Poor Farmer

"We have seen a growing trend in the industry for geographic indicators." - Scott McMartin, Starbucks' green coffee sustainability director "Most of the geographical indicators exist in the developing countries. …Increasingly, consumers are much more aware. …In most cases, geographical indicators integrate a series of standards, they allow for rural development." - Daniele Giovannucci, team leader for the United Nations International Trade Center By Marcy Nicholson Reuters (via Guardian ) March 7, 2008 AVENTURA, Fla.(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp, the world's largest coffee chain, is set to sell an exclusive coffee from Rwanda on the international market for the first time, a spokesman said, as consumer demand for origin-specific flavors grows. The bean, which carries a hint of cocoa, is called Rwanda Blue Bourbon. Grown at an altitude of 1,700 to 2,000 meters (5,000 to 6,000 feet) in Cyangugu Province, it will be sold as whole beans in Europe and Asia by early ...

By Jason McLure Bloomberg March 7, 2008 Ethiopian premium coffee grades rose 8.9 percent to 16 percent in the 30 days through Feb. 7, as exports more than doubled, the Agriculture Ministry said. The price for Harar Grade Five rose 16 percent to $4,231.38 a metric ton during the period, which corresponds with the fifth month of the Ethiopian calendar. Yirgacheffe Grade 2 climbed 15 percent to $4,632.08 a ton and Sidamo Grade 2 increased 8.9 percent to $3,536.64 a ton, the ministry said in an e-mailed statement from the capital, Addis Ababa, today. Total coffee exports from Africa's largest producer of the beans more than doubled during the month to 12,722 tons, the ministry said. The value of exports was $40.3 million, from $17 million a month earlier, the ministry said. Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the U.S. were the three largest buyers of Ethiopian coffee during December, accounting for more than half of the country's sales during the month, it said. Coffee is Ethiopia's l...

"Consumption has been growing on a fairly steady basis and production has struggled to keep pace with it, so you need the higher prices to jump-start production again. You need to ration supplies. You need to either get prices high enough to have producers expand production or prices need to rise enough to flow demand. More than likely, you're going to see the producer response first." - Judy Ganes-Chase of J Ganes Consulting in New York By Marcy Nicholson Reuters March 6, 2008 AVENTURA, Fla. (Reuters) - Coffee will be served and, thanks to the recent robust rally, will taste richer this time around at the National Coffee Association's conference in this coastal community. The people who buy, sell, roast and analyze the beans that are brewed into one of the world's favorite drinks will talk about rising prices, electronic trading, and drinking trends noted by big companies like Starbucks (SBUX.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) and Sara Lee Corp (SLE.N: Quote , Profi...

Ethiopia Wins U.S. Trademark Rights for Coffee Brand Reuters March 5, 2008 ADDIS ABABA, (Reuters) - Ethiopia has won trademark rights for its specialty Sidamo coffee in the United States, the country's intellectual property office said on Wednesday. Africa's largest coffee producer had a protracted tussle with Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) last year over the use of the name in the United States. "Ethiopia was forced to wait for years to secure the certificate...but now the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed that Ethiopia is the sole owner of the Sidamo coffee trademark," the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) said in a statement. Ethiopia has already secured trademark rights for Yirgacheffee coffee in the United States. Starbucks and Addis Ababa agreed to end their dispute in November 2007. Ethiopia has filed an application for trademark rights for its Harar coffee, the statement said. It said Ethiopia had signed agreement...

"African coffee production and quality had been affected by liberalization of the sector which has allowed unscrupulous individuals to join the coffee marketing without conforming to the best practices. ... it is important to strengthen the coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market based environment for the betterment of all the participants in the sector." - ICO official, Jose Sette East Africa: Poor Quality Cheapens Region's Coffee Trade Stephen NuwagiraKampala East African Business Week (via AllAfrica ) March 3, 2008 Africa's coffee trade is headed for worse times unless issues of poor quality and low production are urgently addressed, coffee experts and processors attending the 5th Africa fine coffee association conference and exhibition in Kampala were told recently. The decline of coffee quality in the region which was blamed on the poor practices right from the farm through to the processing plant has greatly affected the region's co...

Vietnam Agency via VNECONOMY : March 4, 2008 Viet Nam’s coffee exports to Morocco have increased in recent years, according to the Viet Nam Coffee Association (VCA). In 2007, Viet Nam exported 10,494 tonnes of coffee to Morocco for 18.8 million USD. This represents roughly 30 percent of the country’s total imported coffee. Coffee is currently a leading Vietnamese export to Morocco , accounting for 41 percent of the country’s total export value to the market. The VCA said Viet Nam’s coffee exports to Morocco can reach 13,000 to 14,000 tonnes annually if trade promotions are well implemented. Morocco is considered among the world’s leading importers of unprocessed coffee, bringing in roughly 28,000 tonnes annually.

By Josh Fineman Bloomberg March 3, 2008 Starbucks Corp. Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz named Cliff Burrows to run the coffee chain's U.S. operations, replacing Launi Skinner in a management overhaul aimed at reversing declining customer visits. Burrows, president of Starbucks' Europe, Middle East and Africa stores, will take over the U.S. position on March 12. Skinner stepped down after six months on the job to spend more time with her family, Starbucks said in a statement today. Schultz, who built the local Seattle coffee chain into a company with almost 16,000 cafes, has been appointing new executives since his return as CEO last month after a seven-year hiatus. The chain reported its first quarterly drop in U.S. customer visits last year, and Schultz said in January that he would slow the pace of store growth and close 100 locations. Skinner, 43, became head of the U.S. division in September after serving as leader of store development since 2004. She joined Starbuck...