New coffee table book featuring Lady Gaga
The world, it seems, can’t get enough of Lady Gaga. The American pop singer-songwriter has smashed many records and has a stellar career. She has recently collaborated with the photographer Terry Richardson. Her plans? To release a coffee table book, stuffed with 350 photographs of herself, in November 2011. The release date, of course, will tie in nicely with the Christmas market.
According to reports, the photographs are set to cause a stir and show another side of the popstar. The official book press release praise Richardson’s skills and he has apparently caught the ‘intimate, random, behind-the-scenes moments of Lady Gaga in both her professional and personal life’. The photos span a period of 10 months in the life of the famous popstar.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, shot to fame in 2008 with her debut album The Fame, with hits such as Just Dance and Poker Face, which made number one in six countries and also the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the US. She earned her spurs at the New York University’s Tisch School of Arts and during her early years with Interscope Records worked as a songwriter. Since The Fame, Lady Gaga has chart-topping singles from her second album, The Fame Monster (2009). Born this Way was released in 2011 to smash to the top of many charts and the title single was the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes. Lady Gaga has been recognised as one of the most influential people in the Time 100 list.
Good news for Indian coffee exports
The Coffee Board has recently published figures that will make those in the Indian coffee industry smile. Figures are up for June 2011 by a fairly significant amount. How much? Apparently, there has been an increase of nearly 55% – that equates to some 40,000 tonnes. In June 2010, the figure was just under 26,000 tonnes.
India has experienced a relatively strong worldwide demand, which accounts for the increase. The country’s main export markets are in countries such as Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Russia.
India is famous for its ‘mild coffees’, which are grown in the shade – in fact the country is one of the only ones in the world to grow coffee in this way. The result is that the coffee is relatively mild without too much acidity, but also possessing a full-bodied taste.
The cultivation method uses a two tier canopy to give the shade and there are almost 50 different types of ‘shade trees’ to be found on the various plantations. The purpose of the trees is to stop soil erosion on slops and also to recycle nutrients from deeper levels of the soil. Additionally, these trees are a form of protection for the coffee plants against temperature fluctuations and provide an ecosystem for various flora and fauna.
There are a variety of climates within India and plantations in these different areas produce different types of coffee. For example, coffee farms on high elevations produce Arabicas, whereas coffee grown in warm and humid climes tend to produce Robustas, a bean that prefers this atmosphere.
Coffee sunscreen protects skin.
The coffee culture is booming and has been highly recession-resistant. Here’s another reason why the humble coffee bean is earning a place close to our hearts. Scientists believe that sun tan cream that includes caffeine as one of its ingredients could help to protect individuals against common types of skin cancer. It may also produce a ‘bronzed glow’ to make skin seem extra- radiant and healthy.
Not only does the caffeine have protective qualities, but in addition, may be able to delay or reduce the onset of wrinkles. If this is indeed the case, coffee is something of a holy grail for the beauty industry.
Why have these claims come about? Scientists from the United States have been providing evidence that caffeine has properties that cause UV-damaged skin cells to die, leaving healthy skin cells undamaged. They carried out experiments using mice that were genetically modified to reduce production of ATR (a skin protein) and subjected to UV rays. Those animals with lower ATR levels took longer to contract skin cancers and the cancers they did develop had a lower likelihood of penetrating the skin.
The conclusion? The scientists suggested that ATR is needed to repair skin cells and if ATR levels are reduced in the body, damaged cells self-destruct. Apparently caffeine has a quality that reduces levels of ATR. A study was also carried out on over 93,000 women and the published results suggested that each cup of coffee they consumed each day reduced the chances of this skin cancer by 5%. Of course, scientists findings are not conclusive, but it all sounds rather good, doesn’t it?
New coffee flavoured protein drink introduced to market
The west coast of America is renowned for its healthy lifestyle and fitness fanatics. And Big Train, a Californian company with an innovative eye and a reputation for high quality beverage solutions, has come up with a new idea to give consumers a nutritious and tasty drink.
What is the new product? Fit Frappe™ has just been launched to the market and is a delicious drink that is packed full of goodness for the consumer. It is described as containing 20g of protein, less than 1g of sugar and 130 calories. The new frappe drink is designed to constitute a light meal or a snack. In addition to the low calorie value of the new product, the frappe has 19 vitamins and minerals too. And coffee-lovers will be pleased to hear that the drink comes in three different coffee flavours – vanilla latte, mocha and espresso – plus straight vanilla and chocolate.
Big Train is excited by their new product and the CEO has been quoted in the local press as explaining the background to the creation of Fit Frappe™. As many consumers look for something extra in their daily coffee beverage, the new drink is designed to give a healthy alternative to the usual lattes, cappuccinos and the like.
To support the new product, Big Train has decided to give some of their profits from the new frappe to Good Sports, an organisation which aims to boost youngsters’ involvement in sports and fitness.
American Consumer Reports checks out coffee preferences
Did you realise that almost $2.5 billion is spent by Americans on coffee on an annual basis? Staggering, isn’t it? And the UK also has a sizeable appetite for the stuff. Recently Consumer Reports did some research and published some of its findings on the US coffee habit.
What did they find out? They used a series of coffee experts to taste and evaluate twenty-three different types of coffee, in particular Columbian coffee and also celebrity brands. A Consumer Report spokesperson is quoted as explaining that all of the tasters follow specific rules in carrying out their assessment of the particular coffee brand. For example, all coffee-tasting is done with coffee without milk so that the flavour is more prominent. The tasters also keep their antennae up for bitter tastes of under-ripe beans.
The reports from this experiment flagged up two particular brands of Columbian coffee that they would recommend. What were they? Gloria Jean’s Columbian Supremo Medium Roast and also Newman’s Own Organics Columbian Especial Medium Roast. Why were they picked out in particular? Apparently, it is the nutty and fruity quality.
For those people who enjoy drinking African coffee, there were also tastings of products from that continent. Out of the four Ethiopian coffees, the Consumer Report team flagged up Caribou’s Ethiopia Finjal Organic Medium as being one to try.
For those who like to drink decaffeinated coffee, there were also a few recommendations. New England Coffee Decaffeinated Columbian is one which came out especially well in the tastings.
Cat lovers and coffee
Feline pets have long been a popular addition to many households in the United Kingdom and rumour has it that this is even more the case these days than in the past given that cats are so independent and well-suited to the busy modern life. The Cats Protection is the biggest feline charity to look out for the welfare of these four-legged friends and recently they have harnessed our love of caffeine to raise funds for their animal projects.
The plan? A coffee morning is to be held at the weekend at Pershore Town Hall, which is collaboration between two branches of the Cats Protection (Worcester and Evesham). Those who attend will be able to socialise, sip on a cup of coffee and perhaps nibble on a slice of homemade cake and also learn more about the feline issues in the area.
The charity has organised light-hearted quizzes and compares notes about cats and visitors can also purchase some of the charity’s merchandise. However there is a serious side to the event – there are many homeless cats (sadly, the figures rise each day) who need rehoming and adopting. If anyone is interested in taking on a new feline pet, it is worth noting that the Cats Protection deal with various medical matters before a cat is rehomed (which will save the pennies) – in particular, cats are neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
Cats Protection, which began in 1927, helps over 230,000 cats and kittens annually. There are more than 250 volunteer-run branches all over the country.
Photo: Dan4th
Business Community Support Officers help coffee shop fly
With the latest riots and talk of the ‘proper recession’ about to kick off, isn’t it heartening to hear about a coffee shop success story? If you are interested in a bit of good news, then read on… Katie Evans has taken advantage of the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce’s business initiative.
The scheme to help the community is based on the ‘Streetwalker’ business team used in Boston, in America and involves business community support officers throughout the Rotherham Borough. The idea is that they work on a one-to-one basis to give specialist and more generic support to businesses.
Evans launched her wholesale coffee business in April 2010 and thanks to the help of the business community support officers, her company is doing well thank you very much. Named Heavenly Coffee Company, the business has been successful in winning a raft of clients from many local areas including Newcastle and Grantham. Tellingly, after the initial year of business, Heavenly Coffee Company is also reaping rewards for its service by gaining more customers through referrals and word of mouth.
As such, Evans is on track to hit her growth targets and has been quoted as having every intention of following up with her winning formula of excellence and quality in products and service.
The Business Community Support Officers have a raft of skills and knowledge to share with businesses to help them, such as dealing with red tape, business survival in this tough market, improvement and growth, plus additional services such as recruitment, training and marketing and also financial planning too.
Hawaiian farmer stands up for coffee bean labelling rights
Did you know that Hawaii is the only area in the United States of America that grows its own coffee?
The Hawaiian farmers are very proud of their Kona coffee beans, grown on slopes of volcanic rock, which are renowned the world over and they will fight to preserve the reputation and brand of their coffee.
This was evidenced recently, as reported in the local press, when Hawaiian Paul Uster took on a supermarket chain that was not giving his country’s coffee beans their due, as required by law.
What happened? Uster was on holiday in California and noticed that the packaging of some Kona coffee was incorrect.
The coffee was marketed as the Kona blend as part of the Safeway brand. Now, most people would not realise that this is, in fact, in breach of the Aloha state laws which insist that Hawaiian-coffee must (a) be clear about the percentage of Kona coffee beans in a blend and (b) state whether it is grown in Hawaii.
These laws were created both as information for customers and also to preserve the reputation of the premier coffee bean.
The supermarket blend was just under $9 per pound in weight, but 8 ounces of pure Kona can fetch a stunning $25.
However, Uster who is himself a farmer and also a direct of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association realised immediately that the Hawaiian protocol had not been followed.
Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture became involved and a meeting has taken place between Safeway supermarkets and the farmers, who await to see how Safeway will deal in future with their labelling.
Migraine Awareness helped by coffee event
Do you suffer from migraines? Many of us do and they can be debilitating for sufferers. The Migraine Action programme helps those who are affected and is on the campaign trail to raise funds to facilitate their efforts. What is their strategy? Answer: to have a coffee morning, called the ‘Big Coffee Break’ during Migraine Awareness Week at the beginning of September.
The charity has been around for a long time – over half a century in fact – and wants to help those who are affected. It focuses on giving out information and help to those who need it – and there are quite a few migraine sufferers. Did you realise that published statistics indicate that one in seven people in the United Kingdom have migraines?
As Migraine Action is 53 years old, the target is to have the same number of Big Coffee Breaks to raise funds. Locals, business people and other organisations are all welcome to take part. The week in question is 4-10 September 2010.
What does Migraine Action propose to do with the funds? There are many ways that the charity helps people – there is a phone hotline for advice, training days to explain more about the illness, services of healthcare professionals are made available and employers can have assessments to help their employees. There are also information centres (online too) and the charity also funds research into the illness.
The Big Coffee Break scheme has been advertised locally online for the Ripley & Heanor area.
Success of the small coffee company
There is something rather lovely about hearing how an independent family run business outstrips the giants in the industry, isn’t there? On high streets all over the country, the local independent shop is becoming more and more of a dying breed – and this is one of the reasons why someone like ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ went to the trouble of creating a BBC series recently to help out ailing independents so that they could give the big high street players a run for their money.
A rather heart-warming example of a family run business that has done just that can be found in the independent coffee house, The Village Grind in Oswego, America.
It is no mean feat, that’s for sure. In the local press, the owner of the coffee house has confessed to working gruelling hours to keep the business in prim condition – he has been quoted as confirming he is on the job for 95-100 hours every week.
The Village Grind involves the whole family in the process – the Behrens run their business as a team effort and allocate the various jobs out to different family members, such as the book keeping, computer obligations, counter work and so on. And it seems to be a winning formula – the business has been running for a cool 15 years and is still going strong, notwithstanding the gloomy and challenging economic climate.
One of the reasons for the success of the company, according to quotes from the owner, is their emphasis on value for money and fresh products with something for everyone.