Coffee Does Not Add to Heart Attack Risk

Soflution Medical Ltd.
Heartzine.com

A new study conducted on Swedish women has found that drinking coffee might not increase the risk of having a heart attack. On the contrary, it might actually be protective for the heart.

The link between coffee consumption and the risk of heart attack has been the focus of several studies. While some of these studies have found coffee to increase heart attack risk, other studies have found otherwise. On the whole, results have been mixed.

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Worth its weight in inlaid gold: Coffee prep goes high-end

By Dara Moskowitz, Special for USA TODAY

Remember when cappuccino was considered exotic? Fast-forward to today's Starbucks-saturated world, where high-end restaurants are working double-time to impress their java-jaded guests.

Silks, the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco, for example, is one of many eateries to offer guests a single-estate coffee menu as long as a wine list. And like a wine list, the menu has its equivalent of a big-ticket cult Cabernet: Kopi Luwak, the world's most notorious coffee made with beans mellowed in the digestive systems of Indonesian civets and retrieved from their droppings. If the origins of Kopi Luwak don't make an impression, the price will: It's $40 a cup.

That's what it takes to get the attention of a generation raised when half-caff lattes flowed like water.

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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Tops List of 100 Best Corporate Citizens, Again

(CSRwire) WATERBURY, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2007--For the second year in a row, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) has been ranked No. 1 on the list of "100 Best Corporate Citizens," now published by CRO magazine. This is the fifth consecutive year that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has appeared on the prestigious list, the only time a company has been awarded the top spot for two years running, and the only company other than IBM that has been ranked first twice.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has steadily risen from No. 8 in 2003, to No. 5 in 2004, No. 2 in 2005, and No. 1 last year. The specialty coffee roaster is in good company on this year's list, sharing honors with businesses such as Advanced Micro Devices (#2), IBM (#6), The Timberland Company (#8) and Starbucks Corporation (#9).

Now in its 8th year, the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list was developed by Business Ethics magazine, which was incorporated last year into The CRO, a membership organization for Corporate Responsibility Officers. The "100 Best" list is drawn from more than 1,100 of the largest U.S. publicly held companies and identifies those that excel at serving a variety of stakeholders. Firms are ranked on performance in eight stakeholder categories: shareholders, governance, community, diversity, employees, environment, human rights and product.

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Starbucks in African coffee moves

Starbucks plans to double purchases of East African coffee in the next two years and increase credit to farmers in the region to improve bean quality.

Starbucks' Dub Hay said they would also set up a Farmers Support Centre, and have pledged to offer $1m in micro finance to farmers in the region.

Starbucks bought $294m of coffee last year and 6% was from Africa. Mr Hay says that will double to 12% by 2009.

Starbucks has been in a trademark row with Ethiopia over the past few months.

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Coffee is number one source of antioxidants

Discussion at PhysOrgForum

Coffee provides more than just a morning jolt; that steaming cup of java is also the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Scranton (Pa.). Their study was described today at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

"Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," says study leader Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the university. Although fruits and vegetables are generally promoted as good sources of antioxidants, the new finding is surprising because it represents the first time that coffee has been shown to be the primary source from which most Americans get their antioxidants, Vinson says. Both caffeinated and decaf versions appear to provide similar antioxidant levels, he adds.

He cautions that high antioxidant levels in foods and beverages don't necessarily translate into levels found in the body. The potential health benefits of these antioxidants ultimately depends on how they are absorbed and utilized in the body, a process that is still poorly understood, says Vinson, whose study was primarily funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute.

The news follows a growing number of reports touting the potential health benefits of drinking coffee. It also comes at an appropriate time: Coffee consumption is on the rise in the United States and over half of Americans drink it everyday, according to the National Coffee Association.

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Café Femenino® Foundation Launches ‘Coffee Can’ Fundraiser

Campaign Aims to Raise $100,000 to Promote Equality and Rights for Women Coffee Producers Worldwide

Vancouver, Wash. – February 13, 2007 – The Café Femenino Foundation today announced the launch of “Coffee Can”, a national fundraising campaign starting March 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. Proceeds from the campaign will benefit the Foundation’s grant-giving program to support projects that enhance the lives of women and their families in coffee producing communities around the world.

“Despite progress made with organic and fair trade premiums, the women coffee producers in many rural regions continue to be trapped in a cycle of abuse and poverty with no rights and very little options, “said Julie Olson, executive director, The Café Femenino Foundation. “We believe ‘Coffee Can’ will foster change and bring hope and inspiration to these women. The fundraiser will enable the Foundation to provide grants to many worthy programs and projects in coffee growing communities throughout the world and help women and their families succeed.”

Participating sponsors to date include:

• Excelso Level: Coffee Talk and Organic Products Trading Company
• Primero Level: Cuppers Coffee, Grounds For Change and Swiss Water Decaf
• Especial Level: The Kobos Company, Roast Magazine
• Amigo Level: Arbuckle Coffee Roasters, Marquez Project Management, Moka Joe, Inc. and Shuswap Coffee Company LTD
  

Formed in December 2004 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, the Foundation helps promote the integration of women coffee farmers into social, political and occupational organizations through grants that support the women’s efforts and enhance their status within the community. The organization was named after the Café Femenino Project, a social program for women coffee producers that produce the Café Femenino Coffee, which is distributed by more than 80 roasters in U.S., Canada and Australia.

To participate in the ‘Coffee Can’ campaign, please contact 360-666-8725 or visit www.coffeecan.org. Donations can also be made to The Café Femenino Foundation, P.O Box 2187, Vancouver, WA 98668. Donations are tax deductible.

About The Café Femenino Foundation

The Café Femenino Foundation was formed in December 2004 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to provide grants to select programs and projects that enhance the lives of women and their families in coffee producing communities around the world. The Foundation helps promote the integration of women coffee farmers into social, political and occupational organizations. For further information on The Café Femenino Foundation, visit www.cafefemeninofoundation.org .

Brazil Rains May Hurt Coffee Quality, Hinder Harvest This Year

By Carlos Caminada

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Unusually heavy rainfall in the southeast of Brazil, the world's biggest coffee producer, is causing an irregular second flowering of the trees, which may hurt bean quality and hinder harvesting this year.

Some areas in the states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, which account for 83 percent of Brazil's output, have received two times more rain than the average, the University of Sao Paulo's Margarete Boteon said. The excess rain is causing new coffee buds to blossom, just as beans from the November flowering are starting to form, she said.

``The rains are way above normal levels,'' Boteon, head of coffee research at the university's agricultural commodities unit, said in a telephone interview from Piracicaba, Brazil. ``Coffee flowering at this time of the year is unheard of.''

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Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. Announces New Grocery Distribution to 239 Stop & Shop Supermarkets

Monday February 12, 2:49 pm ET
Company Continues Grocery Expansion in New England with its Distinctive, Hand-Roasted Coffee Offerings

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEET - News), a specialty coffee roaster and marketer, today announced the availability of its fresh, deep-roasted coffee within Stop & Shop Supermarkets, a division of Royal Ahold (NYSE: AHO - News). A selection of Peet's signature whole bean and ground coffees will be featured in 239 Stop & Shop stores within its Boston-Connecticut Divisions of New England to service the growing demand for the company's distinctive, hand-roasted coffees. Rollout of Peet's Coffee in these locations is expected to be completed by mid-March.

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Mocha coffee: from ancient memories to global brand

Mocha coffee: from ancient memories to global brand marketed by Al-Kbous as one of the oldest and most famous coffees of all time
By Fakhri al-Arashi
Yemen Observer

In ancient times as well as currently, the name of Yemen was linked to Mocha Coffee due to the deep history of the name, which was spread by the colonialists from the port of Al-Makha to countries like Germany, Turkey, Italy, Portugal and others. Actually, I was not planning to write a report about Yemeni coffee, but chance found me sitting with the businessman Ibrahim M. al-Kbous, the general manager of Al-Kbous Industrial Trading & Investment Group.

The conversation was on the history of Yemeni Coffee and its current business. It is an interesting story for me and for the readers to know the hidden tales of Mocha Coffee, the history, the different names of Yemeni coffee, the whole process from planting the seeds up to making the drinks, the people behind its spread, its international reputation, the target market, and the role of the Al-Kbous company and others in promoting it. After the conversation I searched on the Internet about Mocha Coffee and I read a number of articles written by professional writers, but I got two things from Mr. Al-Kbous that the majority of people do not know.

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