The buzz on Yunlin's coffee festival

STAFF WRITER

Friday, Oct 10, 2003,Page 19

For those thinking that Starbucks was the first to popularize coffee in Taiwan, think again. The aromatic beans have been growing in the mountains of southwestern Taiwan since the 17th century. To heighten awareness of the island's caffeine legacy and drum up a bit of tourism at the same time, the Yunlin County government is sponsoring a coffee festival that will go from today through Nov. 2.

The Dutch were the first to bring coffee beans to Taiwan when they first came to the island in 1624, dedicating several hectares of what is now Yunlin County to growing them. But it was the Japanese who made the most of the southern island's excellent coffee-growing environment. During the early part of the last century, there were some 300 hectares of coffee growing in Yunlin's Kukeng Township, Huisun, and in Taichung County's Rueisuei, near Hualien, making it the main agricultural product of Taiwan's Japanese colonial period, according to the Yunlin County Culture Bureau.

The Arabica strain has historically been Taiwanese coffee grower's beans of choice, both because of they grow heartily in on the southern parts of the island and because the beans have long fetched a handsome price at market.

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Cambodian Coffee

We've heard raves about coffee from Guatemala, from Hawaii, from Brazil, from Jamaica, from Guatemala. But never from Cambodia, the poor little country that hardly knows how to export anything but tears. Well, Cambodian coffee may be on its way to the world market, thanks to three Americans based in Japan and the big Japanese Yanaka Coffee Co. The venture, at least at first, is non-profit, with any surplus going to help rebuild Cambodia's schools.

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Coffee May Contain Loads Of Calories

Major Chains Put Nutritional Information On Web

When it comes to the nutritional information of your favorite coffee drink, you may be surprised.

NewsChannel5 Health team reporter Alicia Booth reported that some of the major coffee chains are now disclosing nutritional information.

For many, drinking coffee in the morning is a ritual, and very few think of the calories and fat that the drink contains.

"I think people think of beverages as kind of innocuous, and they don't really count towards calories," said Mary Beth Kavanagh, a registered dietician and coffee drinker.

After a lot of public pressure, Starbucks has finally posted nutrition information on its Web site.

Their large mocha coconut frapuccino contains 550 calories and 22 grams of fat.

According to Caribou Coffee's Web site, a large turtle mocha has 652 calories and 20 grams of fat.

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Kraft to back socially friendly coffee growing

BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter

Kraft Foods, maker of Maxwell House and Sanka coffee, announced Tuesday it will invest in socially and environmentally friendly coffee farming.

The move stems from Kraft's new partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based non-profit organization that works to ensure farmers treat their workers humanely and make a living in a way that conserves land and reduces pollution and pesticide use.

A Kraft spokeswoman would say only that the Northfield-based company will spend "several thousand dollars" to expand the so-called sustainable farming practices, and to support non-profit groups that inspect farms and certify that they follow the rules.

Kraft also will buy 5 million pounds of coffee from sustainable coffee farms in South America during the first year of its multi-year agreement with the Rainforest Alliance.

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7-Eleven's Lack Of Coffee Credibility

Aude Lagorce, Forbes.com

NEW YORK - With overall profits slumping and an abundance of outlets for consumers to choose from, the convenience-store industry has seen better days. In the face of such a slump, the largest players are reacting in different ways: some choosing to consolidate while others reinvent themselves.

7-Eleven's strategy to remain top dog: coffee. The Dallas-based company, which operates or franchises about 5,800 stores in the U.S. and 19,000 more worldwide, announced today that its stores' coffee stations are getting an upscale makeover. Will the 76-year-old franchisor succeed in convincing customers to come to its stores for gourmet coffee?

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Mighty Brew for the Do-It-Yourselfer

By MICHELLE SLATALLA
The New York Times

I live smack in the coffee-crazed Bay Area, yet I am confused about how to satisfy a particular caffeine craving I've been having since returning from a recent trip East.

While some may say that you can get the best coffee in the world here, I miss Cuban-style coffee, particularly café con leche. I wondered what it would take to make a cup. I had a hunch I would need to find a certain kind of coffee beans.

So last week, I figured a little online research would be the answer. How long would it take to find an Internet site that would satisfy a yearning for a cup of dark, strong coffee so assertive that it risks assault charges?

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