Gourmet coffee pops up in unexpected places

Increasingly business lure in customers by offering high-end java

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. Latte 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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China And Kenya Sign Pact to Boost Exports of Coffee

The Nation (Nairobi)

Nairobi

China has signed an agreement with Kenya to boost the coffee trade. Cooperatives permanent secretary Solomon Boit said at the weekend that Chinese Cooperatives ministry officials were in the country to seal the value-addition deal with the local cooperative societies.

"We have signed a memorandum to that effect, and we are soon sending to China a technical team from the ministry, which also comprises officials from KPCU (Kenya Planters Cooperative Union) and other stakeholders," he said.

The delegation, he added, would meet with Chinese cooperatives to find ways to add value to the Kenyan coffee to boost sales.

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No Coffee, No Car Hopping For N.Y. Subway Riders

Violators To Face $25 To $50 Fines

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- New York City subway riders are facing a new list of rules, including a ban on bringing their morning coffee onto the trains.

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Coffee Kids Supports Rebuilding of Coffee Farmers Community

Jakarta, Indonesia-Relief -- The Aceh Tsunami Relief Fund, established by Coffee Kids in partnership with Forestrade Inc, has made a complete shift to supporting the reconstruction of local community infrastructure in the coffee-growing Gayo Highland region in Central Aceh. Currently the fund is rehabilitating 10 coffee processing facilities, rehabilitating 10 hectares of coffee farms with soil erosion losses, and reconstruction of 15 mosques.

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