China's Web 'monster' bares its teeth

Hiroyuki Sugiyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

Whenever visiting Beijing's Forbidden City--a UNESCO World Heritage site that represents the glory of the Qing dynasty--I always used to end by popping into the Starbucks that lay within the city's walls.

After tiring myself out exploring the huge historic site, it was nice to enjoy some familiar flavors in the coffee shop that stood in a busy part of the world tourist destination.

But when I visited in July, the Starbucks had gone.

Some self-proclaimed patriots regarded the Starbucks shop in the Forbidden City as a Western invasion of Chinese culture. Others said this was nationalistic, xenophobic prejudice, and a vigorous debate on the question raged over the Internet. The issue was even discussed by the National People's Congress.

Most Chinese try to stay out of politics, however, as they know well how dangerous it can get in this country. So the body managing the Forbidden City compromised by allowing the Starbucks to stay, but saying it was no longer allowed to be independently managed. In response, Starbucks decided to close the branch, deciding that protecting its brand identity was more important than saving that particular store.

Encouraging Starbucks to voluntarily shut down the shop and thus avoiding any political fallout was an expected and normal solution in China.

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The Story of the Café Femenino Foundation

The story began with 464 women in Northern Peru in 2004. At the first gathering of Women Coffee Producers a new " idea separating their coffee from the rest of the production" was proposed. This concept was conceived through the combined efforts of PROASSA, CICAP, CECANOR, and the women themselves searching for ideas that would improve the conditions of their lives.

These women represent new century pioneers. Theirs is the story of women not just in the rural communities in Peru, but of women throughout developing nations. Many of these women have no rights, have been abandoned and are abused. Many are alone with children and no income. Even with little or no self esteem left, they continue to hold out hope for a better life.

With the help of organic and Fair Trade premiums, much progress has been made in recent years to improve life in the expanding number of rural coffee growing communities. Improvements range from better diets, improved sanitation, new wet-processing mills, and many, many miles of new roads.

Despite the progress, the marginalization of women in these rural communities has grown worse. In urban areas of Peru the abuse rate is estimated at 41%. Due to the isolation in rural communities, the rate is far higher.

In these areas of lower cultural living standards, women are not only isolated, but mistreated physically and emotionally. With little resources, the coffee family invests available resources in educating the sons. The daughters stay home, devoted to chores around the house and watching over the farm. They usually marry between the ages of 12 and 16. With the help of organic and Fair Trade premiums, much progress has been made in recent years to improve life in the expanding number of rural coffee growing communities. Improvements range from better diets, improved sanitation, new wet-processing mills, and many, many miles of new roads.

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Ironman Organization Snubs KONA COFFEE

KAILUA KONA, HAWAII, October 8, 2007 - In a press release today, the Ironman organization announced that its “ideal” coffee, Guatamalan, would be served at its event held in Kona this weekend.

Ironman’s release stated that the product will be on-site and available at this year's Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, and said that “the team realized the need for creating an "ideal" coffee after noticing the market was limited."

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association was outraged by the insult. “To import and serve a foreign coffee, no matter how good, as the “ideal” coffee into the heart of the Kona coffee growing district is unconscionable”said KCFA president Ken Sheppard. “Kona coffee is one of the two grand cru coffees of the world. Kona has always supported the Ironman contest and its athletes. Kona people will not react well to this”.

Chuck Moss, a third generation Kona coffee farmer, wrote to the Ironman organization “I'm very sorry to hear that the personal financial interests of some Ironman associated people has resulted in non Kona Coffee being the Ironman Coffee. This should be rethought, given the amount of support provided by the Kona community to Ironman.”. Donna Woolley, president of the Kona Coffee Council, wrote “I think it's a real slap in the Kona Coffee community’s face.”

Kona coffee is world- renowned as one of the top two gourmet coffees, alongside Jamaica Blue Mountain. The Kona community has supported the Ironman Triathlon for many years, but this insult to Kona’s, indeed Hawaii’s signature product will not go unnoticed in this close-knit community.



The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is a volunteer, non-profit, community-based organization of coffee farmers with the mission to promote and protect the economic interests of Kona coffee farmers who grow and sell 100% Kona coffee and to seek greater legal protection of the Kona coffee name.
www.konacoffeefarmers.org

Coffee Fest Seattle Training Sessions

November 9-11, 2007

Washington State Convention & Trade Center
601 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101

Exhibition hours: Fri & Sat 12:00pm - 5:30pm, Sun 12:00pm - 4:30pm
Early Bird Registration, $20 per person if registered by 10/19/2007, $30 per person after that.
Educational Training: Fri - Sun 8:00am - 12:00pm

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all classes listed are included in trade show admission.

The Ten Basic Keys to Success When Opening A New Coffee Business
Built To Lead - 20 Leadership Secrets to Compete and Beat Your Corporate Competitors
Brewing a Hot Brand - 21 day action plan
The 10 Commandments to Build Skyrocketing Profits
Black Gold - The Movie
Essentials of Water - What the New Café Owner Needs to Know
Controlling Coffee Quality Through Brewing
Signature Drinks - Power Up Your Profit
Opening a New Cafe?
Promoting Your Product On-Line!
Everything you’ve always hated about Cash registers is about to change…
Unlocking the Mysteries of Decaf
Building A Great Team - Eliminating Employee Theft, Crime, & Waste
Best Practices for FLAVORED Success – Is it all about coffee?
Getting Profitable
Drive-Thru Champion! – How to Build a 100lb+/week Drive-Thru Business
Wrestling the Mermaid - Competing with the Chains
What makes an Espresso, Espresso?
Building Better Baristas - Hiring/Retaining the Best
Coffee Fest Training for Restaurateurs
Guerrilla Marketing for Restaurants, Cafes & Hotels low cost method of attracting and retaining clients.
Increase Your Average Ticket through Coffee & Dessert Pairings
Conquer Restaurant Java: Expert strategies to improve overall sales with the perfect cup of coffee
Coffee; either the first or last experience most guests will have at your restaurant - Make it a memorable one
A winning recipe: Training to serve the ultimate coffee experience
Basic Barista Techniques
The Ambiance of your Cafe - Getting Crowds in Your Door
The 10 Commandments to Build Skyrocketing Profits
Roast Magazine's Roasters' Roundtable
Effectively Competing With The Larger Chains
Brewing a Hot Brand - 21 day action plan
Espresso Program for Competitive Advantages
Opening a New Cafe?
Key Elements To Profile Roasting
Wireless Internet in your café!
Frozen Blended Drinks
Frozen Beverage Trend Discussion
Beginning Your Espresso Operation
Coffee Packaging 101
Point of Sale Systems for Coffee Retailers
Installing a Roaster in Retail or Wholesale
To Franchise... Or Not to Franchise
THE LATEST TRENDS IN COFFEE YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU'RE A RESTAURATEUR
Understanding Coffee: Seed to Cup
Enforcing Policy with Employees
Legendary Customer Service
Consumer Megatrends, How to Leverage Profitably for Coffee Retail
Maté 101
Wrestling the Mermaid - Competing with the Chains
Coffee Retail Bookkeeping and P & L Analysis
Blending For an Italian Espresso
Free Press: How to Land Articles in Local & National Publications
Asceptic Packaging Protects What's Good
Importance of a Great Menu
Espresso Drive Thrus - The Final Frontier
Mix This
Becoming a Coffee Brewing Artisan
Drive-Thru Manager's Tool Box! How to Run Your Business w/o Your Business Running You
Before You Open, You Need to Know, Part II - Small Wares
Unlocking the Mysteries of Decaf
Luxury consumables, impulse buys, & why you want them
Unleash the Power, by Brewing the Right Day-To-Day Operations
Guerrilla Marketing for Restaurants, Cafes & Hotels low cost method of attracting and retaining clients.
Hemp - a Sustainable & Nutritious Superfood
Increase Your Average Ticket Through Coffee & Dessert Pairings

For more info and registration, click CoffeeFest.com