Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/556538
26 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 4, 2015 (August/September) Photo by Equal Exchange Photo by By Beyond My Ken, via Wikimedia Commons Rodney North 69th St. Armory, New York City Photo by Frank Miller Greenhouses outside Dalat, Vietnam Fairtrade America's Newest Hire Rodney North, known by many as "the answer man," has left his role as spokesperson and media relations manager at Equal Exchange. As of July 27, North has stepped into the role of director of marketing and external relations for Fairtrade America. "It's an honor to be given this responsibility at a time when more and more people, especially millions of millennials, seek opportuni- ties to integrate their ethics into their daily activities," said North. North served in a number of positions for Equal Exchange since he joined the company in 1996. He served for two years as director for the Equal Exchange board of directors, has volunteered for the membership screening committee for the Fair Trade Federation, and been an advisor to the board of La Siembra, a Canadian worker co-operative. On welcoming North to the team, Hans Theyer, executive director of Fairtrade America, said "His deep understanding of ― and commitment to ― fair trade will be invaluable as we continue to expand our work on behalf of small-scale farmers and workers around the world." Equal Exchange has not yet named a replacement. Learn more: fairtradeamerica.org Up and Down at Smucker's Financial analysts have responded favorably to moves the $8 billion J. M. Smucker Company has been making to woo back customers in certain segments, including coffee, and to reports that it is increasing its quarterly dividend share from $0.64 to $0.67 per common share, an increase of 5%. The majority of those whose ratings changed have moved in a positive direction, which in some meant a neutral rating. Smucker's decreased the price of most of its packaged coffee products sold under the Folgers and Dunkin' Donuts brand names by an average 6% effective July 1 (though it has no effect on coffee sold in Dunkin' Donuts restau- rants). Nor does the decrease apply to K-Cup pods. In 2014 the company raised coffee prices by 9%, later termed a "misstep" by executives as volume in mainstream retail outlets fell 13% Regarding the dividend increase, Richard Smucker, c.e.o. commented, "We are pleased with the Board's action to increase the quarterly dividend rate, which reflects the confidence we have in our business and its ability to generate strong cash flow. This action represents our 14th consecutive year of dividend growth, as dividends remain an impor- tant component of creating value for our shareholders." Learn more: www.jmsmucker.com Launch of Coffee Week NYC A new festival debuting in New York City in September will raise funds for Project Waterfall while celebrating the craft of coffee. The New York Coffee Festival, scheduled for Sept. 25-27, 2015 at 69th Regiment Armory building is produced by Allegra Events, the same group that organizes the Amsterdam Coffee Festival, London Coffee Festival, Milk and Sugar, and the European Coffee Symposium. The New York Coffee Festival is expected to attract more than 10,000 to explore coffee culture through free coffee tastings, interactive workshops, and demonstrations. It also serves as the official launch event for Coffee Week NYC, "which promotes the vibrancy of the coffee industry while raising money for clean water and sanitation projects in coffee producing communities." Half the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Project Waterfall. Learn more: www.newyorkcoffeefes- tival.com or visit: www.allegrafounda- tion.org/ProjectWaterfall/TheProject- WaterfallStory.aspx VIETNAM New Record on the Way? Could good weather help Vietnam break production level records this harvest? So far, Vietnam appears to be on track for a good harvest in 2015/16. This notion is holding steady from March analyst projections that yields could recover if weather was good. The most recent report, in June, from the United States Department of Agriculture stated, "The rainy season began as anticipated in April, which lead to good flowering and cherry develop- ment. Cultivated area is estimated nearly unchanged from last year following modest expansion in Lam Dong and Dak Nong Provinces and a slight contraction in Gia Lai Province." Forecasts, as usual, vary depending on the source and which measure of production is under consideration. One report, in March, noted the country would likely produce more than 30 million bags. More recent figures suggest a more modest production of between 25 and 30 million bags.