Battle is brewing over ethics of the coffee trade

By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
telegraph.co.uk

A battle for coffee drinkers' consciences is about to begin with the launch of a rival to the Fairtrade label.

Now that nearly half of shoppers consider the ethical dimension of goods, competition for the moral high ground is big business.

The Rainforest Alliance certificate

Fairtrade coffee's big selling point is that it offers small coffee farmers in the developing world a guaranteed price for their beans if commodity prices fall below $1.26 (68p) a pound.

Its competitor, Rainforest Alliance Certified, guarantees that coffee is produced in a way that preserves the forest and its wildlife and ensures that workers, who are often temporary, enjoy good working conditions, housing and pay. It pays a premium of a few pence a pound.

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Coffee could prevent cancer

By Christina Tkacik, U. Virginia

(U-WIRE) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Is a cup of coffee the nation's No. 1 source of cancer prevention?

According to a study by University of Scranton Chemistry Prof. Joe Vinson, coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants - cancer-fighting enzymes - in American diets. Vinson and his research team, who have previously done studies on chocolate's benefits, analyzed the antioxidant content of various foods commonly consumed in the average American diet based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Dates, red grapes, pomegranates and other fruits are richer than coffee in antioxidants, in addition to providing fiber and other nutrients, but Americans do not eat much fruit in comparison, according to Vinson.

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Coffee Futures Stabilize Following Post Hurricane Rally

Coffee futures are subdued after post-Hurricane Katrina price spikes, with ongoing stability probable after reports that 700,000 bags of coffee stored in New Orleans warehouses were left undamaged by the hurricane.

Port Cargo Service, a privately-held New Orleans storage handler with 28 warehouses in the city, reported that they have “no odors, no unusual humidity or toxicology problems, and suffered no losses in our seven coffee warehouses."

Prices for the omnipresent beverage and confectionery ingredient coffee leapt last week after flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina put inventories of beans in New Orleans at risk.

New Orleans houses some 1.6 million bags of coffee, a 27 per cent chunk of the U.S.' total 6 million bags. That just over half of the stock, some 730,000 bags, are certified is likely to bring stability to prices.

There are about 110 million bags worldwide.

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It's Not Just Coffee Making Cup Of Joe More Expensive

Katrina Not Considered Major Factor

Have you noticed the price of a cup of coffee seems to be creeping up a little?

The Port of New Orleans is a major shipping point for coffee, but that may not be the reason prices are going up.

Charlie Fishbein, the owner of the Coffee Exchange in Providence, is trying to avoid raising prices, despite losing a shipment at the Port of New Orleans.

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New Orleans Coffee Not Damaged by Katrina

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The 700,000 bags of coffee stored in New Orleans warehouses operated by Port Cargo Service Inc. weren't damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the company said Thursday.

The privately held New Orleans company operates 28 warehouses in that city, including coffee facilities licensed by the New York Board of Trade.

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Costa Coffee to open 300 outlets in India

New Delhi: British coffee retail chain Costa Coffee is planning to open 300 outlets in India through a franchise agreement with the RK Jaipuria Group, which will invest Rs 150 crore in the project over the next few years.

"We envisage an investment of Rs 150 crore in the next three years, during which we expect to achieve the target of opening 300 outlets in India," Ravi Jaipuria said while announcing the opening of the first Costa Coffee outlet in Delhi today.

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Quezon now on coffee map

Delfin T. Mallari Jr., PDI Southern Luzon Bureau
Inquirer News Service

SAN ANTONIO, QUEZON, Phillipines—Wilfredo Garing grew up with the smell of newly-harvested coffee berries and the fine aroma of brewed coffee.

Thus the locals of the town at the boundary of Quezon and Batangas were not surprised when Fred, a Mass Communications graduate of the Far Eastern University, left his job in a marketing firm in Metro Manila to set up Café de San Antonio, now the only commercial coffee brewer in Quezon.

"My aim is for Quezon coffee to be recognized and have a name of its own," says the 26-year-old.

Through Cafe de San Antonio, Fred says he wants to satisfy the caffeine cravings of Filipinos and foreigners.

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