October 2010

October 2010 Vol. XXIII No. 10

www.CoffeeTalk.com

The “Chain of Custody”

By Timothy Castle

This Month: 14 20 22 24 26

Retailer Profile Judy Ganes-Chase And the survey says…

NAMA Coffee Show Listings Coffee Fest Seattle listings

The Pod, People A sneek peek at Uncommon Grounds, 2nd Edition

Excessive.

Impressive.

Contents

7 8 10

Letters to CoffeeTalk The View

From Miles & Kerri

Chain, Chain, Chain…

Chain of Brews

Understanding the “Chain of Custody”

by Timothy Castle

14 16 18 20 22 24 26 26 28 30 32 36

Retailer Profile

Fonté Café and Wine Bar

Fonté Café and Wine Bar

The Pod, People To Roast or not to Roast

By Rocky Rhodes

The Pod, People

Judy Ganes

Supplies of Mild Coffee Threatened by too much rain

The Survey Says…

NAMA Coffee Show Exhibitor Listing Coffee Fest - Seattle Listings

The survey says…

CoffeeTalk’s Advertisers at Coffee Fest Seattle

NCA Fall Conference

CoffeeTalk’s Advertisers at The NCA Fall Conference

Uncommon Grounds

Excerpts from Mark Pendergrast’s 2nd Edition of Uncommon Grounds: The history of coffee and how it transformed the world

SCAA Roasters

Certification: Elevating the craft of the Coffee Roaster

Newsbites Advertiser Index

CoffeeTalk’s Advertisers at The NCA Fall Conference

Who We are Owners CEO/Publisher/Advertising Director Kerri Goodman-Small, ext 1 206.795.4471 kerri@coffeetalk.com Editor-in-Chief Miles Small, ext 2 miles@coffeetalk.com

Design

Print Design Marcus Fellbaum, ext 5 marcus@coffeetalk.com Web Design Justin Goodman, ext 6 justin@coffeetalk.com

Administrative

Administrative Assistants Katie Bakker katie@coffeetalk.com

Feature

Phaedrea Powell-Zecher phaedra@coffeetalk.com Claire Vallin claire@coffeetalk.com

Chain, Chain, Chain…Chain of Brews

Understanding the “Chain of Custody” by Timothy Castle

Mailing Info

Mail: HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070 Phone: 206.686.7378 Fax: 866.373.0392 Web: www.coffeetalk.com

Disclaimer CoffeeTalk does not assume the responsibility for validity of claims made for advertised products and services. We reserve the

right to reject any advertising. Although we support copyrights and trademarks, we generally do not include copyright and trademark symbols in our news stories and columns.

Circulation: CoffeeTalk (ISSN 1084-2551) is mailed monthly (10 times per year) with combined June/July and November/ December issues, also bonus mailing/distribution for Education Guides and foodservice/hospitality and coffee conventions/shows throughout the year.

Postmaster: Send address changes to HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070 Subscription: The cost of a subscription in the U.S. is $47.50 per year; in Canada, the cost is $72.00. Free to qualified industry professionals. Non-qualified requests may be rejected. Publisher reserves the right to limit the number of free subscriptions. For subscription inquiries, please call 206.686.7378 x1 or subscribe online at www.CoffeeTalk.com.

Copyright © 2010, HNCT, LLC, All Rights Reserved

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Letters to CoffeeTalk We most appreciate Miles’ disconcerting but very excellent and timely articles in the April issue re: clouds in our coffee and elephants in the room. I have shared these with several colleagues who were unaware of what’s happening and not believing us when we tried to warn them as there is little being said in this regard (just K cups and Via and ….) .. As for us *little guys* looking forward over the quality + organic coffee landscape/ supply chain, Strongtree is most concerned & committed to continue paying $1-4/LB over the C price going forward, but still not sure that will be enough for our growers or that our fellow small roasters will follow suit. We sure live in interesting times, don’t we?

Hooray for you Kerri and Miles!

Keep up the great work.

Thank you for making this point. It’s been bothering me for quite some time. And what’s more, thanks for allowing those of us who are driven crazy by the Lester Dolts of the world to actually do something about it! You’ll be hearing from me to report the next incident in, oh, probably about a week.

All the best, Nora Edison Strongtree Organic Coffee Roasters, LLC Hudson, NY

If I have to listen to Lester Holt or Jeanne Chatsky advise people to “give up that three dollar morning latte every day” to save on expenses during these tough economic times I’m gonna smash the TV with a tamper! It seems like just about every week, one of TV’s talking heads pops up with this idiotic advice. The fact is, coffee, even a latte, is a simple, inexpensive luxury that also stimulates and makes productive the workforce of America. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to live in a world populated by some of the sleepy, grumpy people who come into my coffee shop before they’ve had their morning cup.

Sincerely, Tim Bartz Supreme Commander Bunbury’s Coffee Shop Piermont, NY

Hey there Kerri Saw the article on “The K-Cup Phenomenon”appreciate the shout-out but your source had a gross inaccuracy- He said Nick Lazaris visited him in 1992- not likely- I joined the 3 co-founders in 1996- they were John Sylvan, Peter Dragone, and Dick Sweeney- Nick Lazaris did not join Keurig until 1997 and was about the 10th employee hired as President. Your source was probably visited by John Sylvan or Peter.

Please feel free to check with me on facts relative to Keurig if you ever want to do another story. As long as we are in a quiet period I will be glad to help you. Not sure if you ever do “corrections” or “notes from the editor” but it would be great to get this corrected- neither John, Nick or Peter are any longer with the company.

Enjoy your publication and passion for coffee.

Best, Chris (Chris Stevens)

Win the new iPod Nano!

r feathe e u l b e, he Find t in this issu alk T n hidde the Coffee d it to st an bring t Coffee Fe new a Cafe a ed to win ast r e el t be en ano on th . iPod N f the show day o

7

Kerri Goodman-Small & Miles Small

The View T

he Specialty Coffee Industry is slowly moving toward a price discovery system that is not dependent on the Intercontinental Commodity Exchange (ICE) for its baseline. Understandably this is enormously complicated but also necessary. As roasters, OCS purveyors, and retailers are experiencing right now, volatility in the commodities markets translates to higher costs in a consumer economic environment that seems to be price sensitive.

(Although Kurt Feshbach in “The Survey Says” later in this issue disagrees.) Unfortunately, these higher costs do not necessarily translate into higher incomes for growers.

Many roaster/ retailers are turning toward “direct trade” with growers as a way to mitigate volatility in the market and ensure fair compensation for all in the supply chain. The ultimate goal is to reduce the participants in the transaction to two – the grower and the roaster. As Tim Castle, in his article in this issue points out, this is a noble intent but essentially impossible within current legal and custody environments. This is very true, At CoffeeTalk, we believe that these beginning steps toward ‘direct trade’ and direct price discovery are the birthing pains of a new trade paradigm with growers at origin. Do we think that it is possible to remove the exporters and importers from the mix? Probably not. However, the role of these participants will gradually morph into one of facilitator and expediter. More like a combination of a Title Insurer and Escrow agent within the chain of custody.

The “C” price has become largely only a baseline for calculating differentials in Specialty Coffee. If a grower wants $2.50 a pound for his coffee and the “C” is at $1.87, then the ‘ask’ price is “C” plus $0.63; if the “C” is $1.60, then the ‘ask’ price by the grower is “C” plus $0.90. He may not get that, but that is how the discussion begins. The “C” is no longer a means of price discovery but instead it is a value manipulated by speculative investors

engaged in security portfolio management. As growers and roasters become more aware of each other and their operations, an inevitable business bond develops that supersedes arbitrary market manipulation and focuses on fair and bilateral consideration of business costs and reasonable profit and reward for quality and certification.

Direct communication has softened the veil of opportunism between the “Developed Nations” and the “Developing Nations.” Roasters such as Barefoot Roasters, Stumptown, Counter Culture Coffee, and Portland Coffee Roasting, and importers such as San Cristobal, as well as many others are experimenting with ways to establish fair and permanent means of price discovery and purchasing. Paul Rice at Fair Trade USA, in a recent interview with the Seattle Times thinks that Direct Trade is “doomed to be small” and that is pretty much the way the direct traders like it – small roasters working with small growers to ensure the highest quality at the fairest price.+ Modern communication and the Internet have pulled the rug out from what was once a Northern Hemisphere white guys’ game and the rules are now all changing. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is crying foul about the recent extraordinary rise in the “C” price of coffee. His claim is that Brazil and Vietnam are engaging in hoarding of coffee in order to manipulate the price and this, in his opinion, is a violation of the 2007 ICO agreement. Ignoring that this claim is a gross misrepresentation of the circumstances (he should check with his buddies in the NY financial district), and that if there is extraordinarily well hidden stockpiling, the question that Schumer should answer is – so what? He claims that coffee producing nations intend to form an “OPEC” of coffee. Let’s not forget that OPEC was formed because the oil producing countries (developing world) believed that the consuming countries (developed world) were keeping the price intentionally low. The OPEC lesson has not been lost on the emerging nations in the coffeelands.

Calendar

8

Oct. 12-14 Oct. 13-16

Specialty Coffee & Tea Convention, Dubai

Oct. 17-21 Oct. 18-20 Oct. 20-22 Oct. 28 Oct. 28-30 Oct. 29-31

Sial Paris 2010, CDG Cedex, Roissy

Natural Products Expo East, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA, www.expoeast.com, 866.458.4935 National Coffee Association Fall Conference, New York, NY

TriesteEspresso Expo, Trieste Coffee Fest Seattle, Washingtion State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, WA, 425-295-3300 ext 113, davidh@coffeefest.com

And the winner is…

The winner of the CoffeeTalk Making a Difference click-thru challenge, with an overwhelming majority, is illy Café for the Ernesto Illy Espresso Coffee Quality Award. illy Café will receive a donation of $1000 from CoffeeTalk to support their work in Brazil to encourage and develop economically challenged growers.

In second place was Kona Joe with the “Coffee like Wine” project, third place was Fair Trade USA with the “Fair Trade Towns – USA” project, and fourth was CQI working on the “CQI database – Market Linkages” project.

Congratulations to illy Café and all the other projects that are making a difference.

The Just ‘Cause calendar

If you have always wanted a naked picture of Dan Cox on your wall, now is your chance. CoffeeTalk is sponsoring its 2011 Just ‘Cause calendar to benefit Grounds for Health – the organization working to eradicate cervical cancer in the coffeelands. So, if you want Dan Cox, or many other surprising personalities in your office next year, be sure to purchase this calendar. You won’t be disappointed. (We hope)

Miles at NAMA

Miles is presenting at the NAMA conference this year – October 21. He hopes to see you there.

Our Probatino has arrived!

Miles and his crew are going to learn roasting on our brand new Probat Probatino and you can come along for the ride. Every month you can follow as Miles discovers how little he really knows. We are thinking of calling the column “Miles in Roasterland.”

Cheers,

Oct. 29-31

New World Latte Art Championship at Coffee Fest, Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, WA, 425-295-3300 ext 113, davidh@coffeefest.com

Nov 5-14 Nov 11-13

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, www.konacoffeefest.com

Dec 10

Green Coffee Association Holiday Party, 212-766-5854, DMadigan@greencoffeeassociation.org

Dec 13-14

2nd International Coference on Arabica Naturals, +967 734435036 www.arabicanaturals.com

Jan. 16-18

Winter Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, CA

NAMA Coffee Show 2010, Las Vegas, NV Party at Miles’ and Kerri’s

Housekeeping

Ultimate Barista Challenge, Shanghai,China www.ultimatebaristachallenge.com, 503.232.1016, info@ultimatebaristachallenge.com

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Chain, Chain, Chain…Chain of brews Understanding “Chain of Custody”

by Timothy J. Castle

“C

hain of Custody” is a hot topic today, no matter what business you’re in. If you’re in the specialty coffee business though, you probably came to the party earlier than most folks. This is because, as anyone who works with coffee knows, the journey from farm to cup is fraught with peril. So it’s important to know where your coffee was produced, where it will be processed and how it will be moved from one point to another.

And it’s not enough to know where and how, it is also critical to know when each movement of a particular coffee occurs.

While it is only three words long, the term “chain of custody” gets fairly complex pretty quickly. The chain we are talking about must be followed not only through space, from one location to another, but through time as well. What’s more, “custody” does not refer only to who was in control of the goods or object at the time, but who was responsible for those goods and who was obligated to take care of them. It’s an important point in almost any transaction. If, for example, you borrow your friend’s convertible for the weekend and you leave it out in the rain with the top down, your friend is going to be pretty upset with you for letting the car’s interior get wet. Your friend would naturally expect you to get it repaired at your expense. You were obligated to take care of the car and responsible for the damage incurred while it was in your control (custody).

Even “ fifty years ago, a coffee sample might

be sent from origin to an importer and that importer would send it to a roaster for their possible purchase or approval. It was not likely that the roaster would ask where the coffee was, how it was being stored, how it would be shipped if purchased, and how quickly it Before there was a commercial definition for it, “Chain of Custody,” almost always would be moved. referred to the records kept for pieces of evidence relevant to a legal proceeding. For a piece of evidence to be successfully used at a trial, for example, it had to be demonstrated that it was the real thing; that it was found in a certain condition in a certain place and that every time it changed location it could be accounted for and documented to be in someone’s official custody. Similar documentation is required in the commercial realm: when freight of any kind changes hands it is signed for by the person receiving the freight, and the person transferring that freight keeps a copy. The signature for that change in custody is dated. The condition of the freight is also mentioned if it is in any way not as described on the documentation. If, for instance, ten 50-gallon drums of maple syrup are received by a praline manufacturer and all the drums are leaking, a note will be made of this on the paperwork or delivery receipt when the warehouse agent signs it (if the barrels are, in fact, accepted for delivery). That way, the praline manufacturer can make a claim against whoever was responsible for those leaky barrels. Documenting who is responsible for a product at any point in time means that that person or company may also have to answer for their negligence or incompetent actions — as provided for by law. The legal background of this topic is important, because at any point the law has bearing if anything goes wrong.

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”

Are “Direct Trade” and “Chain of Custody” mutually exclusive?

Any student of the processes involved in a typical “chain of custody” will quickly realize that there is really no such thing as a “direct” relationship unless a roaster is willing to go to a farm, watch their coffee being grown and processed and bagged (or vacuum packed) and then carry it back to their roasting plant themselves. This is clearly not possible. Proponents of the term “Direct Trade,” are really pushing for more direct involvement and more understanding and knowledge of their own particular chain of custody that brings their coffee to them. Certainly who is responsible at any given time is important, and how much value their role brings to that supply chain is also critical. But to say that all those roles can be eliminated, especially given the immensely increased risks and oversight involved, gets to be, at best, a romantic notion.

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Chain of brews With coffee, the standards for documenting the specific links in the chain portion of the “chain of custody” have rapidly grown more rigorous over the past few years, and so to has the attention paid to exactly what custody means. Whether roasted or green, coffee will interact with its environment more than most goods that are shipped from one place to another or stored somewhere. For instance, nowadays any roaster would be upset to learn that their coffee was allowed to sit in the sun at sea level in an equatorial port for weeks on end before it was actually shipped; a hundred years ago concerns like this were seldom addressed.

Even fifty years ago, a coffee sample might be sent from origin to an importer and that importer would send it to a roaster for their possible purchase or approval. It was not likely that the roaster would ask where the coffee was, how it was being stored, how it would be shipped if purchased, and how quickly it would be moved. Today, questions like these are being asked with increasing frequency by all coffee roasters, and especially specialty roasters. In fact, some of the world’s biggest roasters have developed proprietary systems for handling their coffee from farm to processing to preparation for export (including packaging) to requirements during shipment and finally how the coffee is handled upon importation.

The “chain of custody” image is becoming more finely pixilated every day.

Roasters are now looking into not only who grows their coffee, and how those folks are compensated for what they do, they are also asking how the trees are cared for before the crop in question even blooms. Taking it to that level then, it becomes apparent that the various certifications, such as those attesting to Organic production and those issued by Rainforest Alliance, are really dealing, in very fine detail, with “chain of custody” issues.

For the specialty coffee roaster, the “chain of custody” must be viewed both from the point of view of protecting one’s investment in a particular coffee and maximizing that investment by assuring the coffee in question will arrive in better shape than if any other roaster might have purchased it. This means knowing what stages in the production, processing, transport and storage of coffee are critical to its quality and who best in the supply chain can most efficiently manage those steps. You also have to know what steps you can control and those over which you don’t have the resources to exert influence.

Even if you had the wherewithal to own your own farms, as well as your own roasting business and retail shops, you alone could not be everywhere at once.

“Chain of Custody’s” kissing cousin: “Supply Chain Risk” As is implied in any discussion of “chain of custody,” there is always a lot of risk to be born at any stage of a particular lot of coffee’s production, processing, and transport to the roaster’s door. There are the risks that something could happen to the coffee before it is even produced, further risks in processing, and finally, just as many risks in transport. What these risks are is important to know. And who will be responsible, if risks become losses, is critical. Insurance companies make it their business to quantify these “supply chain risks,” and they are becoming better at their jobs every day. Usually they are, in fact, the de facto responsible party (financially) and not the buyer or the seller or the freight carrier of a particular commodity.

As a general rule, specialty coffee companies want to ensure the history of their product is as good as the coffee itself, and their heart is actually in the right place. But it must be noted that many large corporations, especially those that are publically held, don’t necessarily look at “chain of custody” and “supply chain risk” from the point of view of improving their product or its provenance. Most of the discussion in the business press about both “chain of custody” and “supply chain risk” has to do not with “how can we make it better,” but “how can we avoid a PR disaster that may have a negative impact on our stock price.” They just want to prevent a disaster: to make sure a customer doesn’t die from using their product or to ensure that the production of their product doesn’t involve things like child labor, environmental devastation, etc.

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“Chain of Custody” and “Quality Control:” Another Cousin?

If “supply chain risk” is a kissing cousin to “chain of custody,” then “quality control” may be yet another cousin. If you are managing your chain of custody well, knowing what the critical links are and who is in charge of handling them, you are also managing your “quality control” in an extremely proactive manner and decreasing the chance of being disappointed with, or even rejecting, a particular coffee upon its arrival.

But here again, it boils down to resources and efficiency. If there’s a coffee you need and you know that plenty of that coffee is imported, the best way to get the best lot may be to look at as many arrival samples as you can and pick the one lot that you like the best. You’ll probably end up picking the best “supply chain” in the bargain!

You would have to consign the “custody” of your coffee to others along the path from bean to cup and this means knowing where you are best qualified to control things and when you should relinquish that control to others.

The best specialty roasters understand that the “chain of custody” is not only critical but that it is long, and that it extends not only to the receiving door of their roasting plants, but to the very cups of coffee that customers drink. Beautiful, defect-free green coffee will go to waste if it is not marketed well enough to be bought off the shelf (and eagerly drunk) while it is still freshly roasted. (That’s right marketers and salespeople, even you are actively involved in the “chain of custody!”)

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ster Roaster coffee ration retailer Roaster operation

profile

successful ccessful tion Roaster retailer

fee ofile

Roaster coffee

Retailer Profile: secret to success what they did Fonté Café andhow Wine Bar they did it

by Maxim Vershinin

I

n our last profile, we tasted some of the rustic and spiritual flavors of the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, but today, the flavors are going to be pure quality and luxury.

First, we are going to Fonte Café and Wine Bar, Fonté Coffee Roasting’s newly born venture. For those of you who are not familiar with Fonte it is an eighteen-year-old roasting company that takes pride in providing exquisite quality coffee to its high-end clientele from The Four Seasons Hotels, the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, and the Peninsula, to award-winning chefs and fine restaurants.

The bar is in downtown Seattle, on the first floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, right across from the Seattle Art Museum. The venture transforms itself daily from being a quick-stop lunch, coffee shop in the morning to more of a chill, wine glass and delicious European pizza environment at night.

Meet Paul Odom, Fonte’s owner, and the bar’s “shopkeeper” as he calls himself.

V. Did Fonte roasting company have any previous retailing experience?

O. Yes, we used to have 8 cafes in Los Angeles, Anchorage Al, and Chicago.

It was a lot of work to do then, and I was the only guy dealing with it. We worked for several years, just focusing on wholesale, roasting plant being in Seattle, and had virtually no one in Seattle, who knew us, so we sold the stores off one by one.

V. So, how did this café come to exist?

O. The whole idea of this bar is to promote what we do as a coffee roaster, as opposed to just make money. We try to show that there are coffees out there that are unique, and that is what we are all about as a coffee roasters.

There are lots of great coffees out there, it is not a secret, they are well known, but whether you are willing to put resources exploring them, shows if you really care about the quality of the coffee you sell.

V. Is there anything like Fonte’s café and bar in Seattle?

O. Nobody is doing that kind of stuff in Seattle, which is a no-brainer to me. For example, we have a high-end class Ethiopian coffee that nobody has, as well as a multitude of others, and we are happy to let anybody taste it here in the bar. It is so much fun to make a cup, serve it and watch the audience go “wow.” There is more to it than just making money.

V. Being a roaster and a retailer, it must be hard to balance the issues that might arise from competing with your own customers. How did you manage to solve the problem?

O. I am trying to do something unique enough where I am not competing with anybody, and we’ve managed to avoid some problems here in Seattle. I

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profile operation successful About coffee

would love to open a second place in New York, but if I open my bar in midtown, where most of my customers are, we will be competing. I am not going to do it in Chinatown. (Laughs.)

V. How did Fonte start out?

O. There was a company in Seattle, made up of former Starbucks employers. They were going broke, and I got a roasting machine from them. Steve Smith, 30-year roasting veteran became my master roaster.

V. What has changed, as you got bigger?

O. Most coffee companies as they get bigger, they start cutting corners, and the minute you start cutting corners you get found out, and it is not fun. Fonté, on the other side, strives to deliver the highest quality possible; even if it means smaller profits for the company. I don’t have to go out and sell what we do, as much as talk about what we do. And my philosophy is that if you aren’t into it, you aren’t into it, but there are a heck of a people who are.

After the interview at the bar with Odom, I decided to have a chat with Fonte’s master roaster Steve Smith at the Fonté roasting plant in South Seattle.

V. What is the core of the roasting processes at Fonte?

S. Freshness is the most important part of what we do. Thanks to our roastto-order system our coffee is like produce, like a head of lettuce, an equivalent of an organic food store, only more perishable. We are able to achieve characteristics in a cup that you can’t achieve outside of that system. For us, our priority is to get those flavors alive. However, one of the other important aspects of our business is a true collaboration with our clients. We can roast some of the most incredible coffees, but our clients must treat it right. That is why we closely monitor the way Fonte’s products are being delivered to our clients’ customers all over the world. That sets us apart and that forms a key part of our identity.

V. Do you do any prayers or rituals while roasting coffee?

S. No ritual, but a certain level of superstition, yes. For me it is the “standing on one-foot” principle. After one of the cupping’s, I noticed that the flavors were different, even though the roasting process was the same. I couldn’t remember much of what I did different, except that I was standing on one foot, instead of both. So since then on, I stand on one foot instead of two.

Profile About

15

The Pod, People

by Katie Bakker and Rocky Rhodes

S

ince single cup brewers are a permanent and growing color in the pallet of ways coffee is prepared, it is a time to get a strategy for how to not only play in this market but also make lots of money.

A huge portion of coffee consumed on a daily basis is in the office. Most of this is serviced by OCS (Office Coffee Service) companies. Most are known for providing ‘cheap coffee cheap’. In fact, this is not really the case. If you break down what they charge on a per pound basis, you would pull your hair out. These companies may know little to nothing about quality coffee, but they are very smart and very aware of their margins. What will be new to them, and it is your advantage as a roaster, is that quality still drives sales and higher margins. More and more office managers are adding ‘flavor’ as part of the criteria used to make buying decisions.

To understand the popularity of single serve brewers it is important to see the advantages for the consumer: Cleanliness, Convenience, and Choice. But what are the advantages for roasters? Price, Loyalty, Branding, and yes, telling the Quality story. So how do you do it? Here are some answers and opportunities for roasters. To get from here to there you will need to 1) Pick a format.

2) Do some blending. 3) Create some marketing. And 4) Find your industry partners.

Picking a format

While siphon brewing and French presses are great ways to do single cup brewing, it won’t meet the needs of an office break room. The formats out there now are ‘Bean-To-Cup’ fully automatic espresso/coffee machines, K-Cups, Tassimo, and Flavia disposable packs, and pods in paper filters. Jason College of Newco puts it this way, “While a closed system does prevent a roaster from selling their own coffee within the proprietary medium, it does not prevent them from participating in the sales of this category. When a roaster desires to promote their own brand and sell their own coffee, Pods and Bean-to-cup solutions are two very viable options. Both systems provide the convenience and choice of closed systems while providing more control over the brewing parameters which is appealing to roasters.”

In office coffee and hotel situations, fully automatic machines make ROI a lengthy proposition. It requires a large outlay of cash or financing up front and long customer contracts. It does allow a roaster to use their own beans.

The single serve options from Tassimo Flavia and K-Cup are proprietary systems and would require an extensive marketing agreement to start playing.

16

results in proper, controlled extraction to achieve ideal taste with little chance of error. Additional benefits gained by using the BUNN pod systems include the elimination of byproduct waste with the use of compostable pods and the enjoyment of a fully authentic coffee-drinking experience complete with the aroma that is produced when the water saturates the pod during the brewing process.” The truth is in the cup, and of a lot of the quality is dependent upon the roaster. This is where creating your own offering is incredibly important.

Do Some Blending

Finding the right roast and brewing parameters for a Geisha from Panama is something that roasters thrive on achieving. Finding a blend of coffee that presents itself beautifully in a pod and remains consistent year in and year out can be even more challenging and rewarding. In any wholesale operation, lowering operating costs while maintaining quality and achieving a consistent product is a must-have skill set.

Create Some Marketing

Single serve pods in offices and hotels are great places to drive more people to your brand. If you have a retail outlet or an online store, use every available surface area on the pod packaging, brewer face, coffee cups and table tents to get people to buy for their homes. In your marketing message you can acknowledge that the coffee in the pods may not be your elite line with a tag line like, “If you think this coffee is good, just wait until you taste our premium lines at www.your-name-here.com!

Pick Your Partners

Unless you have about $100k to drop on a new packaging machine, you will need a partner to produce your pods. One such company is PodPak International. Tom Martin of PodPak helps roasters get started in this market.

He says, “The pod market is growing substantially because people are seeing the benefits of paper pods: Roasters can brand pods to sell their own coffee, pods are less expensive per cup, and to top it off, they are environmentally friendly.”

The easy way into the office and hotel rooms: Pods. You can create pods with your brand, blends and marketing and can use off the shelf brewers from companies like Newco and Bunn.

You will also need to build relationships with brewer equipment manufacturers like Newco and Bunn to arrange for machines. In most cases, OCS and hotel customers have an expectation that the coffee supplier will provide the machines. You will want a strong relationship to get competitive pricing while stocking as little inventory as possible. If you want to avoid the equipment, you should seek out an OCS to which you can just sell your pods.

The concerns among roasters about pods and the other single brewer systems include cup quality and being eco-sensitive. Bunn offers three machines for this market segment. Kris Houser of Bunn-O-Matic discusses some of the advantages of pod systems by saying, “All three systems offer the ability to prepare an incredible variety of pod flavors and a sprayhead design that

The bottom line for roasters is this: You can ignore single serve opportunities in OCS and hotels, but your competitors won’t. There is a ton of business to be done and there are very few companies producing a quality product on a consistent basis. If you can do this, you can expect to gain substantial market share. The question is, “Are you up for the challenge?”

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17

To roast or not to roast?

That is the question!

by Rocky Rhodes

I

t may not be as eloquent or serious a question as in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but it might be a make or break question for your business.

At some point you have asked yourself if roasting your own coffee would be a good or profitable idea. This article will explore the question.

An answer requires that you do some self reflecting. It will also help if you understand your current role in the coffee chain. If you are already in business and looking for ways to ‘up your game’ then you will ask some more detailed questions than the person who is just deciding to open their first shop.

So get out a piece of paper and answer the following for yourself: 1) Do I believe that higher quality coffee is worth more, and I can / will charge more for it?

2) Do I have a passion for coffee?

3) Am I the type of person that will commit everything needed to be a professional roasting company?

There are correct answers to the above questions.

Fundamentally it comes down to one of two belief systems about roasting; ‘I will reduce my costs and therefore roasting is a good idea’, or ‘If I can improve my product I can raise margins and build a loyal customer base.’

If you are doing this to save money, just stop now and concentrate on lowering costs somewhere else in your business. There, I just saved you a substantial outlay of cash and most probably your business.

If you accept the business fundamental that ‘If I do this right and create an outstanding, quality product, I will be rewarded by fanatical customers willing to pay me for my efforts”, then you are on the right track.

You can’t ‘almost be a roaster’ any more than one can be ‘kinda pregnant’. In either scenario you are committed to the process and need to be responsible about your choices. Here are the first questions that will present themselves and you have to know the answers are yes:

18

1) Can you install a roaster where you are planning to roast?

2) Do you have the capital and time to get through what will be a multi-month process?

3) Do you know the first thing about roasting?

There are ways to get all of these answers. Let’s explore each question and find out what it takes to get a ‘yes’ answer.

1) Take a trip to the city planning offices. a. Go to the zoning desk and ask, “I want to put a coffee roaster in the following location which is a (retail/wholesale) operation; Can I do it?” b. You will probably have to ask the air quality board the same question at their desk c. Go to the Health Department and ask them the requirements needed to apply for a roaster installation. A new operation will be submitting plans for the build out and the roaster will be included on those plans d. If you are planning to start wholesaling coffee from a retail store you may find they treat the businesses as separate entities and will require an additional license. e. If you have not opened your business yet there are a LOT more questions you should ask at this point but this article concentrates only on the roasting questions.

2) Money and time are always the issues with small business! By doing the research above, you will start to have an idea of costs, but you will be amazed by the amount of time it will take. a. Costs: You need to price the following things to get a reasonable idea of what it will cost to add a roaster to your plans. i. Equipment: Roaster, afterburner (or scrubber), high speed grinder, scale, racks, pallet jack and bins. ii. Permits: City, Health Department, State, Air Quality Board, Building and Safety, and any others they seem to make up out of the blue. iii. Build out: You will be creating additional food prep area to accommodate the roaster. This always costs more than just finishing off some warehouse space. Pay close attention to electrical and gas. If there is not enough coming to your building it is very costly to run

more in both time and money iv. Initial Inventory of green beans: The commitment to roasting great coffee is to source great coffee and have it ready to roast. You will find that great coffee rarely comes in less than 132lb bags.

That means you might end up with 15 bags sitting on racks with some more in storage. That is a lot of capital to tie up in inventory. b. Time: Give yourself four months to get up and going. Be happy if it is less and not too disappointed if it is more. Follow the rules and it will go more quickly. Cutting corners almost never works!

3) Learn about roasting before you start. Utilize the SCAA ,the Roasters Guild and third party training companies to take classes about this trade. You also need to learn how to cup and source coffee.

Can I Roast? And Should I Roast?

This article so far has mostly explored, “Can I Roast?” Now let’s discuss, “Should I Roast?”

Roasters of specialty coffee are deeply passionate people that see coffee as a connection from farmer to consumer. To become a great roasting company you will need to embrace this as well. By doing so you will become the business that puts quality first and knows that profits will come from it. It will change how you prepare and serve drinks. It will require more employee training on how to talk about coffee and the nuances of a fine cup. Your business will be coffee-centric.

If this sounds like what you want your business to look like, then roasting is the right answer and you should follow the passion.

If this sounds like a lot of work and expense, and you are really about selling other things besides coffee, then work with your local roaster to up the quality of your offering but leave the roasting to them.

To roast, or not to roast: that is the question: Whether ‘tis better business to suffer The troubles to create quality and outrageous fortune, Or to realize one is not of coffee, And leave the roasting to others?

Ah, there’s the grind! (Sorry Shakespeare)

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Supplies of Mild Coffee Threatened by Too Much Rain On the radar screen is the upcoming flowering of the Brazilian 2011-12 crop.

Currently it remains dry in the coffee areas, but this is not yet an issue. It only becomes worrisome if there are some scattered rains and then it turns dry again or it stays dry late into the year and the trees start to defoliate from a lack of moisture. If there is problem, clearly this will aggravate the market balance and futures would be justified in rapidly advancing to unprecedented levels.

www.jganesconsulting.com

C

offee prices have continued to race higher, approaching $2.00 per pound against the New York “C” contract reflecting a lack of Mild Arabica coffee. For months, even years, I’ve sounded the alarm bells that the market balance was becoming rather precarious and a surge in price was probably inevitable. The move up therefore is not surprising. What is particularly noteworthy, however, is that as the futures market has advanced cash prices have not softened to any great degree. Usually cash and futures converge with the differentials weakening as the market moves up. This represents a flattening or leveling off in prices as the higher levels draw out supply or curb demand, alleviating the nearby shortfall. This also serves as an indication that the market has been restored to balance and in all likelihood prices will start to fall soon thereafter. The fact that the cash market prices remain at a substantial premium to the futures market suggests that the supply shortfall has yet to be alleviated and therefore, upside potential still exists.

Never before has this happened in the coffee market. Historically, once every ten years or so, the price of coffee would spike in response to a weather problem in Brazil, be it a frost or a drought. Prices would rocket higher in reaction to future supplies being tight and the need to ration demand to offset this. The 1997 advance was driven by a supply shortfall but only in consumer nations. There was plenty of supply at origin and as the market advanced the flow of exports was stepped up and consumer stock levels started to accumulate. With stocks in producer hands currently at minimal levels, the rising prices are not being met by a pick-up in shipments. The supply simply doesn’t exist. Prices continue to push upwards in a bid for limited availability. The only escape will be the flow of new crop supplies or a further reduction in consumer inventories to bridge the shortfall, but much of this coffee is older whereas buyers are ideally seeking current crop for freshness and quality.

The market is in dire need of satisfactory production in 2010-11 to assure that needs are covered in the coming season since there is no stock to fall back on. However, the likelihood of this happening is becoming less promising. As it is, the USDA had forecast that Central and North American output would be little changed from this season with increases in some countries being offset by declines in others. Together with Colombia, these countries produce the lion’s share of Mild washed Arabicas that are deliverable against the New York contract and being sought after in the marketplace. However, weeks of downpours are now threatening production and or shipment of this coffee. If the rains continue and the region continues to be blanketed by overcast skies, there is a risk of fungus and the cherries turning dark or black and the beans inside rotting. In addition, already there are some roadways in the coffee regions that have been washed out or blocked by debris. This could become even more worrisome when harvesting activity begins if it hampers operations or slows shipments. Rains during the harvest make drying of coffee beans on open patios difficult but also makes it difficult to pick the coffee and quality can be compromised.

20

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21

And the Survey Says...

The Specialty coffee house addressable market It is all about convenience

By Kurt Feshback; President, Falcon Research, Inc.

I

n another survey from survey.com we discovered that 45 to 54 year old people were the primary drinkers of Folgers and Maxwell house. Nearly 35% of those surveyed in that age group drank coffee every day and they drank Folgers. Those people drink most of their coffee a home, in fact 96% of them according to the NCA. So those people are definitely not part of your supply chain. So, the truly profound question then is what will drive the under-45 customers to your door.

We found that convenience is a very important part of your customer’s habits and doing things that make their purchases easier will lead to more business.

Let me give you an example of how people feel about convenience versus selection or quality.

I am sure you are familiar with Redbox, the DVD kiosks that forced Blockbuster into bankruptcy. In choosing a way to rent movies, 90% said convenience was the number one reason they went to a particular kiosk, branding had nothing to do with it. Only 10% said that the actual DVD’s drove them to a particular kiosk, selection was not a big factor. In fact, almost 80% of people choose a different DVD if their first or second choices weren’t there. It doesn’t matter how bad the movie is when you only spend $1 Of course price is a big factor these days. Initially pricing drove people out of the Blockbuster stores to a DVD Kiosk. Price has also driven people home to make coffee rather than go out.

So how does this relate to you? When your customer leaves his office or home for a cup of coffee, 80% go to the coffee house that is closest to them, it is either on their way to work or within walking distance of their office. Some other measure of convenience may also apply, for instance the ability to order food or a treat, but closeness is the main factor.

Quality and price may make a difference long-term in customer retention, but initially it is going to be where you are.

Spending has already driven people inside their house to make coffee, so the people that are out need to be catered too and treated in a special manner with special offers or other promotions.

Nearly 40% of coffee drinkers now drink specialty coffee and the fastest growing group is adults ages 18 to 24. (NCA)

22

Michelle Gass from Seattle’s Best had this to say, “The appetite for premium coffee is increasing, with 35% of consumers drinking it today, compared with 29% three years ago.”

But if older adults are staying home that group is really much more important than the actual numbers imply. You have to target the 18 to 39 year olds.

Since only 14% of people are going out for coffee versus 20% or more just a few years ago (NCA), then I would guess 90% of younger adults are drinking specialty coffee not the 40% of all coffee drinkers that are reported. (NCA) 18 to 24 year olds are switching from canned coffee to specialty coffee (NCA) A lot of this age group are used to the Starbucks brand because Starbucks realized the convenience factor early and put a Starbucks within a quarter of a mile of everyone.

However, the trend is away from Starbucks and towards the independent retailers and other forms of drinking coffee. As a result, you can see that Starbucks is aggressively finding other ways to sell coffee besides through their own stores.

They are trying Via instant and there is recent speculation they will try their own pod system.

The one they have supported so far: Tassimo, has not been able to beat back Keurig and their single serve.

You can do your own math for this but here is where your addressable market of customers is: they’re in your local high school, college and work environments. If you plan to be in business in 10 years they are also the kids of the 35 to 40 year olds that are coming in now. They are the ones that don’t want to drink what their parents or grandparents drink. They aren’t interested in Folger’s, Maxwell House or some other brand from the 50’s or 60’s.

How can you promote to those people? What offerings make it easier to eat out and grab a cup of coffee from you while they are on their way to school or work and not stop at a Subway for Seattle’s Best?

Price isn’t the main factor. It is convenience. Peet’s figured that out and they have programs for instant service for customers. They don’t have coffee shops on every corner Your supply chain of customers isn’t the entire coffee drinking population but 14% of the total, the ones that would rather go out for coffee That group that is going out for coffee is usually younger and willing to spend for coffee. That group is made up of mostly 18 to 39 year old people who are given the choice of not only coffee but also packaged energy drinks. You need to know what you are competing with, and whom.

Make that espresso based drink for them and make it convenient; price won’t be the biggest factor if you have convenience to offer.

For more information: please contact Kurt Feshbach, Falcon Research Inc.• 727-298-5430 • kfeshbach@falconresearch.net

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23 CoffeeTalkAd1.indd

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9/14/2010, 4:36 PM

NAMA Coffee Show Exhibitors Advanced Property Tax Compliance Booth #410 216.658.5618 www.avatc.com/fa/

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AquaChoice Booth #408 727.785.0066 aquachoicefiltration.com/index.html AquaChoice provides systems and replacement cartridges for OCS, vending, beverage, water coolers; Uses dependable carbon block technology; Can improve function and life of beverage dispensing devices and is NSF certified.

Fresh Brew Group Booth #108 281.847.2222 www.freshbrewgroup.com

Omnipure Filter Co. Booth #209 208.454.2597 www.omnipure.com Omnipure Filter Company is a 30 year manufacturer of†inline water filters, cartridges, carbon blocks, and specialty media filters.†Our line includes the CL, K, Q, E, ELF, L, and OC, and OMB Series filters.†

Autocrat Coffee & Extracts Booth #217 800.288.6272 www.autocrat.com Whether you serve hundreds of cups or just a few, ensure that every pour is perfect with Autocrat Coffee on Demand.

Eliminate waste, save time and money.

Automatic Merchandiser Magazine Booth #109 920.568.8333 www.vendingmarketwatch.com Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators and coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors.

General Mills Booth #113 360.687.6001 www.genmills.com General Mills produces branded food products consumers know and trust. We can help profitably grow your allied sales.

Visit our booth to see what’s new!

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Booth #303 800.545.2326 www.greenmountaincoffee.com

Bank of America Merchant Services Booth #114 404.890.3242 www.bankofamerica.com

Grindmaster-Ceclilware Booth #310 800.695.4500 www.grindmaster.com

Bay Valley Foods Booth #305 708.409.5343 www.bayvalleyfoods.com BVF is a private label manufacturer of Retail and Foodservice Single Serve Coffee, Cold and Hot Beverage Mixes, Oatmeal, Pickles, Cheese Sauce, Pudding, Salsa, and Dressings.

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Bigelow Tea/Morningstar Food Booth #216 800.235.7072 www.bigelowtea.com Brew Tek Booth #205 800.443.4318 www.hhdonline.com Bunn-O-Matic Corporation Booth #307 217.529.6601 www.bunn.com Count on Bunn-O-Matic Corporation for profitable, reliable dispensed beverage equipment wherever you serve customers around the world. See complete product information at www. bunn.com.

Cafe Vittoria 503.504.3757

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Chester Paul Co. Booth #410 323.245.3761 www.chesterpaul.com CoffeeSmart Booth #308 602.999.6682 www.coffeesmartusa.com Manufacturer of both premium shelf-s le coffee/tea concentrates, and proprietary dispensing equipment designed to fit virtually any size/type location.

Copper Moon Coffee Booth #309 317.541.9000 x226 www.coppermooncoffee.com Branded or Private Label coffee for OCS/Vend Distributors.

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Booth #313 Diamond Crystal Brands / Splenda 912.651.5012 www.dcbrands.com

IFN Green Booth #n/a at press time 510.268.1100 www.ifngreen.com JM Smucker/Folgers Booth #312 847.265.6645 www.jmsmucker.com Folgers is America’s #1 coffee. 100% Mountain Grown for great flavor at an excellent value. Rewards your employees with the same great Folgers coffee they choose at home.

Booth #311 Keet Consulting Services 205.620.9843 www.kcsgis.com Keet Consulting Services develops, sells and supports the RouteMan / Route Management System. RouteMan, featuring handheld computers, provides a professional image and saves you money.

Kool Tek Booth #207 888.533.5665 www.kooltech.com Kraft Vending & OCS Booth #100, 102 973.503.2609 www.kraft.com Mars Drinks, North America Booth #202 & 204 877.273.5812 www.myflavia.com Merisant Company - Equal Brand Sweetener Booth #407 312.840.5355 www.purevia.com Merisant Company - Equal Brand Sweetener and PureVia All Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener See our at on page #39 Booth #304 MTN Products, Inc. 909.629.7301 www.mtnproducts.com NAMA Government Affairs Booth #106 571.346.1900 www.vending.org

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NCS&V National Coffee Sevice & Vending Booth #316, 317 561.632.9750 www.ncsv.net NCS&V are National Sales Agents in the breakroom industry.

We have been representing premier products and companies for over 25 years. Foe more info www.ncsv.net.

Domino Foods, Inc. Booth #212 480.759.1491 www.dominofoods.com Domino is one-stop shopping for all of your sweetening needs including bales, canisters, packets and a complete offering of sugar substitutes (Pink, Blue, Yellow & Green) under the NutraSweet brand.

Booth #405 Nestle Professional 800.288.8682 www.nestleprofessional.com From Nestle Professional, brands such as COFFEE-MATE, NESCAFE , NESTEA, and NESTLE HOT COCOA meet the needs of foodservice operators while satisfying the tastes of the out-of-home consumer.

Booth #412 Ellis Coffee Company 215.537.9500 www.elliscoffee.com

Nestle Waters North America Booth #n/a at press time 714.613.2322 www.waters.nestle.com

Everpure, LLC Booth #103 630.790.1092 www.everpure.com Everpure is the ideal OCS water treatment partner to help you turn beverage programs into a profit center. We’ll help you deliver premium water to increase profits and great ingredient water to sell more coffee.

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Nestle Coffee-mate Booth #403 800.637.8534 www.coffee-mate.com See our ad on page #9

Diversified Foods Booth #314 504.846.8100 www.diversifiedfoods.com/ Distant Lands Coffee Roaster 800.346.5459

24

Gavina Gourmet Coffee Booth #411 323.582.0671 www.gavina.com When it comes to superb coffee and exceptional service, Gaviña is the preferred coffee partner for retailers and entrepreneurs everywhere. Gaviña Coffee: Grounds for Great Partnership.

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Booth #208 Excelso Coffee Company 770.449.8140 www.excelso.com

Newco Enterprises, Inc. Booth #415 800.325.7867 www.newcocoffee.com Newtech Beverage Systems Ltd. 604.882.6940 www.newtechbeverage.com

Booth #402

Booth #107

Paramount Coffee Company Booth #111 800.968.1222 www.paramountcoffee.com Peet’s Coffee & Tea Booth #306 510.594.2100 www.peets.com Hand roasted in small batches by artisan master roasters, roasted upon order, shipped fresh to you. Peet’s is the founder of specialty coffee in America.

Pod Pack International Booth #210 225.752.1160 www.podpack.com We are your specialists in private labeling and national branding of 1-Cup pods for OCS. We will be featuring our new Generic Private Label program.

See our at on page #17 POSQX 866-512-9284 www.posqx.com First Ever! Software As A Service Reunion Island Coffee 800.565.5950 x2

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SmartXpress Booth #409 847.221.9025 www.smartxpress.com partners.smartxpress.com SmartCup?s disposable French press, XPress lid, provides a fresh, high-quality, single cup of coffee brewed from your superbly roasted beans. by

Starbucks Coffee Company Booth #401 888.494.5282 www.starbucks.com/business/office-coffee Keep employees, clients and guests satisfied with Starbucks coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Tazo tea, hot cocoa. Learn more at www. starbucks.com/business/office-coffee or call 1-888-494-5282.

Booth #302 Sugar Foods Corporation 888.708.2222 www.sugarfoods.com Sugar Foods provides products for all your coffee needs, ranging from Non-Dairy Creamer and Sugar to Sweet ‘N Low, Sugar In The Raw and Stevia.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Booth #116 310.895.0657 www.coffeebean.com The Profit Experts Booth #417 214.383.0500 www.profit-experts.com Unified Strategies Group, Inc. Booth #n/a at press time 728.838.8977 www.usgvend.com United Food Group 847.622.1803

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US Roasterie 105 515.243.8805 www.usroasterie.com VE Global Solutions, LLC Booth #413 800.321.2511 www.veglobal.net Vending Times Booth #206 516.442.1850 www.vendingtimes.net News monthly of vending, foodservice, coffee service and recreational services.

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25

NAMA Coffee Show Exhibitors Advanced Property Tax Compliance Booth #410 216.658.5618 www.avatc.com/fa/

Excelso Coffee Company Booth #208 770.449.8140 www.excelso.com

Nonni Foods 734.536.7921

AquaChoice Booth #408 727.785.0066 aquachoicefiltration.com/index.html AquaChoice provides systems and replacement cartridges for OCS, vending, beverage, water coolers; Uses dependable carbon block technology; Can improve function and life of beverage dispensing devices and is NSF certified.

Follett Corp / Ice-DevIce Booth #117 610.252.7301 www.follettice.com

Omnipure Filter Co. Booth #209 208.454.2597 www.omnipure.com Omnipure Filter Company is a 30 year manufacturer of†inline water filters, cartridges, carbon blocks, and specialty media filters.†Our line includes the CL, K, Q, E, ELF, L, and OC, and OMB Series filters.†

Autocrat Coffee & Extracts Booth #217 800.288.6272 www.autocrat.com Whether you serve hundreds of cups or just a few, ensure that every pour is perfect with Autocrat Coffee on Demand.

Eliminate waste, save time and money.

Automatic Merchandiser Magazine Booth #109 920.568.8333 www.vendingmarketwatch.com Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators and coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors.

Bank of America Merchant Services Booth #114 404.890.3242 www.bankofamerica.com Bay Valley Foods Booth #305 708.409.5343 www.bayvalleyfoods.com BVF is a private label manufacturer of Retail and Foodservice Single Serve Coffee, Cold and Hot Beverage Mixes, Oatmeal, Pickles, Cheese Sauce, Pudding, Salsa, and Dressings.

Bigelow Tea/Morningstar Food Booth #216 800.235.7072 www.bigelowtea.com Brew Tek Booth #205 800.443.4318 www.hhdonline.com Bunn-O-Matic Corporation Booth #307 217.529.6601 www.bunn.com Count on Bunn-O-Matic Corporation for profitable, reliable dispensed beverage equipment wherever you serve customers around the world. See complete product information at www. bunn.com.

Cafe Vittoria 503.504.3757

Booth #n/a at press time

Chester Paul Co. Booth #410 323.245.3761 www.chesterpaul.com Linis™ is a brand of the Chester Paul Company; providing a wide range of high-quality water purification systems and components to OCS professionals.

CoffeeSmart Booth #308 602.999.6682 www.coffeesmartusa.com Manufacturer of both premium shelf-s le coffee/tea concentrates, and proprietary dispensing equipment designed to fit virtually any size/type location.

Copper Moon Coffee Booth #309 317.541.9000 x226 www.coppermooncoffee.com Branded or Private Label coffee for OCS/Vend Distributors.

Our branded program fits any OCS/Vend offering. Your logo on our film with 200 lbs./mo and your own branded packaging with 2,000 lb./month.

Diamond Crystal Brands / Splenda Booth #313 912.651.5012 www.dcbrands.com Diversified Foods Booth #314 504.846.8100 www.diversifiedfoods.com/ Distant Lands Coffee Roaster 800.346.5459

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Domino Foods, Inc. Booth #212 480.759.1491 www.dominofoods.com Domino is one-stop shopping for all of your sweetening needs including bales, canisters, packets and a complete offering of sugar substitutes (Pink, Blue, Yellow & Green) under the NutraSweet brand.

Ellis Coffee Company Booth #412 215.537.9500 www.elliscoffee.com

24

Everpure, LLC Booth #103 630.790.1092 www.everpure.com Everpure is the ideal OCS water treatment partner to help you turn beverage programs into a profit center. We’ll help you deliver premium water to increase profits and great ingredient water to sell more coffee.

See our at on page #38

Fresh Brew Group Booth #108 281.847.2222 www.freshbrewgroup.com Gavina Gourmet Coffee Booth #411 323.582.0671 www.gavina.com When it comes to superb coffee and exceptional service, Gaviña is the preferred coffee partner for retailers and entrepreneurs everywhere.

Gaviña Coffee: Grounds for Great Partnership.

See our at on page #38 General Mills Booth #113 360.687.6001 www.genmills.com General Mills produces branded food products consumers know and trust. We can help profitably grow your allied sales.

Visit our booth to see what’s new!

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Booth #303 800.545.2326 www.greenmountaincoffee.com Grindmaster-Ceclilware Booth #310 800.695.4500 www.grindmaster.com Holiday House Distributing Booth #203 www.hhdonline.com IFN Green Booth #n/a at press time 510.268.1100 www.ifngreen.com JM Smucker/Folgers Booth #312 847.265.6645 www.jmsmucker.com Folgers is America’s #1 coffee. 100% Mountain Grown for great flavor at an excellent value. Rewards your employees with the same great Folgers coffee they choose at home.

Keet Consulting Services Booth #311 205.620.9843 www.kcsgis.com Keet Consulting Services develops, sells and supports the RouteMan / Route Management System. RouteMan, featuring handheld computers, provides a professional image and saves you money.

Kool Tek Booth #207 888.533.5665 www.kooltech.com Kraft Vending & OCS Booth #100, 102 973.503.2609 www.kraft.com.

Mars Drinks, North America Booth #202 & 204 877.273.5812 www.myflavia.com Merisant Company - Equal Brand Sweetener Booth #407 312.840.5355 www.purevia.com Merisant Company - Equal Brand Sweetener and PureVia All Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener See our at on page #39 MTN Products, Inc. Booth #304 909.629.7301 www.mtnproducts.com NAMA Government Affairs Booth #106 571.346.1900 www.vending.org NCS&V National Coffee Sevice & Vending Booth #316, 317 561.632.9750 www.ncsv.net NCS&V are National Sales Agents in the breakroom industry.

We have been representing premier products and companies for over 25 years. Foe more info www.ncsv.net.

Nestle Professional Booth #405 800.288.8682 www.nestleprofessional.com From Nestle Professional, brands such as COFFEE-MATE, NESCAFE , NESTEA, and NESTLE HOT COCOA meet the needs of foodservice operators while satisfying the tastes of the out-of-home consumer.

Booth #107

Paramount Coffee Company Booth #111 800.968.1222 www.paramountcoffee.com Peet’s Coffee & Tea Booth #306 510.594.2100 www.peets.com Hand roasted in small batches by artisan master roasters, roasted upon order, shipped fresh to you. Peet’s is the founder of specialty coffee in America.

Pod Pack International Booth #210 225.752.1160 www.podpack.com We are your specialists in private labeling and national branding of 1-Cup pods for OCS. We will be featuring our new Generic Private Label program.

See our at on page #17 POSQX 866-512-9284 www.posqx.com First Ever! Software As A Service Reunion Island Coffee 800.565.5950 x2

Booth #n/a at press time

Booth #213 www.ricoffee.com/

Sara Lee Foodservice Booth #214 800.682.7272 www.saraleefoodservice.com Shasta-Faygo Vending Sales 304.725.2198

Booth #315

SmartXpress Booth #409 847.221.9025 www.smartxpress.com partners.smartxpress.com SmartCup?s disposable French press, XPress lid, provides a fresh, high-quality, single cup of coffee brewed from your superbly roasted beans. by

®

Starbucks Coffee Company Booth #401 888.494.5282 www.starbucks.com/business/office-coffee Keep employees, clients and guests satisfied with Starbucks coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Tazo tea, hot cocoa. Learn more at www. starbucks.com/business/office-coffee or call 1-888-494-5282.

Sugar Foods Corporation Booth #302 888.708.2222 www.sugarfoods.com Sugar Foods provides products for all your coffee needs, ranging from Non-Dairy Creamer and Sugar to Sweet ‘N Low, Sugar In The Raw and Stevia.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Booth #116 310.895.0657 www.coffeebean.com The Profit Experts Booth #417 214.383.0500 www.profit-experts.com Unified Strategies Group, Inc. Booth #n/a at press time 728.838.8977 www.usgvend.com United Food Group 847.622.1803

Booth #104 www. unitedfoodgroup.net

US Roasterie 105 515.243.8805 www.usroasterie.com VE Global Solutions, LLC Booth #413 800.321.2511 www.veglobal.net Vending Times Booth #206 516.442.1850 www.vendingtimes.net News monthly of vending, foodservice, coffee service and recreational services.

Nestle Waters North America Booth #n/a at press time 714.613.2322 www.waters.nestle.com

Vistar Booth #110 303.662.7100 www.vistar.com/

Nestle Coffee-mate Booth #403 800.637.8534 www.coffee-mate.com See our ad on page #9

Wolfgang Puck Coffee Booth #211 800.565.5950 www.ricoffee.com

Newco Enterprises, Inc. Booth #415 800.325.7867 www.newcocoffee.com Newtech Beverage Systems Ltd. 604.882.6940 www.newtechbeverage.com

Booth #402

Visit Us Coffee Fest # 1122 27

Uncommon Grounds: The history of coffee and how it transformed the world

by Mark Pendergrast

Editors note: Mark Pendergrast first wrote his seminal work, Uncommon Grounds, in 2000. Now Pendergrast is publishing the Second Edition. CoffeeTalk is priviledged to bring you excerpts from the new edition.

The Coffee Crisis

During the 1990s, Vietnam surged from nowhere to become a major producer of cheap robusta beans. Most were grown in the Central Highlands, where the indigenous tribes were dispossessed of their land. Many of these Montagnards (the French name for the tribes living there -- the Rhadé, Jarai, Bahnar, Stieng, Koho, and Mnong, among others) worked for pathetic wages on coffee farms owned by the government or Vietnamese who had moved to the mountains to make their fortunes. Other Montagnards eked out an existence on inadequate plots of land. By the end of the decade, Vietnam had surpassed Colombia to become the second largest coffee producer in the world, after Brazil. The world was glutted with cheap coffee.

In 1999, coffee prices dropped below $1.00 a pound for green beans, then sank to 50 cents a pound by 2001– far below the cost of production.

Throughout the coffee-growing world, desperate coffee farmers abandoned their trees to look for work elsewhere. Starvation loomed. Families lived under plastic tarps by the roadside. Some daughters resorted to prostitution to support their families. Other former coffee workers made the news when they suffocated in a truck smuggling them into the United States where they hoped to find work.

The retail price for roasted coffee remained relatively stable, and pressure mounted on enriched roasters and retailers to help the coffee farmers.

Procter & Gamble, which owned Folgers (since spun off to Smuckers), contributed $1.5 million to the non-profit TechnoServe in an effort to aid coffeegrowing areas. Starbucks gave $1 million to the Calvert Social Investment Foundations to help coffee farmers improve quality and acquire credit at fair rates. Then in 2004 Starbucks initiated its own internal verification system, C. A. F. E. Practices (Coffee and Farmer Equity), paying high prices to farms that met environmental, social, and quality measures for its beans.

Fair Trade prices – then pegged at $1.26 a pound for green beans -- became a life-saver during the worst bust yet in the on-going boom-bust coffee cycle.

But by definition, Fair Trade coffee only covers smallholders who have joined democratically run cooperatives and who have paid for the certification process. It does not help workers on larger farms. TransFair USA president Paul Rice floated the idea of expanding the Fair Trade certification to estate coffees, but he met vehement objections from cooperatives that felt the market was already too small. On average they could sell only 25 percent of their beans for Fair Trade prices.

The Coffee Crisis inspired other worthy efforts. In 2001, Steve Gliessman, an Environmental Studies professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz, and his wife Robbie Jaffe, an environmental educator, founded the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) to connect coffee cooperatives, researchers and consumers. Among other things, they promoted direct sales of coffee from Agua Buena, a cooperative in southern Costa Rica, paying the farmers more than Fair Trade prices.

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George Howell, the pioneering specialty roaster, started the Cup of Excellence, which has been called the “Oscars for coffee.” Along with Susie Spindler, who continued to run the program, Howell sponsored a cupping competition in 2000 with international judges to highlight exceptional Brazilian beans. After the cupping and judging, the beans were auctioned on the Internet, often sold to the companies the judges worked for.

Over the ensuing decade the Cup of Excellence program was held in countries throughout Latin America and then traveled to Africa. It resulted in some remarkable prices and discoveries, including Panama’s La Esmerelda geisha beans, grown on trees reputedly descended from a Gesha region of Ethiopia.

“We now know that the program benefits more than just the winning farmers and that after several years the entire producing country sees economic development,” Spindler said. “By focusing on quality and transparency and by rewarding the individual farmer for his/her hard work, the entire coffee infrastructure changes in support of premium coffees. In essence the coffee connoisseur has ended up developing a stronger personal relationship with the farmer.”

The high-end espresso firm, illycaffé (the lower case “i” is correct), based in Trieste, Italy, had already established regional cupping contests for its suppliers, beginning in Brazil in 1991. The company paid up to $30,000 to top winners, while its agronomists helped farmers improve their beans and processing. In Brazil’s humid Zona da Mata, that meant helping farmers prevent their beans from over-fermenting by having them processed differently.

Instead of the traditional “wet” or “dry” methods, they found that by mechanically removing the skin and most of the mucilage, the partially denuded beans could be dried and the remaining mucilage flaked off, resulting in a superior cup. This is known at the semi-washed method, or cereja descascado (CD).

The Coffee Crisis that marked the first few years of the 21st century finally resolved when prices rose as abandoned or unpruned farms reduced production. Even Vietnamese farmers had cut back. Demand gradually caught up with supply. By the end of 2004, prices for green beans on the C market finally broke above a dollar a pound. But unless there is another quota system such as the International Coffee Agreement – an unlikely event – it is inevitable that another devastating price decline will occur.

Excerpted from Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World, by Mark Pendergrast. Available from Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2010.

Photo courtesy of Judy Mammorella

Seattle Build your business at the 59th Coffee Fest America’s #1 Coffee Retail Show • New World Latte Art Championship • New - Social Media Workshops • New - Micro Lot Cupping Workshops for Retailers & Roasters • New - Retailers Round Table Networking Session • Bid for Hope - Silent Auction • New - Single Cup Brewing and Extraction Workshop • Coffee Kids Origin Challenge • Latest Trends - Fresh Ideas Mark your calander for Coffee Fest Hawaii together with July 8-10, 2011 Booth Spaces Start at $500

HCA

Register today! www.coffeefest.com or 800-232-0083

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SCAA Roasters

by Aaron Kiel

Certification: Elevating the Craft of the Coffee Roaster.

The Roasters Guild Helps Roasters Hone Their Expertise

C

hristy Thorns, director of coffee sourcing for Thornton, Colo.-based Allegro Coffee Company and its parent company, Whole Foods Markets of Austin, Texas, says she’s never met a roaster who didn’t want to learn more about his or her craft. Thorns herself, who’s a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Roasters Guild, has always been passionate about learning and staying on top of her profession. In fact, since she began her career at Allegro in 1994 as a roaster, she’s expanded her experience as a trainer, traffic manager, buyer and cupper.

Today, as a member of the Roaster’s Guild Executive Council and head of the Roasters Guild Certification Task Force, Thorns focuses on helping other roasters enhance their careers through certification. “Certification brings credibility to our industry and establishes coffee roasting as a recognized and respected profession,” she says.

Thorns believes that roaster operators are oftentimes looked upon as a glorified production workers at their companies, so the Roasters Guild certification program gives them access to valuable information, knowledge and experiences, which they may not be offered by their employer.

“Certification helps establish the coffee roaster as a highly respected position within their company,” she says.

Indeed, the overall idea behind the Roasters Guild certification program is to give working roasters, or those seeking to become professional roasters, the opportunity to build their knowledge, skills and experience around the craft and science of roasting coffee. “These opportunities are created through interaction with roasting peers and a progressive and evolving roasting-related educational curriculum,” explains Thorns. “The participants who meet established knowledge and performance standards throughout the tiered program receive a designation that recognizes a mastery at the completion of each level.”

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According to SCAA Director of Professional Development Ellie Hudson-Matuszak, the Roasters Guild Certification Program allows SCAA and the Roasters Guild to elevate the craft of roasting beyond applying heat to turn green

coffee into brown coffee. “The Certification Program develops educated professionals who are skilled at developing specialty coffees with intentional flavor profiles, the skills to repeat these results, and the skills to recognize and adapt to environmental changes,” says Hudson-Matuszak.

“It is really important that the roasting process develops the best tasting coffee possible, and the Roasters Guild Certification Program trains professionals on how to accomplish that.”

Program, and I was happy to see more than 50 people complete the coursework and testing requirements successfully at this event alone,” says Hudson-Matuszak. “Certainly, this Certification has high stakes; we are talking about people’s jobs here. In this way, SCAA and Roasters Guild can help its members improve their opportunities to do business and secure meaningful, gainful employment, which is incredibly exciting and critical to our mission.”

To become a Certified Roaster, the participant is required to complete several courses outside of hands-on roasting, in areas such as sensory analysis, cupping and coffee preparation – all of which develop skills in how to communicate about coffee and how to prepare roasted coffee to become a tasty beverage. The program was built in collaboration with some of the industry’s most recognized subject matter experts from companies of all sizes, and the standards and objectives for the program represent the industry’s consensus on best practices.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Specialty Coffee Association of America has offered its members education, training, resources and business services. It is the world’s largest coffee trade association, with members representing more than 40 countries and every segment of the specialty coffee industry. SCAA’s Roasters Guild is a trade guild that consists of specialty roasters dedicated to the craft of roasting quality coffee. Through collaboration, professional certification and training opportunities, the members of the Roasters Guild are able to refine their skills and gain a deeper understanding of their professions. To learn more about SCAA or to become a member, visit www. scaa.org. To learn more about the Roasters Guild and its certification program, visit www.roastersguild.org.

The certification program compromises standardized training that includes specific measurable objectives in the areas of “Knowledge,” “Sensory Analysis,” and “Roasting Science.”

There are three Certification Levels: “Apprentice,” “Journeyman,” and “Master.” Currently, there are hundreds of professionals participating in both the “Apprentice” and “Journeyman” levels, and the “Master” level will be launched after the Roasters Guild reaches a threshold of Certified Journeyman Roasters, which will be in about one to two years.

“We hope that employers see the benefit of seeking a Certified Roaster in their recruiting process when looking to fill positions,” notes HudsonMatuszak. “The Certified Roasters’ abilities in a variety of subject areas provide tremendous value to potential employers and greatly reduce training costs. For the professional, becoming a certified roaster will guarantee you the ability to offer a broad range of industry expertise to your current company or a future employer.”

The Roasters Guild recently offered several Certification Courses at its 10th Annual Roasters Guild Retreat, which took place in August. “There was a ton of enthusiasm for the Certification

Aaron Kiel is the public relations consultant for the Specialty Coffee Association of America. He can be reached at akiel@akprgroup.com.

Brought to You By: Probat Burns Probat Burns provides a comprehensive range of equipment and support services for roasting and processing coffee and cocoa in small and large batches. The Probat Group is dedicated to exceeding international industry standards of excellence. With more than 250 years of combined industry experience, the engineers and specialists at Probat Burns continue to develop their world-leading expertise in safe, environmentally friendly and consistent roasting technologies so that all our customers roast assured.

Are you ready for all the opportunities of a new economy? At IHMRS you’ll discover the tools and resources to drive your business forward. Visit ihmrs.com today for more information.

International Hotel, Motel+Restaurant Show ®

N O V E M B E R 13 -16, 2010 — J AV I T S C E N T E R , N Y C 31

NewsBites Pod Pack International – Your Pod Supplier

Pod Pack is the specialist in private labeling and national branding of any type of POD. Their state of the art facility offers multiple packaging lines, unmatched flexibility, and the most experienced and knowledgeable staff for producing espresso and 1-Cup pods using your roasted coffee beans and blended teas. Pod Pack guarantees your product’s integrity because we hold the highest food safety and quality standards in the industry. Grinding is done 3 minutes before making your pods, internally generated nitrogen flushes the package to reduce oxygen to 1%, and only the best oxygen barrier films are used to package and protect your pods.

Let Pod Pack develop a pod private label program that fits your needs by visiting their website at www.podpack.com or contact at 225-752-1160 or sales@podpack.com.

Biscoff - Europe’s Favorite Cookie with Coffee

As with all Lotus Bakeries products, Biscoff is made with only the highest quality ingredients. Strict adherence to the original recipe and caramelization process created in 1932 gives Biscoff cookies’ their unique caramel flavor and crisp texture. The Biscoff name is a derivative of “bis”cuit and “coff”ee, as the cookies are designed to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee – which is how they are enjoyed by Europeans.

Each cookie is made with all natural ingredients, no artificial colors or preservatives and contains no trans-fat or butter. Each cookie has only 30 to 65 calories depending on its size. Lotus Bakeries North America is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Lotus Bakeries cookies are sold at retail nationwide, and at www.biscoff.com.

All products are baked and packaged by Lotus Bakeries in Europe and Canada and shipped directly to the Lotus Bakeries fulfillment center in Santa Rosa, California.

Extensive Line of Case Erectors from Eagle Packaging Machinery

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The BOXXER line of case erectors with bottom glue sealer have been designed to accommodate just about any size of case, operating at speeds up to 40 cases per minute, and is capable of running both RSC and HSC style boxes. All BOXXER models are designed for quick changeover in a compact footprint. The BOXXER series offers proven designs with an extensive array of features including: heavy duty construction, Nordson ProBlue glue system, easy-load highcapacity blank hopper, and a user-friendly color touch screen HMI. BOXXER case erectors form well-sealed cases with squared corners using a

case feed design for smooth operation, a reliable case erecting mechanism with vacuum grippers, positive flap folding and case transfer, and a case compression mandrel equipped with shock reducers to eliminate machine stress, minimize maintenance and ensure long machine life.

Visit them at www.eaglepm.com <http://www. eaglepm.com> or call 305-622-4070.

Weldon Flavorings – new coffee flavors on the horizon and an old favorite returns.

An old favorite returns this fall to the Weldon Gourmet Coffee Flavorings product line.

Pumpkin Spice was a favorite last fall and will again be available for purchase the week of October 4th on their website. Requests for new flavors such as coffeecake, coconut, gingerbread, and chocolate peanut butter are being considered for offering this Christmas and winter. Weldon Flavorings is considering flavor requests from customers and friends on facebook. New flavors will be announced this winter. Follow them on Facebook for results. For more information please contact Weldon at info@ WeldonFlavorings.com

Artistic Bottles Inspire Creativity

For the sixth consecutive year, Torani is celebrating its Art for Kids program. This year, Torani Raspberry syrup and Sugar Free French Vanilla syrup bottles will sport the limitededition labels created by children in after school art programs. These bottles will be sold from August through December 2010 and five percent of all sales will be donated to Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting affordable, quality programs for children nationwide. Torani has always been enthusiastic about supporting its communities and is grateful to partner with an organization that facilitates creativity. Torani has helped raise over $360,000 for Afterschool Alliance since 2004.

This year’s winners:

“Giraffe” A 9-year-old from the Young Rembrandts afterschool program in Cleveland, Ohio

“Butterfly” A 14-year-old from the Boys & Girls Club at the Farmington Public Library in Farmington, New Mexico

The Coffee Girl introduces new seasonal scents

The dog days of summer may have been a break for some, but as usual The Coffee Girl was working hard and unveiled a new product, Whipped Crème, an intensely moisturizing and protective body crème. Full of skin-loving naturals that provide rich, longlasting hydration, Whipped Crème is available in all of The Coffee Girl’s sensational scents. Always a go getter, The Coffee Girl hasn’t stopped there.

She’s getting ready for fall and the upcoming holiday season with another new line of scents and this is one even the jolly, bearded men in your life can appreciate. New holiday fragrances include: Wicked Cider, Bad Santa Bay Rum and Snow Angel. Get ready for the gift giving season and stock up now on all of these new fragrances as well as the classic Coffee Girl scents you know and love. Lotion bars, coffee scrubs and gorgeous soaps, gift packs and even her signature roasted coffee blend. The Coffee Girl has what you need to offer your customers, clients, employees, friends and family beautiful and unique handcrafted products made with care and attention to every detail. Visit www.coffeegirl. biz today for product information, detailed scent descriptions and ordering. Want a sneak peak before you place your order? Sample packs are available.

F. Gavina introduces Don Francisco holiday blends

Don Francisco’s Coffee Family Reserve, a superpremium gourmet brand of F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc., unveiled its holiday-inspired gourmet coffee flavors. The Family Reserve blends represent the most pristine selection of 100% Arabica beans and have been custom roasted in small batches to deliver only the richest and most flavorful cup of coffee every time. The festive collection includes Dark Chocolate Mint, a decadent yet refreshing chocolaty treat and Pumpkin Spice, a creamy pumpkin pie taste enhanced with sweet spices. The holiday collection is available from October 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011. For more information, contact F. Gavina at www.donfrancisco.com.

TransFair USA Changes Name to Fair Trade USA

TransFair USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, today announces that the nonprofit organization will change its name to Fair Trade USA on October 1, 2010. The updated, simplified name and brand identity will support the organization’s efforts to increase awareness of Fair Trade among a broader consumer audience, increase sales of Fair Trade Certified™ products, and generate

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NewsBites more benefits for farmers and workers around the world. The company’s ethical label–Fair Trade Certified™—will remain the same. Fair Trade empowers consumers to vote with their dollars for fair prices, better working conditions, environmental stewardship, and brighter futures for the people who make the high-quality products that they buy every day. Visit www. fairtradeusa.org for more information.

Donald Harrell retires after 17 years at Monin!

Donald Harrell, Director Business Development, has announced his retirement after 17 successful years with Monin Gourmet Flavorings. Donnie was the pioneer of Monin products when the company decided to launch into the US market.

He was the first employee hired by Olivier Monin in 1993 and his efforts resulted in the strong foundation for Monin, particularly with the coffee trade. “It’s been a great run, and I can’t thank Monin enough for the opportunity they gave me”, Donnie said. “It is just amazing how quickly 17 years has passed and what we have been able to accomplish. I’m now looking forward to slowing down and spending more quality time with my family.” Bill Lombardo, Monin’s CEO, said “Donald Harrell is the guy who put Monin on the map in the United States. He launched the brand and helped build a significant business with our coffee family. He will be missed. We ask you to join all of us at Monin in wishing Donnie future success and happiness.

Rwanda’s Best Coffee on Display for Cup of Excellence® International Jury

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The second Rwanda Cup of Excellence competition brought 26 international cuppers to the small town of Rwamagana to judge the final phase of the world’s most stringent coffee competition. Cupping at the new Kayonza quality lab, the international jury, hailing from 14 countries, scored 22 lots high enough to win the prestigious Cup of Excellence award and the opportunity to be sold to the highest bidder during the online auction October 12th, 2010.

The audience at the packed awards ceremony at the culmination of the week was a sea of Rwanda coffee T-shirts as farmers, dignitaries, industry partners and the national and international judges all wore similar attire showcasing the partnership for quality that was apparent at this year’s event.

“The support that the program enjoyed from the Rwanda Starbucks office, the Technoserve program and the Texas A&M SPREAD project was vital to the success of this year’s competition,” indicated Susie Spindler, Executive Director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, “In fact,” she continued, “the first two critical weeks of the competition were held at the Starbucks lab in Kigali where the Rwanda national jury cupped through all of the coffees entering the competition and selected only the best to send to the international jury. It is this kind of industry backing that has catapulted Rwanda to the forefront of quality coffee sector”.

The top two places of the 2010 competition received over 90 points and were less than

.05 apart in score. The first place lot is from COOPAC Mushonyi and comes from Rutsiro in the Western district while the second is from Dukundekawa Musasa Nyanza/ RWASHOSCCO and comes from Gakenke in the Northern district.

In-depth farm information for all of the 22 winners will be posted before the auction and available to members of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Inc. Samples of the winning coffees will be sent worldwide to registered companies.

The auction will also be online and can be viewed by the public. For more information about the Cup of Excellence program, to become a member log on to www.cupofexcellence.org.

Celebrating the Finest African Coffees in the Land of Kilimanjaro

On 17th – 19th February 2011, multitudes of regional and international coffee traders, roasters, professionals and connoisseurs will descend upon Arusha, Tanzania for the 8th African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition that will be held at the splendid Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, nestled in the beautiful countryside of the Kilimanjaro region. This stunning country is one of the world’s leading fine coffee producers.

Arusha, which is part of the Kilimanjaro coffee farming region, is the perfect venue to celebrate Africa’s finest coffees. Registration for the 8th African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition is now open! Visit www.eafca.org or www. africanfinestcoffee.com to register for the conference and exhibition.

More and more venues feature organic coffee

Organic coffee has become the beverage of choice in food service establishments ranging from highway convenience stores to fast-food chains. It is also offered in college dining halls, the National Zoo and Smithsonian cafeterias, destination spas, and some of the nation’s finest restaurants. According to the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the greater availability comes as consumers increasingly adopt all things “green,” and roasters work with restaurateurs to create special blends for a wide variety of demanding palates. And no wonder – organic coffee has become synonymous with quality.

According to the results of Cup of Excellence cuppings coordinated by the U.S.-based Alliance for Coffee Excellence, organic coffees were from several of the winning farms in five countries in 2009: Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. In fact, the highest ranking attained all year was for organic coffee from the Bolivian farm Agrotakesi SA, earning 93.96 points, more than a full point above the next highest ranking coffee that year.

According to OTA’s Executive Director Christine Bushway, “Restaurants’ increased interest in organic coffee mirrors the increasing presence of organic fruits and vegetables in restaurants of all kinds across the United States!” For more information on the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade

Association, see http://www.ota.com/organic_ and_you/coffee_collaboration.html.

Licensor Jade Bronze Gives a Wake Up Call to Corporate Coffee

While North America and Europe have seen a gradual leveling off of new coffee shop openings in the past few years, statistics show that international growth is hotter than a fresh brewed Americano. Ron DeMiglio, Jade Bronze founder and CEO, isn’t a newcomer to international coffee. He has been in the international specialty coffee industry for over twenty years and has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. “Over the past couple of decades, I’ve seen a lot of different models. My association with coffee shop chains in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Central and South America has shown me that there are better ways to run things as an American-based licensor... and sometimes that means not always ‘running’ things. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have marketing strategies, pricing structures or menu choices dictated solely from a head office in the U.S. The Seattle-area based company is aggressively seeking qualified Master License relationships in key geographic regions of the world. For more information email info@jadebronze.com.

Water Street Coffee Joint Brings in XPress Lid by SmartCup

SmartCup, Inc. announced today that they are supplying Water Street Coffee Joint with the XPress lid, a single serve, recyclable and disposable French press in the lid. Water Street Coffee Joint provides the freshest, most unique and has delicious brews and decided to introduce XPress lid by SmartCup to their retail customers to enhance their customer’s coffee experience.

Water Street Coffee Joint, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan with operations in California, the Midwest and the East Coast, crafts each coffee, monitoring temperatures and making subtle adjustments at each stage of the roasting process in order to bring out the best flavor in each bean.

They feel that XPress lid provides one of the best ways to experience their coffee. The XPress lid integrated seamlessly into their operations by fitting on their custom printed cup, requiring no modifications. This allowed the firm to offer pressed coffee within their operations without additional capital investment or added sku of cups. For more information contact bruce. roberts@mysmartcup.com.

Bar Maid’s Coffee Maid Pot Cleaning System

Bar Maid’s SS-100-C is the ultimate way to take the work out of cleaning coffee pots. Based on the proven SS-100 Glass Washer, the Coffee Maid system combined with Bar Maid LoSUDS Detergent is currently used by hundreds of commercial coffee services. Inexpensive to purchase and built to stay that way, the SS-100-C installs in seconds with no special plumbing or electrical hook-ups and requires virtually no maintenance. ETL approved to UL and CSA Standards for safety and sanitation. Bar Maid LoSUDS liquid glassware cleaner literally dissolves coffee stains, rinses virtually spot free and costs a fraction of similar coffee cleaning products. For more information, contact Bar Maid Corporation at www.barmaidwashers.com, info@barmaidwashers.com or (954)960-1468.

Every coffee needs a

Request a FREE sample!

800-422-2924 ext.4203 foodservice@biscoff.com

Free Sample offer is valid until 11/12/10.

SUSTAINABILITY IS...

Community Empowerment.

Affordable Solutions.

Health Care with a Lasting Impact. http://groundsforhealth.org/sustainability

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Coffee Fest Booth NAMA Booth NCA Booth

America’s Food Technologies, Inc./ AMFOTEK Astoria-General Espresso Equipment Corp.

Bar Maid Corporation Bridge Brand Chocolates BriteVision Cafe de Costa Rica Carrie Cups ChefTec/Culinary Software Services, Inc. Cimbali USA, Inc Cirqua Customized Water Coffee Enterprises Coffee Fest Coffee Holding Company Coffee Roasters of New Orleans Comfort Grip Wrap Costellini’s Cup of Excellence CustomCool Eagle Web Press Equal Everpure F. Gavina & Sons Fres-co System USA, Inc. Georgia Pacific-Dixie Green Good Grounds for Health Hartley Transportation LLC International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show Java Jacket JAVALYTICS by Madison Intruments, Inc Kaffe Magnum Opus, Inc. Knutsen Coffees, Ltd. LBP Lee Hays & Associates Lotus Bakeries Nestle® Coffee-mate® Novus Tea Nuova Ricambi USA OptiPure Pac Coffee Consultants, Ltd. Pacific Bag, Inc. Planetary Design Plastic & Products Marketing Pod Pack International Rocket Man, Inc. Santa Elena Estate Sav-on Bags Scolari Engineering S.p.A. Service Ideas, Inc. Stalkmarket Products Sterling Capital Leasing, LLC TightVac Vessel Drinkware Visions Espresso Services Vita-Mix Corporation Weldon Flavorings Whip-eez Inc. Wilbur Curtis WMF of America, Inc.

708.532.1222

27

www.amfotek.com

336.393.0224

38

www.astoria.com

954.960.1468 415.677.9194 877.479.7777 506.2243.7863 706.373.2442 303.447.3334

27 38 17 11 27 22

www.barmaidwashers.com www.bridgebrandschocolate.com www.britevision.com 307 www.cafedecostarica.com 306 www.CarrieCups.com www.culinarysoftware.com

901

312.265.8100 38 www.cimbali.us 731 805.987.7372 37 www.cirqua.com 726 800.375.3398 37 www.coffee-ent.com 800.232.0083 29 www.coffeefest.com 800.458.2233 13 www.coffeeholding.com 740 800.344.7922 35 www.orleanscoffee.com 847.478.0184 20 www.comfortgripwrap.com 877.889.1866 37 www.costellinis.com 409 406.542.3509 35 www.cupofexcellence.org 718.220.1140 15 www.customcool.com 800.800.7980 35 www.eaglewebpress.com 888.658.1948 39 www.purevia.com 624 630.790.1092 38 www.everpure.com 103 800.428.4627 38 www.gavina.com 404 411 215.721.4600 19 www.fresco.com 866.435.5647 2 www.dixiefoodservice.com 926 949.552.0405 27 www.greengood.com 1122 802.241.4146 35 www.groundsforhealth.org 305 800.427.8539 37 www.hartleytrans.com 800.272.7469 31 www.ihmrs.com 800.208.4128 888.349.3847

23, 38 www.javajacket.com 1012 37 www.javalytics.com

800.652.5282 800.231.7764 800.545.6200 712.246.3301 800.422.2924 800.637.8534 888.244.3569 916.315.2535 800.333.2556 425.361.1973 800.562.2247 888.327.9908 800.654.5741 225.752.1160 800.921.0199 800.701.5211 909.869.9158 856.988.5533 800.328.4493 503.295.4977 631.414.7570 888.428.4448 866.876.8282 800.277.7277 800.437.4654 502.797.2937 800.280.5245 800.421.6150 888.496.3435

15 www.kmocoffee.com 38 www.knutsencoffees.com 21 www.lbpmfg.com 732 38 www.comingsoon.com 35 www.biscoff.com 924 9 www.coffee-mate.com 403 37 www.novustea.com/ 900 38 www.nuovaricambi.us 23 www.optipurewater.com 37 www.paccoffeeconsult.com 20, 38 www.pacificbag.com 711 17 www.planetarydesign.com 38 www.plasticpm.com/ 17 www.podpack.com 210 23 www.rocketman.com 33 www.atlascoffee.com 20 www.sav-onbags.com 40 www.scolarieng.com 38 www.serviceideas.com 5, 38 www.stalkmarketproducts.com 626 37 www.sterlingcap.net 38 www.tightvac.com 1111 25 www.vesseldrinkware.com 828 37 www.visionsespresso.com 722 6, 7, 38 www.vitamix.com/thequietone 911 37 www.WeldonFlavorings.com 22 www.whipeez.com 3 www.wilburcurtis.com 906 25 www.wmfamericas.com

TT

Sponsor

37

AllStar Tools Superautomatic

Espresso Machine

Roasted Coffee

Sleeves

Cups & Lids

Cimbali USA, Inc.

Astoria/General Espresso

F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc.

Java Jacket

StalkMarket Products

312.265.8100 cimbali.us

888.3ASTORIA espressobrewer.com

800.428.4627 gavina.com

800.208.4128 javajacket.com

503.295.4977 stalkmarketproducts.com

All Cimbali super-automatic machines are equipped with the patented Smart Boiler and TurboSteam technologies. Available in one-step, two-step and self-serve models.

Plus 4 You espresso machine grants energy savings up to 47.6% compared to traditional machines; helping protect the environment & providing economic benefits.

Gaviña, the preferred coffee partner for retailers and entrepreneurs everywhere, is a founding member of the SCAA. Gaviña’s expertise provides a consistently high-quality coffee experience for your customers.

Gaviña Coffee: Grounds for Great Partnership.

Java Jacket provides the best insulation of all sleeves on the market. Protects customers from hot or cold to-go beverages, and provides a more grippable surface than other coffee sleeves.

StalkMarket Products, a leading provider of compostable products, offers the world’s first certified compostable Ingeo™ hot cup and lid system from Planet+ that meets the rigorous composting requirements of Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

Blender

Roasting Enginerring Consultant

Chocolate

Vacuum Container

Green Coffee Importers

Vita-Mix Corporation

Lee Hays & Associates

Bridge Brands Chocolates

Tightvac

Knutsen Coffees, Ltd.

800.848.2649 vitamix.com/foodservice

712.246.3301

888.732.4626 bridgebrands.com

888.42.TIGHT tightvac.com

800.231.7764 knutsencoffees.com

Coffee Lover’s Chocolate pairs irresistible quality chocolate with coffee, and irrefutably drives up retail sales.

Private label options make a good concept even better.

Tightvacs are the ultimate Coffee & Tea container!

Our unique patented Tightvac closure system allows the gasses from the beans to escape – without letting oxygen back into the container.

Tightvacs guarantee the smooth flavor your customers pay for.

Award winning purveyors of the finest green coffees in the world. Call us about our exclusive 100% Estate Grown Jamaican Blue Mountain grown at over 4,000 feet on a farm established over 200 years ago. Supplies EXTREMELY limited.

With 34 blender programs, the Blending Station Advance has been programmed for perfection – each program combines the right speed and timing to eliminate guesswork and to create quality drinks! A streamlined cover saves counter space while minimizing sound for an improved customer experience.

“ For the past 8 years, Mr. Hays has been instrumental in providing engineering technical, process, and project management expertise in support of Caribou Coffee’s business. Lee’s experience and knowledge have been paramount to our success... projects are completed within time deadlines and financial targets...his team approach and working style mesh well with our internal Group.”

Paul Turek Vice President Supply Chain, Caribou Coffee Co. Inc.

Erna Knutsen, President & Founder.

Water treatment

Grinding Equipment

Packaging

Air Pots

Cup Dispensers

Everpure, LLC

Nuova Ricambi

Pacificbag Inc.

Service Ideas Incorporated

Plastic & Products Marketing

800.323.7873 everpure.com

916.315.2535 nuovaricambi.us

425.455.1128 pacificbag.com

800.328.4493 serviceideas.com

800.654.5741 plasticpm.com

• Stock pre-made bags • Custom printing • One-way valves • Labeling services • Packaging equipment • Rollstock laminations

Providing products that increase profitability, ensure safety and minimize labor costs. Service Ideas stocks a variety of airpots with features and benefits that others don’t include.

• Dispense all size cups • “ONE AT A TIME” • Interchangable Gaskets • Holds full sleeves of cups • See website for details • Or give us a call

The leading manufacturer of water treatment equipment for foodservice applications, Everpure offers filtration, reverse osmosis, softening, and scale control systems plus complete customer support programs and services.

We are the leading wholesaler of parts for espresso machines and grinders in the world. In addition to our large inventory of parts, we also have a complete line of espresso grinders, hoses, fittings, cleaners, and accessories. Our stock is continually monitored to provide the highest quality, the best selection and the largest on-hand quantities available. We strive to exceed the ever-changing demands of the coffee and espresso industry.

Give us a call; we will simplify your packaging decisions.

This is One Sweet Box!

Introducing the Equal® Smart Pack Equal®, a trusted brand for over 25 years, now offers products in all three leading zero calorie sweetener categories in one box: Equal Classic Blue (250 ct.), new Equal Yellow (500 ct.), and new Equal Pink (250 ct.). This Equal Smart Pack was created so you can meet all of your zero calorie sweetener needs by ordering one convenient box, while delivering precisely the right taste your patrons expect. Take delivery on the nationally branded Equal Smart Pack and discover how smart sweet can be.

For more information, contact your local Stratas Foods representative or call directly at 1-888-658-1948. www.equalpurevia.com

©2010 Merisant Company. Equal is a registered trademark of Merisant Company. QUO1-0151