Coffee-bar owner reaping dividends of mall gamble

By KRISTIN BOYD

Staff Writer
Lebanon (PA) Daily News

A few sips of cappuccino back in 1998 jolted Bonnie Azeles into a second business venture.

"I loved it," she said, beaming. "I was buzzing all the way home."

After that, Azeles wanted to create a coffee bar, but she was worried the idea wouldn't fare too well in Lebanon.

"I wanted to offer good coffee to customers while they shopped around," she said. "But I wasn't sure if people here would like all these varieties of coffee and cappuccino."

Already the owner of Extra Special, a candle-and-gift store at the Lebanon Valley Mall, she later found a solution that quelled her nerves.

The mall, located in West Lebanon Township, offers a specialty-leasing program, which gives residents like Azeles the opportunity to test their business ideas on a temporary basis.

Having that safety net was all the incentive Azeles needed.

She opened Special Perks, just two storefronts down from Extra Special, in 2002. And it didn't take long for the bar to become a popular stop for thirsty mall shoppers.

The specialty-leasing program is open to budding entrepreneurs who want to start a business, but are unsure if their idea will be a hit, mall general manager Dawn Marie Lecklikner said.

More...

Coffee giants agree to code

Pact targets child labour, slavery, pesticide use

Critics say cutting supply would ease conditions more

HAMBURG—Four of the world's biggest coffee companies have agreed to a voluntary pact to improve conditions in growing countries, but critics say cutting oversupply would help more.

The pact accepted by coffee giants Nestlé AG, Tchibo Holdings AG, Sara Lee Corp. and Kraft Foods Inc. is designed to end the use of child labour, slavery or forced labour and to prevent the use of dangerous pesticides in grower countries.

Producer countries involved in yesterday's announcement include Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya, Colombia, Indonesia and the main Central American exporters.

More...

Taiwan can be coffee gateway to China, says Costa Rican president

CNA , SANTO DOMINGO

Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco said Tuesday that Central American coffee could be sold in the vast mainland China market using Taiwan as a gateway.

Pacheco, who was visiting Santo Domingo for the inauguration of Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez Reyna, made the remarks while meeting with Republic of China Premier Yu Shyi-kun.

Pacheco told Yu that all Central American and Caribbean countries are eager to sell their coffee in China, saying that if every person in China drinks a cup of coffee per day, it would represent a gigantic market.

The Costa Rican president said that coffee exports to the Chinese mainland could be a lucrative business that could help rev up the sluggish economies in the region.

To crack the mainland market, Pacheco said, Taiwan would be the best gateway, because from Taiwan, businessmen could get the latest in-depth information about the mainland.

More...