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Selfridges are having a Brazilian theme for their annual special month long promotion to be held in all four stores. As part of this, their branches in Oxford Street, Manchester Trafford, Manchester Exchange Square and the ultra trendy Birmingham store are featuring some of the finest Brazil Estate Coffees supplied by SCAE member, The Brazil Specialty Coffee Association and its UK representative, Mercanta The Coffee Hunter.

Alf Kramer reports from a new coffee frontier, the 3rd edition of the Greek CoffeeBiz conference and exhibition.

The Rimini gathering served as well as the first showcase of a number of innovative ideas on the competition front. In conjunction with the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA), the SCAE organised the Brazil Late Harvest Naturals Competition, which brought a number of new crop natural coffees to the attention of cuppers, by presenting them for evaluation under strict Cup of Excellence rules. The winning coffee, announced by the SCAE’s Steven Hurst and Alf Kramer, and José Francisco Pereira, BSCA president, was a pure Bourbon from Fazenda Cachoiera, a BSCA member in the Sul de Minas growing region.

For some strange reason, players in the speciality market have simply defined naturals as being outside of speciality.

Some 43 Cup of Excellence winning farmers auctioned their coffee on the internet in early December, a 50 per cent increase in winners from over last year’s programme. The average prices achieved were five times higher than the New York “C” market, with the price per pound reaching almost $3.00, Cup of Excellence said.

An international jury comprising 20 coffee cuppers of Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States met during the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) Fair, in an event/action that was organized by BSCA (Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association) to choose the best natural coffees of the 2003/2004 harvest.

For providing the quality lighthouse and quality beam for others to follow.

For understanding and promoting the true interests of the coffee growers Luiz Hafers, always fighting to keep the Brazilian government from "helping" growers through market interventions.