Tag: Markets & Trade

In March 2017, The ICO Composite Indicator Price Fell Slightly

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According to ICO , market weakens further due to high exports and increasing inventory levels. In March 2017, the ICO composite indicator price fell slightly. While Robustas remained broadly stable, Arabica prices were under pressure. The monthly average of the composite indicator was down by 2.6% to 134.07 US cents/lb in March from 137.68 US cents/lb recorded in February. The

Coffee Shop Culture in Australia

‘In Australia, coffee isn’t fuel for work – it’s a way of life’.  Milkman (2016).

While coffee may be a global commodity, and coffee shop cultures have emerged across the world, each country tends to have its own flavour of coffee shop culture, each with their own histories, influenced by the movement of people and commodities around the globe. A particularly interesting case is Australia, described as the world’s ‘coffee capital’ by Perfect Daily Grind, which has a well-established coffee shop culture where the independent coffee shop dominates the landscape.  It has been argued that Australian coffee culture has now achieved an important status representing “time out” warmth, intimacy and sophistication, with baristas representing cultural icons [Sign in to continue]

European Coffee Market Sales Increase in 2016

Preliminary results on the European coffee markets show that the consumption in EU28 increased by 6.4% in quantity in the twelve months ending November 2016.

The CoffeeBi analysis highlights that this result is due to the overall increase in coffee sales in the second part of 2016. In the first six months, consumption in EU28 stood at +1% (compared to 1st semester 2015).[Sign in to continue]

Korea: The Coffee Republic

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Everyone, I suppose, knows the song “Gangnam style” the K-pop single by the South Korean rapper Psy that on December 2012 became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views. Well, this song satirized “a classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee”. In these words, all what is going on in South Korea: Coffee has become a powerful indicator of class status symbol. Moreover, coffee is the number one beverage in the country (53% of the total drink market) and has even surpassed the demand for “kimchi”, South Korea’s national dish (according to a study by the International Business Times).

On average, the study showed, South Koreans drink coffee 12.2 times per week; they eat “kimchi”, a mix of fermented vegetables that has been a part of the Korean diet since the 1500s, 11.9 times per week and white rice only 6.9 times per week. To drink a fresh bean coffee is not always cheap. In Seoul, a “cup of Joe (COJ)” is more expensive than in the U.S. (about $3.80 against $2.25 on average).[Sign in to continue]

Winking in the Dark

One of the biggest dilemmas or even traps the Independent Coffee Shop owner faces is getting themselves away from the day to day operation. There can be many reasons for this, sometimes the overriding pride or passion leads the owners to believe that only they can serve the customers properly, resulting in that well know disease ‘presenteeism’. The symptoms are