Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/41387
Keeping coffee fresh from bean to barista Shippers, carriers, roasters and retailers discuss key questions about coffee transportation and storage. Because coffee is transported long distances, proper packaging and other protection is vital. Photo courtesy of Maersk BY ALAN RICHMAN O n its trajectory from seed to sip, coffee encounters innumerable obstacles to quality. These range from weather at the farm to the barista's brewing skill (or lack thereof). None of these hurdles is more treacherous than the thousands of miles coffee must travel over sea and land to reach its final destination. Along with this come questions about storage methods and materials. Boasting delivery of 413 million pounds of green coffee beans in a 12-month period, Maersk Line qualifies as one of the world's largest carriers. Anthony Pacchiano, senior account executive for the North East Region, with offices in Madison, N.J., says, "Roasters are most interested in transit because speed to market matters." Pacchiano says, "Coffee shippers should demand their transportation partners be easy to do business with, provide the best in on-time delivery, and do so with the best environmental performance, limiting the environmental impact in the coffee supply chain." He says the Maersk method of moving coffee, developed over 25 years, calls for the commodity to be packed into containers—most commonly 20-foot dry containers. "Depending on its origin, the coffee is bagged in 60-kilo bags (132 pounds) or 69-kilo bags (152.12 pounds). The bags are burlap and usually move 250 to 285 bags at a time," Pacchiano says. How can retailers use this information to strengthen their position with consumers? By telling the story, which becomes part of the romance of coffee: serious coffee drinkers love their 28 | September 2011 • www.specialty-coffee.com brew, but almost as much, they love being knowledgeable about all the background that goes into bringing it to market. QUESTIONS OF CONTROL Most smaller roasters and almost all retailers have little control over how their coffee will be transported from country of origin to these shores. The one who pays the bill generally is the one who makes the choices. In most instances, this would be the importer, although there are exceptions. Thomas Hartley, president of Pembroke, N.H.-based Hartley Transportation, urges retailers and everyone else in the supply chain to properly investigate transport options, including carrier selection and private pricing programs. "Any consignee should be taking into consideration the total freight charges quoted in addition to the cost of the actual coffee purchase," Hartley says. If freight has been included in the total purchase price, then it might be worthwhile trying to obtain an independent quote. Hartley, whose company provides truckload, less-than- truckload, and intermodal rail, air and ocean shipments, points out, "Transportation can actually be a profit center for shippers." In the absence of a breakout of shipping charges, he adds, consignees may be able to negotiate special freight pricing on their own or sometimes take advantage of the shipper's program, even on collect freight charges. "In addition," he says, "consignees should make careful notations on the bill of lading if there are any notable exceptions