Welcome Robin Hood Coffee Company

Badgett's Coffee eJournal welcomes our latest advertiser, Robin Hood Coffee Co. Robin Hood of legend took from the rich and gave to the poor. You have to be rich or you won't be able to afford to buy the 100% Kona Extra Fancy sold here. Yes, Robin Hood is taking from the rich, and giving to the poor, Robin Hood Coffee Co. and charity. Robin Hood Coffee Co. has pledged to give 5% of all its coffee sales to charity. Five-percent of gross sales (off the top) not profit.

Robin Hood also features peanuts "...like no other peanut you've ever tasted." These are available in 32oz. tins with or without salt. These peanuts are "home-cooked" and slowly roasted to perfection the old-fashion way. It's a perfect gift and will compliment one's Kona coffee.

Kenya: Organisation Formed to Sell Specialty Coffee in America

Business Daily (Nairobi)

Posted to the web 31 January 2008

Solomon Mburu

A marketing body has been formed to help sell locally-produced specialty coffee in America.

The Specialty Coffee Association of Kenya will market high quality Kenyan coffee in the US, which is one of the fastest growing markets for local produce.

"We expect to sell more high quality coffee in the US with better returns to the farmers," said Mr Peter Mugambi who is in charge of marketing at the Coffee Board of Kenya.

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Starbucks to close some stores, stop selling breakfast sandwiches

By CRAIG HARRIS
P-I REPORTER

Starbucks will say goodbye to its breakfast sandwiches, close about 100 underperforming U.S. locations and slow down the number of domestic openings as the once-go-go coffee company retools itself amid a slowing economy.

The changes, announced Wednesday along with modest first-quarter earnings, also include putting more emphasis on overseas expansion. Few stores will be closed in the Pacific Northwest, and employees at the shuttered stores will be transferred to other sites, said Chairman Howard Schultz, who took over as chief executive Jan. 7.

"It's important to understand a new day is here," Schultz said in an interview with the Seattle P-I after the earnings release. "We want to put the customer at the forefront of every decision we make, and we want to exceed their expectations at what we are doing."


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Coffee Tips

Storage Tip

Never store your coffee in the refrigerator. Coffee will absorb flavors and aromas from other food products in your refrigerator. Freezing coffee can also have a damaging effect, and we do not recommend this practice unless you will not use-up your supply of coffee for a prolonged period of time [two weeks or more]. Coffee should be stored in a clean, dry, airtight container, in a cool, dark place.

Source: coffeeuniverse.com

Coffee shops ponder the saturation point

By MICHAEL HILL

ALBANY, N.Y.

It's easy to get a good cup of coffee on Wolf Road. And it's getting easier.

The two-mile retail strip has two Dunkin' Donuts, one Starbucks, another planned and an independent coffee house. The McDonald's sells a premium brew, as does the Borders. And the Barnes & Noble in the mall across the street from the Starbucks sells Starbucks.

The coffee cluster is great for option-oriented commuters like Troy Mackey, who will grab a French Vanilla at Dunkin' Donuts only if he spies a short line though his car window. "I can jump in and jump out," Mackey said as he waited on line in his business suit.

But it may not be as great for Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts as they compete in crammed commercial battlegrounds like this one in upstate New York. So many stores crowded within eyesight of each other raises a question:

Is it possible to have too many places selling premium coffee?

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Store Ambiance Key to Starbucks' Plans

By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE AP Business Writer
© 2008 The Associated Press

SEATTLE — It's been almost a year since Chairman Howard Schultz' bitterly candid memo bemoaning "the watering down of the Starbucks experience" landed with a thud on the desks of the coffee chain's top executives.

Mincing no words, he complained the company's unbridled growth had sapped the soul out of its stores _ his rallying cry to shift the focus back onto the customer.

He sounded just as frustrated earlier this month after the company fired Chief Executive Officer Jim Donald, handing the reins back to Schultz as part of a sweeping plan to reinvigorate the company, which has seen its stock slide 50 percent since late 2006.

Without releasing specifics, Schultz said Starbucks will scale back growth in the U.S., close lackluster stores, bolster expansion overseas and focus on changes to revitalize the atmosphere inside its stores.

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Andrew Hetzel of Cafemakers becomes first accredited coffee judge

Kamuela, HI (MARKETWIRE) January 28, 2007 – Andrew Hetzel of coffee
consultancy Cafemakers has become the first Hawaii resident to be
certified as a coffee Cupping Judge by the Specialty Coffee
Association of America.

In a 5-day series of exams held this January in Waterbury, Vermont,
Mr. Hetzel successfully completed 21 sensory skill and coffee
knowledge tests necessary to obtain accreditation. Participants
traveled from as far as Japan, S. Korea, Thailand and Portugal in
pursuit of the certification.

"Most people are surprised to learn that taste is not considered when
assigning coffee a grade in Hawaii. The proof of coffee quality is
always in the cup, yet that's the one place that we're not looking,"
observes Hetzel.

To become a SCAA Cupping Judge, applicants must demonstrate
proficiency in aroma identification, organic acid identification and
green coffee grading, as well as, accurately grade dozens of sample
coffees from Brazil, Indonesia, E. Africa, Central America and Colombia.

"I plan to instruct others in Hawaii to taste and rate coffee to
internationally accepted standards," Hetzel continues. "Tasting
protocols are necessary so that that we can improve the quality of
our crops, maintain Hawaii coffee's good reputation and secure the
future of coffee farming in the State."

About Andrew Hetzel

Andrew Hetzel is the founder and president of Cafemakers, a coffee
industry business consultancy based in Hawaii. Cafemakers provides
strategic business counseling, marketing and quality improvement
services for coffee retail chains, roasters and trade associations
worldwide.

Named one of the top young business entrepreneurs in the State of
Hawaii by Pacific Business News, Mr. Hetzel is also a frequent
presenter at food and beverage conferences, a judge for coffee
competitions and a writer for coffee industry trade publications. For
more information, visit www.cafemakers.com.