Blog

31 August 2023

Coffee Plants New Art Work

Coffee Plant is proud to be the (very temporary) owner of this excellent graffitti artwork.

We discovered it on our return to the shop after the Notting Hill Carnival last weekend.

The creator carefully put cling film under it so it could be removed without damaging the window, that's consideration for you.

It's a long time since Harold Wilson and the Swinging Sixties and once again Portobello Road and Notting Hill are at the cutting edge.

But who is the creator? We will be looking up our graffitti reference book (not kidding) but maybe someone out there can let us know who the creator is?

And where to find their work?

One kg is on offer of coffee for the first correct answer

7 June 2023

Instant Coffee Insane Price Increases

Profiteering

The price of coffee on the wholesale market peaked in February 2022, after frost damaged the 2021-22 harvest in Brasil. So why are we seeing headlines about soaring instant coffee prices over a year later? And why so much more expensive?

Partly because coffee is often traded on long term contracts which run out months after the spot price changes. This is not a bad thing as it gives more security to often impoverished producers. In fact the it is a crucial part of the Fairtrade system which guarantees prices and long term contract to producers. We sell Fairtrade coffee and as we like to do the best for the planet so we focus on dual certified organic Fairtrade origins.

To get back to the coffee market, most contracts are well under 18 months so there must be other factors at work. Instant coffee has always been a poor deal as food processors naturally charge extra for an extra process. In addition they are predictably, like everyone else, blaming fuel prices. It's true that the process requires energy and involves extra transport but it's hard to explain the scale of the rises without reference to that fine old capitalist tradition: profiteering.

Here's a simple tip many of our customers are aware of: to save on your coffee budget, get your real coffee on a slightly darker roast. If you drink it white put a little more milk in

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21 February 2023  |  Admin

Coffee Supply Hiccups

One indirect effect of the shortages after the 2021 frost in Brasil is random hiccups in the supply of some of our most popular origins of coffee beans.

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27 October 2022  |  Admin

This Coffee Tastes Disgusting

Fortunately, this is something we rarely hear but we suspect that independent shops following the current trend for super light roast hear it more often. As well as gourmet suppliers with light acidic coffees, there are other reasons a cup of coffee can be a disappointment. Chains offer high roast coffee made weakly, or low-grade Robusta, to boost profits probably attract this sentiment – if anyone bothered to complain.

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18 October 2022  |  Admin

Coffee Prices Still Through the Roof

Frost is the enemy of coffee plants. With the Brazil frost season now over uneventfully, coffee roasters (and drinkers) are breathing a sigh of relief, hoping for a drop in the sky-high wholesale prices we have suffered since the frost in Brazil last summer. So far that has not happened and in the next few weeks Coffee may even be raising prices to match the current levels.

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27 May 2022  |  Admin

Birds and Bees Help Boost Coffee Crops Growth

A new study involving real-world experiments at 30 coffee farms has found that coffee fruit health and production is dramatically improved with the increased presence of both birds and bees.

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28 February 2022  |  Admin

Organic Movement

The Organic Soil Association have experienced strong growth across most of their certification schemes across Forestry and Organic.

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22 November 2021  |  Admin

Coffee Price Shock on its Way

Coffee wholesale prices have rocketed in the last few months and this will affect prices in the shops before much longer. Why have prices more than doubled? There are two reasons: the superficial and the fundamental. As usual the media are focusing on the superficial cause which was a minor frost in Brasil last summer (winter in Brasil!).

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