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Black Gold the mutli million coffee trade..Supply and demand, along
Supply and demand, along with all the 5%'ers in between dipping their grubby hands into the register. How many people drink coffee? I'm going to make a safe bet and say that the majority of those drinkers will be drinking instant coffee, and probably the cheapest - sorry, most affordable - variety: Nestle. What everyone who reads this must realise that less than a US dollar for an Ethopian coffee bean farmer is pretty damn good. It's like the clothing industry: A big expensive brand like Diesel will outsource to Pakistan/India/Thailand/China etc, and then reap the rewards by selling the jeans at AUD$400 when it only cost them AUD$10 to make. Oh, sorry, they need such a huge profit to pay for the freight and raw materials (because the raw materials are just so good: Cotton weaved by the hands of 100 nekkid doe-eyed virgins, nestled deep within the swedish countryside). If you don't agree with Ethiopians being paid bugger-all, then buy Free-Trade coffee: then just mebbe your money will go to some 5%'ers who are themselves Ethiopian. And with the profit margins they have, you'd think Nestle could at least improve the quality of their coffee...
Submitted on Tue, 2008-02-26 16:15
reply Oh, I forgot to mention that
Oh, I forgot to mention that my family lives on the land, farming sheep, cattle and some crops. The beef industry's like this: Dad sells a yearling at AUD$1.30 per kg, and once it gets to the supermarket, that same yearling is going for around AUD$21.00 per kg. So he's figured a solution: skip the middle-men (5%'ers). Now he sells a yearling for AUD$5.90 per kg, chopped, trimmed and packed. He gets five times the profit, the customer pays four times less than from the supermarket (and they know it's fresh this way too). Bonus!
Submitted on Tue, 2008-02-26 16:22
reply Joe Bloggs wrote:How many
[quote=Joe Bloggs]How many people drink coffee? I'm going to make a safe bet and say that the majority of those drinkers will be drinking instant coffee, and probably the cheapest - sorry, most affordable - variety: Nestle[/quote]
Submitted on Tue, 2008-02-26 17:54
reply WTF mate?
Back-flipping Aussies
Actually, now that I think about it, that peppermint mocha sounds pretty good. Is there a particular recipe you use? Still not sure about that pumpkin latte though :-P
Submitted on Tue, 2008-02-26 19:10
reply A particular recipe...why do
A particular recipe...why do you ask? Theres a Starbucks on the way to my daughters school that I usually go to. Youre lucky Joe, you got youth. You dont need coffee. :-) (quote from Dexters Lab)
Submitted on Tue, 2008-02-26 23:42
reply Ah, right. Well, I must
Ah, right. Well, I must admit to owning a coffee machine that looks more like an aquarium than anything else, and I really couldn't go without my daily dose of Republica Coffee. Pretty wanky when I'm in the middle of nowhere and the locals haven't heard of anything other than beer. Reminds me of that Simpsons episode... Oh, and I like my coffee like I like my women: Black and Bitter. Don't tell my girlfriend I said that!
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 12:12
reply Well... goodness Joe, thanks
Well... goodness Joe, thanks for sharing. Me and my Italian behind know when we aren't wanted. Only beer huh? You can't drive 6 blocks here without running into an espresso drive-thru- not to mention all of the places in between that offer espresso drinks.
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 14:35
reply ah crud, I had an english
ah crud, I had an english meltdown again. It will be the end of me, I tell ya. hopefully, you and the two other people who post on opendemocracy will understand. ;-)
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 14:44
reply Well, I don't know about the
Well, I don't know about the other two but I have no idea where this english meltdown occurred. I had no idea your behind was italian, either - makes me think of some kind of Frankenstein's monster put together with different nationalities ;-) I don't know how familiar you are with the Australian landscape, but there's a lot of little places out there who wouldn't know what a drive-thru was if it called them up and asked them out on a blind date - only to stand them up with the excuse that 'their pet iguana was depressed', and claim that they had to stay home and sing Patsy Cline tunes to them all night. We're lucky here though, we've got Red Rooster (similar to KFC) :-P And don't go thinking we're all red-neck yokels, either, missy. I'm just a regular yokel, with a regular neck. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm a sharing-caring kinda guy. Sometimes I think the less said, the better - but that's usually after I've already said something wrong...
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 15:00
reply Huh. I thought I had
Huh. I thought I had mentioned being Italian. I'm also a smidge Irish, French and German. Anyway, [quote]I don't know how familiar you are with the Australian landscape, but there's a lot of little places out there who wouldn't know what a drive-thru was if it called them up and asked them out on a blind date - only to stand them up with the excuse that 'their pet iguana was depressed', and claim that they had to stay home and sing Patsy Cline tunes to them all night.[/quote] lol thats a great visual. [quote]I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm a sharing-caring kinda guy. Sometimes I think the less said, the better - but that's usually after I've already said something wrong...[/quote] I'm not sure what you mean, but I havent noticed you saying anything wrong--except for what you said about instant coffee that was just soo very wrong. ;-)
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 15:52
reply Huh, I wonder what that means...
So my instant-coffee remark was worse than my black-and-bitter women one? Huh, I got off light! [quote=Candace] Huh. I thought I had mentioned being Italian. I'm also a smidge Irish, French and German. [/quote] Ah-ha! I thought my theory of you being a female frankenstein monster composed of different nationalities was just a wild hypothesis, but it turns out I am correct!! I'm going to mark this day down on my calendar...
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 18:09
reply For future reference Joe,
For future reference Joe, when you are talking to a 38 year old woman and decide to compare her to frankenstein don't forget to include that she doesn't drink instant coffee--without that it just somehow sounds less attractive.;-)
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 19:25
reply Well, we've all got our
Well, we've all got our weeknesses. I'm guessing a 38 year old female multinational frankenstein's weakness is damn good coffee. And understandably so! Can you imagine all the sleepless nights, what with the villagers trying to beat down her door - waving their torches and brandishing their hay forks and various other deadly farming tools (you know, ear-tagging pliers and what-not). I'd want a nice cuppa and some good conversation after all that too! I'm sure you make a lovely Miss Frankenstein, I mean, you've probably got the best mix anyone could ask for: French, Italian and German! Not sure where the Irish bit fits in though... Good sense of humour?
Submitted on Wed, 2008-02-27 19:44
reply Hmm... Mebbe I was wrong
Hmm... Mebbe I was wrong when I thought the Irish bit would mean a good sense of humour: It probably means there's a quick temper and fighting spirit instead ;-) I think I'll have to revert back to including a disclaimer in all my posts, something to say when and how I'm intending to be humorous...
Submitted on Thu, 2008-02-28 16:06
reply I'm not upset Joe, I got a
I'm not upset Joe, I got a list of things I am supposed to find and order (online) for a party I think I mentioned, that is time consuming. a coffee song, (no message intended with lyrics) Btw, I've heard that Obama drinks instant, and McCain drinks decaf,
Submitted on Thu, 2008-02-28 17:51
reply First thing: Typical bloody
First thing: Typical bloody student drinking all the free coffee! Then again, I've been there, done that. It's interesting that they're trying to improve their taste, because Starbucks (along with other coffee chains) in Aus are renowned for their very disappointing flavour. They're fine if you want something quick (like the other student mentioned), but that's about it. Having said that, I do own a Starbucks ceramic mug, and one of their thermal travel mugs. If they can't make a decent cup of coffee, at least they can make a decent cup ;-) My regular haunt was a place which specialised in tea, and also made the best coffee too. http://www.tbar.com.au/ if you're interested. Very much into the idea of just coming in, sitting down, drinking tea - very relaxed atmosphere. Site's still under construction :-/ I was only poking fun - as always - in that last post. Could the 'mighty' USA really be governed by a man who drinks decaf?? Instant, I can understand: He wants his caffeine, and he wants it now! But decaf? I'm sure Kerry would drink Irish Coffee...
Submitted on Thu, 2008-02-28 19:25
reply Joe,Hey those AR-T San teas
Joe, Hey those AR-T San teas look tasty. Have you tried them? So I had to do the research. It looks like McCain drinks Cappuccino, and Obama rarely drinks coffee, but when he does he drinks it black. That is a tough one. There is something to be said for not needing the assistance of sugar, but you can’t deny the bravery involved in drinking the sugary stuff. edit
Submitted on Mon, 2008-03-03 04:10
reply Off the top of my head...
... I can only say I've tried their white tea, bancha green tea and the rooibos south african tea (because of a south african, actually). Knowing how good their white tea is, I'm sure the AR-T San would be great. Interesting concept, I'll have to try on myself next time I'm down that way. I used to drink coffee black, but it had to be damned good coffee. Adelaide water's not the greatest for black coffee unless the water itself has been filtered (it's chlorinated during treatment, tastes almost like pool water :-P ). Are you voting this year, and if so will their preference of coffee sway you at all??
Submitted on Tue, 2008-03-04 07:50
reply I might not vote this year,
I might not vote this year, which is unusual for me. Theres just too much BS to wade through and the way people talk about it stresses me out, but I'll probably look into it in October anyway.
Submitted on Wed, 2008-03-05 21:57
reply Good luck with that,
Good luck with that, hopefully it won't be more of the same after the elections have finished. I'm sick of the mud-slinging contest going on down here, but I'm sure it's only just begun...
Submitted on Thu, 2008-03-06 02:59
reply Post new comment |
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Black Gold is on More 4 tonight at 10 pm
it follows one mans fight for justice...
"Nestlé - one of the "big four" roasters - has been known to enjoy profit
margins of up to 26% on some coffee brands. Oxfam has estimated that 3,900
cups of Nestlé instant coffee are drunk every second, and quoted one
financial analyst describing the roasting business as "the commercial
equivalent of heaven: typical profit margins in the food and drink trade are
much smaller, at around 12%. Starbucks earns $24.00/lb. or more, with gross
margins that likely exceed $20.00.6
Back in Ethiopia, the farmers who supplied their premier land, distinctive
plants, cultivation techniques, and hard labor earned less than a dollar."
How can that be right ?