Announcement From Coffee Politics

After about eight months of blogging, postings 200 articles (about a quarter of which are either authored or commented by me), and reading thousands of WebPages, I decided to take on a more challenging role in the coffee industry.

Since news about the dispute between Ethiopia and Starbucks over the coffee trademarks broke out, I have spent several long nights reading about almost anything regarding the coffee industry (and intellectual property, and learned a great deal about both fields.) As I researched the root causes, and the subsequent handling, by both parties, of the trademark dispute, nothing surprised me most than the information gap that exists in the multi-billion dollar industry. Information exchange is so deficient in the coffee industry that most people at one end of the food chain do not have a clue about what is going on at the other end of the spectrum.

Of course, there is no scarcity of information about coffee and related businesses on the internet. In fact, the information available online is overwhelming. A Google search for coffee related websites results in tens of thousands of websites and blogspots that are focusing on coffee in one form or the other. However, most, if not all, of those sites specialize in specific areas (geographic or specialty) of the coffee trade; so, they are tailored to fit the needs of the people in those particular businesses. In the extreme cases, some of the websites barely exist beyond displaying virtual signage of the existence of the entity.

The problem is, however, that the variety of specializations and the scope of each website make it difficult for readers to get the complete picture of the “coffee world.” Sorting through online materials for relevance and timeliness of the information sought is a daunting task. In my view, this has led to localization of information exchanges rather than facilitating a frequent and broader circulation. The more localized the information exchange becomes it is more likely that the fragmented communities are listening to their own voices.

Based on my analysis, I have come to believe that there is a crying need for an open source information exchange medium that should serve as a central source of hard information, serious and balanced reporting on problems and prospects in the coffee industry. There is a need for a space where opposing views are presented and analyzed. And most importantly, I believe, all public information needs to be made accessible to the public free of charge, without any preconditions and need to subscribe to anyone.

Therefore, I decided to undertake the task of providing a part of such a service on the internet. To that end, it is with excitement that I announce today the launching of my new, independent website.

The new website will serve coffee growers, import/exporters, roasters, retailers, machine manufacturers, researchers, development agencies, consumers, public policy makers, etc in their needs for objective coffee industry news & information. It will be a place where the range of information is great, serious attention is given to neglected or emerging problems, a place where different voices have a chance to be heard, corrective comments are offered if misleading, incomplete or false information is presented.

This effort is another information technology approach to alleviating some of the problems in the complex global coffee trade, which I hope will complement all of those innovative efforts out there. By aggregating coffee related news and information and presenting them in a balanced and relevant manner, the site will provide a unique service for everyone with a stake in the industry.

Objectives of the new website include, but are not limited to, gathering news and information from wire services, coffee growing communities, big and small companies, professional and business coops, associations, and organizations, research institutes, and academic circles; conduct researches and analyses and offer commentaries when necessary; provide custom market data; share stories as they happen regardless of where they occur; etc.

Thus, the name and logo:

I hope you will enjoy the convenience of the information hub as much as you have (hopefully) enjoyed Coffee Politics.

Please visit Coffee Monitor and let me know what you think. You may send your comments here or at the “Contact Us” page. Your feedback is important to me personally and detrimental to the quality of the service you are about to experience.

Thank you!

Wondwossen Mezlekia
poorfarmer@gmail.com
editor@coffeemonitor.com

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