Starbucks to sell beer, wine in Southern California Chicago, Atlanta also part of test market Starbucks has expanded its plans to experiment with selling beer and wine in some outlets, adding Southern California to the mix. Up to a half dozen selected Starbucks
outlets in Southern California will sell beer and wine as part of a makeover to be carried out by the end of the year. This will be part of an experiment that also will include Starbucks stores in the Chicago and Atlanta areas. It was started in Seattle, Starbucks' hometown, where five locations now offer beer for $5 and wine for $7 to $9 a glass. One store in Portland, Ore., also sells beer and wine. The prospect of beer and wine
alongside Starbucks coffee seems jarring to some potential customers. "I bring my grandkids in here. I don't want to have to deal with a drunk if I'm having coffee," one customer in a Los Angeles Starbucks told the Los Angeles Times.
Drought cuts Kenya's coff ee output 13%
Decline is in third straight year Kenya, a source of some of the most highly prized
varietals in specialty coffee, suffered a 13 percent reduction in coffee output this season due to drought. Output for the 2010-11 growing
season fell to 36,629 metric tons from 42,096 tons in 2009-10, according to the Kenyan Coffee Traders Association. This continues a decline from 2008-09, when Kenya shipped more than 57,000 tons. "We really had terrible weather in the
main growing central and eastern regions which hurt our yields," an association official told Bloomberg News.
Chinese study says why coff ee fi ghts diabetes It inhibits pancreas secretions, study says Health researchers in China are claiming
that they have discovered why heavy consumption of coffee can reduce the risk of diabetes. The study, from researchers at Huazhong
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University, and Wuhan Institute of Biotechnology, builds on previous research that showed a 50 percent lower risk of diabetes in adults who consumed four or more cups of coffee daily. The Chinese researchers claim to have found the reason behind this effect. It has to do with inhibiting the aggregation of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a substance naturally secreted by the human pancreas, but which has been linked with diabetes when it occurs in excess. According to the Chinese research, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, two of the components in coffee, suppress the production of IAPP. The diabetes claim comes on the
heels of other good health news about coffee. Previous studies have suggested that coffee cuts the risk of prostate and breast cancer, and improves brain function
March 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 7
