Colombia Menaced by Invasion

Colombia produces much of the world’s high-quality Arabica coffee. The coffee-growing region of this Central American country is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the EU granted the crop Protected Denomination of Origin status.

A major customer for Colombian coffee is the USA’s sprawling, globe-spanning Starbucks coffee shop chain. There are approximately umpteen bazillion Starbucks locations worldwide. Today, July 16th, there will be a new one. In Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. In the high-end Parque 93 district. Near a homegrown Juan Valdez Café. Ouch.

Starbucks plans to open 50 locations in Colombia by 2018.

 More:

“Make room Juan Valdez: Starbucks opens in Colombia,” Joshua Goodman, AP via Miami Herald

“Starbucks to take on Juan Valdez in Colombia,” Marina Villeneuve, Washington Post

“Starbucks ya está listo para abrir sus puertas en Bogotá, pero algo esconden los gringos…” pulzo

“Starbucks se instala en Colombia oficialmente,” LA F.m.

“A cartographic guide to Starbucks’ global domination,” David Yanofsky, Quartz

La Federación Nacional de Cafeteros website

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Don’t Take Your Guns to Starbucks

Excerpt, open letter from Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Coffee:

“Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.”

Reuter’s Robert MacMillan: “If you must pack heat, please order decaf.”

Starbucks Plans World Domination

“Starbucks will have more than 20,000 retail stores on six continents by 2014 and more than 200,000 points of global consumer products group distribution by 2015,” Starbuck’s CEO Howard Schultz told the company’s 2012 Investor Conference. Starbucks is adding 3,000 units in the Americas, 1,500 units in the USA, and is ramping up in Asia. The chain will have 1,500 coffee shops in 70 Chinese cities in 2015.

“Starbucks: 3,000 new stores in Americas by 2017 (or two a day),” Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here.  Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Coffee in the Capital

M.E. Swing Coffee (founded 1916) was named best local coffee shop in Washington DC and awarded the Krups “Cup O’ Joe” prize. We’ll drink to that.

Once a fixture at 1013 E Street NW, the firm’s flagship location is now at 1702 G Street NW, near the Old Executive Office Building. More here. We recall the old store’s refusal to sell flavored beans with a hand-written sign that said “we sell no adulterated coffee.”

 

Image (“Coffee in the Capital, after Henri Meunier”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Starbucks at 40

It’s Starbucks’ 40th anniversary (rubies, nasturtiums). To celebrate, the 17 billion thousand Starbucks locations in the known universe will start selling whoopee pies, health products, and booze. They will also offer special, limited-time products like Starbucks Tribute Blend coffee and some kind of donut-hole-on-a-stick.

Here’s To You, Leslie Buck

Raise your coffee cup and toast the memory of Leslie Buck, who passed away this week at the age of 87. Mr. Buck designed the classic blue-and-white take-out paper coffee cup in 1963. The design was later acquired by the Solo Cup Company and is still produced today at the demand of New York area diner traditionalists.