Poor Farmer

Talks are underway between Ethiopian representatives and Starbucks. No details are released but Getachew Mengistie, Director, Ethiopia Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) and other unnamed representatives are meeting with Starbucks executives for a second day. The meeting began on May 1, 2007 and continued today, for a second day, here in Seattle. Reportedly, the government representatives said they hold high hopes to reach an “agreement” with Starbucks but it is not clear as to what exactly their expectations are. Early this year, Starbucks and the Ethiopian government issued a joint statement declaring that they had reached agreement. Three months later, they are still holding a closed-door meeting and hope to reach an agreement. On the other hand, the second Ethiopian Coffee Trademark Stakeholders’ meeting will be held on May 3, 2007 at the SCAA annual conference and exhibition venue. The outcome of the meeting between Starbucks and Getachew’s team may not be detrimental to the sta...

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 ...