Kona Coffee Faces Quarantine Due to Pests
Hawaii had decided to go ahead with an “emergency administrative rule” to quarantine Kona coffee. They hope to keep a coffee berry borer, which is a tiny beetle that is smaller than a sesame seed, from spreading to the other islands.
The beetle bores into the coffee cherry, which contains that coffee bean, to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on the coffee bean and reduce the bean’s size and quality, agriculture officials said. Agriculture officials have found 21 areas in south Kona that are infested with the pest.
The quarantine would require green, non-roasted coffee beans to be treated with heat or insecticide before they’re shipped off the island. “Depending on how it comes out, the effects of the quarantine could be disastrous for those of us who grow Kona coffee,” said Bruce Corker, president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association.
Those who would be most severely impacted is the organic Kona coffee farmers. The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is calling for a ban on the import of all foreign green coffee beans into Hawaii, because they believe that’s how the bug got here.
Starbucks Plans Selective Price Increase
Starbucks has made the decision to raise the price on some of its drinks after its announcement that it would absorb the rising cost of coffee. The decision is due to the price of green Arabica coffee. They said Wednesday that due to the near 13 year high on the green beans along with the rise in the cost of dairy, sugar and cocoa, they must raise the price on larger sizes and hard to make drinks.
“Over the last six months, a highly speculative green coffee market and dramatically increased commodity costs have completely altered the economic and financial picture of many players in the coffee industry,” said Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz, in a statement.
The prices have been rising from the roasters for months and Starbucks has resisted changing its prices up until now, but “the extreme nature of the cost increase has made it untenable for us to continue to do so.”
Coffee Prices Soar!
Coffee prices have risen about 43% in the last three months. This is a 13 year high for the delectable bean.
Coffee for December delivery settled up 2.25 cents at $1.9455 a pound Wednesday after hitting $1.9865 per pound earlier in the day. Trading volume was light, which can exaggerate price movements, according to the Associated Press.
Many people are finding a retail price increase due to the soaring prices of coffee. Some of the brands that have reflected the increase in their retail pricing are owned by the JM Smucker Company including Millstone, Foldgers, Foldgers Gourmet Selections and Dunkin’ Donuts. K-Cup Portion Packs, sold by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters for the Keurig Single-Cup brewing system, are set to rise in price by 10% to 15% next month.
Deb Trevino, spokesperson for Starbucks, insists that their prices will not be affected by the rising price of coffee. The company intends to absorb the extra cost, instead of passing it on to the consumer.
This week’s rally appears to be largely due to speculative trading because fears have eased about weather and supply issues, said Spencer Patton, founder and chief investment officer for hedge fund Steel Vine Investments LLC.
Go Green With Your Coffee Brewer
We are all looking to Go Green for the environment. Hourglass has created a new coffee maker to help us do just that. The catch? It uses no electricity.
The Hourglass Cold Brew Coffee Maker looks sharp with its hourglass design. Its very easy on the eyes, and on your electric bill. Its easy on the back too, weighing only 2.8lbs.
The high heat and fast brew times of hot brew coffee makers can create bitter tasting coffee that’s often high in acid, causing stomach aches. Hourglass coffee maker solves this problem, with cold-brewing. Because the coffee beans are not exposed to heat, bitter acids and oils are not released. Hourglass claims that this brewing process results in 69.6% less acid than hot brewed coffee.
Centuries ago, native cultures perfected the art of coffee making. These ancient coffee connoisseurs hand-selected the best beans, dried them in the sun, coarsely ground them, and soaked them overnight in pure, cold water to produce a rich and smooth tasting coffee extract. The Hourglass coffee maker brings the Lost Art of cold brewing into the 21st century, and into your home.
Roast Your Own Coffee At Home: Roaster Review
For those who are a fan of coffee, its always interesting to look into the roasting process. From the green bean right to your cup, its all very interesting. I have now found a new hobby, roasting my own beans at home.
There are a number of coffee roasters available for home use. Some are affordable and some are on the very expensive side. I tried out the more affordable FreshRoast + eight home coffee roaster which runs a little over $100. I found it to be a good product and I got 5 pounds of green beans for free to boot!
This particular roaster is perfect for a small household of one or two people. It looks very nice sitting on my kitchen counter as well. Always a plus! It only takes 7 minutes to roast 3.5lbs of green coffee beans. It has timer and a chaff collector. It is fairly quiet and does not smoke up the house. The smell of the roasting beans is amazing.
Coffee Investor’s Dream in a Tough Economy
Fortune Magazine has reported that Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s stock is holding strong despite a tough economy. Their stock has gained 120% this year after holdiay sales of its Keurig single cup coffee brewers.
To check out these amazing brewers and pods, click the link below:
Great Keurig Coffee Maker and Pods
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