a mixed reception, some regarding the beverage with suspicion and others welcoming it as a potential medicine. Coffee is now viewed as an integral part of Finnish culture. The fact that Finland is the only country in the world to have introduced a statutory coffee break, demonstrates its relationship with the drink.
Survey Reveals Stronger Addiction to Coffee Over Mobile Phones
Celebrating National Coffee Day on 29 September, US-based Filterfresh Coffee Service released the results of its survey into coffee habits across the country.
Published in the 2010 Filterfresh Coffee Report, the findings showed that over half of respondents would prefer to part with their mobile phone than forego their daily cup of coffee.
The caffeine-rich commodity reportedly forms an important part of people’s everyday lives, with the vast majority (90 per cent) of survey participants drinking coffee in the morning and just under a third (30 per cent) admitting that they would not meet with their boss without being suitably fuelled with coffee. This is perhaps down to the fact that almost three quarters (72 per cent) of respondents are of the opinion that coffee helps their concentration.
The results of Filterfresh Coffee’s study also reveal that coffee plays an important role in the workplace on a social level, with 72 per cent of individuals drinking their coffee with colleagues and 69 per cent saying they would make another pot of coffee if they poured themselves the last cup.
The only downside highlighted was the effect of coffee on the breath. However 68 per cent of respondents said they would not pass any comment if they noticed a colleague had coffee-breath, whilst 32 per cent said they would let the person in question know.
Ninety-five per cent of survey participants said that they used coffee as their main source of caffeine over tea, soft drinks and energy drinks, with well over half of individuals consuming two to three cups of the elixir daily.
Photo by: dichohecho
Middle East Event Boosts Coffee Skills
Taken place over the last few days, 12-14 October, The Middle East Coffee & Tea Convention is the only targeted trade event for the Arab world’s tea and coffee industry.
During the convention, a programme of educational seminars and skill-building workshops focused on those issues that are most pertinent to tea and coffee as a commodity, a profession and a business.
Arranged by the International Conferences & Exhibitions and the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the event hosted, for the second year running, the 2010 UAE Barista Championship, where a reported 22 coffee professionals battled it out for the winning title.
The winner was Raja Muthusamy of Raw Coffee Company who will now move onto the World Barista Championships held in Bogata 2011.
The convention “promises to be a deeply enriching, informative and meaningful experience for all participants,” commented Anselm Godinho, managing director for the International Conference and Exhibitions. For those wishing to pursue a career or business in the tea and coffee sector, The Middle East Coffee & Tea Convention was a definitive venue for expanding knowledge, expertise and contacts.
The educational seminars covered general industry trends, coffee shop trends, tea-inspired culinary ideas and branding advice, as well as broaching matters relating to setting up a café, developing staff and tips to create unique value propositions for roasters.
Meanwhile the skill-building workshops allowed individuals the opportunity to connect with others in the industry and cover areas such as an introduction to customer service and profile craft roasting, a series on espresso production and comparative cupping.