April 2011

April 2011 Vol. XXIV No. 4

www.CoffeeTalk.com

Coffee and Climate Change and Climate Change in South America

7 14 16 20 22 20 22

This Month:

Packaging and Equipment Practical Sustainability “The Talk” on Mainstreet Uncommon Grounds Retailer Profile SCAA Advertiser Directory 9/11 Hero Robert Gayer

Intelligent. Instinctive. Intuitive.

Introducing Curtis G4 Coffee Brewing Systems.

scaa booth 713 wilbur curtis company • montebello, ca usa • 800-421-6150 • wilburcurtis.com

Contents

7 8 10 14 20 22 24

The real masters of “direct trade” The View From Miles & Kerri

Packaging and Equipment

by Claire Vallin

Practical Sustainability

by Dan Bolton

The real masters of “direct trade”

“The Talk” on Mainstreet

by Peter Surowski

Coffee and Climate Change

by Sam Kornell

Climate Change in South America

Packaging and Equipment

by Miles Small

28

Uncommon Grounds:

The history of coffee and how it transformed the world

by Mark Pendergrast

Think of Quality as the most 30sustainable program for your

Practical Sustainability

business

by Rocky Rhodes

32

Retailer Profile:

Kicking It in Peru, Café Verde Style

by Maxim Vershinin

34 36 38 40 44

SCAA CoffeeTalk Advertiser Directory Found on the Social Web

by Jeffery Klingman

9/11 Hero Robert Gayer

by Maxim Vershinin

NewsBites Advertiser Index

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

Feature

Administrative Director, Accounting, Subscriptions Claire Vallin, ext 4 claire@coffeetalk.com

Mailing Info

Coffee and Climate Change

by Sam Kornell

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

4 April 2011

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The real masters of “direct trade” San Cristobal Coffee Importers

by Miles Small

I

n an office in Tepic, Mexico and another in Seattle, two icons of the specialty coffee industry accomplished what most want, many claim, but few achieve – real direct trade between growers and roasters. James Kosalos and Devorah Zeitlin through their Mexican processing and exporting company Cafés Sustentables de México and their US importing company San Cristobal Coffee Importers are directly involved with all elements of the production and sale of coffee.

There is a lesson to be learned from their experience and that is that direct trade is very difficult, complex, and expensive.

Spending 6 months of the year stationed in Tepic, Kosalos has built the direct trade model from the ground up over several years of relationship building with growers and fragile business relationships with local vendors. Working with a handful of small cooperatives clustered around the Tepic area, Kosalos has been able to establish symbiotic relationships because he purchases their entire production at higher prices. By doing so, he has been able to nudge, lead, and push growers toward higher quality farm-wide. This process has taken years.

Cupping and scoring coffee continuously, Kosalos establishes a statistical basis for continuing improvement as well as establishing its value and market channel. Since CAFESUMEX takes title of the coffee at origin, and then has to sell it in the States, this process is mission critical, albeit time consuming and distracting from the array of other duties required to establish the vertical integration necessary for truly effective direct trade.

Kosalos’ core purpose, and passion, is to establish a statistical basis for forming predictive models in order to simplify processing and to provide

buyers with standardized comprehensive labeling documentation from crop to cup. Elemental to this process is the introduction in the farms he works with of the “PortaCafe” portable lab. Through using this lab, and especially the calibrated sample roaster developed by Kosalos, technicians trained on the system can cup and grade each day’s production at the wet mill using standardized parameters. These results then track the lot through export and ultimately to the consumer. Through this process, he believes, the highest level of transparency and consistency can be achieved.

The struggle is balancing the strictness of statistical absolutes with the foibles of humanity because, after all, coffee is an industry of small business people both at origin and elsewhere. And, in truth humanity is really what it is all about for Kosalos. Pounding up the typical 18km of washedout kidney crushing road in one of Kosalos’ trademark ancient Volkswagon Bugs, the conversation is focused on the prosperity and hope this program is bringing to the remote village of El Cuarenteño whose existence depends on coffee.

The work of CAFESUMEX has brought fair pricing, improvements in processing, and access to markets for the Productores de cafe del Cuarenteño that otherwise would not have been possible.

Travelling with Kosalos is a reminder of why so many of us are a part of coffee – to do business honestly and fairly and openly. Jim and Dev are doing this every day. And, as we finish the day drinking beer and eating fresh fish with our feet in the ocean sand at Las Gaviotas in Miramar, I am reminded of another reason why we all do this gig…

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7

The View T

here is nothing like a good visual to drive home a point. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Mother Nature has provided the world with the photo-op needed to put a face on the cost of climate change – Tuvalu Island. For centuries Polynesians have lived on this group of island atolls near the Gilbert Islands and Australia. The US used it as an Air Operations base during WWII. The once thriving Tuvalu is now all but evacuated because the sea level is rising and engulfing the entire island. The population of the island has been evacuated to resettlement camps in Australia. This isn’t just an odd occurrence, this is the real thing, they are not going back home again. Rising temperatures are causing changes in sea levels in places not seen before. Soon Tuvalu, and its culture and people, will be gone, relegated to being just a reef warning on nautical maps.

For years now, CoffeeTalk has covered the approaching effects of climate change and the implications on supply and sustainability. Up until now, it felt like the words went out, but all folks heard was ‘blah-blah-blah.’ I certainly understand this. The issue of climate change and the more accurate but less compelling ‘Global Warming,’ has been so firmly imbedded into the contentiousness of the national political debate that the reality of climate change has been lost. It has devolved to the point that if you accept that there is global climate change happening now then you must be a Democrat and if you don’t think this…a Republican.

How ridiculous must we become as a people before we stand up and put a stop to this nonsense? The reality of climate change is not open for debate; it is not a political question, it is here – now! What caused the climate to change is the only debatable question, and not a particularly useful one at that. Those that want to debate the causes of Global Climate Change please gather at the other end of the room.

We in coffee who have been to origin and have spoken with growers know that climate change is real and the effects are intensifying.

Reduced crop yields, desertification, shifting growing areas, and population displacements that are beginning to happen are just the tip of a rapid melting iceberg. At

the current pace of change, more land and people will be affected until the current situation finally becomes out of control.

While politicians debate how to mitigate the damages of global warming, we in coffee have no choice but to produce strategies that adapt to the reality of conditions on the farms. Water supplies are becoming scarcer and less predictable, land that once supported high quality coffee agriculture is now no longer producing and available land for new plantings is increasingly scarce; drought is increasing the impact of pests, and extraordinary rainfalls are knocking the flowers and cherries off the trees. The costs of production are rising while yields are dropping. If specialty coffee cannot adapt its practices quickly, we may face the prospect of quality altitude grown arabicas simply disappearing.

In this issue of CoffeeTalk, we continue this conversation with in-depth explorations of the science and reality of sustainability and climate change.

We also would like you thoughts, email us at info@coffeetalk.com.

On another note: CoffeeTalk is please to have Dan Bolton join us as a Contributing Retailing Specialist writing on issues and opportunities facing retailers in the US market. Dan is very well known in our industry as a determined leader and advocate for the success of retailers and the coffee industry as a whole. We are very fortunate to have him be part of our editorial voice.

Correction: Last issue in the View we stated that Green Mountain Coffee’s P/E was 265 when in reality it was 120, a big difference (but still quite a lot). We apologize for any confusion or mis-information this may have caused.

Cheers,

Calendar Apr 27-28

SCAA Symposium, Houston

Apr 29-May 1

SCAA Annual Conference, Houston

May 14

Wake up the World, Fair Trade Breakfast

June 3-5

Coffee Fest, San Diego

June 22-24

SCAE World of Coffee Event, Maastricht, the Netherlands

July 8-10

Coffee Fest, Hawaii

Sept. 8-10

Coffeena International Coffee & Tea Fair and EU’Vend – Cologne, Germany

Sept. 23-25

Coffee Fest, Seattle

Oct. 8-12

Anuga 2011 – Cologne, Germany

Oct. 8-12

Anuga 2011 – Cologne, Germany

8 April 2011

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Packaging and Equipment

by Claire Vallin

A

ny coffee roaster and/or coffee retailer will occasionally wonder

While the valve is vital to maintaining the freshness of your coffee, it is not

if they are getting the most out of their packaging; if they have

the only element of a bag that can fail. The bag’s seal also needs to be consid-

reached their functionality and branding peak, or if there is some

ered, as a faulty seal works just as a malfunctioning valve, allowing oxygen

aspect they could yet improve upon. The latter being more likely, especially

in and negatively affecting the quality of the coffee within. To consistently

with the continual developments in the packaging market, coffee roasters

achieve a proper seal Pacific Bag’s Kelle Vandenburg recommends several

and retailers would be wise to educate themselves on the packaging options

things, first “check the melt temperature of the sealant layer on your bags.

available to them. For the roaster, packaging equipment is going to vary

Your bag supplier should be able to answer this question for you.” Second

immensely depending on the roaster’s output; small roasters often hand-fill

“make sure your sealing machine has a nice consistent pressure across the jaw

bags whereas huge roasters typically have completely automated packaging

of the sealer.” By following these simple steps roasters can make a big differ-

systems. However, packaging materials generally vary much less across the

ence in the consistency and quality of their bag seals.

market-share board, and for this reason provide much more flexibility of choice to the roaster and retailer.

Another great way roasters can prevent distribution of improperly packaged coffee is through the use of packaging monitoring equipment. For instance,

When choosing the packaging for your coffee there are two major considera-

Guy Wray of MOCON explains “MOCON’s new MultiCheck 400 system

tions generally: functionality and branding. Functionality, while it presents

is specifically designed to suit the needs of the Coffee industry by enabling

innumerable choices, is easier to get right and therefore if done correctly will

roasters to test for headspace, leak, and seal and test the one way degassing

have less of an impact on sales than branding. It is thus an excellent place to

value using ONE package.” If your budget allows, this type of equipment can

begin. It is important to note that while functionality may be less complicated,

bring the peace of mind that comes from knowing your customers are expe-

it goes without saying that lack of functionality can easily be the death-knell

riencing your coffee at its best. If this is a bit beyond your financial means,

of any roaster or retailer. Non-functioning or ill-functioning packaging can

some packaging manufacturers provide services to ensure you are properly

compromise your ability to deliver a quality product; a problem even top-

sealing your bags. For instance, Pacific Bag Incorporated will test customer’s

notch branding cannot possibly overcome.

seals for them in their QC lab water tank. Don’t forget to ask about these kinds of services when choosing your packaging supplier; they are a great way

Coffee presents several unique complications to packaging that any roaster or

for smaller roasters and retailers to ensure quality on a budget!

retailer must be sure to account for. First, coffee needs to be protected from oxygen exposure, as oxygen will quickly turn even the best coffee stale. This

Another thing any roaster or retailer will need to consider is what kind of

complication should be accounted for at two different points in the retail

equipment they will use to package their coffee. Large-scale roasters will

process, both prior to the bag being opened and after the consumer makes

often use complex, and often expensive, processing and packaging equip-

their first cup. Second, roasted coffee emits carbon dioxide, and packaging

ment to automate the entire packaging process. For instance, many roasters

therefore needs to account for this or risk bloating or even explosion.

use conveyors to carry their green coffee to their roaster and their roasted coffee to packaging. A great example of one such conveyor is the tubular drag

Because coffee emits most carbon dioxide a day or two after roasting, roasters

conveyors by Cablevey Conveyors, another is by Spiroflow. These machines

of the past were forced to sacrifice freshness to avoid having their bags burst

allow roasters who want to process and package large amounts of coffee to

on the shelves. However, thirty years ago technology brought the frustrated

do so in a minimally labor-intensive way. However, if you do not think large

roaster an answer: one-way degassing valves. Both oxygen exposure and

machinery is in the cards anytime soon, note that many small roasters weigh

carbon dioxide emissions can be taken care of with the one-way degassing

and package their coffee by hand. While slightly more labor-intensive, this

valve, which allows carbon dioxide out without letting oxygen in. These valves

method is often much more practical for startups trying to watch their expen-

are now standard features on plastic coffee bags, so the problem now is less

ditures. For this method, roasters need a reliable scale, such as the oft-used

with including the valve than with making sure the valve functions properly.

scales from Penn Scale Manufacturing. From electronic to heirloom scales

Ask your bag supplier how they test their valves for quality; minute differ-

Penn Scale provides countless roasters with a reliable way to consistently

ences in failure rates can ultimately make a big difference in sales. An unde-

package their product.

tected broken valve can make a customer believe your coffee is simply bad,

10

which could potentially result in the loss of that customer forever. Discussing

At the beginning of the article, functionality and branding were mentioned

this potential, Kelle Vandenburg of Pacific Bag comments, “you can have the

as separate aspects of packaging, but it is important to note that they are not

best coffee in a fantastic bag but if the valve doesn’t function as a one-way

completely autonomous ideas. Whether you formulate your branding designs

degassing valve the oxygen is going to come through and dry the coffee and

and strategy before or after making basic bag hardware decisions, remember

hurt the integrity of the product.”

that bag hardware plays a crucial role in the way your product is perceived

April 2011

continued on page 12

Packaging and Equipment

continued from page 10

by the customer. For instance, if you are marketing your coffee as environ-

To-Go packaging

mentally friendly, better branding might be achieved by using recycled paper

While an article on coffee packaging may not typically look at prepared coffee

bags or compostable bags over standard plastic or foil. For instance, TekPak

packaging, it would be imprudent to overlook a product that can dramatically

Solutions offers “Omnidegradable” bags that according to Robert Pocius,

increase profits for coffee shop owners. Customers looking for a large quantity

President of TekPak Solutions, “compost in the backyard or biodegrade in any

of coffee for meetings or parties will often ask coffee shops for some way

landfill or body of water.” Similarly, as Carolyn Johnson from Sonoco explains,

of purchasing and serving their coffee in bulk. To meet these needs, coffee

“(Sonoco’s) innovative 3-ply bag is composed of polyester, foil and a polyeth-

shops can offer prepared coffee boxes such as “The BaristaBox™” from OTB

ylene sealant. This structure yields a bag that requires 10 percent less material,

Packaging, which is a single-use bag-in-box style corrugated container used

uses 15 percent less energy to produce, and has 10 percent less carbon emis-

for storing and serving large amounts of prepared coffee and other bever-

sions when compared to a traditional 4-ply structure.”

ages. The BaristaBox™ can be purchased in five sizes from 96oz to 384oz, and keeps coffee and other hot drinks hot for an average of 2-3 hours. Similarly,

Additionally, some coffee roasters skip the traditional side-gusset bag alto-

LBP Manufacturing offers a 96oz to-go box, which can be custom-printed

gether and package their coffee in standup pouches. The standup pouch

to suit your needs. Not only can this kind of packaging greatly increase sales

can be attractive to customers because it often features a reclosable zipper,

for cafes and coffee shops, and introduce them to a niche market they would

a feature that customers have come to desire and expect from their food

otherwise miss out on, but it can also be a great way for roasters to offer their

packaging. Discussing this trend, Millie Nuño of Eagle Flexible Packaging

prepared coffee for sale without the headache of actually running a café or

comments, “reclosable packaging of all types is popular and continues to grow

selling single-serve drinks. Not to mention, it is a great way to get large num-

for us in our business – Inno-Lok® pre-zippered roll film for form, fill, and

bers of people to try your coffee in one go!

seal machines and reclosable pouches of all sizes.” The reclosable package is a simple solution to the ongoing problem keeping coffee fresh once the package has been opened. Or, if you are going for a high-end image, selling your coffee in tins rather than bags might be a good way to achieve this goal. As Leslie Wing of Allstate Can Corporation explains, “there is a reason high end products are packaged in tin…Consumers make an emotional connection with packaging and tins offer a distinctive value that represents higher quality.”

Another great solution for locking in freshness is Tightvac’s Coffeevac.

No matter what type of packaging you choose for your coffee, you will need

The fact is, many café and coffee shop owners do not currently offer brewed coffee in bulk because they do not think there is a market for it. However, as Ron Hill of OTB Packaging explains: “it’s a matter of supply driving demand … as more shops ‘discover’ BaristaBox, and we meet their needs, they will see this market open up and I think they will be more aggressive in promoting ‘bulk coffee.’ At this point, even the big chains do a poor job of making ‘bulk coffee’ known to their customers.” Thus, whether or not customers are routinely requesting bulk prepared coffee, simply introducing that option may help coffee shops increase their bottom line.

to decide how you are going to label it. Many packaging companies will print custom designed bags with your design ideas printed directly on the bag, or you can have labels printed separately and apply them by hand. Many

their logos and brands in house on our generic styles of packaging materials.

small roasters and retailers find that applying their own labels to pre-printed

We then choose the best packaging equipment for their production order

stock brands works well for them, and is an affordable alternative to the

sizes.” Single-serve, it seems, is not out of reach for even the smallest of coffee

often-pricier custom-printed bags. However, as Joy Weedon of Pack Plus

roasters, and pods can be a great way to introduce your coffee to a market that

Converting comments, “a custom designed bag definitely delivers a stronger

would otherwise be missed.

brand presence in the market today and according to our customers who switch to a custom printed bag, they have seen their sales increase immedi-

With all of these options for packaging coffee, one thing is certain: packaging

ately after, so it is definitely a worthwhile investment.” Alternatively, Marisa

is complicated. Fortunately, packaging manufacturers and suppliers can

Chan of Bella Vita explains, “for those customers who are roasters and or have

help guide you through the process and work with you to select the pack-

their own coffee brands, we often hear that they would like something that

aging that makes the most sense for you. For example, Paulina Michaud of

appears custom without the cost or minimum order quantities required with

Fres-co System USA explains, “Fres-co System USA, Inc manufactures all

custom packaging…. As a result we have developed gift bags that have the

the materials and valves for coffee packaging and … we can offer almost any

option of windows if one would like to show off the brand. The window bags

packaging format desired. Fres-co can support and educate the roaster on

offer a customized look without the cost of custom packaging.”

how to use the equipment with the correct materials to make the most unique and efficient coffee operations.” Ultimately, while you can research and make

One branch of coffee packaging that has yet to be discussed that with

informed decisions, oftentimes it comes down to choosing a knowledgeable

respect to current trends in the coffee market would be imprudent to omit,

and trustworthy packaging company.

is single-cup coffee packaging. While many small roasters may not currently feel that this niche market is relevant to them, the demand for single-

For a complete list of packaging and packaging equipment vendors, please see

cup coffee continues to grow and may thus be something even the smallest

www.coffeetalkyellowpages.com

roasters would find worthwhile to explore. In fact Tom Martin of Pod Pack International comments, “we service large national coffee roasters as well as small to medium roasters… For the smaller customers, we have ways to print

12 April 2011

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Practical Sustainability Suppliers describe the first steps shop owners should take on the never-ending journey toward sustainability.

by Dan Bolton

S

ustainability exists in a world where the horizon is always receding. It is a continuum, not a recipe. But the idealism associated with sustainable practices does not make it unquantifiable. And those who practice sustainability have demonstrated that it is a sound business model.

So why isn’t every shop sustainable?

It’s perceived as costly and inconvenient. Many significant changes are not easily apparent to customers who then don’t appreciate or reward the effort.

Confronted with overwhelming options many shop owners often decide to take no action. CoffeeTalk dispels these objections in this series and outlines the first steps toward a sustainable shop.

“It’s all about the little ways to be more sustainable,” says Bret “Buzz” Chandler, President of Asean Corp. in Portland, Ore., makers of StalkMarket Earth Friendly Products. “I can tell you that those who make it part of their business plan find that sustainable practices pay back over and over,” says Chandler. “The switch to green, even though it requires additional effort, becomes so popular that your own employees won’t let you switch back,” he says. Chandler identified three “first steps” discussed at length below. None require large capital investment or constructing a LEED Platinum certified building from scratch.

Reduce & Recycle Expendables

Bottom Line: A shop using five cases (5,000) hot cups can expect to pay about $95 a case. Switching to compostable paper hot cups will cost $105, a premium of 10 percent at most. Research by the Natural Marketing Institute has consistently shown customers are willing to pay up to 20 percent for products offered by firms that embrace sustainability.

“The first step is to hand them a cup,” says Wendell Simonson, Marketing Director for Boulder, Colo.-based Eco-Products. “The product that you put in people’s hand is a visible testament to the commitment of the shop’s owners.

That is the foot in the door, the point of entry to sustainable practices,” he says. The price differential for sustainable products is not as great as you might think, he says. A 1000 cup case of 12 ounce conventional paper hot drink cups sells for $99.50. The same compostable cup runs $105.45, a difference of about $6.

Simonson points out that cups offer a terrific opportunity to mention that commitment. “There is a lot of room to drive home a message to the customer,” says Simonson. But, he cautions, once the decision is made “it’s a mixed message if you don’t follow through with your entire inventory of expendables. Investing in compostable green hot cups and Styrofoam takeout containers is not going to work.”

Residential Café a Noble Experiment, by Dan Bolton Dimitri Thompson does nothing half way. His Noble Café opens in May in a 248-unit luxury condominium high-rise in one of Oakland’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

“It is the first zero percent carbon footprint, fully sustainably built café in the USA (and, we think, the world),” Thompson says proudly. Everything in the shop from furniture and appliances to the walls and ceilings, floor, paint and counters -even the food, energy and water is sourced for its sustainable characteristics.

The menu is almost entirely certified organic (sourced within 200 miles) expendables will be recycled and food scraps will be composted. The building is awaiting LEED™ certification. The 2,000 sq. ft. shop has 900 sq. ft. of counter and work area. Interior landscaping has a sustainable concrete floor seating area with a bamboo floor in the retail area and bamboo walls. A fountain outside the 1,100 sq. ft. seating area is the centerpiece of a living forest whose trees will be nurtured and transplanted when they outgrow the shop.

The appliances are water saving, Energy-Star certified. The shop’s Astoria multi-boiler espresso machine is the first to incorporate highly sophisticated stand-by software and precise temperature settings that save up to 47 percent energy.

His roasters are part of the Green Coffee Alliance and both Blue Bottle and Rishi Tea are Fair Trade and certified organic. There are no plastic bags permitted and Styrofoam is outlawed in the Bay Area. Napkins and utensils are compostable in 60-90 days. Noble’s signs are solar powered and electricity will be purchased exclusively from green sources. Thompson pledges a minimum $250 a month to “green” resources in the San Francisco Bay. How is he paying for all this you ask?

“Everyone has the impression that green is expensive,” says Thompson, but they overlook some unique aspects. He kept build out expense under $190,000 and received six months free rent from the condominium developers. The City of Oakland, consistently named one of the nation’s top 10 green cities, awarded a $10 per sq. ft. grant for area development and $8 per sq. ft. from their Green Business Fund for a total of $40,000. In addition his zero carbon credentials helped him qualify for favorable financing on $15,000 borrowed from a “green” lender and Noble earned a $3,500 credit from Stopwaste.org for garbage bins and educating employees on sustainable practices. “This $58,500 would not be available if Noble wasn’t a “green” concept,” says Thompson.

“I’m not in business just to be green,” he says, “The demographic here demands it.” Customers are well educated, under 45 and affluent. “A study by Cornell University showed half of this segment is willing to pay up to 14 percent more. They want us to use this money to give something back,” he says.

Meeting space is available free to non-profits and charities. Every two months Noble Café LLC will print a “Walk the Talk Passport” listing energy savings, contributions, carbon offsets and donations, says Thompson.

The concept of a residential café that offers high-end hotel-like room service coffee for tenants is important enough for the developer to offer significant incentives during build out, says Thompson. “The café’s relaxing spa-like environment is a place where residents can sit down for a relaxing beverage or light meal and listen to music,” he says. Every unit gets a menu and special concessions on catering. According to Thompson, the shop is an integral part of the luxury experience that defines “The Grand” and, if successful, will be incorporated in several other residential complexes owned by the Essex Property Trust.

14 Craig Boelsen, co-owner poses with sustainable

offerings at The Tea Exchange Manhattan Beach, Calif.

When the shop opens on World Green Day, Thompson is confident of its success. He cites this observation by Wolfgang Von Goethe in this literature: “A noble person attracts noble people, and knows how to hold on to them.”

April 2011

continued on page 16

15

Practical Sustainability continued from page 14

Private Label Packaging, by Dan Bolton

Sustainability_CoffeeEmporium_bikedelivery Coffee Emporium delivers about 20 gallons (160 pounds) of liquid coffee by bicycle.

Kurt Anderson is Vice President of Sales at Repurpose Compostables located in Los Angeles. His contribution to sustainability is a plant-based plastic from renewable resources that emits fewer green house gases and composts in 90 days. Anderson dispels the notion that sustainable hot cups are inferior.

“No condensation, no sleeve, these cups are available in multiple colors, the lid makes a good seal and it’s good to 200-degrees,” says Anderson. The cost?

Repurpose sells 12 oz. hot cups for 9- to 11-cents, in quantity.

Tom Martin, Executive Vice President and COO at Pod Pack International, Ltd. says that high-volume coffee vendors, fast food and convenience outlets can make a big contribution to sustainability because of their market presence. The Baton Rouge, La.-based manufacturer praises the fast growth of single-serve coffee machines as a big improvement over a glass pot in delivering a fresh cup of coffee. “Pod machines don’t require a hot plate or burner and the paper we use is compostable, takes up less space and disappears in the landfill,” says Martin.

Outside the Box Packaging President Ron Hill remains a corrugated cardboard fan. The Toledo, Ohio-based firm manufactures the Barista Box, a to-go container that is 80 percent compostable. A metalized polyester bag inside each box is easily removed. “Every landfill accepts corrugated paper and there is a well-established aftermarket for recycling cardboard,” he says.

It’s a commodity that brings $150 to $160 a ton,” says Hill.

Conserve Energy & Resources

Bottom Line: A small retail business paying approximately $24,000 per year in energy costs, with a few efficiency upgrades and by changing some operations can reduce consumption by up to 30 percent. That’s almost $7,200 in energy savings year after year.

Digital makes all the difference, says Kevin Curtis, Executive Vice President at Wilbur Curtis Co. The Montebello, Calif.-based firm manufactures a broad selection of brewers, boilers and beverage equipment. “The first consideration is good quality digital equipment. Over time a sleep mode alone will save significant energy but it also cuts down maintenance expense and reduces scaling,” says Curtis. “Our equipment sleeps at 140 degrees at night but reaches serving temperature in 10 minutes. Digital technology also keeps you from overshooting temperatures,” he says. “To consistently get 200-degree water you used to have to shoot for 204 degrees which wastes energy and speeds up lime build up on heating elements and thermostats,” he says. As a result heating coils are less efficient and temperature readings were never precise. Curtis says brewing equipment with IntelliFresh technology and 1.5 gallon satellite containers use precisely controlled heating blankets to extend the serving period up to three hours without damaging the flavor. “The secret is to never vary the temperature,” says Curtis. “When the coffee inside is no longer optimum a blinking light tells you to throw it out.”

Conservation is an important and often overlooked aspect of sustainable operations. Increasing the shelf life of coffee by even a few days adds greatly to the profitability of private label coffee. Brooklyn Park, Minn.-based MOCON, maker of packaging industry instrumentation, booked record sales last year helping roasters extend the shelf life of fresh products by testing all aspects of the process from selecting the correct barrier, through modified atmosphere packaging to reducing headspace, leak and seal testing. “As you become more successful and your distribution increases, so does the time from roasting to consumption. If all of the coffee you roast will be consumed with a two week period. It’s unlikely that you need be concerned with extending shelf life,” MOCON advises. “However, in this competitive world where there is a coffee shop on every corner, can you afford to sell coffee that is not at its peak freshness?”

Roasters have looked for years for packaging to lower their impact on the environment. Bioplastics are better than petroleum derived plastics but are responsible for food price increases. Cellophane from managed forests is sustainable but the large amount of Sulfuric acid and bleach required in manufacturing cause other problems. Some bioplastics contain heavy metals that leach into landfills. Some degrade only in direct sunlight. The move from heavy tins to thinner and lighter bags is an important and non-controversial first step, as it results in significant transportation and materials savings.

Last year Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, one of North America’s largest independent coffee roasters, converted its foodservice and private label brand packaging to recycled paperboard composite, a less expensive and environmentally friendly alternative to metal cans.

Sonoco supplied the composite and is now manufacturing barrier lined paperboard cans for several major brands and a top U.S. grocery chain.

“But it is the need to protect the bean that creates the biggest hurdle in packaging that will completely break down,” says Glenn P. Sacco, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Seattle-based Pacific Bag, Inc. “Strides are being made due to greater public outcry and environmental concerns and we believe that a package that keeps the product fresh with minimal impact on the environment is closer to reality than ever,” says Sacco. “In fact, PBi is studying several laminates, thru its Biotre program, that will offer small to medium sized specialty roasters a practical and earth-friendly package,” he says.

What should roasters tell retailers with a private label program?

“The right solution is environmentally conscious,” according to Bob Pocius at TekPak Solutions. Most forms of “Green Packaging” are not really that green and have limited flexibility for disposal, explains Pocius. Some too quickly break down on the shelf and many bag liners crumble before the roaster can even pack them. “Some crumble after, leaving the consumer to wonder what all those bits of plastic are doing in his coffee maker,” he says. The Hamilton, Ont.-based firm offers practical and cost effective films which safely degrade in the presence of active microbes found in backyard composts, landfills and water. The only thing left behind is CO2, water and a small amount of organic biomass, he says.

Here is sound advice for shops that package their own brands. Consider green packaging as an excellent way to cut costs and boost your image. The folks at Asen Strategic Advertising & Marketing in Knoxville, Tenn. suggest five tactics to transform packaging from the same old bag into something a little… greener:  Purchase packaging material from local manufacturers. Materials don’t travel as far, helping reduce fuel consumption and emissions and packaging with local components appeals to those consumers who seek out goods that come from their own region.  Try bioplastics. Plastic is one of the most popular packaging substances but it is derived from nonrenewable sources, such as petroleum and natural gas. Bioplastics are made from renewable resources, like plants. Many are biodegradable and release fewer toxins when decomposing than synthetic counterparts.  Use recycled materials. Glass, aluminum, paper, steel and some plastics are easily recyclable and often without a loss of quality in the product. Using recycled materials in packaging is a good way of making a package green.

In fact, some materials, such as glass, steel and aluminum, are capable of indefinite recycling. Encouraging consumers to re-recycle the package is a good way to keep a reusable material out of the landfill. It’s also great for your brand’s image.  Implement packaging reduction. Smaller packages or packaging with compact elements reduces shipping expense. The same principal applies to reducing weight. A truck will use less fuel, and produce less pollution with lighter loads.  Give green. If you can’t improve the sustainability of your current packaging, donate a portion of your sales to a green non-profit agency to demonstrate your company’s commitment.

16 April 2011

continued on page 18

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17

Practical Sustainability continued from page 16

Here is a checklist of energy savers:  Examine Your Equipment Examine your brewing, espresso and refrigeration equipment as well as the facility’s water heater for washrooms and cleanup. Determine which equipment can be disconnected at certain times. Check that your equipment is energy rated. If older than 5 to 10 years, there is more efficient equipment on the market. Replacements typically have a very short payback. Installing humidity control systems in refrigerators lets you reduce temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees.  Look at Your Lights Replace your exit lights with upgraded energy efficient models. Replace T12 fluorescents and magnetic ballasts with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts and reduce energy use by 40 percent. If you use decorative lights for holidays, consider replacing them with LED lights that can result in an 85 percent reduction in energy costs. Replace any Exit signs with LED models.  Turn Up the Thermostat Implement a dress code for warm weather that encourages employees to dress comfortably for warmer temperatures and set the thermostat in your workspace 78 degrees during work hours. Raise it to 82 degrees when unoccupied.

The energy savings are significant. Raising the thermostat a single degree can save 2 percent of your air conditioning costs. In winter, set the thermostat to 68 degrees during working hours and 62 degrees at night.  Energy Efficient Ceiling Fans Install an energy efficient attic fan or evaporative cooler. Attic fans or evaporative coolers help reduce or replace air conditioner use. Energy efficient ceiling fans create air movement that can cool a room by up to 4 degrees. Close window blinds to shade your space from direct sunlight and install window film, solar screens or awnings on south and west facing windows.

 Regular Maintenance Perform regular maintenance to keep heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems running more efficiently. Maintenance activities can save up to 30% of fan energy and up to 10% of space conditioning energy use.  Talk with Your Landlord If you lease your space to a tenant or if you are a tenant, talk with your landlord or tenant about energy efficiency. Working together and even sharing costs to improve energy efficiency also improves the value of their property and cuts electricity bills.

Market the Message

Bottom Line: A LOHAS Consumer Trends study in 2008 found 70 percent of U.S. residents support causes and two-thirds work to build a sense of community where they live. Eleven percent volunteer to clean up parks and trails and neighborhoods. Sixty-eight percent say that even in a recession they would remain faithful to a brand if it supports a good cause (Edelman PR) and four out of five people say they are still buying green products and services today, even in the midst of the recession (Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing) Simonson, with Eco-Products, says sustainable products add to the value of a shop’s offering. “Sustainable lines enhance the product offering. Packaging adds value, he says. A cup of coffee or a grab-and-go salad is worth more to the customer. It has value in itself and it offers a meaningful competitive advantage compared to the coffee house down the street, it is enough to convert someone because customers in this culture understand that green packaging makes us think,” says Simonson.

Kevin Bardsley, the principal at Green Nature Marketing in Morrow, Ohio, says the key for the business owner after introducing sustainable products and practices is to educate end users. “I have seen time after time a business changes from a petroleum based coffee cup to a compostable cup, but they do not “toot” their own horn,” he says. Although it may represent a very few cents these investments in sustainability herald a significant marketing opportunity for business owners, says Bardsley. Explaining the shops commitment through table tents, posters, and cut sheets explain to customers the advantages of green products. “These are vital marketing tools that all business owners should use to educate their customers."

18

At the Bohemian Coffee House in Brunswick, Maine staff encourage customers to avoid paper cups by offering a travel cup discount.

Crooked Tree Coffee House Dallas, Tex. relies on Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters to insure a sustainable supply chain.

April 2011

continued on page 20

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Practical Sustainability continued from page 18

"The Talk" on Mainstreet, by Peter Surowski

When it comes to saving the earth, you don’t need to be a superhero. Coffee house owners can do it a little bit at a time. Here are a number of small things five owners and managers across the country are doing to help the environment.

SOUTHWEST

The Tea Exchange Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Switching to corn-based plastic and post-consumer paper products is an easy way to make a big difference, said Craig Boelsen, the co-owner of The Tea Exchange in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

The 1,600-square-foot shop sits two blocks from the beach in the Metlox Plaza, a new, upscale shopping area with mostly boutiques with an indie arts feel.

Coffee Emporium Cincinnati, Ohio The revelation to embrace sustainable practices came to Tony Tausch and his wife Eileen after they opened the smallest of their four Cincinnati Coffee Emporiums in 1996. It was only 300 sq. ft. but the trash it generated was tremendous, “piles and piles of garbage,” Tausch recalls.

“It really hit home and we decided then and there to do something,” he says.

“The first thing was to begin composting coffee grounds and kitchen waste.

Today we collect 50 five-gallon buckets of grounds a week at our shops, enough to convince a local farmer to pick up the waste. “The funny thing is that today people are fighting over our garbage,” he says.

His early sustainability practices included installing pig-tailed CFLs and switching to biodegradable, compostable cups,” says Tausch.

Switching traditional products with earth-friendly versions is something any coffee house owner can do, says Boelsen.

The shop has since purchased bicycles and begun delivering catered products on wheels to reduce emissions. Tausch, who helps with deliveries when needed, says the modified bikes carry 100 pounds of product and are surprisingly efficient. “The other day I made a downtown delivery in the time it would have taken me to find a parking spot,” he says.

Running a new business, he has no time to worry about the more involved measures some entrepreneurs take, such as installing solar panels or gathering rainwater for cleaning. “I look for things that are easy, such as changing your products,” he said.

Tausch, 47, has been praised as a business leader. Several years ago he was among the first to invest in the city’s riot-torn Over the Rhine neighborhood.

His shop has since earned recognition from local press and double-digit growth.

He also buys organic produce from local producers whenever available, he said. “We look for products that are organic and Fair Trade,” he said.

Coffee Emporium now employs 53 with 15 full-time staff.

Though his shop specializes in tea, they offer the full line of espresso drinks like any coffee house.

Even though swapping out products may take little to no time or energy, the effects add up, he said.

MIDWEST

“Our sustainable initiatives are not just an expense, it is something that we feel we have to do,” says Tausch. “The earth is only so big and capable of holding so much. We live in a throw-away society but that shouldn’t keep us from doing something about it.”

Amante Coffee Boulder, Colo.

Used coffee grounds make a great fertilizer, and Ian Short can’t stand to see it go to a landfill. So, he packages up and gives it to his customers at his 1,500sq-ft shop, Amante Coffee, where he works as the manager.

NORTHWEST

The shop sits in an upscale, newer neighborhood full of condos for young professionals. Across the street are an Italian restaurant and a bike shop, he said.

Twice a month, Susie Reaume, the owner of Mocha Motion in Forks, Wash., takes a trip to Port Angeles, the nearest major city. While she’s there, she recycles her trash. Her load includes mostly cans of Red Bull and club soda, she says. “We just put a box in the back and as we use them, we just toss them in.”

When spring rolls around, customers who are getting ready to plant their gardens ask about the grounds, so he bags them and puts them on display with a sign saying the bags are free.

“Our customers can come by and pick them up to help with their gardening,” he said. Not everybody knows what the grounds are for at first glance, he said. “Most of the time they ask, ‘What do you use this for?’” he says. When I tell them “they’re kind of intrigued.” This gives Short and his employees an opening to talk to the customers about how you use the grounds and about Amante Coffee’s efforts to help the environment, which many customers are happy to hear. “We’re in Boulder, so there’s a pretty big environmental push,” he says.

Other customers know exactly what to do with it. “Some customers come in every day for a week until they get enough.”

SOUTH

Crooked Tree Coffee House Dallas, Tex. The easiest way to have a big impact on the environment is to know your roaster, said Sarah Momary, the co-owner of the Crooked Tree Coffeehouse in Dallas, Tex.

Mocha Motion Forks, Wash.

Recycling is something anybody can do, even if the nearest recycling facility is an hour away.

Mocha Motion is a six-year-old drive-thru coffee house on the city’s main drag. In fact it’s the city’s only drag. Forks is a town of 3,000 people in the state’s northwestern wilderness. Despite the cold and small population, she does good business she says. Much is due the hikers and nature lovers, though recently some of it is due to vampire movie fans. Forks is the setting for the Twilight series of vampire novels, and fans pour in by the dozens every week looking for landmarks mentioned in the stories, Reaume says. “It’s totally huge. People from all over the world are coming to be here,” she said.

Unlike most cities, she doesn’t get her recyclables picked up from her curb.

So, if she can recycle, anybody can, she said.

NORTHEAST

Bohemian Coffee House Brunswick, Maine The best way to clean up the environment is to waste less, according to Peter Robbins, the owner of Bohemian Coffee House in Brunswick, Maine. He sells specially-made travel cups in his shop, and he encourages his customers to use them instead of paper cups. “We sell huge amounts of travel cups,” he said. With each order, he changes the design to encourage customers to buy more than one. “There are some people who have to have each one.”

The three-year-old shop sits in a 100-year-old building in the St. Thomas Historic District, a neighborhood of old houses, half of which still house families, the other half contain shops like hers. Crooked Tree sits on one tree-shaded road between a family’s home and an art studio. The coffee house gets all its coffee from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters, a local roaster who Momary knows well.

He offers discounts to customers who bring their own mugs. For example, a cup of coffee on the menu for $1.93 costs only $1.35 when served in a reusable mug.

In turn, the head roaster at Oak Cliff knows his green bean suppliers. He regularly hops flights down to South America to see how the coffee is grown.

There, he only buys coffee produced by growers who respect the environment and treat their employees well. Environmentally it’s equal to Fair Trade, but with direct trade, he can see the conditions of the workers,” Momary says. “He can see whether they’re doing good in their communities.”

“We say, ‘It tastes a lot better in a ceramic cup. Would you rather have it in a ceramic cup?’” Robbins said.

This does not always help his bottom line, but it helps him feel he’s doing good for the world, he says. “A lot of times people just want a cup of coffee to go.” Nonetheless, he thinks it’s as important as turning a profit. “We think it’s of utmost importance. We wouldn’t be in business if we felt we were doing harm rather than good,” he says.

20

MIDWEST

Even customers without a shop branded mug, will be steered toward reusable cups.

Since Robbins began encouraging customers to use mugs, the number of disposable cups he has to buy has gone way down. In 1998, for example, he went through a case per week of each size; that’s three cases a week or 3,000 cups.

Now, he goes through only a case every two weeks.

It helps that many of his clients are environmentally conscious. His shop sits in downtown Brunswick on the mile-long main thoroughfare near Bowdoin College. The building is stand-alone in the parking lot of a supermarket in a fast-growing part of town with lots of construction. Students are usually environmentally conscious, but even the older, usually uninterested group cares in Brunswick. The city’s main landfill is getting full, observes Robbins, and most people know that. “Everybody in the area’s getting very conscious,” he said.

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21

Coffee and Climate Change

C

offee Arabica evolved in a mild climate.

We’ll never know for sure whether an Ethiopian goat-herder really brewed the first cup of Joe after he saw his flock behave strangely while munching on coffee seeds, but no similar mystery clings to the origin of Arabica coffee itself. The climatic band that characterizes the high foothills of East Africa is a picture of mild constancy. There is relatively little rain, and the temperature fluctuates between the mid sixties to high seventies Fahrenheit with little or no variation. Arabica has since migrated to other parts of the world with similarly mild climates, all of them situated within the tropics or subtropics. At the heart of this crop profile is a clear and naked vulnerability to the greenhouse effect.

There is now more greenhouse gas concentrated in the atmosphere than at any point in the last fifteen to twenty million years. Historically, when methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor have clogged the atmosphere, preventing the heat of the sun from escaping back into space after it hits the earth, average temperatures have risen across the globe. In many cases, the rise has been rapid and dramatic.

It’s not yet clear how severe global warming is going to become. There is a chance that world governments are going to agree to make laws that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to prevent radical climatic disruption. But scientists are warning with increasing urgency that the world is on track to induce thirteen degrees of warming by century’s end—a “worst-case” scenario certain to have catastrophic consequences.

A former head of the CIA has written that at thirteen degrees, “It will be difficult for countries to look after anything other than their own salvation.”

If nothing is done to reign in greenhouse gas emissions, or if not enough is done before the climate reaches what scientists call a “tipping point,” coffee production will change in ways that are difficult to envision and harder to plan for. British researchers have produced a climate model projecting that the Amazon will become a desert if the earth warms by thirteen degrees, which demonstrates why planning for the worstcase scenario is impractical. Coffee will no longer be grown in coffee growing countries if such a change occurs.

22

by Sam Kornell Specialty Coffee Association of America asserted, “It is not too far-fetched to begin questioning the very existence of specialty coffee.”

Warming is occurring particularly rapidly at the earth’s poles and at its center, which means that climate change is going to hit coffee-lands in the tropics and subtropics early and hard. Projecting exactly how the greenhouse effect is going to change the climate of a particular coffee growing region is not possible, but climate change is going to apply with particular acuity to coffee lands because they hug the equator.

benefit as much. Another major problem will be the disappearance of glaciers: Himalayan, African, and, most problematically for specialty coffee, Latin American. According to the IPCC, Latin American glaciers—in Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru—may be gone completely within 15 years, leaving coffee growers bereft of a regular source of water.

The threat moderate climate change poses to coffee can be separated into three broad categories: decreasing water supply; more severe storms occurring more frequently and at stranger times in the year; and complications created by more heat and drought. To flourish, Arabica needs a mild temperature range and well-defined seasons. Even if average temperatures rise only a few degrees in coming decades, the expected temperature fluctuations would still be catastrophic.

These projections are based on the IPCC’s “bestcase scenario” for the growth rate of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the last three months, the world’s leading climate monitoring laboratories have published a series of studies and data-sets finding that that rate is actually accelerating faster than previous worst-case projections, including those of the IPCC. If the world continues to warm at its current pace, scientists at a recent UN climate conference in Copenhagen warned, by 2050 drought may cover a full third of the earth’s land surface, beginning at the equator and extending outward in both directions. In this scenario, coffee cultivation will change in ways that are difficult to imagine.

A few years ago researchers at the University of Sao Paolo published a study detailing the main factors responsible for Brazilian agricultural losses in the 1990s, and they identified two primary causes: excessive rain during the harvest period, and dry spells during the reproductive stage.

Both of these eventualities are virtually certain to increase in severity and frequency in coming decades as climate change intensifies.

Already, many people in the coffee industry are beginning to seriously consider how to adapt to climate change. “The smart [producers] are already working on the problem,” said Dan Cox, a former president of the Specialty Coffee Association of America who now runs Coffee Analysts, a coffee testing service. “With climate change and what it’s going to mean for glaciers and rainfall—they know they need to evolve.”

Climate models show that by 2050 it is very likely that 50 percent of all agricultural lands in Latin America and the Caribbean will be subjected to desertification and salinization. Water scarcity is a huge problem for Arabica, though not for an immediately obvious reason. “Arabica is not a particularly thirsty crop,” said Kenneth Davids, the founder of CoffeeReview.com, a comprehensive online coffee buying guide. “In most places in the world it’s not irrigated”, and where it is—parts of Brazil, Yemen, Ethiopia, Northern Australia, and Kauai—it’s only at “the most industrialized end of the business. Small growers don’t irrigate and the larger growers irrigate selectively.”

The International Coffee Organization has advised all coffee growing countries to devise methods to cope with, and adapt to, climate change. But coffee is one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world, and a high proportion of coffee growers are impoverished.

Coffee is also generally farmed as a monocrop, which makes any kind of long-term drop in yields a career-ending problem for many farmers—not a good scenario for people already living on the poverty line.

What the worst-case scenario can conceal, however, are the risks posed by the “best-case” scenarios, which are serious and far more immediate than is commonly recognized. Because there is a twelve-year lag-time between when carbon is emitted into the atmosphere and when it becomes a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, there is already a substantial amount of global warming baked into the climate. Although the likely effects of a warming world on coffee production have not been widely researched, climate models show that it is very likely that in coming decades microclimates in equatorial countries are going be scrambled and reconfigured.

And yet while Arabica may not be especially thirsty, the tradition method used to mill it requires enormous amounts of water. Moreover, Arabica cannot withstand serious drought. A global analysis conducted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 identified a number of “hot spots for future drought,” two of which were Central America and parts of South America. Nations expected to be hit by drought in the IPCC’s analysis include Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Columbia, and Brazil. Drought was also projected to increase in frequency, duration, and severity in sub-Saharan Africa. The IPCC study ended by pointing to the possibility of “worldwide agricultural drought.”

Because Arabica coffee is not a particularly hardy crop, having evolved in mild climes, and because it is a perennial plant that cannot be easily re-situated, the effect of climate shifts – including variation in temperature and precipitation – are likely to be deeply disruptive to global coffee production. So much so, in fact, that earlier this year the

The bad news doesn’t end there. According to the IPCC, even regions that are not projected to be hit as directly by drought will suffer consequences from accelerating climate change. Areas that get more rainfall, such as the higher midlatitudes, will get this extra wetness in winter, out of the main growing season when crops cannot April 2011

But it’s not just impoverished coffee farmers who are going to be hit by climate change—it’s the entire coffee industry. Yields are down and if they stay down it will affect everyone from large estate owners to exporters and importers. It will affect roasters, retailers, and cafes. And of course it will affect consumers, who will see the price of their lattes rise even higher than they are currently.

The coffee industry as a whole doesn’t have great tools to adapt to climate change. It’s going to be a huge problem for everyone, everywhere. The best thing for the industry would be if world leaders muster the will and political wherewithal to do something deep and systematic to prevent runaway global warming by regulating carbon emissions. At the moment, however, pessimism about a global agreement to restrict greenhouse gas emissions is warranted. This means that, as the ICO has advised, it’s time for everyone to begin considering what to do about serious climate change.

In much the same way that New Zealand and Argentina do battle to sell the world’s best grassfed beef, East Africa and Latin America fight for the mantle of world’s finest coffee producing region. And of course there’s internecine warfare too—Kenya pitted against Ethiopia, Guatemala continued on page 26

23

Climate Change in South America

by Miles Small With apologies to Frank Sinatra – There just ain’t a lot of coffee in Brazil. Nowhere in the coffee lands is the impact of global climate change on Arabica coffee so pronounced as in Brazil. The high plains, that have made mechanized production possible and fixed Brazil’s place as the leading coffee powerhouse, have also become the source of Brazilian coffee’s vulnerability. Without natural barriers and microclimates that mitigate the wide spread effect of weather on the crop, Brazil is increasingly experiencing the profound effects of climate change.

This was markedly reinforced in February when an intense hailstorm swept across the Daterra Coffee farms in Brazil destroying 300 hectares (741 acres) of ripening coffee. Over the course of about 30 minutes, this freak storm drove down the trees, ripped all the cherries to the ground, and possibly dramatically reducing the potential yields on those trees for years to come. 7000 bags of coffee were lost, about 10% of Daterra’s production, dramatically reducing the amount of high quality Arabica coffee Daterra has available for export and further exasperating supply issues system wide.

Never before has Brazil experienced such a destructive hailstorm in the coffee lands, and certainly not during the dry harvest season. This event was just an element of an escalating series of weather events that are significantly changing the coffee supply chain. Because Brazil is such a significant factor within the supply chain, representing over 50% of exported Arabica, changing agricultural conditions leading to supply fluctuations carry immediate implications for global supply.

Dramatic and unpredictable fluctuations in weather conditions have become increasingly common as the global temperature increases.

Rising air temperatures, rising ocean temperatures, greater frequency of El Nino events, shifts in rainfall frequency, and shifting seasonal conditions are making the production of coffee much less predictable. The goal is no longer to find a way to stop climate change’s effects in agriculture but rather to learn how to adapt to the inevitable.

Indicators and effects of climate change in Brazil and South America The specter of drought in Brazil seems far-fetched in a country that is so recognized for the Amazon River, but with increasing temperatures globally the desertification of much of Brazil is a very real possibility. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts the global temperatures will increase by 3.6 to 7.2 degrees over the next 20 years, and that temperatures will increase more in the Amazon basin. The Northeast deserts of Brazil are expanding rapidly already along with shrinking glacial mass in the Andes that reduces flow rates and atmospheric moisture density.

areas formerly considered too prone to frosts.

Meteorological agencies report temperatures consistently above the historical average since the 1990’s. However, too high temperatures will reduce the overall acreage with climatic potential for coffee production.” Already, land once prime for coffee production is becoming marginal and areas that were not suitable are opening up to production, however the lag in time between planting and commercial yields may ensure reducing yields for the foreseeable future.

In a report from the ICO (ICC 103-6 Rev. 1) from September, 2009, “During recent decades, Brazilian coffee production has shifted northwards, away from areas prone to frosts and in search of more benign climates. However, as a result of temperature increases and a reduction in frosts, coffee planting in the southern parts of the country is once again becoming desirable. As a matter of fact, temperatures consistently above

the historical average have been registered by the country’s meteorological agencies since the 1990s.

Overall, scientists agree that, given the rise in temperatures, coffee planting will become increasingly viable in the southern states such as Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, formerly considered too prone to the risk of frosts. During the 1990s, researchers from that region began to notice how overall agricultural productivity began to fall. High temperatures in October during successive years, when blossoming takes place, provoked the early loss of flowers, are preventing the formation of the cherry in some cases.”

“According to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency EMBRAPA, a one degree increase in temperature could reduce by 200,000 square kilometers the current areas with climatic potential for coffee plantation. A three degree increase would

remove a further 320,000 square kilometers, while a catastrophic increase of 5.8 degrees would wipe out another 310,000.”

This same report continues about Colombia, “Production costs are likely to increase due to new climatic conditions favoring the proliferation of insects, plagues and pathogens. Thus, although many pests are naturally limited by their present predators, an unstable climate can alter this assessment and foster conditions favorable to the proliferation of pathogens and insects, which will serve as Inoculums for epidemics and epizootics populations.

For example, in the case of the coffee berry borer, drier environments may affect the presence of the fungus Beauveria bassiana, reducing its effectiveness in inhibiting natural or artificial infections and promoting an increase of the populations of this pest. Similarly, an increase of rainfall during the year can counteract the restrictive effect of dry periods on the proliferation of pathogens, thus enabling the continuity of a life cycle that otherwise would be interrupted. The same effect can occur as a result of higher temperatures.

Continuous life cycles in organisms with high reproduction capacity may result in a rate of exponential growth of their populations and permanent damage to plantations. Finally, the increase in temperature in altitude and latitude in mountain regions will allow the spread of diseases to regions where it was not present earlier. Likewise, production can be affected adversely due to the incidence of diseases such as the coffee leaf rust, the pink disease (Corticium salmonicolor) and radical ulcers (Rosellinia) among others, whose proliferation is facilitated by the persistence of rain and the occurrence of a high relative humidity in the environment. Water deficiency is not common in most coffee areas of Colombia and thus irrigation is not needed. However, increases in average temperature cause high evaporation, soil water losses and higher rates of perspiration, thus increasing water requirements.

If this were the case, many farmers would have to introduce some sort of infrastructure for irrigation, inevitable increasing their production costs.”

“There is no doubt that in the likelihood of significant global warming, chances are that in some regions coffee plantations would have to be transferred to higher altitudes, seeking more suitable environmental conditions for production. There is great interest in acquiring as much knowledge on the methodologies and use of impact scenarios to allow the assessment of the implications of climate change on the growth and development of the coffee sector.”

Possible effects of climate change on coffee production Quality. As temperature rises, coffee ripens more quickly leading to a fall in inherent quality. This statement is supported by the fact that low grown Arabica from tropical areas with higher temperatures mostly shows less ‘quality’ in the cup compared to the same coffee grown at higher altitudes.

The beans are softer and may well be larger but lack that ‘quality’. In this regard Dr Peter Baker

According to the International Trade Centre Climate Change and the Coffee Industry report of February 2010, in Brazil, “Rising temperatures suggest coffee production will become viable in

24 April 2011

continued on page 26

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25

Climate Change in South America continued from page 24

of CAB International (www.cabi.org) estimates that if by the end of this century temperatures rise by 3 °C (some experts believe an increase of up to 5 °C is possible), then the lower altitude limit for growing good quality Arabica may rise by some 15 ft per annum, meaning that over time areas that are currently too cold for coffee could become suitable. But it is uncertain whether land at higher altitudes would in fact become available (or be rendered suitable) for coffee production.

Yield. If climatic events such as overly high temperatures occur during sensitive periods of the life of the crop, for example during flowering or fruit setting, then yields will be adversely affected, particularly if accompanied by reduced rainfall.

Pests and diseases: Higher temperatures will not only favor the proliferation of certain pests and diseases, but will also result in these spreading

to regions where they were not normally present.

Research suggest that the incidence of pests and diseases such as coffee berry borer, leaf miner, nematodes, coffee rust and others will increase as future temperatures rise. The consequent need for more control will make coffee production both more complicated and more expensive.

Irrigation: Areas currently not requiring this may do so in the future due to increased evaporation that reduces the soil’s moisture content. Other areas may experience increases in both rainfall and the variability thereof.

Adaptation is the only option There is no doubt that the production of coffee is under extreme threat from global warming, and the prospect of developed nations engaging solutions that mitigate these changes is becoming increasingly remote. If coffee is to survive the next 20 years in the robust fashion to which we have become accustomed, the industry must rapidly adapt and implement systemic methods to address climate change directly.

Some of these may be, • Modeling and monitoring climate and production changes across all coffee growing regions.

• Identify areas of vulnerability to climate change and areas of opportunity for alternative development • Develop systems of traceability to generate empirical data on climate and quality

• Pursue intensive programs to develop genetically improved plants that are resistant to drought and disease.

• As they are now doing in Brazil, more frequent cupping of coffee while maturing to better schedule harvesting and reduce vulnerability to dramatic climatic events Climate change, whether a “short-term” circumstance or one lasting for millennia, is none-theless, real. The impact on a generation of coffee growers is measured in years, not centuries, and not recognizing our changing climatic conditions is not sensible. It is no longer possible to seek stopping and reversing climate change, it is now necessary to adapt to the often-terrible consequences in the best way possible. Freakish events of weather such as the hailstorm in Brazil are becoming increasingly common in the turbulent meteorological equatorial belt as warming global temperatures conflict with colder northern atmospheres. We are facing long periods of short supply and variable quality as the industry struggles to adapt to the changing weather.

As Peter Baker, Global Director of Commodities, CABI Europe-UK said as the SCAA 2007 conference, “The changes that climate change will wreak on coffee may have seemed to be in the distant future, but we can now see that this is a misconception – changes are already under way and their consequences must start to be tackled now and in a concerted fashion.”

Coffee and Climate Change continued from page 22

against Mexico, Brazil against Columbia, and so on. Some of these countries and some of these regions will be better equipped to adapt to climate change than others. In East Africa, where coffee accounts for more than half of the GDP of many countries, the funding and infrastructure to adapt to climate change is limited.

But in the wealthier Central American countries, as well as Columbia and particularly Brazil (the world’s fifth largest economy), with proper funding government officials can launch substantial public information campaigns to apprise coffee farmers of the adaptation options available to them, and to figure out how to reconfigure the industry in response to a warmer atmosphere.

It will be a monumental undertaking for every country and every region, and many growers will be incapable of making the transition..

The four primary options for adaptation are hardier seeds, selective harvesting, changing milling practices, and, at the most dire end of the spectrum, moving. Unfortunately, as drastic as the last option is, in many cases the question may not be whether it’s necessary but simply how soon.

To some extent the coffee world can mitigate climate change by reducing its carbon footprint.

Or perhaps a more accurate way to put it is that consumers can mitigate climate change by buying higher quality coffee, which is often organic and shade-grown. The use of fertilizers and pesticides produced using petrochemicals account for the largest source of carbon emissions in global agriculture, and the finer coffees are far less likely to have a petrochemical base than their commercial

brethren. But virtually all climate policy experts agree that for global warming to be effectively mitigated world governments will have to make laws and sign treaties limiting carbon emissions. The coffee industry may be able to play at least some part in hastening the kind of political backing such action would require. Coffee is the second most popular beverage in the world, after soda. It’s an integral part of daily life for millions of people across the globe. If the world coffee industry can somehow unite to warn the world of the threat climate change poses to its product, it may help bring global warming home in a way that photographs of collapsing Arctic glaciers do not.

For while climate change may seem like a distant, abstract problem, in fact it is rapidly becoming the most serious threat to global stability and prosperity in the world.

Climate scientists agree with remarkable unanimity that without far-reaching action to reduce heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, we will see catastrophic climate consequences occur within our lifetimes. Still, for many people global warming is hard to see in daily life—it hasn’t yet become visually so apparent that it cannot be ignored. But the same elusiveness does not exist for people in the agriculture industry, and certainly for people in the coffee business. In the past, climate disasters were a normal part of doing business, but they only occurred occasionally.

Take a moment to consider what happened during the night of July 17, 1975, when temperatures across southern Brazil dropped below freezing.

26 April 2011

Chilly weather isn’t unusual in Southern Brazil, but this frost was different. For one thing, it was enormous: it stretched across the entire state of Parana, parts of which saw, for the first time in recorded history, snowfall. And it lasted for two days and two nights.

Brazil was then, and remains today, the world’s largest coffee producer. The effect of the “Black Frost,” as it came to be known, was to drive international coffee prices dramatically higher—up to a high of $3 per pound of green coffee, a 300 percent increase. A scandal ensued, with congressional hearings, market panic, and editorials in the New York Times. In Mark Pendergrast history of coffee, Uncommon Grounds, he writes that the Black Frost got its moniker from the visual devastation it left on the ground—low-flying airplanes passed over vast tracts of blackened flora. From the perspective of just about anyone in the coffee industry, however, the name was appropriate for its metaphorical poignancy—it took three years for international coffee prices to stabilize.

The Black Frost provided a glimpse of how quickly an unusual metrological event can reconfigure the coffee industry. Because of climate change, it must now be viewed as nothing less than emblem of the future. How will the coffee industry respond to the threat the greenhouse effect poses to its existence? And how will the world respond to the threat climate change poses to civilization? These are questions that everyone—within the coffee industry and without—must begin contemplating.

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

Fair Trade and Starbucks

Fortunately, the issues raised by the Coffee Crisis are being addressed in many ways. Fair Trade coffee sales (and awareness) have grown phenomenally, from 37 million pounds in 2001 to 200 million pounds worldwide in 2009.

Much of that growth occurred in the United States, thanks in large part to TransFair USA. President and CEO Paul Rice, a relentless promoter and effective speaker, went to great pains not to make enemies and to work with anyone, including large corporations. Global Exchange served as an uneasy partner in promoting Fair Trade beans through boycotts and intimidation.

It was a good cop-bad cop approach, in which Global Exchange encouraged consumers to pressure larger roasters.

In 1999, when the World Trade Organization met in Seattle, protestors singled out major corporations, including Starbucks. The company was made out to be a corporate villain for its failure to sell any Fair Trade Certified coffee. The company provided the perfect target – a high-profile, seemingly ubiquitous presence with its Starbucks outlets and readily-identifiable mermaid logo. Extremely image-conscious, Starbucks executives bragged about the company’s commitment to its employees, about its high-quality coffee, and about its social values as expressed through major donations to charities such as CARE. On national television in late 1999, viewers witnessed protestors throwing rocks through a Starbucks store window in Seattle, then trashing the espresso machines. A few months later, the company signed a licensing agreement with TransFair USA to sell some Fair Trade beans, though the activists were convinced that the company’s action represented a token effort to stave off criticism.

They were probably right. Starbucks already prided itself on paying well for the best beans it could find, and the farmers from whom it bought generally made a decent living and treated their workers relatively well. In 2001 the company introduced coffee-sourcing guidelines developed in partnership with Conservation International. Why should the company jump through all the Fair Trade hoops and pay ten cents a pound on top of that for certified beans? Besides, at that time Fair Trade beans frequently didn’t measure up to Starbucks’ quality demands.

Ten years later, Starbucks had changed its attitude. In 2009 it doubled its purchases of Fair Trade beans to 40 million pounds, making it the world’s largest buyer of Fair Trade coffee. The company announced with TransFair USA and the Fair Trade Labeling Organization the beginning of a three-year pilot project to expand a small-scale farmer loan program to at least $20 million by 2015.

The three institutions would also explore the creation of a single audit system to certify farms qualifying for Fair Trade status as well as the Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices verification. According to Paul Rice, “C.A.F.E. Practices is a serious, legitimate sustainability standard.” Yet few socially conscious coffee drinkers believed that. Many were sure that any private verification scheme must be a form of greenwashing, an attempt to look good while lacking in meaningful criteria.

28

There was considerable overlap between C.A.F.E. Practices and Fair Trade criteria (between the two of them, there were some 400 different indicators).

Small farmers who qualified for both labels complained that it was a waste of their time and money to do audits twice each year. Now, by combining both into one somewhat longer audit, farmers could save about 30 percent in time and money.

It appeared to be a win-win-win situation for all concerned, beginning with the farmers. For Starbucks, it provided the independent Fair Trade stamp of approval, recognized widely by the general public as a trusted label that meant that 100 percent of the beans were grown and traded ethically. For TransFair, it provided a potentially huge market.

Starbucks examined its sources in 2009 and discovered that 85 percent of the farmers supplying their beans owned family farms with less than 12 hectares of land (about 30 acres). I had always thought that Fair Trade was limited to smallholders that grow their coffee on five hectares or less, but Rice told me that there was some flexibility. “Fair Trade standards don’t impose a hard and fast ceiling on land holdings. In our model, it is more about poverty and the relation to hired labor. If you farm 12 hectares with your family and five sons, that’s OK.” If a group of small farmers who sold to Starbucks didn’t belong to a democratically run cooperative, might the company help them to form one? This was perhaps the most attractive opportunity for the Fair Traders: the chance to extend their movement to millions of unorganized smallholders.

Starbucks also agreed to have its agronomists help launch the Small Farmer Sustainability Initiative to help Fair Trade cooperatives gain better access to working capital, technical assistance and training. The technical assistance component grew out of Starbucks Farmer Support Centers, first opened in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2004. The company realized that it needed to teach farmers to cup their own roasted beans and to figure out how to modify their growing and processing practices to produce higher quality coffee.

Yet Starbucks still had a long way to go in communicating the importance of Fair Trade. By 2009 Starbucks stores in the U. S. featured only one blend, Café Estima, with the Fair Trade logo. In the fall of 2009 Starbucks in the United Kingdom switched all of its espresso beverages to Fair Trade beans and made the commitment to do so in Europe by March 2010. (The U. K. had over 90 percent consumer awareness of the Fair Trade label, while only 35 percent of U.S. consumers recognized the label.)

Too many certifications and labels were confusing – Rainforest Alliance, Organic, Utz Kapeh Good Inside, Bird-Friendly Shade-Grown, and more — and the different certifications had different objectives and standards.

Rainforest Alliance allowed its logo to appear on packages containing only 30 percent of its beans, for instance. Utz Kapeh specialized in larger farms, requiring transparency along with environmental, quality, and social improvements, but without promising any greater price for the beans. Some critics dismissed Utz, which was originally sponsored by Ahold, a large Dutch coffee firm, as an ineffective corporate fig-leaf. Yet it really did make a difference in the lives of coffee workers who would never be covered by the Fair Trade certification.

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 April 2011

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Think of Quality as the Most Sustainable Program for Your Business

by Rocky Rhodes

M

any that know me will tell you that while I am a reasonably good ‘coffee person’ I would never make it in the category of business economics genius. On the contrary, I pride myself on knowing just one simple economic principle: If you make a high quality product that people want, and let people know you have it for sale, you will have created a sustainable program.

Are there other programs that will be profitable for your business? Of course there are. Is there another principle more certain in the growth of your business? Not really. You see this sustainability program relies on truth, pride in product, faith in others to appreciate quality when they see it and a desire to share your product with others.

Some will say ‘If economics were this easy everyone would be rich.’ They are both right and wrong. They are wrong for assuming that this type of a program is easy and without risk. They are right when they assume that those who truly understand it, and live it, become rich.

With a product like coffee which starts its journey far from where it ends up, the quality program plays out several times. The farmer who understands the principle will care for his trees in the off-season and only harvest the red ripe cherries. He knows that doing things this way will increase costs and in certain cases lower overall production. He also knows there are customers out there willing to sign long term contracts at above market value for his coffee.

These contracts will cover the extra expenses and provide certainty that he can continue to produce coffee for seasons to come.

If the farmer does not have her own mill, she can sell her cherries to the local mill or exporter utilizing the same quality system. A buyer knows that if they care for the cherries properly they will create a beautiful lot of coffee that will rate higher than others. They will take the extra time to patio dry, rest the parchment, segment the lot by size and density, and then hand sort for defects. They do this because they know the coffee will score higher on the cupping table and therefore increase the differential they get for the coffee.

This increase covers the cost and rewards the effort.

Does this mean that anyone in the chain gets to charge whatever he or she wants? Of course not! But it does two extremely important things that were mentioned above: Covers increased costs plus an additional profit premium, and provides longer term agreements between parties which stabilizes the marketplace.

So where is the risk in a system that rewards quality? To me the most obvious answer is in the dilution of the word ‘quality’ or ‘specialty’ with products that are neither. Some roasters and retailers will utilize the words but forego any real quality controls. In essence they try to realize short term gains on the cynical belief that the customer does not know or appreciate quality. When you fool people in this way they eventually catch on and stop trusting those that claim a quality product. To minimize this risk many are turning to objective third party groups to rate the coffee. Some of these groups, such as the Coffee Quality Institute have formal evaluations that can be used in coffee contracts that will ensure that what you buy is what you get by defining the quality for a particular lot of coffee.

The rewards in the system are numerable: Higher customer loyalty, larger profit margins, consistent supplies, and knowledge that your system improved lives of others along the chain. But HOW do you execute on this plan? Let’s break down the initial premise in order to discover an action plan to start the quality program.

1) ‘Make a high quality product that people want’. We make coffee and people want that! Now all that is needed is a dedication to quality so when you produce your piece of the coffee chain you can, with honesty and pride, call it ‘specialty’.

2) ‘Let people know you have it for sale’. One of the hardest lessons to learn is that the starving artist sometimes starves because he refuses to ‘commercialize’ what he does. You have to have confidence and pride in what you do and you must not be embarrassed to have your marketing department spread the word. An organized and driven word-of-mouth campaign often works the best. Tell your story and let people take pleasure in it. They will appreciate the coffee even more.

The importer that has contracted for the higher quality coffee also will realize they need to care for the coffee to maintain its quality. They will ship it with reliable carriers, and store it in a reliable warehouse. Roasters they do business with understand the need for the quality premium and will sign their purchase contracts to reflect the extra expense for special handling.

I think like a roaster because that is the part of the chain with which I am most familiar. But the business premise holds true regardless of your position in it. Higher quality will be worth more to your customer. If it is not, then find a new customer because they are not committed to quality even if they say they are.

The roaster will now spend extra time in sample roasting the coffee to find the best way to present it to their customers. This can slow production and increase packaging costs. The roaster knows that his customers will reward the high quality coffee with a premium that will cover the additional costs.

Being committed to a quality program can be hard, especially when money is tight. But remember this to ease your mind: any idiot can race to the bottom by cutting price. The only way to differentiate yourself is to cut your price further because that customer does not care. Only a handful of your competitors and customers are committed to quality. These customers are the loyal, understanding and long term thinking clients that you want. If you don’t cut corners you will have a truly sustainable business model in place.

30 April 2011

Retailer Profile: Kicking It in Peru, Café Verde Style

by Maxim Vershinin K.C. O’Keefe sales@cafeverdeperu.com Av. Santa Cruz 1305, Miraflores Lima 18, Peru t: (511) 652-7682

I

t used to be that you couldn’t get a nice cup of coffee in Peru. Your only choices were limited to an instant Nescafe, or a badly burnt ground coffee – yak. It’s a shame, but almost all of the finest coffee produced in Peru went for export.

Years passed and a rapidly growing economy in Lima, the capital, stimulated some folks to open up shops with really good stuff, and today one of them is on my list. Café Verde is both a successful roasterie and a retailing spot.

Let’s meet Café Verde’s owner K.C. O’Keefe. He started exporting green coffee from Peru a while ago. The idea of the coffee shop came later when he and his wife decided to permanently move to Peru.

V. So, how did you get involved doing coffee business here?

O. I came to Peru in 1997 to volunteer right out of college. I spent all my weekends and holidays hiking up the foot trails and visiting coffee villages. I knew nothing about the coffee, but in the end of that year one group of farmers asked me if I would be willing to help them export their coffee, which they felt was better than their neighbors’, without mixing it. And it sounded like a logical idea, so I went back to Seattle, worked for a few years, saved some money and in 2000 we exported our first container to Seattle.

V. Could you please tell us about coffee consumption in Peru?

O. First noticeable difference we have between North America and here, for example, is 85% of coffee consumed in Peru is instant coffee, so that’s a huge distinction. The other 15% is all preground coffee. The whole bean coffee sellers don’t even figure on the statistics list, so we are less than maybe 0.1% of the entire industry as a group. The other noticeable figure is the average amount of coffee consumption per person. As a country we consume about 500 grams per year per person, pretty low. For North America, for example, it’s about 4 to 5 kilos. You know, we’re pushing 500 hundred grams, and of those 500 grams, 85% of it is instant coffee!

V. What do you think Peru has such low rates of consumption?

O. Well, first of all, Peruvian coffee historically has been an export product, and whatever coffee remained in the country has been defective, and that is what local roasters are used to sell to people. So, that just doesn’t taste good. In fact, I would agree that Nescafe tastes better than most pre-ground roasted coffee here in Peru, and that automatically just doesn’t make it an enjoyable drink and therefore, not attractive to people.

Secondly, there is a historical cultural relevance of people from the mountain regions, specifically tea drinkers and that culture has been pretty strong.

Actual coffee consumption came as a result of an Italian family moving here about 30 years ago and setting up a chain of coffee shops.

V. Please tell us about opening up a shop here.

O. When we started our shop in 2005, it took two years to get our operational licenses, so that was kind of a drawback. In those two years though it was really great - Starbucks started up here. Currently there are like 30 Starbucks licensed stores in Peru, and that is really a pop culture phenomenon. Movie theaters, and cable, have really transformed in the last ten years in Peru, and Starbucks was able to hit kind of an upper-middle class society at the right time.

But that actually has been really positive for us because it created this idea of coffee and the culture of consuming coffee in general.

32 April 2011

Now most of the coffee shops in Peru have strong differentiation points. Our strongest one is fresh coffee, since we roast it all here. In fact, we are one of only three roaster/retailers in all Lima.

V. I have noticed a nice little roaster in the corner; did you start roasting coffee from the very beginning?

O. Yes, all of our coffee has always been roasted here. In the beginning we only used our sample roaster. It is just 300 grams in each barrel at a time, and that worked great for us - we’ve put a lot of hours on that little roaster. Then I located this vintage Austrian Otto Swadlo from around 1958.

I pulled it apart and rebuilt it. So for right now it’s considered kind of like a small shop roaster, 3 to 5 kilos at a time. For our shop that is just fine.

V. As far as doing business in Latin America what are some difficulties that you have to face?

O. Follow up, always reminding, always checking in. You cannot really do any business in Latin America just by signing the contract and walking away. It has been a challenge to find trustworthy people and keep them that way, but the rewarding side is the family feel of the relationships. There is also lots of bureaucracy. You usually have to have a lawyer and a special contact on the inside to get things done fast here.

However, things are where we would like them to be. Peru is skyrocketing economically, and that has created this middle class that finally has a disposable income to spend. They are all buying apartments and cars, and drink more and more coffee.

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See our ad on page 46 Novus Tea 1900 888.244.3569 www.novustea.com Single estate loose leaf tea in a biodegradable, pyramid tea bag. 14 flavors that include 6 black teas, 4 green teas, and four herbal flavors. Organic and Fair Trade varieties available. Exceptional merchandising provided.

See our ad on page 43 OptiPure 853 800.333.2556 www.optipurewater.com The OptiPure division of Procam Controls, Inc. offers OptiPure filtration systems and membrane systems for foodservice and other commercial and light industrial applications.

See our ad on page 37 Pacific Bag, Inc. 1324 800.562.2247 www.pacificbag.com PBi prides ourselves on knowing our customer needs, the markets we service, and offering a product line that leads the industry in quality.

Celebrating 25 years!

See our ad on page 41, 46 Pack Plus Converting 1701 909.902.9929 www.packplus.com Pack Plus offers true value by combining quality service and the widest selection of packaging products for coffee, tea and other specialty food items.

See our ad on page 45 1001 Pod Pack International 225.752.1160 www.podpack.com We will be featuring our OCS Generic Private Label pod program with the added enhancement of the “One Stop Shop”, which includes pod brewers, racks, etc.

See our ad on page 35 Probat Burns, Inc. 1439 901.363.5331 www.probatburns.com At Probat Burns our mission is to provide you with the Equipment, Knowledge, Technology and Support you need to Roast Assured.

See our ad on page 29 Repurpose Compostables 760 800.615.6476 www.repurposecompostables.com Repurpose® Compostables offers a line of high quality, compostable food service products for businesses and consumers and custom products solutions in every category. www.repurposecompostables.com See our ad on page 33

Grounds for Health 1710 802.241.4146 www.groundsforhealth.org Grounds for Health, with support from 250 coffee companies, has brought sustainable cervical cancer prevention programs to origin since 1996, empowering communities and saving lives.

See our ad on page 33, 37

April 2011

SmartCup, Inc. 452 530.889.1754 www.mysmartcup.com Your single-use French Press for 12oz, 16oz & 20oz hot, paper cups. Delivering a fresh, pressed & custom cup of coffee or tea to go.

See our ad on page 33 by

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SONOCO 1041 843.383.7000 www.sonoco.com Sonoco is a global manufacturer of consumer and industrial packaging. From its worldwide operations, the company produces packaging for many of the world's most recognized brands.

See our ad on page 2 Spiroflow Systems, Inc. 457 704.291.9595 www.spiroflowsystems.com Spiroflow, a global leader in coffee handling, offers solutions for green beans through finished products.

Specifically Flexible Screw, Tubular Drag, Aero-Mechanical & Pneumatic Conveyors.

See our ad on page 13 Stalkmarket Products (Asean Corporation) 734 503.295.4977 www.stalkmarketproducts.com Stalkmarket is the leading supplier of 100% compostable plant-based coffee cups, lids, tableware, cutlery and food packaging. “100% Compostable - It’s All We Do.” See our ad on page 5, 46 1240 The Metal Ware Corporation 800.624.2949 www.nesco.com The Metal Ware Corporation, manufacturer of quality coffee appliances since 1920, proudly offers an assortment of products for home coffee roasters. Visit Nesco.com for details.

See our ad on page 41 Tightpac America inc.

1006 888.428.4448 www.tightvac.com Brands include - Coffeevac, Teavac - Patented Vacuum sealed system protects your Coffee & Tea every time you open and close the container. Simplicity that works!

See our ad on page 46 Umpqua Oats 1039 877.303.8107 www.umpquaoats.com Umpqua Oats uses the highest quality all natural ingredients. This delicious breakfast alternative is so good you may want to slow down, sit down, and savor it.

See our ad on page 43 Unishippers of Montana J 406.261.4224 www.unishippers.com Unishippers provides small and medium sized business with shipping solutions for LTL motor freight, full truckload (intermodal & highway) and UPS small parcel shipping.

See our ad on page 45 Vita-Mix Corporation 1131 800.437.4654 www.vitamix.com/thequietone As the leader in the commercial blending industry, Vitamix brings value through quality and consistency, improving speed of service, reliability and developing customized programs.

See our ad on page 6, 7, 46 White Coffee Corp.

1203 718.204.7900 www.whitecoffee.com Exclusive roaster Kahlua/Rocky Mountain coffees, Colombian Primaveral Estate. Fair Trade/ Organic/NSF certified. Customized blends and packaging. 70+ years experience. Foodservice and retail options.

See our ad on page 46 Wilbur Curtis 713 800.421.6150 www.wilburcurtis.com Curtis is a leader in the design and manufacture of premium commercial coffee and tea brewing systems and specialty drink machines featuring exclusive Generation Three (G3) digital control.

See our ad on page 3

4/11 Priscilla’s CT w/ “come visit us at SCAA show booth #500!”

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Gaviña Coffee’s commitment to our business allows us to provide them both, day after day. That’s why Gaviña Coffee has been our trusted partner in success for over 20 years.

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35

Found on the Social Web Nine Things To Do

by Jeffrey Kingman

T

here is a lot of news these days on how small companies are using

Wikipedia entry and other sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon will only increase

social media to drive their business. Some of the most outstanding

the ability to place high in search engine rankings.

success stories are all the talk, such as food trucks that attribute 80%

of their growth to Twitter.

Facebook Places – Similar to Google Places, Facebook Places offers small businesses additional search engine exposure. Facebook Places, like

How does a small company begin to use the social web in ways that will

Foursquare and Gowalla, are geo-location web tools, meaning people “check

incrementally build sales?

in” to your business through their smart phone, sharing tips and pictures of your business with their friends – that is classic and powerful peer

The first area a small business should build out is the online presence. How

recommendation!

friendly is your online front door? Potential customers are relying on two web areas to discover new businesses and products; friend recommendations and

Foursquare – Another geo-location tool, Foursquare allows consumers to

ease of smart phone search. Let us look at how a small business, in one hour,

check in to a business, sharing tips, pictures and their recommendations on

can build out these opportunities.

the business’s products and services. Creating a business venue is easy and if the business “claims” itself, it can offer special deals to people

Yelp – By far the largest peer recommended review

who check-in.

site, small businesses should put their basic business information here: business hours,

Twitter – A great way to describe Twitter is

location, a few pictures, menu and phone

that it is much like CB Radio. Creating

number. Don’t be afraid to positively

a Twitter profile doesn’t take that long

respond to any negative reviews – 98%

and it’s free. Here’s the advantage –

of small businesses never respond to

every time a business tweets, either

reviews and this will be seen in a very

responding to someone or producing a

positive light by the Yelp community

new message, it creates another piece of

(you will have to “claim” your business to

data for search engines to consider when

do so).

people search for, say, “coffee”. Another advantage to Twitter is a business can use

Google Places – Google is still the web’s dominant

search out potential customers through various tools:

search engine and Google Places is free. Like Yelp, all the basic information can be put here: hours, location, pictures, phone and other infor-

Twitter search, Twellow.com (the Twitter Yellow pages) or other applications.

mation. For nominal fees, you can add videos and other content to make your business stand out.

Youtube – Youtube has become the second most used search engine internationally. A business that produces a short video a week will quickly generate

Wikipedia – Not often thought of, but with a huge impact, creating a

considerable content that is discovered by potential and existing customers

Wikipedia entry for a business only takes a few minutes. A business can pro-

– either searching in Youtube or through search engines. Another free

vide deeper information in Wikipedia than in other sites and cross-link it to

service that only takes a little bit of time, a business can also create a Youtube

other entries (deepening the search engine rankings for the business).

channel, further exploiting the discoverability in web searches. Make sure you

Urbanspoon – Urbanspoon is graphically more user-intuitive than Yelp and

“tag” the videos with appropriate keywords and descriptions.

specifically focused on the hospitality industry. Again, free for the most part, it only takes a few minutes to get all the necessary business information

Spending an hour a week developing these nine web-based touch-points are

entered: location, hours, contact info, menu and pictures.

certain to help you build business. Do not expect instant results – it will take a couple months or more before you really begin to see results. Just remember

Facebook Fanpage – A bit more time is required to create a Fanpage, but with

that you are creating opportunities for new and existing customers to be in

Fanpages new ability to “act” in Facebook as a user – meaning a business can

relationship with you, when they are not physically in your store. Pay atten-

comment on other pages and interact with people, Fanpages have become

tion to the communication and the return on your time and investment will

a necessary tool in not only driving new business, but also connecting with

reward your business.

current customers. Creating a basic Fanpage should take about fifteen to

36

twenty minutes. Make sure to put your hours, phone, location and brief busi-

Got questions? You can find me on Twitter every day at @JeffreyJKingman or

ness description in the information section. Linking to a Twitter account,

via my company’s web presence front door at www.chalkboarder.com.

April 2011

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37 15

9/11 Hero Robert Gayer

by Maxim Vershinin

A

V: How do you feel at ground zero now and what message would you like to send people?

s the second tower collapsed, and a thick wall of white ash filled the disaster site, Robert Gayer just got there. He immediately started to distribute water bottles among the rescue workers. Once the water ran out, he asked a cop if he could do something. The policeman replied: “If you are not prepared to die, you better get the hell out of here!” Robert insisted: “What do you need me to do?” and he said, “Go ask that fireman by the pit over there.” The fireman was crying; you could hear the beeping noise coming from all his dead colleagues underneath the pile. Robert took a water tank and they proceeded to go into the burning pit trying to find people: he would spray the water while the fireman searched for the dead and alive.

G: When I go down there (ground zero), I have mixed emotions. I feel very territorial over that area, knowing in my heart what it means to so many people and how many people died there. As far as the message – never forget 9/11.

One of the things that really bothered me after 9/11 was how patriotic everyone got; everybody had flags hung on their cars and homes, but as time moved forward, you started seeing the flags on the side of the road. Their patriotism seemed to start fading. It will soon be ten years, and people tend to forget the incomprehensible destruction and the shattered lives from that day, but they shouldn’t. This country needs to slow down; everybody is going 50 miles an hour in too many different directions. My wish that they would take the time to smell the roses and look at the world and say, “how lucky we are”. Try to appreciate every day that you wake up and see the sun shining.

What a great country we live in!

Robert volunteered on the site for four days and stopped only when he started to feel sick and didn’t need to be there anymore. Shortness of breath, cough, severe post stress disorder and insomnia were the result of a tragic combination of long term exposure to toxic dust and terrifying images of body parts. Ten years later, Robert went from being a rescue worker to being classified as a victim due to a series of diseases such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), RAD (Reactive Airway Disease), severe sinus attacks, nose bleeds and others that he developed as a result of his recovery work at ground zero. Nevertheless, he tries to keep a positive attitude.

After I got off the phone with Robert, I have not been able to stop thinking about his incredible story. It made me think about how valuable it is to help others and to appreciate every second of this life and family and friends around us. It is rare that you meet someone so compassionate about people, no matter what country, religion, and education they are from. Robert risked his life for his wife, two daughters and others on the morning of 9/11 while most of us were glued to the TV screens! I hope many will learn something from his story. Heroes are to be remembered.

V: How did 9/11 change you?

G: I have become much more aware what life is all about. I try to tell to all of my friends and family how much I appreciate having them in my life. When I speak at schools, I tell kids to be the best they can be. I tell them that family and friends are the most important parts of your life, especially family; it is so important to stay in touch and tell them you love them because you never know what is going to happen.

Robert has received numerous recognition awards from President George W. Bush and New York Senator Charles Schumer.

He made appearances on The Sopranos, Law and Order, The Whoopee Show, and on an independent movie with Danny Aiello. Robert’s story was also part of a bestselling book called, Never Forget: an Oral History of September 11, 2001, by Mitchell Fink.

V: What is your relationship with the coffee industry?

G: I love the coffee industry and all the friends I have in it. I have done a lot of promoting with a company called European Roasteries. They are one great bunch of people.

We’ve developed some brand names under the name of National Coffee Roasters (Café Classic & Donut Shop). We specialize in doing high quality coffee, also the new craze: the single serve coffee & tea pods.

Robert has developed a very serious emotional respect for our military and those who served. He has a true passion for his country and gets very sentimental over his patriotism.

Our editorial office sends him warm wishes for the future and a major “thank you” for his heroism at ground zero.

In addition to coffee, my big passion is cooking. I love to cook for my friends and family. I try to be creative and put on a show for them. I found that using coffee as a rub for cooking is just phenomenal! Take some ground coffee and sprinkle it on any of your favorite meat before grilling, it makes the meat tender and delicious.

38 April 2011

America's #1 Coffee Trade Show 200 Booths 48 Free Classes 30 Workshops Coffee Fest Latte Art Championship Source Product Suppliers Network with Your Peers and Other Industry Experts

39

www.coffeefest.com ~ 800-232-0083

NewsBites

Coffee Fest Chicago pours big numbers

The specialty coffee industry is thriving once again, if attendance at Coffee Fest Chicago is any indication. Held February 18, 19 & 20 at the Navy Pier, 3800 coffee shop retailers, restaurateurs and other specialty coffee professionals sampled the latest in specialty coffee, tea and related products. Attendance was up 18% percent over the Chicago 2009 show figures. Coffee Fest Chicago attendees and exhibitors alike reported nearly 100% satisfaction with the event, 91% of the attendees surveyed upon exiting the show could come up with no suggestions on how the event could be imporved in the future. 93% report that they are likely to return for Coffee Fest Chicago, June 8-10.

2012. Coffee Fest is a trade show catering to the specialty coffee and gourmet tea industries .

Coffee Fest’s next show is slated for the San Diego Convention Center, June 3-5, 2011.

Martha Stewart’s “Must-Have” Organic Coffee

Antica Tostatura Triestina (or simply Antica) is an outstanding wood-roasted Italian espresso and coffee from Trieste, Italy, which is currently served in 26 countries worldwide. Martha Stewart has used our coffee exclusively on her show since it’s inception five years ago and it is endorsed as one of her “must have” products. Antica now carries a certified Organic line of whole bean and pre-ground coffees. In addition to the Organic line, they offer a complete range of wholesale and retail products suitable for preparation in retail environments using specialized commercial equipment, and at home using domestic espresso machines, 12-cup drip brewers, and classic Italian stove-top Moka or French press pots. All products are Kosher certified. For more information contact Antica Tostatura Triestina at (972) 325-6559 or visit www.anticaespresso.com.

Sonoco Recognized by Newsweek for Sustainable Packaging

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Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has been recognized for the second consecutive year in Newsweek’s Green Rankings for the development of “greener” packaging and services. Highlighted in Newsweek’s findings is Sonoco’s work helping Kraft Foods convert select coffee brands from metal cans to more environmentally responsible rigid paperboard containers that contain more than 50 percent recycled materials. The Company also is converting many of the world’s leading powdered infant formula brands from metal to composite cans.Through its Sonoco Sustainability Solutions (S3) waste-reduction consulting service, Sonoco continues to help customers reduce and ultimately eliminate landfill waste. In 2009, the Company helped Unilever’s Lipton Tea plant become a zero landfill facility. Newsweek’s assessment also recognized Sonoco Recycling,

which processes more than 2 million tons of materials each year through 21 recycling centers, as well as Sonoco’s efforts to reduce energy consumption in facilities around the world. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.

Monin offers real fruit purees to increase summer sales

Monin Gourmet Flavorings, the world’s leading provider of premium syrups and flavoring products, is offering a variety of real fruit purées to add summer fresh flavor to coffeehouse specialty beverages. The fruit purées were developed as an extension to Monin’s syrup product line in response to increasing consumer demand for drinks infused with real fruit.

Available flavors are raspberry, mango, wildberry, peach, strawberry, banana and superfruit. The fruit purées are highly concentrated and require no thawing or refrigeration, making them a good choice for coffeehouse operators with limited storage and cooler space. Made with high quality fruit that is flash pasteurized to preserve its fragrance, flavor, color and texture, the purées work well in smoothies, flavored iced teas and lemonades, mochas and frozen beverages.

Monin offers over 200 specialty syrup, sauce and purée products designed to add flavor and profit to specialty beverages. For more information on any Monin product, call 800-966-5225 or visit www.monin.com.

New Kahlúa® Gift Packs Feature White Coffee

Kahlúa® - the world’s number one selling coffee liqueur, and White Coffee Corporation - its exclusive roaster, have created two new Kahlúa® Coffee and Chocolate Gift Sets. The new Kahlúa gift packs feature a combination of White Coffee’s renowned Kahlúa® liqueur flavored coffees, accompanied by delicious Kahlúa® flavored chocolate. White Coffee’s long reputation for specialty coffee and its leading food service in the fine hotel marketplace are very complimentary to Kahlúa’s famous coffee and cane spirit brand. White Coffee is the exclusive roaster for regular roasted and ground Kahlúa, and offers these products in 12 oz., 1.5 oz. and 2.5 lbs. sizes. White Coffee introduced the line of Kahlúa® gourmet coffees in 2009 featuring Original, French Vanilla, Mocha and Hazelnut varieties. White Coffee products are available on-line at www.whitecoffee.com or call 800-221-0140 for more information.

Biodegradable Food Service announces the new EarthFiber Lid for its Earth Cups Biodegradable Food Service (BDFS) introduced today a new line of hot cup lid for its Earth Cups.

The new EarthFiber Lid is 100% compostable in properly maintained facilities (per ASTM 6400D requirements), where available. The lid is GMO- and petroleum-free, and pairs with the Earth Cup to provide a 100% compostable coffee cup combo. It fits BDFS’s premium double-board April 2011

single-wall Kraft Earth Cup in the 10, 12, 16, and 20-ounce sizes and the 12 and 16 ounce size of the Insulated double-wall Earth Cup. Furthermore, it’s suitable for either hot or cold beverages.

Biodegradable Food Service LLC is based in Sunriver, in the high desert region of Central Oregon. The company was founded in 2003, and has specialized in the manufacture of responsible, environmentally preferable packaging and singleuse tableware for the foodservice industry sector.

They can be reached at 541-593-2191, or via P.O. Box 1930, Sunriver, OR 97707.

Repurpose® Compostables launches greenest coffee cup in the world.

Repurpose® Compostables announced the debut of their One Cup™, the exciting new insulated hot cup that is 100% compostable. No more double cupping. No more sleeves. The insulated technology keeps hot beverages warmer for longer, and prevents heat from escaping the cup, protecting the user and creating a more comfortable feel with only one product. The One Cup took first prize at Coffee Fest Chicago for most innovative new product.

The new One Cup™ requires no sleeve, uses 65% less CO2 than a traditional cup to produce, and can be composted in 90 days. The One Cup™ uses FSC-Certified paper, the highest standard for sustainable forestry, and is certified compostable.

This high quality food service product finally offers the greenest possible alternative to Styrofoam and non-compostable insulated cups.

Repurpose products are made from plants, not petroleum, using Ingeo™ resin and meet ASTM 6400 compostability standards. Repurpose works with businesses, municipalities, and individuals to retrofit any traditionally plastic based product with a bioplastic alternative at competitive prices. Find out more at www.repurposecompostables.com.

Mix, Freeze, Bake with Ease.

Victorian House Scones’ award winning scone mixes allow you to be in control! Create your own signature scone by using either the Original Recipe or Original Oatmeal scone as your base, then freeze the dough (as individual ready-tobake scones), so you can quickly bake fresh scones each morning. The commercial size single-batch, single bowl packaging means no more measuring guess-timates, and lets you produce perfect scones each time. The company offers tremendous customer support in the form of suggestions for various scone flavor creations (and has several listed on their website), as well as individual trouble shooting, should a problem arise. Named “Best New Product (baking)” at the 2009 World Tea Expo, they continue as they began—as hand crafted, artisan scone (and biscuit and cookie) mixes. For a complete listing of all flavors available, please visit their website at www. victorianhousescones.com, or call (877) 749-1943.

New Scooter’s Coffeehouse Location

Boundless Enterprises, the franchisor of Scooter’s Coffeehouse, has announced a new location, which opened Wednesday January 26th in Olathe, KS. There are now eighteen Scooter’s coffeehouse locations in Kansas alone, and 85 locations in a seven-state region. Several other locations are currently in development. The new store is located at 2027 E. Santa Fe, at 135th Street, just west of Mur-len Road. It is owned by Boundless Enterprises, which owns 25 stores in the Scooter’s system. The store is managed locally.

Jet™ Non-fat Yogurt Smoothies – Good for You, Great for Business!

Capitalize on the explosive growth of yogurt and healthy drink sales, by menuing new nonfat yogurt smoothies from Jet. Healthy drink sales are expected to surpass indulgent drink sales within five years, with 58% of consumers planning to consume more yogurt based drinks within the next two years. Available in 5 popular flavors (strawberry, peach, mixed berry, mango and strawberry banana) and packed in shelf stable aseptic packaging. All are made from all-natural fruit puree and yogurt with only 100 calories per serving. Best of all, they are high in Vitamin C and prebiotics and contain zero fat, preservatives and cholesterol. With

41

NewsBites

Weldon Flavorings at the MidAmerican Truck Show

Once again at the Mid-American Truck Show in March, the Weldon Coffee Cafe was contracted by the Peterbilt Motors Company and SAFHolland Truck Lines to serve cappuccino, lattes, and flavored coffee from their Coffee Bar. Flavored drinks were made with the Weldon Gourmet, Unsweetened Coffee Flavorings. These flavorings are sugar free, as well as free of any artificial sweeteners, creamers, powders, and syrups. Because these pure liquid flavorings are not pre-sweetened, each coffee beverage can be made unsweetened or sweetened to each individual’s taste. With 0 calories per serving and allergen free it's the healthy way to enjoy your coffee, cappuccino, and lattes flavored.

Each comes in a pre-measured pump bottle, which allows for quick and accurate flavoring.

For more information please contact Weldon Flavorings at 502-797-2937, or email them at info@WeldonFlavorings.com

CDN 2-Event Timer & Clock Pulls Double Duty

The new 2-Event Timer & Clock (TM9) from CDN pulls double duty in a busy foodservice environment, giving the user the ability to keep track of two events at once – while also functioning as a clock.

The 2-Event Timer & Clock can be used for both short and long timeframes. Each channel has the ability to count up or down in hours, minutes and seconds for up to 10 hours. The large digital readout displays both channels at the same time, allowing the user to quickly and easily check the status of the hours, minutes and seconds.

With a large display (3 by 2½ inches), it is easy to read from across a large foodservice kitchen.

When time is reached, one of two distinctive alarms sounds loud enough to be in a hectic environment. CDN, the Time & Temperature Company®, has the broadest assortment of thermometers and timers on the market. For more information, contact CDN at 800-338-5594, or visit www.cdn-timeandtemp.com.

Sonoco Coffee Packaging – Flexibles

In addition to rigid paperboard containers for coffee, Sonoco also offers coffee packaging in 4-ply and 3-ply flexible bags, brick packs, fractional packs, pod packs and stick packs. The innovative 3-ply bag is composed of polyester, foil and a polyethylene sealant. This structure yields a bag that requires 10 percent less material, uses 15 percent less energy to produce, and has 10 percent less carbon emissions when compared to a traditional 4-ply structure.

Sonoco’s flexographic and rotogravure printing technologies bring coffee bag graphics to life and help companies enhance their brands with vivid illustrations and graphics. A softer matte finish is also available to create a distinctive, old world look. For more information visit www.sonoco. com.

Eagle Flexible Packaging develops new facility

42

With the addition of two new production lines, Eagle Flexible Packaging makes a strategic investment in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Batavia, Illinois.

Eagle sets its sight on Operational Excellence

initiatives through new workflow optimization made possible by the new facility. “Investing in state-of-the-art technologies in prepress and manufacturing equipment has enabled us to improve our quality and turnaround times.

There aren’t many opportunities to start with a clean canvas in manufacturing; we look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity to design the workflow and plant layout with maximum efficiencies in mind,” says Frank Vacca, President.

This new facility will house Eagle’s entire team – sales, marketing, operations, finance, prepress and most importantly, manufacturing.

To learn more about Eagle Flexible Packaging’s capabilities and products, visit us online at www. eagleflexible.com.

Spiroflow Systems’ New Range of Tubular Cable Drag Conveyors Ideal for Coffee Industry

"CABLEflow” Tubular Cable Drag Conveyors from Spiroflow Systems transfer coffee beans, granulated coffee and coffee powder from single or multiple inlets to single or multiple discharge points with little or no damage. Benefits include totally enclosed dust and contamination free handling operation in three planes to allow complex circuits and elimination of transfer points using only a single drive, capability to be metered or flood fed, handling hot, cold, wet, dry, hygroscopic or temperature sensitive materials, minimum product attrition due to gentle conveying action, minimum material residence and build-up due to round construction and operation under pressure differential or insert purge. Optional DART Automatic Tensioning offers maintenance free operation and a significant increase to cable life.

Other mechanical conveyors offered by Spiroflow to the coffee industry include flexible screw and aero-mechanical conveyors. Call 704-291-9595 or email info@spiroflowsystems.com for more information or to arrange a conveying trial on your coffee product.

HALO™ Wins VegNews Best of Show Award at Expo West

PROBAR once again took home top honors with its new HALO Bar product launch at the 2011 Expo West, the world’s largest natural foods and products convention. HALO, a new organic/Vegan dessert-themed snack bar line, was awarded Best New Vegan Product after hundreds of new product submissions were carefully vetted by the industry’s premier vegetarian lifestyle magazine, VegNews. HALO Bars follow in the tradition of all PROBAR products as certified organic, a good source of Omega 3 & 6, low-in-sugar and dairyfree/Vegan, but break new ground with four decadent dessert-themed flavors: S’mores, Nutty Marshmallow, Rocky Road, and Honey Graham.

By delivering exceptional taste in a healthy, 150-calorie bar, HALO creates a distinctive snack food category that bridges the gap between nutrition/energy bars and candy bars.

April 2011

The “One Stop Shop” Solution for OCS Pods

In its latest introduction into the office coffee service segment, Pod Pack’s Generic Private Label Program (GPL) is the solution for operators to offer a private label pod program with no investment and no minimum order sizes.

To further enhance the program, Pod Pack is introducing its “One Stop Shop” where OCS operators can source all of their pod program needs, including brewers, racks, condiment trays, pumps, filters, mini trash cans, etc. 2011 marks Pod Pack International’s 15th year in business. The company specializes in national branding and private labeling “Pods” for roasters and distributors in North and South America. Originally making espresso pods in 1996, Pod Pack has developed the highest quality one-cup pods for hotel, retail, and office coffee service. For more details, contact sales@podpack. com or call 225-752-1160. Also, visit www. podpack.com.

The SCAE announces the Coffee Diploma

The SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe) is launching a new comprehensive and integrated training system believed to be the most advanced in Europe. The Coffee Diploma System will cover a range of subjects with certification at two different levels, Introductory and Advanced, covering basic coffee knowledge, green coffee, roasting, grinding and brewing, sensory cup tasting, espresso, filter and barista skills. Each certificate will also carry points that will contribute to the award of the Coffee Diploma.The Coffee Diploma System will be launched officially at the SCAE’s World of Coffee event in Maastricht, the Netherlands, June 22 – 24, where the first classes will take place. For more information email info@scae.com or visit www.scae.com.

Value of Becoming a Certified Tea Master

The American Tea Masters Association surveyed several of the Certified Tea Masters who completed its Tea Mastery Certification Course™. The course is required for obtaining the prestigious Certified Tea Master™ designation.

The purpose of the survey was to determine the value of the training program offered by the association. The complete report containing all of the respondents’ answers is on the association’s web site at www.TeaMasters.org/survey-1011-1.

Information on the Tea Mastery Certification Course is available at www.TeaMasters.org. For additional information, contact Chas Kroll, ATMA Executive Director, at (619) 330-9017 or ChasKroll@TeaMasters.org.

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Advertisers Index Company....................................................... Phone........................... Web........................................................ Page................SCAA Booth Agtron, Inc................................................................................. 775.850.4600.......................... www.agtron.net ............................................................ 27............................1032 America’s Food Technologies, Inc./AMFOTEK..................... 708.532.1222.......................... www.amfotek.com ........................................................ 41 ANACAFE/Guatemalan Coffees.......................................... 800.759.1365.......................... www.guatemalancoffees.com .................................... 17............................1331 Antica Tostatura Triestina S.p.A............................................ 201.851.7805.......................... www.anticaespresso.com ............................................ 31 Biodegradable Food Service................................................ 541.593.2191.......................... www.earth-to-go.com .................................................. 43 Bridge Brand Chocolates........................................................ 415.677.9194.......................... www.bridgebrandschocolate.com ............................. 46 BriteVision.................................................................................. 877.479.7777.......................... www.britevision.com .................................................... 25............................1715 Cablevey Conveyors............................................................... 641.673.8451.......................... www.cablevey.com ....................................................... 47............................419 ChefTec/Culinary Software Services, Inc............................ 303.447.3334.......................... www.culinarysoftware.com ......................................... 45 Cirqua Customized Water..................................................... 805.987.7372.......................... www.cirqua.com ............................................................ 43............................1628 Coffee Enterprises................................................................... 800.375.3398.......................... www.coffee-ent.com .................................................... 43............................

Coffee Fest................................................................................ 800.232.0083.......................... www.coffeefest.com ..................................................... 39............................1712 Coffee Holding Company...................................................... 800.458.2233.......................... www.coffeeholding.com .............................................. 15............................825 Costellini’s.................................................................................. 877.889.1866.......................... www.costellinis.com ...................................................... 41 Del Monte Foodservice........................................................... 412.222.8341.......................... www.delmontechilledfruit.com ................................... 9 Display Cafe Ltd...................................................................... 905.799.8197.......................... www.innovatedproductsmfg.com ............................... 45 Ditting USA, Inc......................................................................... 810.367.7125.......................... www.ditting.com ........................................................... 43............................1313 Eagle Flexible Packaging....................................................... 630.876.6763.......................... www.eagleflexible.com ............................................... 35 Eagle Web Press...................................................................... 800.800.7980.......................... www.eaglewebpress.com ........................................... 33 Eco-Products.............................................................................. 303.449.1876.......................... www.ecoproducts.com ................................................. 17............................428 Espresso Americano-Honduras.............................................. 504.2231.0711....................... www.espresso-americano.com ................................... 46 Everpure.................................................................................... 630.790.1092.......................... www.everpure.com ....................................................... 46............................1300 Fair Trade USA......................................................................... 510.663.5260.......................... www.transfairusa.org .................................................. 25............................1009 Favorite Cup Coffee............................................................... 401.724.8666.......................... myfavoritecoffeecup.com ........................................... 43............................707 Fres-co System USA, Inc.......................................................... 215.721.4600.......................... www.fresco.com ............................................................ 19 Gavina Gourmet Coffee........................................................ 800.428.4627.......................... www.gavina.com .......................................................... 35, 46.....................500 Grounds for Health.................................................................. 802.241.4146.......................... www.groundsforhealth.org ......................................... 33, 37.....................1710 Inbru........................................................................................... 314.991.1700.......................... www.inbru.com .............................................................. 43............................1744 Insight Beverages, Inc.............................................................. 847.847.3109.......................... www.insightbeverages.com ........................................ 45 Java Jacket............................................................................... 800.208.4128.......................... www.javajacket.com .................................................... 23, 46.....................1924 Kaffe Magnum Opus, Inc........................................................ 800.652.5282.......................... www.kmocoffee.com .................................................... 37 Knutsen Coffees, Ltd................................................................ 800.231.7764.......................... www.knutsencoffees.com ............................................. 46 KoffeeLink................................................................................. 703.774.5436.......................... www.koffeelink.com ..................................................... 45 LBP Manufacturing................................................................... 800.545.6200.......................... www.lbpmfg.com .......................................................... 21............................900 Makahiki Farms........................................................................ 800.896.0350.......................... www.makahikifarms.com ............................................. 45 Mocon......................................................................................... 763.493.6370.......................... www.mocon.com ........................................................... 11............................440 Monin Gourmet Flavorings..................................................... 800.966.5225.......................... www.monin.com ............................................................ 46............................1617 Novus Tea.................................................................................. 888.244.3569.......................... www.novustea.com ....................................................... 43............................1900 OptiPure.................................................................................... 800.333.2556.......................... www.optipurewater.com ............................................. 37............................853 Orleans Coffee Exchange...................................................... 800.344.7922.......................... www.orleanscoffee.com .............................................. 33 Pacific Bag, Inc.......................................................................... 800.562.2247.......................... www.pacificbag.com .................................................... 41, 46.....................1324 Pack Plus Converting............................................................... 909.902.9929.......................... www.packplus.com ....................................................... 45............................1701 Pod Pack International............................................................ 225.752.1160.......................... www.podpack.com ....................................................... 35............................1001 Probat Burns, Inc....................................................................... 901.363.5331.......................... www.probatburns.com ................................................. 29............................1439 Repurpose Compostables....................................................... 800.615.6476.......................... www.repurposecompostables.com ............................ 33............................760 Rocket Man, Inc......................................................................... 800.921.0199.......................... www.rocketman.com .................................................... 27 Sav-on Bags.............................................................................. 909.869.9158.......................... www.sav-onbags.com .................................................. 45............................1308 Scolari Engineering S.p.A....................................................... 856.988.5533.......................... www.scolarieng.com ..................................................... 48 Service Ideas, Inc..................................................................... 800.328.4493.......................... www.serviceideas.com ................................................ 46............................540 SmartCup, Inc............................................................................ 530.889.1754.......................... www.mysmartcup.com ................................................. 33............................452 SONOCO.................................................................................. 843.383.7000.......................... www.sonoco.com ........................................................... 2...............................1041 Spiroflow Systems, Inc............................................................. 704.291.9595.......................... www.spiroflowsystems.com ......................................... 13............................457 Stalkmarket Products (Asean Corporation)......................... 503.295.4977.......................... www.stalkmarketproducts.com ................................... 5, 46.......................734 TekPakSolutions........................................................................ 416.505.3839.......................... www.tekpaksolutions.com ........................................... 27 The Barista Box........................................................................ 877.766.8348.......................... www.baristabox.com ................................................... 23 The Evelyn Bay Coffee Company......................................... 517.592.4774.......................... www.evelynbaycoffee.com ........................................ 43 The Metal Ware Corporation............................................... 800.624.2949.......................... www.nesco.com ............................................................. 41............................1240 The Tea Smith, LLC................................................................... 402.330.7070.......................... www.wholesale.theteasmith.com ................................ 35 Tightpac America inc............................................................... 888.428.4448.......................... www.tightvac.com ......................................................... 46............................1006 Tomlinson Industries.................................................................. 866.269.1303.......................... www.tomlinsonind.com ................................................. 46 Umpqua Oats........................................................................... 877.303.8107.......................... www.umpquaoats.com ................................................. 43............................1039 Unishippers of Montana......................................................... 406.261.4224.......................... www.unishippers.com ................................................... 45............................J Vessel Drinkware...................................................................... 866.876.8282.......................... www.vesseldrinkware.com .......................................... 21 Victorian House Scones........................................................... 877.749.1943.......................... www.victorianhousescones.com .................................. 43 Vita-Mix Corporation.............................................................. 800.437.4654.......................... www.vitamix.com/thequietone .................................. 6, 7, 46..................1131 Weldon Flavorings................................................................... 502.797.2937.......................... www.WeldonFlavorings.com ...................................... 45 White Coffee Corp................................................................. 718.204.7900.......................... www.whitecoffee.com .................................................. 46............................1203 Wilbur Curtis............................................................................. 800.421.6150.......................... www.wilburcurtis.com ................................................... 3...............................713 World Tea Expo....................................................................... 702.253.1893.......................... www.worldteaexpo.com ............................................. 45

44 April 2011

Show off your special tea.

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AllStar Tools Water treatment

Air Pots

Roasted Coffee

Sleeves

Cups & Lids

Everpure, LLC

Service Ideas Incorporated

F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc.

Java Jacket

StalkMarket Products

800.323.7873 everpure.com

800.328.4493 serviceideas.com

800.428.4627 gavina.com

800.208.4128 javajacket.com

503.295.4977 stalkmarketproducts.com

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.

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.

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

Packaging

Chocolate

Vacuum Container

Green Coffee Importers

Vita-Mix Corporation

Pacificbag Inc.

Bridge Brands Chocolates

Tightvac

Knutsen Coffees, Ltd.

800.848.2649 vitamix.com/foodservice

425.455.1128 pacificbag.com

888.732.4626 bridgebrands.com

888.42.TIGHT tightvac.com

800.231.7764 knutsencoffees.com

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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

Air Pot Stations

Charity Calendar

White Coffee Corp.

Tomlinson Industries Modular ® Dispensing Systems Division 866-269-1303 www.tomlinsonind.com

www.amazon.com Search for “Just Cause Calendar”

800.866.5225 www.monin.com

Support Grounds for Health in their efforts to establish cervical cancer prevention programs in coffee growing communities by purchasing this fun calendar featuring your favorite coffee professionals. New Price $12.95!

With 200 of the finest flavored syrups, sauces and purees available to the coffee industry, Monin ensures ultimate taste and creativity for successful beverage solutions.

White Coffee creates customized blends and packaging for industry leaders. Wide variety of varietals and flavors available. Exclusive licensee of Kahlua flavored coffee.

Fair Trade, Organic, Kosher, NSF certified.

Air Pot Stations are designed to accommodate air pots (not included) of virtually any size and are available in a single or double Station.

Each features a divided organizer, stainless steel drip tray and air pot riser.

April 2011

Erna Knutsen, President & Founder.

GOURMET FLAVORINGS International Franchise

PRIVATE LABEL

800.221.0140 718 204 7900 www.whitecoffee.com

46

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

Monin

Espresso Americano®

011-504-2231-0711 franquicias@espressoamericano.com PASSION FOR COFFEE, FROM BEAN TO CUP Franchise opportunities available worldwide for Espresso Americano®: a Honduran specialty coffee grower/roaster/retailer, guided with a true passion for coffee. Interested investors are welcome to contact email above.

Choosing the right conveyor for coffee Best in Class, adjective

“

by Tim Larsen, Cablevey Conveyors

er e high Th . n o regati ction. ee seg vel of prote ff o c d un e le her th nd gro igher level a ber the hig - the h ion. s l a i c r m s i e the nu rotect and d c n mat cable foreig e level of p s i a d m h o t d i r f n h ain a yors w ction gher t his conve rs with a ch n. Prote ber the hi on – t ic o i g 2 t c a a r n n d i i o m r n vey u la ould ge and the nu contam nning orga f. Tub lar drag con ” is lar Industry” cross terie w ands u y s lar r r a m t u o n s o u g r r e u b e f e h em as r f th hy a ach ion “ind yw g. Tu d t l e s o w e c e n e g n e e s t n i o t n i ff a n a l i t o t t o s o o e r e er as e “S he c 3. Pr oces rtant n yor. C ch afte ing, th he sam any re ux. On ffee pr rent are m cular conve they are us en an s impo d decaf in t ing one bat s sound. i e r stant fl egarding co all the cur lso, e Th an nn yi arti d ev r re offee A coffee ut when ru traceabilit ose a p e type of c e facility an ean one article ssibly captu ing facility. oesn’t o h c g b n , h i h m ean – n ft gt sd po ast coffee and ensur y to cl tem is t cludin onstraints o perience ca eyor from annot within a ro sting proces l the i l c n i i r r b e a a / e s y l es al c al ex conv anoth liness the sy lar roa ow we ractic physic al’s person a different to review l clean the cleaner a best p ng a particu e story of h n r u e t e t s d s th bi indivi e will choo s an attemp elp roaster mber el of in descri rily tell you h 4. Lev gher the nu clean ri ei e d l e h t c n t i s a o t a a f . t r t s o o d i a s e r gher d is rk ten sse nece the h asier it is to the hi eting er. Th on the ma s. At the en er of proce n writ out proh – e s t i e y o e t b e i n l e e s e a b n rs b ha coff or th e flexibi ecisio is at m a num nveyo deas a rticle pany ration the system the co informed d e rating on rception. Th ce u hort a u to some i s your com g s fi s i n n Th pe or ke etter . out co eying uce yo offee a to ma here is a sc he author’s heir prefere 5. Lay mber the b figurations introd specialty c needs conv t t t , o e n t l u n o c s er the . i o n e t d g c r d r e m e t n a o s n e h i t numb r th s ba cess ayou se sc e ow a l e o e r i f h t r t g h r n t o r o o e t g e t r y s... gh ve igh cate diffe begins ent. r the hi he system i an we he best con o c – f r e r e s d o a t t m rea vey purch chase equip rmine : ost to cost to pur ht con e r d dete g C e i . n r a 6 w e e re ed he t ing th ee wer th ompa nsider ently t akage a s s o o l g C r e c o e l t s w c o k s i l e o t i a h a C or is ar ee-T As ro s from coff el of h an bre Categ s ding th rticles/Coff n – lev is affects be e a o r i e g t r c o r e e t p u /a er ee pro ted. Th to larg Contin blevey.com 1. Coff is transpor small raa c . pe www coffee scale o ey need h t tions, er many sid to con technolont Cablevey’s expert in coffee is Tim Larsen. He differe eet both m is a mechanical engineer with over 15 years in the gies to mediate m coffee industry working for some of the largest their i re needs. tu u f specialty roasters in the world (and some of the o s l and a e peopl smallest). He knows coffee technology well and Many the require at coffee conveyors in particular. find th today have t of en ments more string e re.

With over 250 million lbs per year in added becom y were befo e h t g capacity under his belt, he has personal experin n i t a s h t oa from r thcoming ence in many different technologies. However, g n i t l or su rds re offee and f ctors such a believes in most coffee applications, Cablevey d n a t a C s king f igher cialty conveyors are “best in class”.

The h kaging Spe ents are ma s contamina s m ac and p lity require reakage, cro tion and i b ga re b e a n r e a g c tra t se nd mo f be c a o u l e e r d v o o e r l m ’t p as the duct loss, amination ee, wouldn o t ff r n o p o c , c t n l s tio be n? eria you ca uy the n mat foreig nt. If you b e best way ry fall th ta ndust i impor t to treat it g n i t an e roas you w e coffe h t n i ith ories: yors w ffee) Conve basic categ the co y e v n o o c into tw air to using ( s c i t uma 1. Pne include eyors which e conv yors s a h p ilute onve rs uum d hase c a. Vac re dilute p se conveyo u a s h s o e p y r se ve rs b. P m den phase con u u c a e to se c. V l devic re den a u c s i s n e a r h d. P a mec e (using hich includ l a c i n a w h ) 2. Mec y the coffee conve tors t eleva nveyors e k c u a. B n co g chai b. Dra s er rs c. Aug elt conveyo b t a a c l i an l d. F -mech o r e A e.

Highest current performance level in an industry, used as a standard or benchmark to be equaled or exceeded.”

T

>

641.673.8451 www.cablevey.com