Coffee Business in South Africa: Wild West?

Greetings! Robert

Thank you for the first of many eJournals.

I came across your site after a friend mentioned he had watched a TV programme on coffee, in which Oxfam was mentioned. Up until then it was a struggle to find coffee sites. But the Oxfam site opened a cornucopia of news that has now been down-loaded for my "library".

Your free eJournal was therefore appreciated, more especially because the competition in Johannesburg is fierce. I found that many coffee sites were generous with information. This is unheard of in Johannesburg. To describe the competition here, two examples (the individuals are personally known to me so the "stories" are not heresay):

A Burundi through whom I wanted to import green coffee, urged me not to get into the coffee business because his life had been threatened. He had been warned off and has since ceased to import coffee. (He had been in South Africa 12 years).

A personal friend who was doing very well as a roaster in Johannesburg lost two coffee businesses: (1) after a rival paid a bribe to the lessor of his premises to have him evicted from his well-situated business, and (2) a mafia group (not Italian/Greek) intimidated him and his customers in a second venture, to the extent that he had to close shop. He lost his investment, even though he won his case against the rival in (1). (He had refused their offer of 'protection').

Is the competition as fierce in your area? Is the opposition also as threatening? I would like to hear from you (your readers) about this aspect.

Kind regards
Maureen

[Robert's Note: I asked Maureen for permission to publish her message, and below is her reply]

You may publish my letter, but eeee! You might not hear from me again. It's the wild west here, and people disappear for less. I am not a schizo nor paranoid. Perhaps at some time I should try to get hold of the paper clippings and either scan them for your info, or reproduce them with permission from source.

But . . . what the heck, go ahead.
Maureen

Despite Starbucks Jitters, Most Coffeehouses Thrive

By KEVIN HELLIKER and SHIRLEY LEUNG
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The news gave quite a jolt to the owners of a coffeehouse here called Broadway Cafe: Starbucks Corp. was planning to open one of its outlets next door.

Fearing that their cafe wouldn't survive a war with the coffee giant, the Broadway's customers and owners collected a thousand signatures on a petition asking city leaders to thwart the plan. But Starbucks won city approval and pushed ahead.

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Residents want to keep Starbucks out

Protesters hope to stir Yardley's old guard to protect the borough's historic charm.
By WINSLOW MASON JR.
Courier Times (Bucks County, Pennsylvania)

They chanted "down with Starbucks" slogans and held protest signs.

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Seattle's Best Coffee signs distribution deal with Safeway

Seattle's Best Coffee LLC, the coffee-marketing subsidiary of AFC Enterprises Inc., said it has entered into a retail distribution agreement with Safeway Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe

Already Heard
-------------

Along the journey to wisdom, you will pass a muddy river. It may appear a river of wisdom, but don't steer your boat towards it. Oh so many have turned to it and lost their way. In fact, it is a river of exile.

It is the river of "I have heard that already."

A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman

Great Quote

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas A. Edison

Coffee Bean Traveler Part 3 of 3

This month we conclude our story of a coffee bean's life. Over the last two months we took you on a condensed journey through the entire life cycle of a bean. We first took you through with our bean to Harvesting, then went on to Processing which included Hulling, Grading, and Sorting. In the next issue we followed our bean into the Warehouse, the Exporting, Delivery, Roasting and Grinding. Our journey concludes here with Drinking.

Drinking: (Remember to imagine yourself a bean) You believed brewing was it, you found your destiny, you have become one with all beans But there is more. You've been poured into a mug and looking out you see a smiling face. The face exchanges a few coins with your barista and carries you away. Your final resting place is near. As you are brought up to anonymous lips your aroma wafts and tantalizes the nostrils and prepares the mouth for something delicious. You stream over gums, teeth and tongue
causing taste buds to fire a pleasing signal to the brain. You now truly understand your destiny. Your long hard journey was to bring this mysterious pleasure to this one lucky human being, and you feel proud that you were selected to take part in this journey.

Fini C.B. Miller, BetterBeans.Com

BetterBeans.Com: Our Reason for Be'an
Small coffee roasters are perking up all over the country, recreating styles and blends which were nearly impossible to find just a few years ago. The quality of these blends remains unparalleled by those of the giant coffee companies. However, it is difficult to experience these wonderfully fresh roasted coffees because the roasters are scattered all over the country.

That is until now! BetterBeans.Com is committed to finding the best coffee roasters in the nation and delivering their coffees fresh to your door each month. Visit our site at BetterBeans.Com to learn more about our coffee adventure.
Support your local roaster!

Copyright 2000 BetterBeans.com

Coffee: Spilling the beans on quality

By Jonathan Duffy
BBC News Online

Ever had a nasty cup of coffee? As prices of raw coffee have slumped in recent years, so has the quality of what we drink.

Coffee drinkers may be swallowing ground up twigs, dust and floor sweepings as they sup their morning cup.
Some coffees contain up to 20% rogue ingredients, which can also include mouldy and unripe beans.

While much of the coffee drunk in the UK is classed as "reasonable" or "high quality", there is alarm about some brands at the bottom end of the market.

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Coffee can help a woman withstand pain

Women cope with pain worse than men but could boost their tolerance by having a cup of coffee, researchers have found.

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Starbucks' Weak Brew

Ben Berentson, 09.19.02, 7:00 AM ET

NEW YORK - At one point, it seemed like nothing could stop Starbucks' rise. There were new stores popping up every day and the stock was moving up like a rocket: Starbucks gained more than 500% from early 1996 to 2001. But now the retailer's stock is in a slump, down more than 20% since April and currently trading around $20. Will it be able to turn this around? According to the Elliott Wave Theory, the answer is no. Steve Hochberg, co-editor of the Elliott Wave Financial Forecast, thinks Starbucks is in for a tough patch ahead.

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Drink Coffee? Read This

By Michelle Chihara, AlterNet
September 19, 2002

Since the arrival of the venti half-caf latte in the '90s, Americans have gotten used to the idea of the $3 (or more) cup of coffee. Designer coffee is still booming -- Starbucks Coffee company profits totaled $181 million in fiscal 2000, and the company now has 5,688 locations from Indonesia to Spain to the U.S.

But the tide of expensive lattes has not lifted all boats. North America's morning Joe sits atop a growing crisis, according to Oxfam America, which has just released a report entitled "Mugged: Poverty in Your Coffee Cup," detailing the scope of the global coffee crisis.

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Cups of Coffee Filled with Injustice

by Sanjay Suri

LONDON - Six donkeys carried mock-ups of coffee sacks to the London Stock Exchange Wednesday. They were not delivering coffee, they were delivering a message about the burden that coffee companies are placing on poor coffee growers in developing countries.

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