Issue 20www.coffee-magazine.co.uk

Coffee Bean

in this issue...

Editor: Jay Cee jaycee@coffee-magazine.co.uk

Design: The Coffee Bean Team jaycee@coffee-magazine.co.uk

www.coffee-magazine.co.uk

Contributors: Briancee - Poet

EditorialWell it’s another issue with more months’ news to give you and another editorial to write.

The Australians have had a lot going on in the coffee world and there have been a number of awards and shows happening all around the globe. In Across the Pond we have Marley Coffee Signs Five-Year Contract to become exclusive Coffee Partner of the Colorado Rapids and in UK news Black Sheep Coffee to make UK debut at London Coffee Festival and launch fine Robusta and as I scoured the net for stories I got an interesting press release

about a virtual online coffee school, yes you heard right just sounds a bit strange but it looks like it will work .

There is some bad news for the high end blends of coffee as the coffee fungus rears its ugly head and destroys crops.Cafédirect, one of the UK’s biggest coffee brands and Fairtrade coffee pioneer, has acquired Cambridge-based online coffee club Kopi.co.uk for an undisclosed sum sounds like an interesting buy, anyway thats all from me for this issue enjoy your read.

Till next time ED

Coffee Rust

Online Coffee School

Marley Coffee Signs

Five-Year Contract

Cupid loves coffee

Online Virtual Coffee School has Arrived

Bunzl Catering Supplies

Fairtrade pioneer buys Cambridge online coffee club

From Across The Pond

(www.marleycoffee.com), the sustainably grown, ethically farmed and artisan-roasted gourmet coffee company, has signed a contract to become the coffee partner of the Colorado Rapids, the Major League Soccer club based in Denver. Under this five-year comprehensive contract, Marley Coffee will be designated as the “Official Coffee of the Colorado Rapids and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park” and will become the exclusive coffee served at the stadium, effective immediately.

The Rapids partnership expands Marley Coffee’s Denver-area sports presence, which currently includes agreements with the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies. This partnership was brokered by Denver-based Impression

Sports and Entertainment.

Marley Coffee will be available at all Dick’s Sporting Goods Park concession stands, suites and Restaurant Club, and Marley Coffee RealCups and RealCup brewers will be available in the stadium suites. A large, static sign advertising Marley Coffee will be located on the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park concourse for all stadium events. In addition, Marley Coffee BikeCaffes will be stationed outside the stadium at a minimum of two home games per season. Furthermore, the Colorado Rapids will promote its partnership with Marley Coffee through match-day, social and digital marketing assets.

Tim Hinchey, President of the Colorado Rapids, said, “Marley Coffee is a local company with a deep commitment to our community, as well as a love for the sport of soccer. They

make great coffee, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide their products to our fans, whether at our concession stands or in the suites. We are very happy to welcome Marley Coffee to the Rapids family.”

Rohan Marley, Founder and Chairman of Marley Coffee, said, “Soccer is an extremely popular sport in Jamaica, where I grew up, and I have been a fan ever since I was a child. As a result, I am especially delighted that we are now partnering with the Colorado Rapids. We care about supporting our local teams, and the benefits for Marley Coffee go far beyond the Denver area. Supporting these teams continues to boost our sales not just locally but also on a national scale as well.”

Marley Coffee Roasters News

Marley Coffee Signs Five-Year Contract to Become Exclusive Coffee

Partner of the Colorado Rapids

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to help Central American farmers fight a devastating coffee disease and hold down the price of your morning coffee The issue is a fungus called coffee rust that has caused more than $1 billion in damage across Latin American region. The fungus is especially deadly to Arabica coffee, the bean

that makes up most high-end, specialty coffees.

Already, it is affecting the price of some of those coffees in the United States. “We are concerned because we know coffee rust is already causing massive amounts of devastation,” said Raj Shah, head of the U.S. Agency for

International Development. In the US there was a recent announcemet of a new $5-million partnership with Texas A&M University’s World Coffee Research center to try to eliminate the fungus.

Coffee fungus to blame for higher cost of high-end blends

Bunzl Catering Supplies has triumphed at the recent Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) Awards, lifting the coveted trophy for FPA National Distributor of the Year for the second year running. The ceremony, which was held in the lavish surroundings of The Grand Hotel, Brighton in March was attended by over 400 FPA members and hosted by former EastEnders actor, Shaun Williamson.

The judges, which consisted of an independent panel of experts across the FPA, assessed the finalists based on the following

criteria: Effectiveness in providing excellent service to customers, ability to work with manufacturers to develop their customers’ sales of products, quality of marketing communication to customers, product knowledge, provision of customer feedback to manufacturers and ease of doing business with the company.

Darren Broad, Managing Director, Bunzl Catering Supplies comments: “We were absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award for the second year running. Operational efficiency is at the heart of our success. However, we know it’s not all about

this. We work tirelessly across the business to add value for our customers – using established partner supplier relationships to find innovative product solutions and sharing valuable market insight.”

News Supplied for BUNZL

Coffee Bean Research

BUNZL CATERING SUPPLIES LIFTS COVETED NATIONAL

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR TROPHY AT FPA AWARDS

AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL COFFEE AWARDS DRAWS A RECORD BREAKING800 ENTRIES

The Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA), Australia’s first international coffee roasting competition, has received a record-breaking 800 entries in its second year.

Entries have been received from 167 roasters from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

Conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria

(RASV), the AICA celebrates and promotes coffee roasting excellence in Australia and around the world, with categories including Espresso, Milk Based Coffee, Filter Coffee and Syphon Coffee.

RASV CEO Mark O’Sullivan said the increase in entries shows roasters internationally are constantly in the pursuit of delivering top quality coffee to their customers.

“We are delighted that roasters from the Asia Pacific region have entered their coffee into the Australian International Coffee Awards.

“It is a unique opportunity for them to benchmark their products against competitors

and to have their coffee assessed by a panel of industry experts,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

Judging for the AICA is taking place in Melbourne, with international judge Chester Tam, Director of the Hong Kong Coffee Academy, joining 34 expert judges from across Australia.

The AICA winners will be announced in May 2014 as part of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE), Australia’s biggest coffee event and partner of the AICA.

For more information, visit http://www.rasv.com.au/coffee or follow the AICA on Twitter at@AusCoffeeAwards.

www.coffee-magazine.co.uk

There is great excitement at Catering Design Group HQ, as the company celebrates the 20th anniversary of its award winning Principal Design Consultant, Mike Sinclair, who joined the business in 1993 and has worked exclusively in the catering and hospitality industry for 28 years.

Having gained a BA (Hons) degree in 3D Industrial Design, Mike’s illustrious career in the industry started in 1986 with Redfearn National as a Product Designer – designing glass and packaging materials for the food and beverage market. In 1987 he joined contract caterers, Sutcliffe Catering as a designer, before moving into commercial kitchen design with Prima Group International. In 1991 he joined Tricon Foodservice Consultants as a Design Consultant, before joining CDG in 1993.

In his time with CDG, Mike has worked on such memorable projects as The Crypt Café for St Martin-in-the-Fields - the landmark church in the heart of Trafalgar Square. The project saw Mike consult on the transformation of its crypt into a café.

Award winning projects have included the catering facilities at the University of Glasgow, which won CDG the CEDA Grand Prix Award in 2009. In 2012, Mike received a personal award from CEDA for his exemplary management of the design of the catering and hospitality areas at Silverstone’s prestigious Pit, Paddock and Conference Complex which spanned approximately 10,000m2.

In 2011, Mike found himself under doctor’s orders at the new

home of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) at 30 Euston Square. The £22m refurbishment to its Grade II listed building, completed in 2012, saw Mike receive the Euston Square Special Medal for his commitment to achieving its goals across the catering and hospitality facilities.

Happily married with two children and a Wire Fox Terrier, when not spending time with his family, Mike can be found on the water! As a qualified Level 2 Canoe & Kayak Coach, Mike likes to spend as much time as possible honing his skills. The children of Southam also reap the benefits of his expertise, working with youth groups and the junior canoe polo team to improve their skills.

Philip Howard, Managing Director, Catering Design Group comments: “I’d like to thank Mike for choosing to be part of CDG for the past 20 years. His passion and expertise in hospitality design second to none and is evident in his many awards. Mike is at the very heart of our business, playing a fundamental role in our continued success. He’s a great man to have around – funny, witty and hugely respected by both his colleagues and clients. Congratulations Mike.”

CDG’s MIKE SINCLAIR CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN THE INDUSTY AND COLLECTS A HOARD OF AWARDS

Black Sheep Coffee, which claims to be breaking with current market trends by bringing the first ‘fine Robusta’ to the UK market, was recentlylaunched at the London Coffee Festival.

To consumers who are used to drinking coffee made with Arabica beans, traditionally considered to be better quality, Black Sheep Coffee’s Robusta offers a surprisingly different taste profile – one which has received rave reviews at the company’s Camden café and travelling coffee station, the company reports.

The Robusta Revival

Experts describe the taste of premium Robusta as rich, creamy, and sweet with a less acidic tone than that of Arabica, but reminiscent of subtle hints of lemon. Robusta beans have the added benefit they provide about twice the caffeine of Arabica beans. The company’s first product Robusta Revival is a first to market, an unorthodox addition to the UK coffee revolution, and reflects the brand ethos of doing things differently

and challenging the status quo, Black Sheep Coffee said.

The product uses a Robusta coffee from a single-estate in India, which is the only estate in the world to have received three “Fine Robusta” certifications by tasting experts. In addition to being aromatic, Robusta Revival is also, as its taste indicates, lower in acidity, as well as having significantly greater levels of protein which help to make for a much richer crema when brewed as an espresso. Due to its high caffeine content, it is particularly well received by athletes and people with an active lifestyle, the company claims. As such, Black Sheep has attracted attention from a rather unusual crowd, ranging from world-renowned athletes to coffee experts, both Q and R grader certified.

Co-founder of Black Sheep Coffee, Gabe Shohet, said: “We’re proud to be bringing a product to market that has such a strong point of difference and be able to introduce UK retailers, caterers and consumers to an exciting new concept in coffee, a

high-grade Robusta bean. Since starting the company towards the end of last year we’ve been really encouraged by comments from our café customers who, most importantly, love the taste of the product, and then secondly are really interested in the concept of using a premium Robusta bean.

There are so many people out there who have been drinking coffee for years and have never had the chance to taste a 100% Robusta product. For most of our customers this is a first and I never get tired of watching their smiles as they try a completely new flavour for the first time.”

Coffee Bean Research

Black Sheep Coffee to make UK debut at London Coffee Festival and launch fine Robusta

Coffee Bean magazine Visit our website

www.coffee-magazine.co.uk

The “Coffee Business School of the Cascades,” a division of E&C Consulting, Inc., announces the release of the Specialty Coffee Industry’s first, comprehensive Online Coffee Business and Beverage School.

3- years in the making, with 33 sections totaling over 10 hours of streaming video presentations, the school covers all aspects of business creation, set-up, management, and

beverage preparation.

A 17-minute version of the new 47 minute DVD “Fundamentals of Espresso Drink Preparation” is also available to anyone visiting the website; (purchasers of the online glass gain access to the full 47-minute version).

The online school mirrors the curriculum taught at the 4-day class located in Bend, Oregon, U.S.A. The class videos stream right from

the website to the user’s computer, tablet, or smart phone. Cost for the online class is $499 U.S., and entitles purchasers to 2-years of access. A desire to learn, and a high-speed internet connection are all that is required.

The online class is scheduled for released between April 1st and15th, 2014. For more information go to: www.CoffeeBusinessSchool.com.

Online Virtual Coffee School has Arrived

Cafédirect, one of the UK’s biggest coffee brands and Fairtrade coffee pioneer, has acquired Cambridge-based online coffee club Kopi.co.uk for an undisclosed sum.

Kopi, the e-commerce coffee subscription service has been run out of Genie Ventures on Mill Lane, Cambridge.

The acquisition is the latest in a recent string of successes for e-commerce subscription businesses – the most publicised being LOVEFiLM’s sale to Amazon and the most recent

being last month’s high profile sale of US coffee subscription service Tonx to the Blue Bottle Coffee Company in America.Cafédirect has now acquired Kopi’s custom-built subscription software, a passionate subscriber base, and an opportunity to move into the e-commerce space.

Kopi, in turn, can leverage the hugely respected Cafédirect brand and its coffee sourcing and operational prowess to rapidly build its subscriber base.

Kopi only raised one small round of funding during its two-and-

a-half years of business, from Cambridge-based incubator and digital marketing agency Genieventures.co.uk, and reached operational break-even in mid-2013.

Philip Wilkinson, co-founder of Kopi, says: “We’ve always known the coffee subscription sector needed a big, respected brand to drive awareness. Cafédirect has turned out to be the perfect partner for our mission: to bring the world’s best fresh coffee to coffee lovers every month.”

Coffee Bean Research

Fairtrade pioneer buys Cambridge online coffee club

One of the UK’s largest married dating sites IllicitEncounters.com has reported that 64% of its members would rather take their dates to their favourite coffee shop than to a resteraunt meal.

Their website is the country’s largest meeting place for married and attached people.

Experts in this field have proven that behind the froth there are some hidden effects. Your daily

caffeine fix stimulates a part of the brain that can make you aroused and boost your sex drive.

It has been sugested that a coffee date speeds up the dating process.

After spending some time getting to know your date online when you do meet you know pretty quickly if it’s going to progress, and if it is who wants the inconvenience of having to get through dinner to get to dessert

when you can have a froffy coffee.The study of 800,000 members of IllicitEncounters.comlast year showed a clear rise in members ditching the traditional first date restaurant treat.

The study located the favourite places for these members, labelled ‘Coastanovas’, to take their dates. Top of the list is Costa Coffee, followed by Cafe Nero and independent coffee shops.

cupid develops a taste for coffee

UK Based Confederation Studio was recently commissioned by London Coffee Roasters to design

the brand and packaging for their latest range of coffee beans, inspired by the Victorian era.London Coffee Roasters are passionate about delivering great coffee to the British market. Confederation Studio jumped at the opportunity to design the brand and the packaging for their latest range of coffee beans.

Coffee and tea consumption has been part of British culture for centuries. Inspired by this, they have used a series of etched images taken from the Victorian era to evoke a sense of classic London.

Coffee Bean Research

London Coffee Roasters commission artwork

Starbucks suffered its first ever drop in UK sales in 2013, a period when the company became the subject of boycotts and public criticism over its tax practices.

Accounts for Starbucks’ main

UK subsidiary, Starbucks Coffee Company (UK) Ltd, showed turnover fell in the year to the end of September 2013 to 399 million pounds from 413 million pounds in 2012.

The drop follows 16 years

of consistent and strong growth, and comes despite the business “being supported by an improving economic environment” the accounts said.

Coffee Bean Research

Starbucks suffers first U.K. sales drop after tax criticism

Löfbergs awarded for its sustainability work The coffee roaster Löfbergs received the award Excellent Sustainable Supplier today. The Swedish Environmental Management Council (SEMCo) rewards a company that is successfully working with the supply of green products and services. The ambition with the award is to bring out good examples of companies that work seriously and innovatively to meet the higher demand of environmental and social consideration. This is where Löfbergs is a forerunner. The company has pressed on the supply as well as the demand of organic and Fairtrade coffee in

a successful way, says Sven-Olof Ryding, CEO at SEMCo.

Kathrine Löfberg, director of communications, was in Stockholm to accept the award that was presented during the Green Public Procurement conference. The conference was arranged by SEMCo, which is the Swedish government’s expert body on environmental and other sustainable procurement, together with the magazine Miljöaktuellt. Of course, it is very honouring to be noticed in this way. We are and will always be a coffee that both tastes and does good, says Kathrine Löfberg, director of communications at Löfbergs. Löfbergs is given the award because: The company can show

how its environmental investments lead to actual environmental improvements - for example by being a forerunner regarding certified coffee like Fairtrade, Krav, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and EU Organic.

The company openly communicates its experience in environmental and social matters to other operators who want to improve their business, for example through sustainable quotations and transparent sustainability reports.

The company can verify environmental benefits and social improvements - for example through its own development projects in coffee-producing countries as well as energy savings.

Drinking more coffee immediately cuts the risk of diabetes, a new study suggests.

People who increased their daily intake by more than a cup had an 11% reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes over a four-year period, according to findings published in the journal Diabetologia.

The opposite effect was noticed when people started to drink less coffee, as lowering consumption by at least a cup a day was associated with a 17% increased risk of diabetes.

Those who drank three cups of coffee or more each day were 37% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who consumed a maximum of one cup, the scientists said.

The researchers, led by Professor Frank Hu from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US, assessed data from almost 124,000 men and women for their study.

Professor Hu said their findings show there is both an immediate and long-term reduction in diabetes risk associated with

drinking more coffee.

There may be other factors at play not identified in the study, Dr Elliott suggested, with one possibility being that people are being encouraged to cut back on coffee when they are at high risk of developing the condition.

Ensuring you maintain a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet and doing regular exercise are the most effective ways of cutting your diabetes risk, he added.

Coffee Bean Research

Coffee ‘cuts risk

of diabetes’

A thirsty busker had to stay dry after being refused a cup of tap water at a coffee chain.

Danny McEvoy, from Newhaven, was busking in Uckfield entertaining passers-by with a guitar and singing performance.

But after arriving in the sun-drenched High Street of Uckfield, Mr McEvoy realised he had forgotten to take a bottle of water and asked staff in Costa Coffee for a cup of tap water.

He said: “I asked for the tap water and the girl asked if I bought anything. I said no, but

told her I visited Costa Coffee every week in Lewes and waved my loyalty card at her. But she said I had to purchase something and it was company policy not to give it away for free.

“It is a glass of tap water – the stuff that places leave outside for dogs to drink. So I left and remained thirsty. It was unbelievable.”

Despite the member of staff claiming it was company policy not to serve tap water unless something was purchased, a spokesman for the chain said Mr McEvoy’s request should have been served and they would

ensure it would not happen again.

A spokeswoman from Costa Coffee confirmed the incident and said: “Costa can confirm that there was an incident involving the person in question in our High Street, Uckfield, shop.As a responsible member of the local community our policy is to provide tap water to our customers should they request it in-store.

“We have been in touch with our store teams in the area to remind them of our tap water policy to ensure that this incident does not occur again.”

No free tap water, coffee chain tells busker

The sale of coffee capsules is growing exponentially in Sweden - up by 50 per cent during the last twelve months. Löfbergs is growing the most; the company has increased its sales with 200 per cent. This according to recent numbers from Nielson Company.

We have actually never sold as much as right now. On one hand, many consumers have discovered how easy it is to make a good cup of coffee. On the other, more

and more stores are taking in our entire assortment, says Kent Pettersson, sales director at Löfbergs.

Over the last year, the Swedish retail market sold coffee capsules for SEK 166 million. Today, the capsules represent 4.5 per cent of the total coffee market in Sweden. We believe in continued growth, and our goal is to keep expanding faster than our colleagues in the business, says Kent Pettersson.

Löfbergs is one of the largest family-owned coffee roasters in the Nordic countries. The company has 300 employees and a turnover of SEK 1.5 billion. The head office is situated in Karlstad, Sweden and the company has its own roasting-houses in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Latvia. The company was founded in 1906 and is today one of the world’s largest importers of ecological beans.

Record number of people buying capsule coffee

Coffee BeanGadget Section

One way to ensure that you get a good cup of coffee is to freshly grind your beans just before you are ready to use them. Oils escape from the beans when they’re ground and your coffee will age much, much faster than whole beans do. Dried out coffee grounds lead to less flavourful coffee. The problem with grinding as you go is that you have to devote some extra time to measuring and grinding the beans before brewing. This can be a slow and noisy (especially for those of us who make coffee very early!) process and there are times when it would be nice just to have that coffee already ground and ready to go! I don’t want to compromise flavour for speed, and neither do the people at Zevro, who came up with the Indispensable Coffee Dispenser.

This gadget holds up to 1/2-pound of freshly ground coffee in an airtight environment. With the touch of a button, it will also dispense coffee grounds in 1 tbsp amounts directly into your espresso machine, coffee pot, or other coffee-making equipment. It does not grind the beans, so you can grind them as coarse or as fine as you like before storing them. The best thing about this dispenser is that it holds enough grounds to be useful, but not so much that you’ll end up with past-their-prime beans in your dispenser. It will keep things fresh until you’re ready for a refill. The dispensing action is also useful because it means that you don’t need to constantly open the container and let air in as you access your beans.

The hardest thing about coffee is waiting for it to brew. Coffee is easy; really it is. Despite the accessories, methods and varieties, all it really comes down to is the interaction of water with crushed beans. Coffee beans have the ability to transmute water into an elixir worthy of seeking out every morning (and afternoon,

and sometimes night), but that ability doesn’t mean there is only one way of going about it. Methods for brewing coffee are varied and with each technique comes its own sets of pros and cons. Usually, however, it being easy to make is always a positive.

The Zevro Incred-A-Brew Gravity Drip Coffee Infuser Cup combines the simplest method of coffee brewing--just letting it steep--with an elegant delivery system. After adding ground coffee to the infuser cup, hot water is poured over the grounds and left to steep. When ready, the device is lifted and placed directly on top of a waiting mug or cup. A patented valve is triggered and opens resulting with the coffee being released into the cup. When the desired amount has been delivered, the brewing chamber is lifted off of the cup of coffee and the flow automatically stops. A removable strainer keeps grounds in the chamber, not allowing them to be passed into the waiting cup. All coffee-making methods require some degree of patience. It’s not hard to imagine that a clear vessel filled with steeping coffee might be hard to resist. Good news, then, that it would be a simple matter to make more.

Zevro, Gadgets

www.coffee-magazine.co.uk