A new trend in and around Seattle - perhaps the most caffeinated city in America - illustrates how cutthroat the competition can be in the hometown of Starbucks, which has multiple coffee shops competing on the same block. Coffee girls in bikinis have almost doubled the amount of cash intake on “Bikini Wednesdays,” where men zoom in for a cup and a view. Talk about a coffee break! Read more at ABC Seattle.

If you decide to stash your cocaine in coffee grounds, it won’t work - dogs will still sniff it out. Read the proof at the News-Leader.

Ok, so I missed it, and I’m part Irish - I always assumed all things Irish were celebrated on March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day. But, Oh No. It appears that National Irish Coffee Day is celebrated on 25 January. Maybe I’ll remember this come next January. Or maybe not. Read all about it at BuzzSugar.com.

Posted by beanybabe at 3:27 PM PST

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in its next meeting, would consider approving a weather-linked insurance scheme for coffee growers, minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh told reporters here on Tuesday. After the CCEA gives its nod for the scheme, the Coffee Board would implement it at an annual expenditure of Rs 23 crore. The growers and the government would share the premium on 50:50 basis. Read the rest of the story at The Financial Press.

Sources at Yemen’s ministry of agriculture said there are three areas for investment opportunities for the private sector in production of coffee products. They are mainly in building factories for peeling coffee, marketing the surplus to foreign markets and in building agricultural nurseries for its seeds. Read the full details at Yemen Times.

Cuppy’s Coffee is moving quickly across the country opening and average of seven to ten new coffee shops each month. With more than 150 stores projected to be operating by the end of 2007, Cuppy’s Coffee & More continues to be one of the fastest growing coffee franchises in the United States. Read the press release for more information.

The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) has commenced futures trading in Robusta coffee on Monday. Although coffee accounts for only 3.1% of total agricultural exports, it is one of the most important agricultural exports of the country. Read the story at The Economic Times.

Posted by beanybabe at 3:19 PM PST

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Sara Lee Corp. (SLE.N) said on Monday it plans to cut nearly 1,700 jobs, or about 3 percent of its work force, in the company’s latest effort to reduce costs. The cuts are part of the company’s long-term restructuring plan, which has seen it sell or spin off several businesses to focus on coffee and tea, U.S. deli meats, baked goods and European household products. Read more at The Washington Post.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., a leading roaster and distributor of specialty coffees, has signed a Letter of Intent with the Government of Ethiopia that signifies a commitment to work with Ethiopian fine coffee stakeholders on their initiative to bring greater value to Ethiopian coffees and coffee producers. As part of this partnership, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will provide its expertise in further developing the program to ensure that premium coffees from Ethiopia are recognized for their distinctive tastes and qualities and to establish better treatment and pricing for Ethiopian farmers. Read this piece at Social Funds.

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And, that was the quote delivered by Barry Popkin, a nutrition scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after he heard about Dr. Robert Bohannon’s plan to add caffeine to baked goods. Bohannon, molecular scientist who moonlights as a cafe owner (Sips Coffee & Tea cafe in Durham), can easily put 100 milligrams of caffeine — the equivalent of a 5-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee — into the treats he plans to market under the “Buzz Donuts” or “Buzzed Bagels” names. Read the rest of this entry »

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According to the India Financial Express, coffee exports are expected to increase 15-20% year-on-year in the current fiscal, if the trend in the last three quarters is anything to go by. Till Janauary 24, India’s coffee exports jumped 19% to 1,84,126 tonnes from 1,54,110 tonnes a year ago, with a rise in international prices spurring overseas sales. Read more at the source.

A campaign by Ethiopia to get a fair price for its coffee - some of the world’s finest - kicks off in London today (Monday) as a spokesman for the east African country’s coffee growers meets Tony Blair. The meeting will be accompanied by a screening of the film Black Gold - an expose of the global coffee industry - to MPs at Westminster, who will also be addressed by the Ethiopian ambassador to Britain. Read more at the Guardian Unlimited.

Diedrich Coffee, Inc. announced operating results for its second fiscal quarter ended Dec. 13, 2006. For the second quarter of fiscal year 2007, the company reported a net loss of $2,129,000, or $0.40 per share, compared to a net loss of $1,442,000, or $0.27 per share, for the second quarter of the prior fiscal year. Year-to-date, the company reported a net loss of $3,775,000, or $0.71 per share, compared to a net loss of $2,993,000, or $0.57 per share, for the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. Read more at AMonline.com.

Coffee Holding Co., Inc. announced its operating results for the year ended October 31, 2006. In this release, the Company: Net income decreased $485,053, or 40.9%, to $700,082 or $.13 per share for the year ended October 31, 2006 compared to $1,185,135 or $.25 per share for the year ended October 31, 2005. The decrease in net income primarily reflects increased cost of sales due to higher commodity costs and greater operating expenses and a loss by our Café La Rica joint venture, partially offset by increased net sales. Read more at MarketWire.

Also from this past weekend: Marketing Week assesses Costa Coffee Brand.

Posted by beanybabe at 1:16 AM PST

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