Java Blog

This week, Chile is hosting the World Association of Chefs Societies for a food tasting event. What’s on the menu? Coffee, of course!

Brazil is bringing its best coffee to the conference as part of a larger food commodity marketing campaign. The conference will feature Brazilian coffee tastings, full service coffee bars and products that bear the stamp “Coffees from Brazil: The Best Coffees in the World.”

Jorge Monti, executive director of the Brazilian Haute Cuisine Association will present a lecture series on Tuesday titled, “Concinar com Cafe,” which translates, “Cooking with Coffee.” The conference will feature many ideas and resources to encourage international chefs to incorporate coffee into their cooking and cuisine.

In this economic downturn when most people are looking for ways to save, it looks like folks still need their Starbucks. After responding to the difficult economic climate by closing some stores and making changes to drink prices, Starbucks released the “VIA Ready Brew” line of what they refer to as “Not instant coffee, but rich flavorful Starbucks coffee in an instant”. Via is Starbuck’s newest creation, an instant coffee that tastes like fresh brewed. Initially there are 3 choices available, Colombia, Italian Roast and Italian Roast Decaf. Apparently coffee consumers share the company’s enthusiasm for the new product. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Starbucks has posted it’s first quarter of 4% same-store growth since late 2008 attributed mainly to the success of Via.

Interested in finding out what all the hype is about? Starbucks Via is available at any of the company’s retail shops and can also be purchased online at www.acsjava.com .

For many people who enjoy a particular sport, hobby or food item, starting a business around that interest is often somewhere in the back of their minds. Coffee shops are one of the most common business ideas–after all, who doesn’t love a steaming, robust cup of coffee?

In today’s economy, it’s not surprise that small businesses are not thriving the way they were even just a couple years ago. Coffee Shops are no exception. It seems simple enough to the prospective business owner: buy some coffee beans, and start roasting. After all, how much could it cost to brew up some coffee and put it in a paper cup?

It turns out that launching a coffee shop with the appropriate utilities and equipment costs between $100,000 and $200,000. To break even in such a situation requires selling nearly a cup of coffee every two minutes. For some locations, this might be feasible, but for others–particularly small shops in less urban areas, with fewer employees and limited hours of operation, this is nearly impossible.

So, if you’re thinking of starting a coffee shop, give it a few years. Wait until people have more spare change to spend on a cup of coffee and then rethink investing. For now, just treat yourself, your family, your friends and your co-workers to some single serving k-cups from ACS Java. They’ll thank you. If you put out a jar, maybe you’ll even get some tips!

As she pulled away from the Burger King, Crystal Branch was burned by the cup of hot coffee that an employee placed not in a cup holder, but inside a paper bag. Ms. Branch is arguing that the cup of coffee should have been visible, and that this would have spared her some pain.

For this little incident, she’s suing Burger King for $50,000. Back in 1992, another woman sued McDonalds for $2.9 million dollars following a similar coffee-spilling incident and won. Who knew getting coffee from fast food joints could be such risky business?

This year, avoid nasty burns from coffee, no matter how carelessly it’s handed to you by fast food employees. Practice coffee-handling safety: If you order coffee, watch for it as you are handed your order out the fast food window. Take care not to mishandle the cup that is labeled “HOT.”

If you want to be extra careful, remain in control of your coffee from start to finish and save a bunch of money in the process, just invest in a K-Cup brewer. You can never be too safe.

As many regions of Africa face continued political and economic instability, as they have for centuries, the Eastern African Fine Coffees Association hopes it has found a solution to some of the unrest.

Increased coffee production, says the Association, are the key to boosting the economy and stabilizing some of the social unrest seen in Eastern nation. Currently, Africa only produces about 12% of the world’s coffee, but the Association hopes to increase that percentage 15-20% by 2020.

Coffee brings people together—whether it’s being drank, processed or produced, coffee is a force for peace in the world. Next time you drink coffee, you can feel good knowing that you’re supporting a beverage that supports solutions to social crisis.