What did recent coffee survey tell us about our habits?
It doesn’t take long for an observer of popular Western culture to note the strong position of coffee in it. However, things have been analysed a little more methodically recently in a survey which has looked into the role of coffee in our lives.
As reported in Reuters recently, this survey was undertaken in light of the imminent National Coffee Day in America, by the Opinion Research Corporation International, on behalf of 7-Eleven.
Who was interviewed for the purposes of this study? Research was undertaken by telephone to over a thousand Americans to find out what they thought about coffee in their daily routines. Although America is acknowledged as a true coffee-nation, the role of the beverage is significant.
What was uncovered during the survey? A few interesting facts – for example, did you realise that 28% of coffee drinkers (and coffee drinkers, according to the survey make up two-thirds of Americans) have their initial cup of the day within quarter of an hour of waking up? And a staggering 40% of respondents, while not drinking the whole cup, take their first sip of the caffeine elixir within this time period? And over half those interviewed – a healthy 60% – say they need a cuppa to kickstart the day.
Unusually, it seems from the survey that coffee goes beyond a simple caffeine boost. Fifty four percent said that ‘coffee makes me feel more like myself.’ What does that mean? I will ponder awhile, as I wait for the next brew…
Students have success with their coffee business
In Atlanta, Georgia, students have been creative in their business acumen and social conscience as they provide a coffee service to their colleagues at the Emory University.
What have they done? The students started a coffee stall business in 2005 when they obtained a Sustainability Grant to kickstart their idea. The students, Addie Davis and Sally Mengel, came from the Goizueta Business School in Emory University and knew that students would be interested in purchasing good quality, good value coffee on the run from their stall. And the name of their business? The Green Bean.
They trade from a cart on weekdays and provide organic coffee products to their customers. Ethics is an important part of the Green Bean philosophy and Fair Trade goods are on sale. Of course, fair trade goods are part of schemes that endeavour to obtain a fair deal for farmers and producers in disadvantaged communities, as they sometimes have unequal bargaining power with the purchasers of their products. The fair trade scheme can also help towards the social issues of the communities in which the farmers work.
As well as providing a ‘coffee cart’ service to students, the Green Bean has also extended its repertoire of services. What else does it do? The little coffee company has also been involved in catering at the University functions.
In addition to its environmental conscience, the reports are that the Green Bean is also a popular social hub and contributes to the community feeling about the place.
Vietnamese baristas to compete in national competition
Making a decent cup of coffee is not simply about boiling the kettle and pouring some hot water over some ground coffee. No siree. The baristas of this world have turned the art of coffee making into a veritable art form. Latte art, signature drinks and technical know-how all go to raise the bar higher than ever. And in Vietnam, the best of the best will be competing to become the champion of the Vietnam Barista Competition later in the month.
What do the participants have to do? They have to make four sets of three categories of coffee drinks, namely espressos and cappuccinos and their own special brew. And they have no longer than a quarter of an hour to complete each drink.
And the prize? Money and the prestige of representing his or her country in the Asia Barista Championship 2012 which is to take place in Singapore, on an expenses-paid trip.
Did you realise that Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee producer? The first is Brazil. Given the investment in encouraging the local coffee production, the country can hardly be said to be sitting on its laurels either. As well as being a major exporter of coffee, the Vietnamese love to consume the stuff internally too. They are true coffee fanatics.
The competition this month is to take place at the Ho Chi Minh City and will attract many industry experts from all around the world.
Coffee expert insures nose
Some would argue that many of life’s great pleasures are appreciated through the sense of smell. Wine tasting, perfumes, aromas of delicious dishes, flowers and essential oils, all bring great joy to many. However, for Dave Roberts this sense is not just a pleasant aspect to his enjoyment in life. It is a serious business. So serious, in fact, that his employers, Nescafe, have apparently insured his nose for a cool £2 million.
What does Dave Roberts do that merits such expense? Just as celebrities insure their legs and their smiles which are their trademark physical assets, so Dave Roberts’ nose is worth a lot to his career and sets him apart from the rest of us.
Roberts has spent 25 years of his life sampling coffee as a chief master taster. He has travelled all over the globe on the hunt for good coffee, to far-flung places such as South America and Africa.
The nose, in fact, is very sensitive and can be capable of detecting millions of different smells. As expertly fictionalised in Perfume, the sense of smell is a delicate and intoxicating sense.
Roberts showed an interest in foods when he studied its technology at Reading University. Since then, he has worked for Nestle in the vinegar trade and by the 1990s he made his move to coffee, where he has been working ever since.
Obviously he has been doing a good job, as his employers deem it worth insuring his nose to the tune of £2 million.
Driving with coffee fuel
There may be a new land speed record involving coffee and a car. Confirmation by Guiness World Records is awaited.
What is the story? Unusually, a car powered by dried coffee grounds has just reached 66 miles per hour. The driver, Martin Bacon, drove an old Rover at the Elvington airfield in Yorkshire which was using fuel from coffee grounds.
Why would anyone want to do this? Bacon runs the Teesdale Conservation Volunteers and has been on the hunt for a way of mobilising a car by burning waste. He has been quoted as saying that the coffee-fuel was taken from an old process called ‘gasification’ which dates back to the period of the Second World War. Gasification apparently came into being as people became inventive when they lacked fuel due to shortages in the war.
Bacon is no newcomer to the notion of coffee-fuel. Last year, he also made a Guinness World Record by travelling the longest distance (210 miles) in a car powered in this way.
Because the technology is unusual, old engines are most compatible with the coffee fuel. It is necessary to have a carburettor and the modern tendency to use many sensors does not fit well with the gasification procedure.
Bacon has gone on the record as admitting that the experiment is fun – however, it also makes an important point about the use of waste products, alternatives to usual fuel, to power vehicles. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that success with alternative power continues.
Hepatitis A sufferers helped by coffee?
There has been much research into the effects of coffee on the human body lately. Of course, this is increasingly relevant given the growing role of coffee in our culture. Aidsmap has recently reported a new healthy effect of drinking the beverage as a result of a recent French study.
What is the good news? It appears that if you are co-infected by both hepatitis C and HIV and are being treated for the former condition, drinking coffee many be beneficial. It was found that there was more than an 80% reduction in self-reported side effects in those people who consumed at least three cups of the caffeine elixir daily.
What is the significance of this finding? There is a body of evidence which suggests that coffee consumption could be a sort of low-cost ‘supplement’ for those taking hepatitis C treatment and may improve the chances of its success.
What happened during the HIV/hepatitis C study? One hundred and six patients were assessed, including an emphasis on two elements: (1) how much coffee did they drink and (2) which of the various symptoms of the various side-effects for the hepatitis treatment did they suffer from and to what degree.
The reported findings revealed that, from those questioned, the patients who drank over 3 cups of coffee every day were 81% less likely to give a response of uncomfortable side-effects than those those who didn’t consume the coffee in these quantities.
Of course, the next step will be to solidify and work further on the findings with more research, but these studies are certainly food for thought.
Lawyers get involved in coffee morning for charity
In Leamington Spa, things are hotting up in preparation for the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on 30 September. As you may have heard, the Macmillan Cancer Support charity are arranging an enormous event to raise the profile of (and funds for) the charity.
As reported in the Courier, Leamington Spa is also doing its bit. In particular, a family law team from Blythe Liggins solicitors are also getting involved. Swapping legal contracts for cake mixture, the solicitors from the firm are flexing their baking-muscles to create some tempting treats to sell for charity at the coffee morning they intend to hold.
The date? Friday September 30th. On this day, all over the country, coffee mornings will be run to raise funds for the charity.
This is not the first time that Blythe Liggins have been involved in one of Macmillan’s coffee mornings – but they think that the cause is so worthwhile, that they are having another go. The firm has, in fact, something of a reputation for their charitable work. In the past, solicitors from Blythe Liggins have cycled across South America for Macmillan Cancer Support too.
The charity is hoping to raise around £8.5 million from the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning campaign this year. The funds would be used to support cancer patients and their families. As the disease affects so many people, in one way or another, this is a cause close the hearts of most of us.
Are cycling and coffee a likely pairing?
According to Evan Rau and Susan Price, the answer to this question is ‘yes.’ Why do I ask? Because, as reported in Coloradoan.com, this couple has just opened a new coffee bar especially tailored for cyclists. The name of the coffee shop? Cranknstein.
The timing of the opening was carefully planned, as was the whole concept of coffee and bikes. The date of the launch coincided with the national holiday in the United States, Labor Day weekend. There is another good reason for the timing of the opening of Cranknstein: it was also the Tour de Far bike and beer festival.
So, how exactly does this new coffee shop concept work? In brief, it offers cyclists something of a one-stop shop. At the back of the coffee shop building, a cycle shop is due to open shortly (it is currently under construction). In essence, this means that customer can sup on their coffee while their bike is being repaired. The custom bike shop will also sell rebuilt bicycles. Apparently the design of the coffee/cycle shop duo is such that customers ‘can ride directly into the shop and park their bicycles.’ Hopefully, of course, these same customers will have worked up a good appetite en route to the shop.
The design and refurbishment of the coffee shop is quirky. The owners have bought old timber (reclaimed, apparently, from a barn) to cover the walls. The chairs were acquired from garage sales. This gives an overall rustic, industrial feel.
Coffee chain is top of the pops
Did you know that the results of the International Franchisor of the Year 2011 have been announced? A gala took place for the Franchising & Licensing Association of Singapore recently and, of the finalists, a coffee chain pipped the others to the post and won the title.
The coffee chain in question is Old Town White Coffee and the Executive Director attributed the success of this company to foresight and the team efforts and support at management level. For any business, these are surely wise words – strategy plus support within the organisation to implement it, is key to success. It is quite an achievement for Old Town White Coffee, considering that the company has not been around for too long.
On the same day as the results were announced, another initiative was launched to help franchises. The Franchising & Licensing Association chairman introduced a project called Franchise Assist Programme. The rationale behind this initiative is to provide ‘affordable banking’ and other benefits, such a special rates for business loans. Business.asiaone.com has described the new package as ‘one of the most comprehensive and competitive’ around.
Of course, in these dire economic times, any such initiative is to be welcomed.
Something else which will help those who are starting in the franchising and licensing industry, coffee chains or otherwise, is the Franchise & Retail Technology Zone of the Franchising & Licensing Asia 2011 fair, which has recently opened. This zone is designed to find solutions for those who are just learning or starting up their own organisations in the industry.
University of Coffee
The Illy Galleria has lots to offer – a bombardment of all the senses. If you would like to see a performance by Marina Abramovic, you are in the right place. If you are in the mood for some Michelin class food, this is the place for you. And if you would like to indulge your fetish for coffee, look no further.
The Galleria, as reported in Foodepedia, has started making courses at its ‘University of Coffee’ available. What can you learn there? You can find out about the craftsmanship in superb coffee and the artistic bent involved too. It should be pointed out that the Galleria is not licenced to give out degrees in coffee studies (although, wouldn’t that be a lovely idea?).
The Illy brand is now a well-known coffee company which we see regularly in the UK, but this was not always the case. It was introduced to the country around 20 years ago by the Head of Quality, Marco Arrigo and became a coffee brand of repute. Its successful acceptance was helped by the approval of well-known faces in the culinary world, such as Raymond Blanc. There are now no less than 46 salespeople from Illy who work in the United Kingdom.
As might be expected, there is a particular attention to detail in the whole process of coffee-making, Illy-style. Apparently, coffee farmers are chosen carefully, paying attention to geography and the right plants to get the right end product. They were so emphatic about this, in fact, that the company funded the replanting of coffee plants in specific areas in some cases.