Brazil 2007-08 Coffee Crop May Fall 27% on Low Cycle (Update1)

By Katia Cortes

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, expects its 2007-2008 harvest of the bean to drop as much as 27 percent as its coffee trees enter the low-production year of a two-year growth cycle.

Brazil production may fall to between 31.1 million bags and 32.3 million bags of coffee in the harvest that starts in June 2007, compared with 42.5 million bags produced in the 2006-2007 season, the Agriculture Ministry's crop forecasting agency said today in a statement distributed in Brasilia.

The drop in output, which is generally lower in the second year of the two-year production cycle, was made worse by a severe drought in Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states, which together produce more than half the crop in Brazil, said Linneu Carlos da Costa Lima, the ministry's secretary for production.

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Caribou coffee shops: Who's the boss?

Caribou store managers say they were more like working stiffs and are suing the company for overtime pay.

By H.J. Cummins, Star Tribune

Nathan Nerland is one of 300 current and former Caribou store managers who say they were more barista than boss at the Minnesota-based chain of coffee shops.

That means they're entitled to overtime pay for all the extra hours they put in, they claim in a lawsuit they've been pursuing against the company since the spring of 2005.

Not so fast, says Caribou, which has grown from its first Twin Cities shop in 1992 to about 400 in 16 states and the District of Columbia. These people were bona fide managers, and therefore not entitled to the money, the company argues.

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Coffee Links Temporarily Suspended

We have had to temporarily suspend our Coffee Links service, because of unwanted links.

I usually police the links often and remove the trash, but I have let it go too long and there are now thousands of trash links. I apologize.

We painstakingly built up our links to over 2,000 coffee links. We have a nice program that allows you to enter your own link and description but it does not allow for us to monitor it before it is placed. That is the problem.

We are changing the links section so we can approve each link ahead of placing, so stay tuned for a new and improved service.

Robert

Diedrich sale to Starbucks approved

Cafes could be converted as early as January.

By NANCY LUNA
The Orange County Register

NEWPORT BEACH The $13 million sale of up to 40 Diedrich Coffee cafes was ratified Tuesday morning by shareholders of the Irvine roaster, paving the way for Starbucks to convert or close most Diedrich stores in Orange County as early as next month.

"I think it's the smartest move they can make," said Dick Marowitz, a 10-year shareholder who estimates his stock has dropped 50 percent over the last decade.

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Coffee Fest - Steaming Up The Windy City, February 23-25, 2007

Coffee Fest is thrilled to once again present the latest innovations in the specialty coffee industry as it returns to Chicago's Navy Pier, February 23-25, 2007.

More than 250 exhibitors are scheduled to unite in introducing the industry's newest products and services, making Coffee Fest Chicago the source for specialty coffee and tea retailers aiming to stay on top. Coffee Fest is also delighted to present, in conjunction with the International Academy of Specialty Coffee (I.A.S.C.), an unparalleled educational component that consists of nearly 100 classes, workshops, and seminars scheduled to be held during the 3 days of Coffee Fest.

What exactly is specialty coffee? Specialty coffee is categorized as the premium 5 percent of coffee grown, which possesses distinctive flavors in the cup and is free of defects. This specific segment of the international coffee market reached $8.47 billion in 2003, and continues to grow. The total value of the global coffee industry reaches $60 billion annually, making it the second-most heavily traded commodity in the world, surpassed only by oil. Next to tap water, coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with an estimated 1.4 billion cups consumed each day. With such a strong global impact, it is no wonder the specialty coffee industry is so popular.

With more than 250 exhibiting booths, Coffee Fest strives to showcase everything the specialty coffee and tea industry needs; from allied products such as biscotti, flavoring syrups, and smoothie mixes to coffee, tea, and brewing and serving equipment. Coffee Fest will feature a strong emphasis on attendee education with more than 50 different free seminars available in the signature Red Cup Series, ranging in topics that aim to address all aspects of the specialty coffee retail industry from starting a business to keeping it growing.

The International Academy of Specialty Coffee (I.A.S.C.) is the leading industry source for training and education, and is exclusively found at Coffee Fest trade shows. The I.A.S.C. roster of classes features the Specialty Coffee Business Seminar, specifically designed to help entrepreneurs enter and succeed in the business. The three-day course has taught over 2,000 students how to successfully open, compete and profit from a specialty coffee cart, kiosk, drive-thru, or cafe. The I.A.S.C. also offers programs such as the popular 4-hour Hands-On Barista Training Workshop, Barista Certification Testing, Hands-On Latte Art Training, and Specialty Coffee Cupping.

The trade show floor is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Children under 13, including infants, are not admitted entrance to Coffee Fest. Admission to the trade show is $20.00 per person with Early Bird Registration (Before February 2nd), or $30.00 per person at the door, which is good for all three days and includes admission into all free Red Cup Series classes.

Online registration for Coffee Fest Chicago is now open.
To register please visit www.coffeefest.com.

The Big Gulp at Starbucks

By BARBARA KIVIAT / SEATTLE
Posted Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006

Starbucks fancies itself a small company, which might ring a little odd, considering that the coffee giant is regularly parodied as being practically unavoidable. Well, the joke is only going to get funnier as the Seattle firm, with its shareholders clearly in mind, gets even bigger, selling more stuff, from hot food to hot music, in more places than ever before. Right now Big Green runs 12,440 locations worldwide, but the goal is 40,000, which would trump even McDonald's.

But McDonald's doesn't try to behave like a chain of boutiques, and that's where the tension inside Starbucks lies. "The battle within the company is making sure growth doesn't dilute our culture," says founder and chairman Howard Schultz. In the Starbucks ethos, the best authority is decentralized, and the best decisions are made store by store. The company stays clear of focus groups, acts on its instincts and doesn't open franchises for fear of losing control. Schultz decided to sell the New York Times, not USA Today, in stores because, he says, "it felt right." If he or another senior exec doesn't like a new drink concoction, it doesn't get sold. How's that for research?

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MCC professor's novel about coffee trade aims to entertain as it teaches

By Patrick Garmoe
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Sunday, December 10, 2006

A McHenry County College instructor interviewed on “CBS Sunday Morning” for a class he taught on the world of coffee now has parlayed learning about lattes into “Salavandra: A Coffee Tale,” his first novel.

The novel is laced with nuggets on the economics and politics of the coffee industry, and is not meant as a primer for novice coffee drinkers.

Instead of writing a textbook for his students explaining the hows and whys of the coffee industry, Theodore Erski opted to write a novel that was so hot, students couldn’t put it down.

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