Trouble may be brewing in lucrative coffee industry

Thousands of independent retailers and venders will gather in Las Vegas next weekend for the annual Coffee Fest Trade Show. At a time when most businesses are fighting for their survival, coffee is hot.

"Despite the downturn in the economy, more than half the adult population is consuming coffee every day, totaling 108.9 million daily drinkers," said Robert Nelson, president of the National Coffee Association of USA. "Another 25 percent of the adult population, or 52 million people, chose to drink coffee on an occasional basis."

The coffee business has developed into two sectors: home-brewed and specialty venues. And what people pay for coffee is directly determined by where they buy it.

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