Colombia’s coffee production is predicted to fall 18% for the second half of the year amid water shortages caused by the “El Niño” weather phenomenon.
This warning comes as latest coffee production figures show an increase of 16% for September compared to the same month last year, with a total of 1 million 60-kg bags, reported Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, the FNC.
FNC chief Roberto Velez reported, “the subject of coffee, for many reasons has brought zero profits, or even negative, regarding revenues there have always been problems of climate change, labor and fertilizer, which generally increase the costs.”
Velez said that while coffee production levels so far this year have been strong, however, predictions are that 18% of coffee produced in the second half of the coffee will be lost due to “EL Niño.” The drought will also have negative effects on the quality of the beans produced.
The chief reported a “fragile equation” in the balance between costs of production and growth of coffee, something that most affects small and medium growers sensitive to changes in the market.
The “El Niño” weather phenomenon is affecting northern and western regions of the country since this February, and is set to reach new levels of intensity. The weather event has caused water shortages resulting in high losses for agriculture and livestock.
The FNC has worked aggressively since the late 1950s to bring Colombian coffee to the number two spot for global production, second only to Brazil. However, in recent times a booming business from Vietnam has overtaken the country and Colombia is now the third largest coffee producer in the world.
source: http://www.colombiareports.com / Colombia Reports / Home> Economy / posted by Emma Rosser / October 10th, 2015
The Indian coffee would get a better price if we stop depending on foreign countries and start using more coffee products of Indian origin, said Central Coffee Research Centre Director Dr Y Raghuramulu.
He was speaking at a programme organised at the Navodaya Vidyalaya in town as part of the International Coffee Day celebrations on Thursday.
“In America, the average consumption of coffee by a person is four to five kg a year. In India, however, it is barely 100 gm. The consumption is increasing by six per cent every year,” he said and added that Brazil had created awareness among children about use of coffee about 10 years ago. “As a result, Brazil stands second in the list of countries that are the highest consumers of coffee in the world,” he said.
The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) has called upon all coffee-growing nations to celebrate Coffee Day on October 1 every year, to protect the interest of coffee growers and nations. “From next year onwards, the day would be celebrated with road shows and various other programmes,” he said.
‘Chicory is good’
Dr Raghuramulu claimed that chicory is good for health and a maximum of 49 per cent of chicory can be added to the coffee powder.
“The carbohydrate content of chicory makes the coffee a bit thicker. Chicory is usually grown in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and few other states. It is also used in the production of biscuits,” he said.
In his inaugural speech, Sahyadri Coffee Growers’ Association President M S Sundaresh Gowda said that the imagination behind Coffee Day would help the growers. The market for coffee can be extended by creating awareness about the drink in North India, he added.
Meanwhile, ‘Coffee Karma’, a 20-minute documentary on the birth of coffee was screened at Navodaya Vidyalaya hall. An exhibition was held as a part of Coffee Day on different coffee species, possible diseases, pesticides and other things. More than 1,500 people watched the documentary and free coffee was served to all.
Balehonnur JCI President Dayakar N Suvarna, Navodaya Vidyalaya Principal K Rameereddy, Coffee Board scientists were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Balehonnur / DHNS – October 02nd, 2015
N. Dharmaraj, President and D.Vinod Sivappa, Vice – President
Mysuru :
N. Dharmaraj was elected as the President and D.Vinod Sivappa as Vice- President of United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) for the year 2015-16 at the Annual General Meeting of UPASI held on Sept.24 at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
Dharmaraj has over 41 years of experience in plantation business, working with companies like Brooke Bond, Unilever etc. He is currently the Chief Executive and Whole-time Director of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd.
Dharmaraj was Chairman of the UPASI Tea Committee and Chairman of the UPASI Commodities Exchange Limited. He was a member of the Tea Board of India and Founder-Convener of the Golden Leaf India Awards (TGLIA). He is currently a Member of Tea Council of South India constituted by the Tea Board as also a Member of the Core Committee of the Tea Board of India.
Vinod Sivappa, son of former President of UPASI (late) D. Sivappa in the year 1970-71, hails from a coffee growing family for more than 160 years. Vinod Sivappa was on the Committees of Codagu Planters’ Association and also was the Chairman of the Karnataka Planters’ Association. He is involved in many sporting activities. He is a Director of many organisations and various companies, according to a press release from Ullas Menon, Secretary General, UPASI.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / September 27th, 2015
What would life be without spicy food, ice-creams, perfumes, fragrant flowers, late-night parties and alcohol? Ask Sunalini Menon, who swears by this regimen.
No, she’s not a health freak or someone prone to allergies. She’s been practising abstinence for the sake of her passion, which is also her profession.
Asia’s first and only woman professional in the field of coffee cupping (tasting), Sunalini has experienced the aroma of several thousands of coffee types and spent a considerable time in the fields. “I love ice-creams and soft drinks but they affect my taste buds. My profession requires them to be extremely sensitive. So, I steer clear of cold food items or beverages,” she said. The chief executive of Coffeelab, one of India’s largest coffee exporters, Sunalini spoke to TOI on the ocassion of Coffee Santhe, a three-day carnival hosted by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
Restraint and discipline are core attributes of a good coffee cupper. “It is essential to preserve the palate, the instrument vital for coffee tasting. We’re advised to avoid spicy food. Alcohol and smoking are a strict no no. Late nights and poor health can be a hindrance to the job,” she explained.
Coffee cuppers have to perform regular tongue exercises not only to keep their taste buds active but also to pick up foreign flavours. “Cupping with experts from other parts of the world helps calibrate one’s potential and understand the coffee produce of other countries. One also needs to perceive through the eyes, nose and palate of other cuppers,” she said.
Habituated to taking a sip and playfully swirling the liquid in her mouth before spitting, Sunalini said her job doesn’t allow her to swallow the coffee, however aromatic and delicious it be. “Coffee can have the distinct enzymatic flavours of apples, apricots, peaches and berries; sugar-browning flavours of chocolate, caramel, honey or those of spices like clove and pepper. It is an inborn acuity of taste, knowledge, experience, memory and good communication skills which help the cupper differentiate one flavour from another,” she said.
Sunalini, who entered the male bastion decades ago, said her journey hasn’t been easy. “I wasn’t lucky enough to be handheld when learning the tricks of the trade. I had to learn on my own, especially the chemistry of the coffee bean. It took a long time for me to be accepted into the fold, but once there, you are in,” she said.
Cupping as a Career
There are certifications for coffee tasters issued by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE). The SCAA issues two types of certificates. One is called the Licensed ‘Q’ grader and the other, the Licensed ‘R’ grader. The ‘Q’ grader licence is a certificate for proficiency in evaluating arabica coffees and the ‘R’ grader for proficiency in evaluating robusta coffees,” said Sunalini.
She admitted that coffee tasting as a career could have some limitations.
“To overcome them, one needs to perhaps complement tasting with other jobs such growing, roasting or marketing coffee,” she said.Coffee tasting is more of a passion; it may not help you financially, especially in the first 10 or 12 years. Credibility comes only through knowledge and experience,” Sunalini signed off.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / by Sreemoyee Chatterjee, TNN / September 26th, 2015
“Why Americans drink coffee: the story of an unlikely romance” is the title of this year’s James Neal Primm Lecture in History, set for 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Missouri History Museum. (Coffee image from the Missouri History Museum. Design by Wendy Allison.)
Like many people, Steven Topik’s coffee habit was formed in college. But it’s become a lot more than a caffeine fix to the historian in the years since.
“I experienced coffee as a site of sociability, a drug, an academic subject and a commodity,” says Topik, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, who is writing a world history of the popular beverage.
Steven Topik, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, is currently working on a world history of coffee.
He will discuss it in St. Louis Sept. 14 as a guest of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Titled “Why Americans drink coffee: the story of an unlikely romance,” his address is this year’s James Neal Primm Lecture in History. Free and open to the public, the event begins at 7 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum (5700 Lindell Blvd).
Leading up to his visit, which is sponsored by UMSL’s Department of History and the Missouri History Museum, UMSL Daily caught up with Topik on all things coffee, history and St. Louis.
Your interest in coffee is obvious given the topic of your upcoming lecture, and the picture of you on the event flier suggests you enjoy drinking coffee as well as writing about it. Is that the case? And if so, how many cups a day do you drink on average?
I drink about two cups of coffee a day. Sometimes a little more.
How did you arrive at this intellectual exploration of coffee and its history?
My interaction with coffee started at home since my father, from Germany, and my mother, from Austria, drank coffee. Then when I was 12 years old my younger brother and I went with my mother to visit her mother in Vienna and lived for six months in her coffeehouse, so I experienced coffee as a site of sociability. But I only started drinking coffee in college when the stuff coming out of our percolator was more a drug to help us study than a tasty beverage.
In graduate school I decided to study the history of Brazil to understand its development. Since my area was political economy and Brazil has been the world’s leading exporter of coffee for over 150 years, it was a natural subject to study.
I also experienced coffee in its three most historically important geographic areas: the United States, Europe and Brazil. Since I became interested in issues of economic development and underdevelopment which led me to world history, coffee emerged as a wonderful vehicle to examine issues of exchange, development, colonialism, imperialism, the Cold War, national identity, public spaces, ecological issues and many more.
Without giving away too much of what you’ll discuss Monday evening, why is it that the story of America’s enthusiasm for coffee is “an unlikely romance” in your view?
I called it an “unlikely romance” because many coffee aficionados discuss coffee’s “romance” and tell stories of dancing goats, spies and military heroes to explain coffee’s global spread. Coffee’s global reach is often treated as something obvious that needs no explanation: people on every continent drink coffee because it tastes good. In fact, there were many barriers to coffee’s diffusion.
In the U.S. we have various stories about coffee’s ties to our national identity linking it to John Smith, colonial coffee houses, the Boston Tea Party, the westward movement and values like liberty, sovereignty, industriousness, battlefields and innovation. Some of that is historically true. Much of it, however, is more sales pitch than historically accurate portrayals.
The “romance” is unlikely also because coffee was not native to the U.S., it does not grow in the U.S., we had no important coffee colonies and most ex-British colonies favor tea over coffee. But I will explain that the U.S. becoming the world’s leading coffee importer does make sense in light of many other historical currents like trade in the Atlantic, immigration from Europe, anti-tax sentiment and coffee’s pharmacological effects.
What role has St. Louis played in the history of coffee?
While St. Louis is not as closely linked to the history of coffee in the U.S. as it is to the history of beer, or tea (British tea publicists claimed the first time iced tea was introduced was at the 1904 World’s Fair [though this is dubious]), it does have a significant role. Missouri was important in disseminating coffee in the U.S. because Independence, Mo., was the starting point of the Santa Fe Trail, and coffee for the Oregon Trail or the wagon trains to California set out from Missouri.
The coffee was imported from South America in New Orleans and then brought up the Mississippi River. By the 1860s-70s, St. Louis had seven coffee roasting companies, which made it a center of coffee roasting in the Midwest. The first commercial coffee roasting machine in the Midwest was worked by James H. Forbes in 1854. In 1911 the National Coffee Roasters’ Traffic and Pure Food Association was founded in St. Louis – a forerunner of first the National Coffee Roasters Association and then the Associated Coffee Industries of America. Coffee traders from St. Louis played significant roles in it. I’m afraid that’s as much as I know about the role of St. Louis in the coffee trade, though I’m hoping to learn more on my visit.
Looking at the history of commodities and the world economy, what lessons do you find for today?
The study of commodities and commodity chains are excellent means of understanding the Janus-headed relationship of coffee growing areas (and other agricultural ones) and coffee importing areas. It allows one to examine not just the economic dimensions of the spread of a global commodity and the international linkages it creates, but also the evolving and sometimes contradictory importance of natural endowment, religion, culture, technology, gender and racial relations to shaping history. It is a means of understanding why the export of commodities has historically created both development in importing countries and sometimes underdevelopment in exporting countries.
Short URL: http://blogs.umsl.edu/news/?p=58726
source: http://www.blogs.umsl.edu / UMSL Daily / by Evie Hemphill / September 09th, 2015
We Indians love our coffee, but do we really care where it is coming from? Is it organic, does it harm the biodiversity or conserve it? What kinds of practices are adopted? Come to think of it, considering the amount of coffee we consume, there could not be a better time than now, to start dwelling on these questions.
A coffee addict and a conservationist, Arshiya Bose, aware of the ecological footprint of each cup of coffee she consumes, started by not only being a conscious consumer but also initiated a similar change among others through her establishment, Black Baza Coffee — where wildlife conservation and incentivised shade-grown coffee production go hand in hand.
Having completed a PhD in Sustainable coffee certifications and Biodiversity conservation from the University of Cambridge, in the year 2014, Arshiya has come a long way in applying theories on ground.
“India is one of the few countries in the world where shade-grown coffee has been the norm for over 180 years. It’s now, in the recent past, that these practices have been compromised for quicker yields and better profits,” says Arshiya, who spent several years investigating the practices and challenges of coffee growers in Coorg. The coffee estates in the Western Ghats host several wildlife species — right from myriad species of migratory birds to small mammals.
While she understands the need to protect these species, Arshiya believes it can be best achieved by positively engaging coffee growers by incentivising best practices. She started her project with a few coffee growers in Kodagu, on three estates. “The process of engaging has been slow and yet fruitful. I approached farmers and explained the sustainable and long-term benefits of shade-grown coffee. The farmers agree to adopt certain practices and we buy their coffee in return and ensure improved economic returns. The practices don’t just help sustain wildlife, but improves the water and air quality, besides the health of the soil.”
Real picture
The farmers grow coffee under the shade of forest trees, keeping at least 60 per cent tree canopy cover — a minimum of 100 trees and 20 species of indigenous trees per acre. “We reforest farms by planting rare and endemic forest trees that provide critical habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Streams, rivulets and ponds on farms and surrounds are protected from harmful effluents and of course, no chemical pesticides are used,” explains Arshiya.
Though a majority of coffee growers still ensure their estates harbour several species of native trees — the demand for quicker yields is pushing more farmers to plant exotic species like the silver oak (Grevillea robusta) that affect the condition of the land. Explains Arshiya, “The big exotic tree is silver oak, increasingly the most common shade tree especially for new conversions to coffee. An average plantation usually has 20-30 per cent shade cover, 60-80 trees per acre, where over 20 per cent of all trees are silver oak with less than 10 species of trees per acre. In our plantations, we have over 60 per cent shade cover, 100 trees per acre, and less than 20 per cent of all trees are silver oak. We plant over 22 species of different native trees per acre.”
Know your source
Talking about fair-trade market practices, Arshiya says, “Just certifying healthy practices won’t benefit farmers. The kind of market they are exposed to matters most. We want people to be more conscious of the kind of coffee they drink everyday and know more about the farmer who grows it for them,” she asserts.
Arshiya, through her enterprise, ensures that farmers are economically benefited for their practices and a coffee drinker feels proud to be involved in conservation by making right choices.
Arshiya has been monitoring the impact for the last few years, including camera trapping to document wildlife in the estates. “We measure the impact of our changed farming practices through monitoring the diversity of trees, birds, insects, mammals and all sorts of biodiversity. Our estates support a range of wildlife species.”
Many of these species may frequent several neighbouring coffee farms too, but Arshiya believes these protected patches of coffee estates can be potential roosting spots for several birds and a safe habitat for diverse small mammal and macro-life in the future.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Environment / by Gana Kedlaya / DHNS – September 08th, 2015
MCCCS Convenor Mookonda Bose Devaiah is seen addressing the Society’s General Body meeting at CITB choultry in Hebbal this morning as Society’s Liquidator C. Girish looks on. Picture right shows a section of members who attended the meeting. Mysuru :
The General Body Meeting of Mysore Coffee Curing Co-operative Society (MCCCS), KRS Road, was held at CITB Choultry in Hebbal here this morning after a gap of 17 years.
The meeting began in the presence of Liquidator C. Girish, with 223 members of the MCCCS attending the General Body, much more than the 115 members required for the quorum.
As soon as the meeting began, the members alleged that the six Liquidators appointed by the Government since 1999, following the ceasing of functioning of the Society in 1998, worked for the downfall of the Society rather than working for reviving it by taking appropriate measures.
The members unanimously demanded the government to recall the Liquidator and restore the composition of the Society which was in place between 1953 and 1998 when it functioned.
Liquidator Girish, who is currently in charge, recorded the proceedings of the General Body and said that the same will be sent to the Registrar of Co-operative Societies for due consideration. It is upto the Government to take further decision on the revival of the Society, he added.
The MCCCS Members Welfare Committee Convenor Mookonda Bose Devaiah, Co-convenors Kolathanda Subramani, K.B. Hemachandra, Alamengada Bose Mandanna, s.p. prasanna, Mathanda c. poovaiah, Kolera Jaya Chengappa, Mahesh, Thirumallesh, Nandu Subbaiah, Arun Machaiah and others were present.
A total of 223 members of the Society from Hassan, Kodagu, Chikkamagalur and Mysuru districts attended the meeting.
Society’s history: Coffee growers of Kodagu, Hassan, Mysuru and Chikkamagalur districts got together in 1953 to establish the MCCCS by procuring 10 acres and 23 guntas of land along KRS road in Mysuru.
The Society, with 1,159 members, functioned normally for many years and had also constructed several godowns. However, when the sale of coffee was freed from restriction and free market was allowed, the Society began to incur loss and gradually ceased functioning in 1998, following which the State Government appointed a Liquidator.
Later on, subsequent Liquidators auctioned 5 acre, 23 guntas of land, besides bringing down the 9 godowns built in the premises, in order to clear the Society’s debts and for various other reasons.
Despite having cleared the Society’s debts and meeting other obligations, the Liquidators tried to dispose off the remaining 5 acres of landed property belonging to the Society, through a public auction, when the members moved the High Court seeking a stay.
The High Court, which heard the Society’s plea, granted a stay on July 9, 2015 against the auction of the remaining landed property which is estimated at more than Rs. 20 crore.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / September 01st, 2015
The week-long international trade fair organised in the heart of the city at Beniabagh is all about ‘Make in India’ offering a variety of products ranging from handloom to handicrafts and others from different state pavilions. But the main attraction of the event was the exclusive stall put up by the Coffee Board of Government of India offering the taste of palatable Indian coffee varieties.
Intrigued buyers were seen congregating at the coffee stall, seeking details of preparation of filtered south Indian coffee from the staff and also savouring a cuppa of ‘filtered’ coffee. Some were even seen grabbing free samples available at the stall.
“Several local buyers thronged the trade fair and ensured to give us a visit and inquire about the specialty of coffee, its distinct method of preparation and how it sets itself apart from the packaged coffee of various brands,” assistant secretary of Indian Coffee House, South Black, Coffee Board of India, HM Nagraj told TOI on Saturday. “We are aware that Indian coffee is not as much popular in Northern India, hence our main purpose is to promote the Indian filtered coffee among North Indians,” he added.
Explaining about the kinds of coffee and the method of preparation, Nagraj said, “There are two kinds of coffee beans, arabica and robusta, grown in hills of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The coffee beans processed after curing works are available in various grades and the method of preparation is simple and one-of-its-kind.” The coffee is brewed in two cylindrical cups of a metal device, one of which that rests at the vertex is loaded with freshly ground coffee with small outlets at the bottom to filter the brewed coffee. Boiling water is then added to grounded coffee and after compression, the decoction is mixed with sugar and boiling milk, he explained.
At this stall the Indian coffee packets are available in 100g, 200g and 500g and are priced at Rs 400 per kg. “Our stall has become more of an eye-catcher at the fair and we are getting suggestions from the buyers and visitors to open an outlet here in the city,” said Nagraj.
Suyash Bajpayee, a visitor at the stall said, “The coffee tantalized my taste buds and I am glad to have visited the stall where I got to learn so much about the varieties of Indian coffee beans.” Another visitor Abhishek Mishra said, “This coffee is a perfect example of the ‘Taste in India’, ‘Made in India’.” A local resident, Brihaspati Bhattacharya, was pleased by the hospitality at the stall and thanked the staff for giving detailed information about coffee.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / by Punkhuri Kapoor, TNN / August 23rd, 2015
Will improve basic infrastructure to attract tourists in large numbers
Belur and Halebid, two major tourism destinations in Hassan district, are expected to get a facelift following the Tourism Department’s initiative to involve non-governmental organisations in driving tourists to the State.
Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. (CDEL) has shown interest to adopt the two tourism destinations, known for the Hoysala period temples, to improve basic infrastructure so as to attract tourists in big numbers.
The department launched the Adopt Tourist Destination programme in 2014. M.R. Prakash, Assistant Director of the department, told The Hindu on Tuesday that CDEL had shown interest to adopt Belur and Halebid.
“The company’s proposal is being examined by the department. The objective is to provide basic amenities such as drinking water, washrooms and toilets, and improve connectivity to the destinations,” said the officer.
When The Hindu contacted Devahuti, in-charge of media relations in CDEL, she said the company had shown interest to adopt the two places.
Details of the mode of developing these destinations will be made public later, she said.
“The CDEL has entered into an understanding with the Archaeological Survey of India and the Department of Tourism for infrastructure development in Belur and Halebid. The company is hoping to help in development work by building drinking water facilities, washrooms and toilets for tourists along with soft skill training programmes for tourist guides,” a note issued by the company said.
Belur and Halebid are widely known for the Hoysala sculptures. The Channakeshava temple in Belur (left) and the Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidare famous tourist destinations.— File Photos: Prakash Hassan
However, the places lack basic amenities for tourists. The State government is making efforts to develop the place around Channakeshava Temple in Belur by acquiring private properties.
Similarly, in Halebid, tourists encounter problems of finding decent hotels.
“We can develop these centres with the help of private companies. Then, the number of those visiting these destinations will also increase,” Mr. Prakash added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Staff Correspondent / Hassan – August 26th, 2015
Coffee Day Enterprises, which runs the country’s biggest coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day, has received markets regulator SEBI’s go—ahead to raise Rs. 1,150 crore through initial public offering (IPO).
The firm had filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI through its lead merchant banker Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited on June 26 this year.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued its final observations on the draft offer documents on August 14, which is necessary for companies to launch any public offer.
As per the draft paper, the company intends to raise an estimated Rs. 1,150 crore to aid its expansion plans and pay off debt.
The company, which has got private equity giants like KKR, Stanchart PE and New Silk Route as its investors, has reserved Rs. 15—crore worth shares for staff.
The company proposes to list its shares on the BSE and the NSE.
Coffee Day Enterprises is the parent company of the Coffee Day Group and operates coffee business through a subsidiary, Coffee Day Global Limited (earlier known as Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Limited), and its subsidiaries.
Coffee Day Global Limited had a total income of Rs. 1,154 crore and operating profit of Rs. 189 crore in 2013—14 fiscal.
Out of the capital raised through the issue, the parent company plans to utilise nearly Rs. 632 crore to pay off debt and the remaining to open new stores, set up coffee bean roasting plants and make vending machines, the proposal said.
In the next two financial years, the company plans to open over 215 outlets and set up 105 kiosks.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Markets / PTI / August 17th, 2015
WELCOME. If you like what you see "SUBSCRIBE via EMAIL" to receive FREE regular UPDATES.
Read More »
