Worldwide coffee consumption has risen at about twice the rise in supply. Another factor boosting prices is consumer insistence on 'specialty coffees,' a trend Colombian farmers are tapping into. By Chris Kraul Los Angeles Times September 25, 2010 These are golden days for coffee grower Segundo Cardona and thousands of other farmers in Colombia. Global prices for his beans are close to 14-year highs and according to some analysts, may remain at or near these levels for years to come. The reasons include less than optimal harvests in top coffee-producing countries Brazil and Vietnam and growing consumption in major coffee-producing countries Brazil and Mexico as well as in traditional tea-drinking nations, including China, India and Russia. Worldwide coffee consumption has grown an average of about 2% a year over the last decade, double the 1% annual average increase in supply. "It is a classic market imbalance," said Rabobank agricultural economist Guilh...