Steve
Ref CofE – I agree that it is a great programme in terms of providing access and education in producing countries. Also agree that it can help develop producers’ understanding of market requirements with regards to cup profile. However, I still think that the judging system is slightly flawed (use of quantitative data without the appropriate analysis and controls I would see as slightly flawed?), but to return to my previous post it is possibly all that is practicable in this environment.
With regards to your comments in your later post, true the diff between CofE pricing and FT minimum pricing is normally quite significant but I think this is largely driven by the buying mechanism (and dare I say to an extent by ego’s), roasters know that other roasters look at the auction listings and of course if you are participating then you to see your name up in lights. Not that anyone here has suggested this specifically but I don’t think that CofE auctions are a sustainable or efficient market mechanism for coffee sales and procurement. As a mechanism for highlighting quality to roasters, it’s fine and long may it continue.
Ref Fairtrade, I had an interesting conversation with a farmer a couple of weeks ago who is a member of a Fairtrade co-op (also organic) and he saw CofE as a nice hobby, promotional exercise and as a competition but not as a sustainable approach to selling his crop (although he has been top-20 in CofE in the past). In terms of what Fairtrade brought to his community, he waxed lyrical on the subject without interruption. Interestingly what he did say about CofE was that he was unhappy that cuppers with less than one year’s experience were being used by the national institute for the regional heat prior to the final coffees going to the international panel. Looking at the reports from the regional event and having cupped the coffee I would tend to support his grumblings. That being said he is entering again this year.
Fairtrade is not without its faults but I would disagree that Fairtrade producers are getting no more when NYC goes above 126, as producers have increasingly begun to insist the contract is normally at sellers call which allows the co-op to make the most of any peak and (FLO contract also requires 15c/lb premium on organic which the general organic coffee market is struggling to obtain these days). Look at FLO minimum price diffs on ubiquitous FT Mexicans versus FT Yirgacheffe or FT Sumatrans, just because it’s not explicit in the FLO contract it doesn’t mean that supply / demand / quality don’t impact on FT pricing as well. For example there are co-op’s in Ethiopia this year that have sold out of conventional contracted Sidamo’s on the basis that they can sell all of the remainder of their crop via FT which means a significant increase in income for the farmers over the conventional pricing over dozens of containers, dwarfing the $$$ impact of a single country CofE like Bolivia in just one co-op, and with social direction applied to a significant proportion of the funds decided at local level. This in turn will benefit > 1,000 farmers versus the 19 in the Bolivian competition. There are softer benefits to CofE I know rather than just $$$ but you would be hard pushed to see at least some of the logic in this. To return to your point that Fairtrade producers are getting no more when NYC goes above 126, even if this were the case they were getting 126 when the market was in the late 40’s…
I agree that there are roasters (and coffee bar chains) out there that do take a tokenistic approach to FT and it probably isn’t the definitive answer to the woe’s of those most dependent on the NYC but I think for a larger proportion of farmers it can make a greater impact than cupping competition / auctions ever will.
James
Ref PROP – there are a couple of studies (although some that contradict as well) with regards to PROP sensitivity and its affect on preference for foods (incl coffee) in terms of the acceptability of bitter characteristics. Given the genetic spread of this in different global populations will this mean that SBUX will need to alter their roast style in different global markets . Shopping was good (although that makes me sounds like my wife ).