November 2018 - Has coffee reached it's peak. The dark side of Cafe Culture

Date Posted:1 November 2018 

 

“If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.” — Milton Berle

 

November 2018

It's getting close to the festive season with bitter cold of winter long gone and social activities ramping up as people get out and about to share conversations and laughter over good food and great coffee.

Not much seems to change in our coffee universe and this month we have published two articles. Our first blog looks at the accelerating trend of coffee wholesalers building full service cafe operations inside of their warehouses. The second article exposes a dark underbelly of a seemingly vibrant Australian cafe culture.

This month's Secret Label is a certified Organic and FAIRTRADE coffee representing tremendous value offered at literally half price to the market. For a limited time only until sold out.

My pick for this month is a stunning 87-point Ethiopian coffee that just screams "feature me" - we literally stumbled over this by accident. It's a limited offer and likely to only last a week or so, please don't miss out.

 

November Secret Label
 

Our November 2018 Secret Label is now available for a limited time - a quality, single origin coffee from one of South America's most respected and sustainable Co-ops.

Well-rounded, clean and balanced coffee with something for everyone.

It's certified Organic and FAIRTRADE but please note, we are not branding this coffee as official FAIRTRADE so that you can save the levy $$.

Here's what you can expect in the cup:-

  • Creamy body.
  • Fruity overtones without being fruit-driven - green apple crispness upfront.
  • Slight spicy aroma.
  • Well balanced.
  • Mild acidity.
  • Clean finish of orange and cocoa.

At just $24/kg, a FAIRTRADE and Organic coffee is excellent value at half the price our competitors sell ($49/kg both online and in store retail).

Buy as much as you want - we will keep on roasting it every day until the lot runs out.

If you are interested in trying this coffee, please be aware that we are likely to run out within 2 or 3 weeks, sometimes sooner as it's impossible to predict the sales of any promotion.

The promotion is not time-based, e.g. it's not going to run for a full calendar month of November. All our promotions are based upon a total volume of coffee we have available for the campaign. 

Only available in 1kg bags, sorry, no 500g packs and no ground packs.

Grab it here - November Secret Label

 

November 2018 Feature Coffee - Ethiopia

We came across this coffee purely by accident when looking to top up some holdings.

Not only did it score highly, the cup was absolutely delicious and reminded us once again why Ethiopia deserves it's crown as the spiritual birthplace of coffee.

The current season was rather challenging with further drought and tough growing conditions. Some yields are down considerably on last harvest and in particular we found many of the natural (dry) processed  coffees, so highly prized by coffee enthusiasts, performing below expectations.

We tend to play it safe with Ethiopians by keeping to a solid strategy of clean, washed coffees. Many naturals can have excessive fruit and whilst interesting in the first few cups, it can quickly become too much.

This Yirgacheffe is different to our every day offering and we thought it was absolutely stunning in every regard.

  • Aroma - High lemon, floral on the grinds.
  • Flavour - Sweet clean floral cup with intense and complex fruit notes of papaya, lemon, pineapple, peach and mandarin.
  • Acidity - Citric, balanced
  • Body - Silky
  • Finish - Earl grey tea and fruit finish.

Available for just a few short weeks, or until the allotment is sold.

Definitely my pick for this month and treat yourself to an early Xmas pressie- you certainly will not be disappointed.

Grab it here - November 2018 - Ethiopia

 

Has coffee reached it's peak ?

After more than a decade of writing anything and everything about coffee, each month becomes just that little bit harder to create content that is informative, interesting and relevant to lovers of coffee.

A reason we often branch into retail or other topics related to our daily lives.

What I've also come to realize, coincidentally, is the rest of our coffee industry whether it's local or around the world has also reached some type of peak or summit.

There is however a fundamental shift taking shape in a segment of Australia's coffee industry - wholesale.

Read more about a growing trend of whether coffe culture has reached it's peak

 

Australia's seemingly vibrant cafe culture is hiding a cruel underbelly

Well, it's all happening in 2018 - banks and insurance companies charging dead people, businesses busted for wage fraud, exploitation of hospitality workers, franchisees being driven into bankruptcy.

Australia's vibrant cafe culture is revered around the world, often held up as a role model example on how to professionally execute value-based dining and great coffee at consistently high standards.

However, there is a dark underbelly lurking in the business models of many hospitality outlets.

Systemic underpayment, exploiting worker and chronic avoidance of paying supplier debts.

Read our opinion piece on how the rising forces are pressures are pushing hospitality providers into desperate measures - here.