Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Lavazza purchases piece of Green Mountain
After gobbling up roasters, now they are selling a slice of Green Mountain to the Italian espresso company Lavazza. Lavazza already has a single serve espresso machine, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with together.
Lavazza pursues stake in Green Mountain Coffee
By EMILY FREDRIX (AP) – 1 hour ago
NEW YORK — For an extra jolt to its finances, Green Mountain Coffee Rosters Inc. is selling a 7 percent stake to Lavazza, Italy’s best-selling espresso brand, for $250 million.
Together, the companies plan to develop new single-serving espresso machines and espresso capsules that will complement Green Mountain’s popular Keurig coffee makers, which brew single cups of tea or coffee.
The deal is expected to close in September and advances both company’s strategies, they said late Tuesday.
Green Mountain wants to expand its successful single-serve K-Cup lines, and Lavazza has been buying companies in India, Brazil and Argentina to fuel its growth. This is Lavazza’s biggest foreign acquisition.
Lavazza, based in Turin, has agreed to buy newly issued shares at 10 cents par value common stock at a price equal to the 60-day volume weighted average price at closing, less 7.5 percent. The deal includes the possibility of buying additional shares up to 15 percent of Green Mountain.
The deal must be approved by U.S. antitrust regulators.
The companies’ new single-serve products aren’t expected to reach the market until at least 2013.
The Keurig system’s success has been fueling growth for Green Mountain, which is based in Waterbury, Vt.
As shoppers cut spending at cafes during the recession, the systems presented a less-expensive alternative. Rival Starbucks Corp. jumped into the market in September with its Via instant coffee line.
Last month Keurig said its third-quarter revenue rose 64 percent to $311.5 million, thanks largely to rising sales of Keurig machines and accessories, which accounted for about half of the company’s revenue. It expects shipments for K-Cup packs to rise as much as 76 percent this fiscal year.
Green Mountain’s $300 million acquisition of Diedrich Coffee Inc. — one of four roasters licensed to produce K-Cups — closed in May.
The Lavazza investment will let Green Mountain make more purchases, Janney Capital Markets analyst Mitchell Pinheiro told clients in a note Wednesday. It also brings Lavazza’s brand value and expertise to Keurig products and could help with launching Keurig in Europe, he said.
He reiterated his "Buy" rating on the stock and $40 price target.
Shares of Green Mountain fell 47 cents, or 1.5 percent, to close at $30.99 Wednesday.
Coffee Decreases Diabetes Risk
More good news for Coffee addicts. An Australian study shows coffee and tea consumption decreases the risk for developing Diabetes. They haven’t quite figured out why yet, but they believe coffee and tea help regulate blood sugar.
Coffee and tea drinkers less likely to have diabetes
December 16, 5:50 PM DC Coffee & Tea Examiner Brenna Coleman
Coffee (Ali Edwards/CC flickr)
The December issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine released a study on the inverse relationship between coffee and tea consumption and diabetes risk, according to Modern Medicine. It seems that people who drink coffee or tea regularly have a significantly lowered risk.
Details of the study on coffee, tea, and diabetes risk
At the University of Sydney in Australia researchers analyzed a total of 18 studies, and almost half a million people who regularly drink coffee, decaf coffee, or tea. The results showed a 7% reduced risk for diabetes for every cup of coffee, although researchers believe more trials are needed to make the claim that drinking coffee and tea actually protects against diabetes. Coffee and tea seem to have a positive impact on blood sugar regulation.
The inverse relationship between coffee and tea consumption and diabetes risk is promising, and the potential could be great. At this time the exact phytochemicals in coffee and tea that are responsible for the apparently beneficial result are unidentified. It could be as simple as the magnesium present in these beverages (as well as fruits, vegetables and many whole foods), which has an impact on diabetes risk, or perhaps it is the result of the synergy of several different phytochemicals. Regardless, researchers have brought coffee and tea lovers one more reason to enjoy their coffee and tea.
Patients Dying? Drink More Coffee
I am all for drinking more coffee, but even I think this is going a bit far – expecting coffee to save lives. “After warnings that patients were dying,” Australian officials told doctors to drink 6 cups of coffee per day to stay alert during long shifts. Seriously? For one, I bet they already tried that. Second, drugs (even mild ones like caffeine) probably shouldn’t be the answer for health care officials. The “patients were dying” line is a bit of a red flag for me and calls for a bit more than, “Grab a cup of Joe and get back in there, buckaroo!” I don’t know if they call Doctors buckaroo in Australia, but you get the point. Let’s not put all the pressure on coffee to save lives. It’s a wonder-drink, loved by many, but that’s just too much pressure.
I know, personally, I’d want my doctor to be more alert than just riding a coffee buzz. I’d prefer well rested.
Sleep-deprived doctors told to drink coffee
Tue Sep 8, 2009 2:20pm EDT
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Exhausted Australian doctors have been told to drink up to six cups of coffee a day to stay awake during extended shifts, building pressure on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to seize control of state-run hospitals.
A document on fatigue management released by health officials in Queensland state recommended doctors ingest 400 milligrams of caffeine to stay awake on the job, or the equivalent of six cups of coffee, after warnings that patients were dying.
"For management to just say go and have a cup of coffee and get over tiredness, it cheapens the whole issue," Australian Medical Association Vice President Steven Hambleton told Reuters.
"We are talking about serious issues here, and this is not just a serious suggestion at all. It can’t be a weakness to say you’re dog tired," he said.
The recommendation followed warnings from a union representing Queensland doctors this week that public hospital patients were dying because dangerously tired medics were being forced to work up to 80 hours without a break.
Australia’s national center-left government is under pressure to seize control of the nation’s ailing public hospital system, currently managed by state governments with federal funding support, in a $20.5 billion takeover.
With fresh elections a year away, repairing the health system was a key promise that helped underpin the 2007 victory by Labor over rival conservatives, with Rudd campaigning tirelessly on health and promising to fix public hospitals.
Rudd last month delayed a decision by six months, but said the option of a "full monty" takeover was still on the cards.
In advocating the use of caffeine by doctors, the health department document said that compared with other psychoactive drugs, such as the prescription-only stimulant modafinil, caffeine was more readily available and less expensive.
Salaried Doctors Queensland, representing medicos, countered that pumping doctors full of caffeine was not an effective way to deal with fatigue and doctor shortages, often filled in Australia through recruitment overseas.
Queensland Labor Health Minister Paul Lucas said the state was aiming to train more doctors and cap hospital work shifts at 12 hours over the next two years, but had no immediate solution to fatigue and staff shortages.
"If the doctors are not there, we can’t do it," he said. "We can’t say we’d rather not have it as it is and create doctors out of the air."
Starbucks wine and beer?
Actually, it looks like they will using a different name, but Starbucks is testing out a new type of coffee shop, using a more local name, serving wine and beer, and providing live music. After closing many stores, and facing new competition daily, it looks like Starbucks is looking for a new recipe for revenue.
This reminds me of the pre-Starbucks coffee houses I remember from college and it actually sounds pretty inviting. We’ll see if Starbucks can pull it off without making it feel like a Starbucks. Hopefully they don’t put two on every corner.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200907161642DOWJONESDJONLINE000985_FORTUNE5.htm
UPDATE: Starbucks Tests New Store Names, Alcohol Sales
July 16, 2009: 04:42 PM ET
By Paul Ziobro
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is scrubbing its name from a Seattle location in favor of the store’s street address in a test that could sprout more stores that seem more like the corner coffee shop rather than the global coffee giant.
The store, a former Starbucks that had been targeted for closing, is called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. It will also serve wine and beer and host live music and poetry readings as it seeks to take on a more community vibe where neighbors can gather late into the night. Bagged coffee in the store will also be slapped with the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea name.
The chain plans to start by remodeling at least three Seattle-area stores with names based on their addresses or neighborhood rather than the corporation. Aside from 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, the two other locations have yet to be determined. If successful, Starbucks plans to expand the trial to other markets.
A Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed the test, first reported Thursday by the Seattle Times, was in the works, but an executive wasn’t immediately available to comment on further details.
The test is the latest attempt by Starbucks to rejuvenate its in-store experience with changes like grinding coffee beans for each new pot and simplifying recipes for its muffins and breads. Starbucks is also opening stores with a more sophisticated tone that hearkens back to its early coffeehouse days.
At the same time, the coffee giant continues to face pressure as consumers remain wary in a shaky economy while McDonald’s Corp. (MCD), with its recently launched McCafe, and other coffee purveyors pose fresh competition.
Operating a store under a different name could provide a fresh canvas for Starbucks to test a number of elements where consumers won’t be biased by the company’s name, says Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based food consultancy. "It would only confuse the customer to put Starbucks on it," Paul said.
Serving alcohol like cordials and offering entertainment could help boost night-time business, making it serve more as a dessert destination after meals. Still, attempts at improving the customer experience may be lost on consumers for whom price has become the defining factor in where they spend their money.
"There is that ‘third-place’ aspect for Starbucks, but that’s become less important" for consumers, said Paul, referring to a term commonly used to describe the chain as a gathering place.
Starbucks has been battling falling sales and traffic throughout the recession, causing the once fast-growing chain to shut hundreds of stores and lay off thousands of employees. Its last round of job cuts announced in January sent pink slips to 6,700 workers, while the company closed another 300 stores.
Starbucks shares took a nosedive, hitting a 52-week low of $7.06 last November, though the company’s restructuring has helped restore order. The stock has more than doubled since, and is up 52% this year, closing Thursday at $ 14.41.
Next week, Starbucks is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings, with analysts forecasting another period of weak sales while the chain aggressively works to cut costs.
Sweet coffee breath…
I too have always interpreted “coffee breath” as a bad thing. It’s preferable to many other types of breath, but I’ve never heard of good coffee breath. Until reading about recent research in Tel Aviv, that is. As it turns out, coffee can actually kill odor causing bacteria in the mouth and improve bad breath.
They still have to figure out exactly how it works, but for now if someone says you have coffee breath, simply reply, “Thank you!”
Israeli study reveals coffee can fight bad breath
June 29, 7:28 AM
Julia Freeman-Woolpert
Coffee breath is a term commonly used with a negative connotation. Many articles have been written warning that the acidic nature of coffee creates an oral environment that fosters the growth of odor causing bacteria, and Professor Mel Rosenberg, a breath specialist at Tel Aviv University, set out to prove just that.
To Professor Rosenberg’s surprise, the opposite proved true. In laboratory tests at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the researchers monitored the effect of malodorous bacteria in saliva using extracts of three brands of coffee: Elite coffee (an Israeli brand), Landwer Turkish coffee, and Taster’s Choice (American). Expecting the in vitro evaluation to prove that coffee increases malodorous bacteria effects, they instead found that all three extracts inhibited odor causing bacteria.
This study did not identify exactly what compounds are responsible for the beneficial effects, but Professor Rosenberg expects that further study may isolate the active ingredient, and this may lead to a new class of breath remedies that prevent bad breath from occurring rather than masking it once it exists.
Jochem Aarts
Though the research is new, the benefits have been enjoyed for centuries. Five hundred years ago coffeehouses were popular in the Middle East, where men gathered after work and after dinner to sip coffee, enjoy music, conversation, and serious debate. In many cultures coffee has long been an after dinner tradition, and some have held that sucking on coffee beans freshened the breath and countered the effects of food containing such breath-impacting ingredients as onion and garlic.
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Coffee not dehydrating?
I’ve always been told that drinking coffee is actually “dehydrating,” meaning that it does more harm than good as far as hydration. Well, according to this article by Korina Felkers, that’s not true. In fact, in limited amounts, coffee can hydrate. Coffee is about 98% water, so it does make sense that it is hydrating.
Yet another myth debunked by science. Soon, maybe we won’t have to wait 30 minutes after eating to swim…
Korina Felkers
Boulder Coffee Examiner
Dispelling the coffee dehydration myth
June 23, 1:54 PM
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Photo from Freepixels.com
The topic of dehydration is a hot one, here in Boulder, CO. The dry climate, high altitude and proliferation of athletes, health-conscious folks and outdoor activities, keep this health issue in the forefront of conversation in many circles. The common wisdom is: Drink water (not coffee!) from the moment you get up till the moment you lay your head down to sleep, lest you succumb to altitude sickness or heat stroke, both of which are precipitated by dehydration. Certainly many holistic health professionals have touted coffee as a dehydrating substance, telling clients that they must drink two glasses of water for every cup of coffee they’ve consumed, just to make up for the resulting fluid deficit. So we’ve been taught all these years. Turns out, it ain’t so!
Recent scientific research has shown that not only does moderate caffeine consumption not dehydrate you, but it is now considered an acceptable contributor to our daily fluid intake requirement. The caveat here is that you have to watch how much caffeine you take in. One study, published in 2007, looked at fluid balance, hydration and exercise in the heat, and concluded that if you have no more than 300 mg to 400 mg of caffeine, there is no dehydration effect, either with exercise or at rest. Since a 1.5 ounce shot of espresso contains approximately 77 mg of caffeine, you’d probably be just fine to have that single or double latte in the morning, before lacing up those hiking boots.
Personally, I’m rejoicing at this news. For years, I’ve had a slightly guilty feeling about my penchant for a strong latte before heading to the mountains for a long day of hiking. Now the research backs up what I’ve intuitively always known: a good shot of espresso gives me better endurance on the trail, without depleting me of the fluids I need. Aaah…all is well in a world where coffee contributes to proper hydration.
Italy vs US Coffee
Having just returned from two weeks in Italy, I thought I’d offer my own comparisons of Italian versus US coffee. Just one man’s opinion, but after ten years in the coffee business here in the US, I found some of the differences interesting. It’s not a better or worse thing (in most cases) – just different.
First, I never saw a single “pot” of coffee. Obviously, I’m in the single cup business, so I’m biased, but I did look for a pot of coffee and never found one. That is just not how they drink coffee – each cup is brewed one cup at a time and, if it’s consumed, you brew another cup. You don’t just put a big pot on a burner and drink it when you’re ready, regardless of the time it’s been burning on the burner. The closest I came to a pot was one hotel which gave each of us our own small server of coffee. But, even that was not really a pot – just a large serving kept warm in a silver silver. It certainly didn’t sit on a burner cooking until consumed (or turned to mush). And, yes, I do believe that a cup at a time is a better way to brew and drink coffee. Hot, fresh, delicious – like our Keurig!
Second, I didn’t really have a bad cup of coffee anywhere. Regardless of the restaurant, hotel, etc., everyone offered good coffee. I had many black coffees, a few espressos, and a few cappuccino’s and they were all good. I don’t get that many bad coffees in the US anymore either, to be fair. But, there are many places where I won’t even think of ordering the coffee because I know it’s bad. In Italy, I got it wherever it was offered and it was always good. I’m sure they have bad coffee, too. I just didn’t find any.
Third, I didn’t see any branded coffee. No Starbucks on every street corner, no label on every coffee brewer in the restaurant. In fact, I have no idea whose coffee I drank the entire time I was there except for the Illy in the Villa we rented. In the US, restaurants are often “given” equipment by the coffee vendor, so their label is plastered on the walls, on the brewers, on the air pots, and anywhere else a label will fit. We’re all about branding. By the way, go to JustOneCup.com for Green Mountain, Tully’s, Timothy’s, Diedrich, Coffee People, and Keurig supplies. . .
Fourth, I rediscovered the joy of an espresso and a small stove top brewer. We actually bought a little stove top espresso maker (to compliment our stovetop Muka cappuccino maker that we love). My wife recently discovered she can’t have dairy, so she had all but given up coffee as she can’t drink it black. I suggested an espresso which she quickly dismissed, of course. But, later, I forced her to have one and she loved it. Now we’re making them daily with our new little stovetop espresso maker. I’m looking at adding them to our line at JustOneCup.com because they’re awesome and a nice treat. There’s something extra special about an espresso and it’s not what you’d expect. Most people fear them (they’re actually lower in caffeine than a typical cup of drip coffee). But, give one a try – it might surprise you.
Of course, I was on vacation and everything is better on vacation. I love the US and am a strong believer that we are better at just about everything. But, for about two weeks, I was pretty convinced that Italy has us beat when it comes to coffee. I’m willing to go back to confirm my hypothesis, though…
15% off while the boss is gone
Hi JustOneCuppers,
IT guy here. The boss is away, the office manager is away, and the CFO cannot be found so I am taking control. I know summer time is upon us, so now its time for JustOneCup of Iced Coffee. We have mentioned in our blog some Iced Coffee recipes and I am sure all of you have your own favorites. Now is the time to stock up because this offer ends June 8th 2009. Use the coupon code BossGone (the coupon is case sensitive).
Also, we have selected seasonal JustOneCup items on sale at a great price. Check them out while supplies last because they will not be around for long.
Coupon Code: BossGone
Coupon Expires: 6/8/2009
Enjoy!
JustOneCup IT Guy
JustOneCup Newsletter – 10% off Coupon
Dear In Need of JustOneCup:
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Coupon Code: TenOff
Enjoy!
JustOneCup
