Poor Farmer

For results, click here --- WHO’S SERVING YOU THAT DAILY CUP OF JOE? SURVEY REVEALS AMERICANS DIFFER WIDELY ON THE ANSWER: Barista, Barrister, Bartender, Burrito Lover, Among the Responses KRUPSUSA Press Release MEDFORD, MA, April 30, 2007– Few can argue that the American coffee culture is more sophisticated than ever. From Macchiatos and Lattes, to a Café Mocha or Espresso con Panna, espresso drinks have become commonplace. That said, the robust vocabulary associated with this high-energy movement might not yet have caught up with the trend. A recent online survey conducted by Krups, the coffee experts and sponsors of the upcoming 2007 United States Barista Championship, revealed some interesting results. A national sample of 2,000 Americans* were asked, “What is a Barista?” Out of the five possible responses they were provided, approximately 1/3 of the coffee crazed Americans did indeed know that it is a barista who prepares and serves that cup of joe every morning. As for the rest...

The Coffee Sector in Ethiopia Assessing Ethiopia’s coffee sector to understand the root causes of its problems and remedial solutions to internal problems. This series discusses the scholarly paper, “Ethiopia’s Coffee Sector: A Bitter or Better Future?” by Nicolas Petit . In the preceding posting, “ What Can Be Done To Save Ethiopia’s Coffee Sector? – Part II ,” we discussed the world coffee market and its impact on coffee producers. Part I was an introduction. In the current part, we will have a closer look at Ethiopia’s coffee sector. We will discuss the characteristic features of the coffee sector and the significance of coffee to the national economy. ----------------------------- Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with over 45 per cent of its population living below the poverty line of USD1 per day. Agriculture is the primary source of the country’s export earnings, raw materials for industry, and employment. Ethiopia exports a small quantity of vegetables, fl...

I just received an invitation from SCAA to attend the annual event on a “Press Pass.” So, almost a third of the story I was going to write about is taken care of. Though, I still want to share some thoughts with the SCAA based on my recent experience with them. Early this year and after a long hesitation, I wanted to attend the 19th SCAA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Long Beach California and registered online for what they call “complementary press pass.” In case I attend the event, I wanted to make sure that I would have the freedom to record interviews and take pictures as I find it necessary, thus the need for a press pass. I registered on March 11, 2007 and almost immediately received the auto generated confirmation email from SCAA Conference Registration Desk: From SCAA Conference Registration Desk registration@scaa.org to poorfarmer@gmail.com date Mar 11, 2007 5:05 AM subject Your SCAA Conference Press Registration Thank you for your registration to the 19th Annual SCAA...

The first ever Northwest Fair Trade Convergence will be taking place at the University of Washington campus in Seattle on Saturday, April 28, 2007. The day will consist of two blocks of workshops covering an assortment of fair trade-related issues, Black Gold movie screening, a speaker-panel and discussion, and much more. Food and beverages will be provided, there is no registration fee and the day is bound to be a good time with good company. Morning - Registration & free coffee and pastries - Welcome! Workshop Session I - Economics of Fair Trade - Making a Good Cup of Coffee - Fair Trade & Your Food Service Provider - Fair Trade 101 Workshop Session II - Coffee, Conflict and the Environment: the role of coffee certification program and US policy in shaping the future of sustainable coffees. - Trade Justice: What is the F...

Ethiopia: Irish Business Delegation Says Country Visit Successful The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa) April 27, 2007 A business delegation from Ireland organized by the Connect Ethiopia group, a new initiative by Irish businesses to create and develop trade and business partnerships between Ireland and Ethiopia, "has had a successful visit" here, one of its Executive Member Philip O'Dwyer said in a statement Thursday. "We have had a series of informative and fruitful meetings with people from different business sectors, including the Chamber of Commerce, the garment industry, the Insurance Federation, Ethiopian Airlines, MIDROC and others," the statement quoted him as saying. Four e-commerce and ICT professionals, part of the delegation, have had meetings with Ethiopian business people, following a seminar organized at the Chamber of Commerce, the statement said. "There is great understanding here from people in the ICT sector of the huge potential e-commerce ...

As of now, the decision on whether I will be at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s ( SCAA ) 19 th Annual Conference & Exhibition is up in the air. If I do (or not), this will be my first experience as a "blogger." The last time I visited the annual gathering was in 2005 here in Seattle. That was both fun and interesting - though costly. This year, however, I will be following the annual event and its pilgrims purposefully. While I am still deciding on whether or not to fly, I already have a story of my initial experience with the SCAA and will share it here soon. Regardless, I think the SCAA Annual Conference & Exhibition is one of the most important gatherings happening in the coffee industry. If you plan to be at there, do meet Siel the greenLAgirl ; she said wants to hear from you. To read her recent writing "Coffee Break: Starbucks' Misleading Numbers," click here . On a more serious note, I thought it was great that the keynote ...

Lutheran World Relief April 25, 2007 Baltimore — To keep pace with growing production costs and the needs of coffee-growing communities, the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) Board has approved an increase in the social premium paid for Fair Trade coffee. Beginning June 1, 2007, farmer cooperatives will receive at least $1.31 per pound for their coffee, and $1.51 if it is organically certified. Lutheran World Relief affirms this decision as a very positive one for farmers and their communities. A unique feature of Fair Trade, social premiums are money designated for cooperatives to use for community projects that are determined by the farmers. “The farmers have used the social premium received from the sale of Fair Trade coffee to improve their communities in significant ways, such as building schools and health clinics, and providing scholarships for students to attend secondary school,” notes Jean M. Waagbo, deputy regional director for Latin America. Since 1996, ...

By Helen Carter The Guardian April 25, 2007 The sudden closure of one of the few independent coffee shops in Manchester is an ominous sign. The stark metal shutters outside Suburb in Manchester, are an ominous sign that all is not well with one of the city's last remaining independent coffee shops. A police officer stood nearby, but confusingly, he was just keeping an eye on visiting football fans. Suburb was a rarity in the city's central shopping district - an independent coffee shop amid the plethora of big multinational companies, restaurants and shops that make Manchester as bland as any other large town or city in the UK. It shouldn't really come as a surprise that Suburb is closed - it has faced fierce competition from the big companies that have been buying land and opening coffee shops at a swift pace - there are at least four Starbucks within a five-minute walk and two Caffe Neros . But its closure has been sudden, unwelcome and unexpected, just three years afte...

The World Market and Coffee Producers Assessing Ethiopia’s coffee sector to understand the root causes of its problems and remedial solutions to internal problems. This series discusses the scholarly paper, “ Ethiopia’s Coffee Sector: A Bitter or Better Future? ” by Nicolas Petit . The preceding posting, “ What Can Be Done To Save Ethiopia’s Coffee Sector? – Part I ,” was introductory to this and future postings where we will continue the in-depth discussion with extensive quotations from the paper by Nicolas Petit. ----------------------------- Time and again, coffee is compared to oil as one of the most actively traded commodities. Both coffee and oil are traded in current and futures markets, mostly at the New York Stock Exchange market. Yet the most important trait the two commodities share is price volatility due to supply-demand, among many other factors. But, the impact of price volatility is more severe on coffee producers than oil exporters. Oil-exporting countries have le...

Interview with Doctor Nestor Osorio, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO): COFFEE TIME By Gustavo Capdevila IPS COLUMNIST SERVICE APRIL 2007 GENEVA, Apr (IPS) Though speculation by investment funds has introduced a persistent volatility into the coffee market, executive director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) Nestor Osorio holds that it will maintain its current equilibrium and remunerative prices for the present year. The Colombian diplomat, who recently attended a seminar in Geneva on Commodities and Development organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), responds below to questions from IPS. In this period of a commodities bonanza for developing countries, coffee appeared as the Cinderella, with falling prices. Will this tendency continue? The situation has improved somewhat. In 1989 after the collapse of the regulatory system of the market there was a gigantic quantity of coffee withheld to satisfy quotas. Between ...

Associated Press Via azcentral.com Apr. 19, 2007 SEATTLE - With a growing crowd of millions lining up for its fancy coffee drinks in the 1990s, Starbucks Corp. was tantalized by seemingly endless opportunities to expand its brand. A chain of full-service restaurants? Seems like a good fit. A hip tavern with coffee undertones? Hey, sounds sexy. A literary magazine? Why not! It didn't take long for those ventures to fall flat. And as the coffeehouse titan readies for a long-term explosion of growth, some Starbucks-watchers warn the company may again be stretching its all-important brand too far. Even company chairman Howard Schultz frets that the efficiency improvements driving Starbucks' dominance have robbed stores of their authenticity. Starbucks' leaders say they haven't forgotten the past. Reminders of their greatest misses are even scattered around global headquarters. "We do look in the mirror and say, ... Hey, don't forget when that didn't work,"...

Also read LYIP's blog entry, "Day 2 - Ethiopia's Quid Pro Quo" : "Since deciding to seek Trademarks for three of Ethiopia’s finest coffees in 2004, many of these are now secured. The embossed certificates were paraded for all to see: an objective testament and acknowledgement of Ethiopia’s rights and ownership of the reputation and the intrinsic value of these coffee marks. Companies who are already joining Ethiopia’s network of licensed distributors and are signing the licensing agreement fully accept this notion of quid pro quo. This is at the heart of every licensing deal in every industry. Ethiopia is not reinventing the wheel here. Just joining in!" Clicke here ------- Training On Licensing Underway for Coffee Growers The Daily Monitor Yonas Abiye, Addis Ababa April 18, 2007 Ethiopian coffee growers and exporters are being trained on licensing in a workshop intended to educate them on all there is to know about negotiations and subsequent agreements ...

BUSINESS WIRE April 18, 2007 Coffee Pacifica, Inc. (OTCBB:CFPC) announced today that it will commence to sell, through its 100% owned subsidiary Uncommon Grounds Inc., Fair Trade and Organic certified coffee produced by farmer co-operatives in Ethiopia. According to the International Coffee Organization historical production data, Ethiopia is the worlds 6th largest coffee exporting country. The addition of certified Ethiopian coffee will increase Coffee Pacifica’s current and future revenue. Terry Klassen, CEO of Coffee Pacifica, stated, “We believe that this first order of specialty coffee from Ethiopia is just the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Ethiopian co-operatives.” Jon Yogiyo, Vice Chairman of Coffee Pacifica and Chairman of PNG Coffee Growers Federation Ltd., said that “I am excited with the third coffee-producing country joining our distribution network. Within three years, Coffee Pacifica has established a global presence, and our unique 'Growers Direct...

Light Years IP’s blog, which is dedicated for the Ethiopian Coffee Initiative Training in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, says that more than forty people are attending the training. The posting, “The possible and the feasible,” is full of optimism and excitement: “While managing coffee brands is common enough in the developed world, this is just unprecedented here in Ethiopia. And participants from coops, private exporters and relevant government institutions came with sacks of questions and deep expectations for the week ahead.” I am impressed with the questions raised by the participants: “They asked: As our trademarks are now secured [note: Ethiopia has now secured TMs in 28 key export markets] what are the current marketing plans and what are the next steps? How long will it take to see results? What are other developing countries’ experiences and what can we learn from them? What is the best way to convince our buyers of the benefits trademarks and licensing will bring? Can we really beg...

CSR wire April 17, 2007 ADDIS ABEBA April 17, 2007 - Leaders and representatives of Ethiopian Fine Coffee Sector, farmers cooperative unions and exporters as well as representatives of relevant government bodies are gathering in Addis Ababa to be trained in trademarking and licensing management. This will further strengthen the innovative new coffee partnership with international specialty coffee buyers and distributors. At a four-day training course this week, a wide range of stakeholders in the Ethiopian coffee sector will gain know-how in trademarks, licensing and negotiation. "This is a pivotal event in the long history of Ethiopian coffee production and export. While using trademarks and licensing agreements is a common enough affair in many international industries and global distribution chains, it is surprisingly, almost unprecedented in coffee. We need to be prepared and confident in the full knowledge of our rights, our powers, and our options as we approach our buyers o...

It’s a quiet time for Starbucks, at least in its fight with Ethiopia. The two sides are holding their second meeting this week. The Ethiopian Ambassador for Washington, Samuel Assefa and Howard Schultz met on April 3, 2007 in Seattle. No detail has ever been released from either side. While the multinational giant, aided by the lobbying group founded by Rosa Whitaker, is enjoying the relative calm, the Ethiopian Coffee Trademarking and Licensing Initiative training is underway in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia. The training for key stakeholders of Ethiopian fine coffees including exporters, cooperative managers, farmers and management of the Ethiopian Coffee Trademarking and Licensing Initiative is lead by Light Years IP ( LYIP ). Training the Licensing Team, as referred to by LYIP , began today, April 17, 2007 in the capital city of Ethiopia and expected to run through the week. LYIP advertises this program as a monumental achievement in the early phase of the project. The organization h...

Assessment of Ethiopia’s coffee sector to understand root causes of its problems and discuss remedial solutions to internal problems. This series will discuss the scholarly paper, “ Ethiopia’s Coffee Sector: A Bitter or Better Future? ” by Nicolas Petit . By Wondwossen Mezlekia The documentary film, Black Gold and the public dispute between Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, and the multinational coffee chain, Starbucks over coffee trademarks have helped publicize the state of Ethiopia’s economy, which is dependent on coffee trade. As a result, the paradox of Ethiopia’s poverty amid unmatched resources the country is blessed with and while supplying some of the best coffees to the multi-billion dollar industry has become the center of attention. Many development experts and analysts in the field offer explanations to the problems facing Ethiopia and other coffee growing nations within the context of international trade. Several factors including lack of mechanisms to equate supply an...