Brewing up a taste for coffee
Coffee is the world’s second most valuable traded commodity, produced by 25m farmers in 50 countries. Like many agricultural workers in the developing world, these farmers are exploited to increase coffee company profits and keep consumer prices low.
Ninety percent of coffee production is in developing countries, while consumption is mainly in industrialised economies. It’s estimated that 2.25bn cups of coffee are consumed every day; 11m hectares of farmland are dedicated to coffee production.
Coffee is the US’s largest food import, and their second most valuable commodity, after oil. Coffee is traded on the New York Board of Trade, often to the detriment of the 25m farmers who rely on coffee for a living.
Coffee wheeler-dealing today seems a far cry from the large tins of instant coffee that sat on the counters of cafés in Ireland years ago, and which contained granules the size of small pieces of gravel and produced a brew that would make your eyes water.
I’ve become a bit of a coffee snob, and gravitate towards establishments that pride themselves on producing a flavourful and reviving brew.
Coffee shops have a long and fascinating history, reflecting our social and cultural history, starting with the basement establishments favoured by the Beat movement in the 1950s, where poetry was read and folk music heard.
Then there was the swinging, ’60s type of café that featured in the Cliff Richards film classic Espresso Bongo — dangerous places to many par of the day, where teenagers could fall in with all sorts of dubious company, until Cliff put them straight, that is. Today, many outlets provide comfortable seating, wi-fi inernet connection and other technology, as well as the all-important coffee.
Perhaps the most fascinating era of the coffee-drinking phenomenon occurred in London in the early 17th century. London’s first coffee house, as they were then known, was opened in 1652 by one Pasqua Rosee, who was so successful in this venture that by 1675 there were more than 3,000 similar establishments, which became so well-known for being politically provocative dens of intellectuals and eminent scholars that they were described by one French visitor as “the very seats of English liberty”.
Imagine walking into a Starbucks today, sitting next to a stranger and asking them for the latest news? Or demanding their opinion on the latest best-selling novel or new play?
But 300 years ago, poets, playwrights, politicians, journalists and members of the public did just that. They gathered around long wooden tables drinking, thinking and discussing literature late into the night.
In what was a brilliant piece of marketing, coffee came to be portrayed as an antidote to drunkenness, violence and lust. But not everyone was convinced.
The Women’s Petition Against Coffee, written in 1674, claimed that “this new fangled, abominable, heathenish liquor called coffee” had transformed their industrious, virile men into “effeminate, babbling layabouts who idled away their time in coffee houses”. A little harsh, perhaps, but the men took no notice and London soon became a city of coffee addicts.
Today, Ireland definitely knows its coffee, and even in challenging economic times, this ubiquitous product is definitely holding its own.
Java Republic, an award-winning company that prides itself on producing hand-roasted “coffee with a conscience”, has registered a 22% increase in profit for 2012.
Kieran White is the managing director of The Island Beverage Company which distributes in the southwest for Java Republic.
*I believe you had a background in marketing and in the bakery business, Kieran?
>>“That’s right. I’m from Clonakilty, and my family had White’s, a bakery business there for 30 years. When that closed down, I was looking for something else to do, something different. I saw an ad for Java in 2004. They were looking for a West Cork distributor and I went for it, although at the time, I didn’t know much about coffee. But from the start, I was really impressed with the company and the fact that it was 100% Irish.”
*What was it that you found so special about Java?
>>“Well, I had a background in the food service industry, and so I knew how important quality and customer service are. And Java had that. David McKernan formed the company in 1998, and his goal was to share the company’s passion for fresh, hand-roasted coffee, and to achieve new ethical standards in the coffee industry. We buy all our beans from co-operatives in Ethiopia, Haiti and other countries, and we visit all our producers regularly.”
*I believe you and some colleagues set up a water project in Daratu, Ethiopia?
>>“Yes, and it was a great experience. There are 590 members in that particular co-operative, and they produce approximately 400 tonnes of coffee a year. And all they wanted was the basics, as we all do — fresh water, electricity, a clinic and an education for their children. Producers who aren’t part of a co-operative are prone to being exploited by “bandidos” who turn up at their farms and offer them ridiculously low prices. We fund-raised for our co-operative. and in partnership with Connect Ethiopia we went out there and were able to help them achieve these goals. Java Republic is passionate about changing the lives of our producers for the better.”
*Happily, you are reporting a great turnover for last year. What’s your secret?
>>“Undoubtedly, it’s the high quality of our product, and the fact that we offer a comprehensive service to our customers which covers proper preparation, equipment and more. And people really do respond very well to our ethical practices, and the fact that our roastery in Dublin is carbon-neutral, a first for this industry. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to the quality of our product. One customer described our coffee as “Picasso in a cup”. And that’s the sort of standard we intend to keep.”
