Israeli coffee company using leftover beans as energy source

By Eli Ashkenazi
Tags: Israel News, Environment

Elite Instant Coffee is an Israeli consumer legend. For decades, the round coffee tin was ubiquitous in Israeli households. And since its construction in 1956, the company's Safed plant, has been a trademark of the city. The smell of coffee that permeates downtown has illustrated how, in modern times, the city of sages has become the city of java.

But for residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, the smell of coffee has become a nuisance, especially the smog emitted by the shale oil used to power the factory. When it was built, the factory was distanced from residential neighborhoods, but the city has sprawled toward the plant over time, and calls have increased to relocate the factory outside city limits.

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Facts about Starbucks in the Middle East

Taken from starbucks.com

January 16, 2009

It is disheartening that calls for boycotts of Starbucks stores and products, which are based on blatant untruths, have had direct impacts on local economies and residents, and have also led to violent situations involving our stores, partners (employees) and customers.

Our more than 160,000 partners and business associates around the globe have diverse views about a wide range of topics. Regardless of that spectrum of belief, Starbucks Coffee Company remains a non-political organization. We do not support any political or religious cause. Further, allegations that Starbucks provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army in any way are unequivocally false. Unfortunately, these rumors persist despite our best efforts to refute them.

What we do believe in, and remain focused on, is staying true to our company’s long-standing heritage -- simply connecting with our partners and customers over a cup of high quality coffee and offering the best experience possible to them – regardless of geographical location. Though our roots are in the United States, we are a global company with stores in 49 countries, including more than 230 stores in nine Middle Eastern countries. In countries where we do business, we are proud to be a part of the fabric of the local community -- working directly with local partners who operate our stores, employing thousands of local citizens, serving millions of customers and positively impacting many others through our support of neighborhoods and cities.

Myths

Is it true that Starbucks provides financial support to Israel?

Has Starbucks ever sent any of its profits to the Israeli government and/or Israeli army?

Is it true that Starbucks is teaming with other American corporations to send their last several weeks of profits to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army?

Is it true that Starbucks closed its stores in Israel for political reasons?

Middle East Partnership and Operations

Do you work with a Middle East partner to operate Starbucks stores?

In which Middle Eastern countries do you operate?

Are you still operating Starbucks stores in Israel? If not, do you have plans to re-open should the opportunity arise?

For answers to the above topics, click here More >>

Starbucks is using Twitter

The coffee giant, Starbucks, is one of many U.S. companies using Twitter. Twitter is a trendy micro-blogging platform which many view as a speedy marketing tool. "What are you doing?" is the simple question that Twitter users answer in short posts or "Tweets" from their cell phones and desktops. Twitter users can respond to posts, and discussion threads are created allowing companies to monitor what customers are saying about them. Companies can also release news in Tweets. Hubstop estimates that 5,000 to 10,000 new Twitter accounts are opened each day.

Torrefacto-roasted Coffee Has Higher Antioxidant Properties

ScienceDaily

Torrefacto-roasted coffee has higher antioxidant properties than natural roast, according to the dissertation defended by a biologist of the University of Navarra, Isabel López Galilea. She has emphasized in her study that the addition of sugar during the roasting process increases the development of compounds with high antioxidant activity.

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Starbucks to give away free coffee for community service

Similar to their free tall coffee on election day, Starbucks just released that they would be giving away Free Coffee that would coincide with the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Customers who fill out a pledge card - available in stores - to give five hours of time to a local volunteer opportunity of their choice will receive a free tall brewed coffee Jan. 21-25, a $1.79 value.

Here is a little secret though, you technically DO NOT have to fill out the card or pledge anything to receive your free tall coffee. Another similarity to the promotion Starbucks did on election is that if you simply ask for the free tall coffee without making any pledge, just like not voting, they will follow their "just say yes policy" and give it to you for free.

Coffee Strong Enough to Ward Off Dementia?

Moderate Coffee Drinking Reduces Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s by 65% in Study
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 16, 2009 -- Drinking coffee in moderate amounts during middle age may reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in the elderly, according to a new study.

Researchers in Finland and Sweden examined the records of 1,409 people whose coffee drinking habits had been recorded when they were at midlife.

Those who drank three to five cups of coffee per day in midlife were much less likely to have developed dementia or Alzheimer's in follow-up checks two decades or more later, the researchers say in the January issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

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