STiR coffee and tea magazine

18 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2018 (August / September) Coffee Report: Dan Shryock Caffeine May Fight Diabetes A new study indicates caffeine may activate genetic circuitry to help treat medical conditions. "We think caffeine is a promising candidate in the quest for the most suitable inducer of gene expression," researchers wrote in their paper pub- lished in Nature Communications. The research was led by Dr. Martin Fussen- egger of ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The team engineered a system to treat type 2 diabetes in mice by deliver- ing sips of coffee. When the mice consumed caffeine, a synthetic genetic system of cells implanted in their abdomens activated. That caused production of a hormone that increases insulin production and reduces blood sugar levels. "Capitalizing on routine cultural habits, therapies based on such systems should seamlessly integrate into people's lifestyles, and therefore could be a key pillar upon which the new generation of personalized medicine can build," they wrote. Learn more: go.nature.com/2NEOzfo Coffee Consolidation Questioned A new report by Coffee Barometer points to consolidation in the coffee industry as the cause of significant problems. The report, produced every four years by international organizations Hivos, Solidaridad, Oxfam, COSA, and the SFE Platform, and Conservation International, indicates poor labor conditions, climate change, and a lack of wealth distribution as threats to sustainability. "Trouble is brewing in the sector. A wide variety of complex and systemic issues–environmental, social and economic–jeopardizes the future of coffee production," the report states in its introduction. "Price volatility, climate change, and recurring outbreaks of pests and diseases threaten a structurally increasing global supply of good quality coffee, while consumption and therefore demand is expected to increase." The report also questions the effects mergers and acquisitions by name brands will have on sustainability. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2J7NyJf BOLIVIA Export Deal with China The Bolivian government will provide incentives for small and medium coffee producers to increase production and export more green beans to China. Bolivian president, Evo Morales, announced the program following export commitments made to China's president, Xi Jinping, Prensa Latina reports. The incentives will be supports by private Bolivian business interests as well. "We will soon expand programs for augmenting coffee output; we have agreed [to] plans with the Rural Partner- ship Project," Morales said. " We have to increase production. There is a lot of market for our product." CANADA Tim Hortons Expands Canadian coffee-and-doughnuts giant Tim Hortons is responding to com- plaints by franchisees by investing $100 million to improve its distribu- tion system. Two new warehouses will be built in Calgary, Alberta, and Langley, B.C., two provinces currently supported by smaller facilities, according to a report in the Calgary Herald. Another warehouse in Debart, Nova Scotia, will be expanded. The upgrades, scheduled for comple- tion by 2020, will create 150 new jobs. The company's recent upgrade of its supply chain and the software that manages it caused temporary distribu- tion delays in shipments including supplies of take-home coffee, the Herald reported. These delays strained relations between Tim Hortons with its franchise restaurant owners. A cup of espresso for your health COLOMBIA illycaffè Assists Ex-rebels Illycaffè is taking steps to improve coffee production in the department of Cauca, Colombia, an area where former rebel forces live. The Italian coffee company agreed in May to work with Ascafe', an association of small coffee growers, and ETCR (Territorial Spaces for Training and Reintegration) to improve the quality and productivity of coffee farmers in Cauca. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC, waged a 52-year insurgency against the Colombian government before agreeing in 2016 to cease hostilities. More than 600 former FARC fighters who are now living in the Cauca region can benefit from the coffee initiative. In the agreement, illycaffè will share its expertise on best farming practices and will purchase coffee lots produced by the former FARC members provided the product meets illycaffè's quality standards. "We want to tangibly contribute to the complex peace process, working alongside the people and the organiza- tions that are joining forces to make this happen quickly," illycaffè chairman, Andrea Illy, said. "We are implementing in Colombia and in the Cauca the same principles that we apply in other countries from which we buy our green coffee, and that are based on three pillars: working hands in hands with the producers – either individually or in affiliation with others; sharing with them the knowledge to allow them to achieve higher standards of production; and remunerating them in such a way that makes their production sustainable." ITALY Book on La Marzocco History La Marzocco, a leader in espresso machine manufacturing, celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2018 with a 120-page history "The Story of La Marzocco." The soft-cover book, subtitled "an inside look at the Italian company that helped revolutionize espresso," follows timelines of both the company and the international coffee culture. It features interviews with pivotal players in the company and historical documents. Learn more: www.lamarzoccousa.com

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