STATE OF THE ROASTING INDUSTRY
Prices and supplies
stable���for now
Roasters can find desired coffees at the right prices,
but they���re keeping an eye on Latin American rust
and other conditions.
BY PAN DE METRAKAKES
Y
ou can get the coffee you want, or something just as good,
with the sustainability certification you want, in the roast
profile you want. Probably.
That���s the message coming from roasters and importers
about the state of specialty coffee roasting. Prices have
mercifully come down from their 2011 peak, and most supplies
are uninterrupted���with some notable exceptions.
The 2011-12 coffee season, which concluded in September,
was mostly positive from a supply standpoint. Although global
production of Arabica dropped 3.7 percent from the previous
season, to 81 million bags of 60 kilos each, prices also went
down. Prices for the three Arabica categories tracked by the
International Coffee Organization dropped between 17 and 23
percent, to a range from $1.70 to $2.23 a pound.
Various explanations have been advanced for this drop, one
of which is that mainstream grocery-channel roasters, reacting
to the peak prices of April 2011, began incorporating more
Robusta into their blends, driving down demand for Arabica.
(Global Robusta production increased 8.3 percent.)
However it happened, it���s a welcome development. ���This
year, we have not had an issue with any of our coffees. Last year
was kind of iffy, but going forward from that, the initial part of
this year has been fine,��� says Vernon Earls, sales and marketing
director for Chauvin Coffee Co., St. Louis.
However, roasters still face challenges in sourcing individual
varietals. John Przybyla, vice president of operations for Java
Masters, Wixom, Mo., says prices have been fairly consistent
for high-quality Arabica overall, but they���re run into problems
with certain types of coffee.
���It���s been difficult to find, one, availability, and second, the
quality that we���ve been looking for,��� Przybyla says. ���With some
countries of origin, we���ve had trouble sourcing, whether it���s
just getting the inventory or the quality being where we had
experienced before.���
Even when a given coffee becomes hard
to find, roasters say, careful cupping
can guide the way to a good substitute.
Photo courtesy of Klatch Roasting
10
SUBSTITUTIONS OK
Roasters say they���ve had to do little or no switching of their
favorite single-source varietals. As for blends, that has required
