Indonesia Coffee Supply Tight Despite Higher Price

By Shahira Yusoff

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Supply disruption caused by a series of natural calamities in recent months and labor shortages that followed have driven Indonesian coffee prices significantly higher, but production hasn't kept pace with rising demand.

The situation has been made worse by farmers hoarding coffee in the hope that prices would rise further, market participants said.

"There is a lot of coffee but we're not seeing huge volumes reaching the market yet," said a Singapore-based trader.

Prices had risen so much that many exporters weren't able to fulfill earlier contracts as they didn't have the stocks, he said.

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'Coffee Cubes' Curb Insipid Sips

Lisa Morrison, Staff Writer

I enjoyed a personal rite of spring the other day: I made my first iced coffee of the season.

There's something about sipping a frosty version of my standard morning pick-me-up that signals to me that warmer weather and sunnier days are on the way. Let's face it, an iced coffee just isn't what you want to knock back when the thermometer is reading in the single digits. On the same token, I am not overly excited about sipping a piping hot cuppa Joe when it's sweltering outside, either. For me, the temperature of my coffee is definitely a seasonal thing.

And, like slipping on a pair of shorts or breaking out the flip-flops when the weather finally does begin to warm up, that inaugural iced coffee was quite delectable, at least until I got down to the watery, tasteless bottom.

Therein lies the problem with iced coffee: If you brew the coffee so strong that it holds up until the bitter end, it nearly takes the enamel off your teeth upon first sip. Consequently, if the coffee is the perfect strength when the glass is full, it becomes an insipid sipper near the bottom.

I was grousing about those wishy-washy final sips when I had a flash of inspiration (I am crediting the caffeine): Why not make coffee ice-cubes and have them at the ready for those chilly concoctions? You wouldn't have to make extra-strong coffee to hold up to the ice and the problem with watered-down coffee at the end of the drink would melt away faster than, well, an ice cube in July.

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World’s Greatest Trade Show for Specialty Coffee Retailers

World’s Greatest Trade Show for Specialty Coffee Retailers is just three Weeks Away

Seattle, WA—Coffee Fest is excited to announce an amazing line-up for Coffee Fest Las Vegas, held in conjunction with The Great American Dessert Expo, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 3 through 5. Following are just some of the show’s planned highlights:

Coffee Fest’s popular three-day specialty coffee business seminar presenters, Kent Holloway, David J. Morris and Tommy Thwaites will host the Coffee Fest Hands-On Barista Training and Certification Program, sponsored by Nuova Simonelli. Classes cost $249 per person. Sessions will occur from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as from 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Certification testing includes a hands-on and written test with a registration fee of $49.

Coffee Fest is hosting, in conjunction with Stirling Gourmet Flavors, the first-ever “Stirling Signature Beverage Open”, a free-form competition designed to shine a spotlight on and encourage quality and creativity in beverage making. Open to baristi, bartenders, chefs, and anyone who has a creative beverage recipe to share; this competition allows a maximum of 32 contestants. Competition hours are from 12:15 until 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 12:15 until 3:30 on Sunday. Coffee Fest and Stirling Gourmet Flavors will award two cash prizes of $500 each—one for best-tasting beverage and one for most creative beverage.

The ever-popular Millrock Latte Art Competition presented by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal will feature some of the country’s finest baristi going head-to-head in an action-packed display of coffee creativity. Preliminary rounds will occur from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the top ten competitors from the previous two days’ competitions will face off and the Free Pour Latte Art Champion will be crowned. The winner will walk away with $1,000, 2nd place with $500 and 3rd place with $250.

Latte Art classes will be taught by 2004 Las Vegas Millrock Latte Art Champion Daniel Wayne of Lux Coffee Bar in Phoenix, Arizona. Six hands-on classes will occur, including two each on Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday. Each Latte Art class, to be held at Coffee Fest’s Millrock Latte Art Competition venue, will be limited to six students. Friday and Saturday’s classes will occur from 12:30 until 2:30 and 3 until 5. Sunday’s class will happen from 12:30 until 2:30. Admission for each class is $99.

The Great American Dessert Expo will host an additional fifty booths focusing on dessert-related items. The Great American Dessert Expo was launched in Las Vegas in 2003 by New York-based IMC Events and Exhibitions. IMC also produces the highly successful Kosherfest, an annual trade show for the kosher food industry. For more information, visit www.dessertexpo.com.

All of the above is in addition to Coffee Fest’s spectacular line-up of more than 70 educational sessions and focused exhibition featuring more than 250 booths for specialty beverage retailers to visit. Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. More information can be obtained at www.coffeefest.com or by calling 425.283.5058.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® Donates

THE COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF® DONATES MORE THAN $115,000
FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Los Angeles Non-Profit The Help Group Benefits from Retailer’s Fundraising Initiatives, which Include Sponsorship of National Autism Awareness Campaign

LOS ANGELES – May 10, 2005 – As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to support organizations benefiting children and education, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, Los Angeles-based specialty coffee and tea retailer, has increased its support of The Help Group for a total donation of $115,958 since early 2004. The Help Group is one of the largest non-profits of its kind serving young people with special needs related to autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, learning disabilities, emotional development, mental retardation, abuse and neglect.

Through its holiday retail merchandising, Deck the Walls campaign, in-kind donations and sponsorship of The Help Group events and campaigns, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has made an ongoing commitment to support this organization and its important work. “Contributing back to our community is an important part of our Guiding Principles at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf,” said Tami Clark, vice president of marketing & strategic alliances. “We are thrilled to be able to support The Help Group through the combination of our employees’ hard work and our customers’ support.” Continued Barbara Firestone, president and CEO of The Help Group, “We are able to reach and support so many more children and their families with The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s help. Their generosity is outstanding and their commitment is truly valued.”

For the past three years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has commissioned the children from The Help Group to design and illustrate exclusive holiday themed artwork for their holiday retail merchandise campaign. The coffee retailer’s in-store Deck the Walls program features drawings by children from The Help Group, which are available to customers for a $1 donation. Customers sign the cards, then “Deck the Walls” of the stores with them.

Further, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is a major sponsor of The Help Group’s 2005 National Autism Awareness Campaign. This month-long, nationwide campaign promotes early identification and intervention in autism, a condition that currently affects one in every 166 children. The campaign launched with a series of televised public service announcements, featuring Ed Asner, Gary Cole, Joe Mantegna and John Schneider – all parents of children with autism spectrum disorders -- and Edward James Olmos and Dr. Bruce Hensel. Information cards outlining early warning signs of autism in children 0 to 24 months of age, and important facts about autism, are available in 135 The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® stores throughout California and Arizona.

About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®

Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the oldest and largest privately held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation for excellence, the company is a leader in product innovations, having developed the original Ice Blended®. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® serves more than 100 million coffee and tea beverages annually worldwide. Providing the highest quality coffees and teas for forty years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leafâ currently has more than 315 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, UAE, Kuwait, Israel, Australia, China and the Philippines and continues to expand both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.coffeebean.com.

About The Help Group

Founded in 1975, The Help Group is the largest, most innovative and comprehensive nonprofit organization of its kind serving children with special needs related to autism, Asperger’s disorder, learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation, abuse and emotional problems. Its six specialized day schools offer pre-K through high school programs for more than 1,100 students on a daily basis. Its wide range of mental health and therapy services, child abuse, foster family and residential programs extend the organization’s reach to more than 5,000 children and their families each year. The Help Group’s state-of-the-art schools and programs with more 700 staff members on four major campuses in the Los Angeles area. The Help Group is inspired by its belief that dignity, hope, opportunity and love are the birthrights of all children. For more information about the work of The Help Group, please call 818-779-5212 or visit www.thehelpgroup.org

A global jaunt for Starbucks joe

BY LIZ ATWOOD
THE BALTIMORE SUN

May 8, 2005

John Winter Smith is nothing if not an optimist. For eight years, he has chased a goal that he admits he may never achieve: to visit every Starbucks Coffee Co. store in the world.

The Silver Spring, Md., resident has bought coffee at more than 4,500 of the chain's outlets in North America and 213 overseas. He still has a long way to go internationally.

"I think I'm slipping a little," says Smith, 33, a computer programmer.

The Seattle-based coffee chain owns 4,525 stores in North America and 1,018 abroad, according to a company spokeswoman. In the coming year, Starbucks expects to open 1,500 stores worldwide - an average of four stores a day.

Smith, a native of Houston, says his quest began as a lark, spurred by a conversation with a friend in a Starbucks in his hometown in 1997. "The idea randomly popped into my head," he says.

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We've become a nation of coffee gourmands

By Nicole Ziegler Dizon
The Associated Press

WAUKEGAN, Ill. - For Leo Hogan, there's only one place to go for a steaming cup of freshly roasted and brewed gourmet coffee: his local used-CD shop.

"I love coffee. The better the coffee, the better I like it," Hogan said as he waited for his order from Fire Fresh Coffee Co., tucked in the corner of a store filled with CDs, DVDs and video games. Hogan stops by the Music Recyclery about once a week for coffee made from beans roasted fresh right in the store.

More and more businesses looking for some added value for their customers are turning to java, and not just your standard cup, either. Latté lovers can get their fix in Laundromats, movie theaters, baseball stadiums and fitness centers. And businesses that have long served coffee - such as gas stations - are finding they no longer can get away with any old drip as consumers accustomed to Starbucks demand the same quality anywhere they buy coffee.

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Coffee Falls as Supply Concerns Ease: World's Biggest Mover

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- Arabica coffee futures in Tokyo fell 3.1 percent, the biggest fluctuation of any commodity market today, after a report yesterday showed Brazilian exports increased last month, easing concern about a global shortage.

Brazil, which grows about 43 percent of the world's Arabica, shipped 7.1 percent more of the milder-tasting beans than a year earlier, an exporter group said. Forecasts of a smaller harvest sent Arabica futures up 68 percent to a six-year high on the Tokyo Grain Exchange the past six months.

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