coffee business strategies

Engineering a better cup of coffee

Andrew Hetzel — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:30:36 +0000

I was quoted today in an article for Inc.com, online presence for Inc. magazine, which provides entrepreneurial advice for small business and publishes the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. They previously featured our good friends at Zingerman’s, which I agree is the “Coolest Small Company in America,” so they must be a reliable [...]

When did coffee come to Hawaii?

Andrew Hetzel — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:01:12 +0000

Friend, colleague and Hawaii’s resident coffee scientist Shawn Steiman investigates the conflicting historical accounts of when coffee first arrived in Hawaii. If you look into the history of coffee’s arrival to Hawai‘i, you’ll discover that most sources report that it was first brought by the Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula Marin, but that his plantings [...]

What is your coffee business?

Andrew Hetzel — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:17:38 +0000

It’s been over 5 years since I began jotting down my thoughts, tips, press releases and frustrations with the coffee industry to this blog and I have always wondered “who is reading this stuff?” So, I thought, why not ask: who are you? In two sentences, post a reply below to describe your business, what [...]

Dubai Prepares for 2nd Middle East Coffee & Tea Conference

Andrew Hetzel — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:54:06 +0000

Organizers in Dubai are gearing up for the 2nd annual Middle East Coffee & Tea Conference, which is also the site of the official UAE Barista Championship. Having attended and presented at last year’s inaugural conference, I can say firsthand that the event is an important educational opportunity and market linkage for the fledgling specialty [...]

2011 Kaapi Royale Coffee India Origin Tour Unveiled

Andrew Hetzel — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:05:44 +0000

Bangalore (August 6, 2010) – Kaapi Royale Coffee announces the January 2011 return of our annual origin tour to India’s exotic coffee growing regions for coffee professionals, this year adding Coorg to an expanded 5-day itinerary. The event begins on Tuesday, January 11th in Bangalore with a welcome reception at the Bangalore Club, a grand [...]

Publicity from the Past in Portuguese

Andrew Hetzel — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:06:03 +0000

(alternative title: Belated Blog from Brazil) Google sends me news updates on search keywords that are of interest to me, things like “coffee,” “espresso,” my name, my company and sales at my favorite stores. As news items are generally added very quickly, I was surprised to see this article from Exame, Brazil’s largest business magazine [...]

LION Coffee Doubles Phantom USDA Guideline

Andrew Hetzel — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:23:50 +0000

In a story printed in today’s Pacific Business News, LION Coffee of Hawaii announced that it will launch an antioxidant-spiked coffee line on August 1st. Lion Coffee is introducing a new line of antioxidant-rich coffee called Pure Choices. The new line will use all-natural KonaRed Coffee Fruit in four flavors: original, French roast, coconut and [...]

100% Kona Not Enough to Win Hawaii Competition

Andrew Hetzel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:50:24 +0000

Last week’s Hawaii Coffee Association statewide cupping competition was won by Rusty’s Hawaiian coffee of Ka’u. No surprise there, it’s really outstanding stuff. However, what I did find interesting is that of the top 5 scoring coffees, only 1 is from Kona (4th place). Slots 1, 3 and 5 went to Ka’u farms and Maui’s [...]

Shawn Steiman on coffee scoring systems

Andrew Hetzel — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:58:20 +0000

Friend and colleague Shawn Steiman scores high marks in this month’s Roast Magazine with The Points Principle, a point/counterpoint look at the 100-point cupping system and its alternatives, with rebuttal by Ken Davids of Coffee Review. I give the article a solid 92.

Coffee Fest fears SCAA “encroachment” in Seattle

Andrew Hetzel — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:22:04 +0000

My mail today included a humility-free plea from Coffee Fest, the industry’s self-proclaimed “top retail show,” instructing me and other members of the Specialty Coffee Association of America to express concern with the SCAA board’s consideration to relocate its annual convention to Seattle for 6 out of 8 years annually beginning in 2014. “While Coffee [...]