“Starbucks raises coffee prices for retailers

Starbucks Corp. is raising prices it charges retailers for packaged coffee by up to 12 percent to cope with higher costs for beans. The world’s largest coffee chain said that it informed grocery customers Friday of the increase for Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee brands. It’s up to the grocers and other retailers to decide if they want to pass along that increase to consumers. Starbucks also raised the price it suggests stores charge to $9.99 from $8.99 for a 12-ounce package of Starbucks coffee and to $7.99 from $6.99 for Seattle’s Best. Starbucks is one of several coffee companies to raise prices as the cost for unroasted beans has hit record levels.

Jim Patton”

The source is Jim Patton, Walker Trading

It’s worth your time.  Especially if the coffee is KMO Coffee.

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Life is Like Coffee

The study shows that “Two thirds of Americans have a cup of coffee every day.  However, only 27 percent of the coveted 18-24-year-old demographic drink coffee on a regular basis.”

Attracting younger adults into coffeehouses and cafes is very important to successful long term growth.  Discussions about what could attract more of this target market could start with a coffeehouse’s employees, which in many instances are part of that demographic.

Creating a casual atmosphere with music, available wi-fi, offering Fair Trade Organic coffees as well as a food menu of items that would appeal to this group is a great starting point.  Becoming a destination for social get-togethers -  live music, open mic nights, poetry readings and movie nights could prove to be fun as well as profitable.

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The increase to 63 percent of consumers purchasing specialty food in 2010 – up from 46 percent in 2009 — means 51 million consumers have come back to specialty food after cutting their spending during 2008 and 2009, said Ron Tanner, VP, communications and education at the New York-based NASFT. That’s a return to 2006’s specialty food consumption numbers, he noted.

What are they buying?

Among specialty food consumers, natural or organic products were the most purchased in the past 12 months. The top five specialty food purchases reported were coffee, chocolate, olive oil/other specialty oils, cheese and cold beverages.

Who is buying?

Consumers age 18 to 34, especially those in the 25-to-34 age bracket with $100,000-plus household incomes, are 35 percent more likely to buy specialty food. These consumers tend to be in the Northeast or the Western United States, college educated and Hispanic.

The research was conducted in July 2010 by Mintel International and Toluna USA.

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Three Eyed Buddha Blend Poster, Air Pot Label or Shelf Talker

Fair Trade Organic Three Eyed Buddha™ is only available from Kaffe Magnum Opus.  Three cheers to Robert Kraeuter for coming up with the blend.

This is one I urge you to carry and brew.   It has remarkable clarity and is part of our growing selection of Fair Trade Organic coffees.