STiR coffee and tea magazine

18 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 5, 2017 (October / November) More than 80% of the nation's harvest could be affected if the beetle is not stopped before it reaches major produc- tion regions. RWANDA Coffee Below Expectations Rwanda's coffee export revenues fell lower than expectations during the past fiscal year, according to the National Agricultural Export Board's annual report. About US$58.5 million was generated by Rwanda's coffee exports from July 2016 to June 2017, the report stated. That was a 3.6% decrease and slightly lower than below the $60.7 million recorded the year before. This occurred despite getting a better market price, according to the report. The average price was $3.16 per kilogram compared to $3.10 the year before. The decrease in receipts was attributed to a 5.41% drop in coffee volumes sold, the report explained. The country exported 20,393 tons of coffee this year compared to 21,5612 the year before. SPAIN Drink Coffee, Live Longer New research indicates caffeine may help you live longer so long as you don't mind having a sweet tooth. One study suggests the more coffee you drink, the more years you may add to your life. Another indicates that caffeine may dull your taste for sweets and therefore increase your desire for them. In the first study, nearly 20,000 people in Spain participated in a 10-year, observational project. Researchers concluded participants who consumed at least four cups of coffee per day had a 64% lower risk of death than those who never or infrequently drank coffee. If a person had two cups a day, they had a 22% lower risk of death. Researchers said they tracked age, sex, and whether the participants normally ate a Mediterranean diet known for its health benefits. The observational study acknowledged other factors could affect life expectancy. "We found an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in people aged 45 years and above. This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants," says Dr. Adela Navarro, study co-author and a Lofbergs new plant-based packaging cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. In a second study, researchers concluded caffeine can dull your taste buds thus making sweets seem not so sweet. That lack of satisfaction can make you crave more. Researchers created two groups of volunteers and gave one set a strong cup of coffee (200 mg of caffeine). The others drank decaf. Both groups were instructed to add sugar to their drinks and determine sweetness. Caffeinated drinkers said the coffee was less sweet compared to decaf drinkers. "When you drink caffeinated coffee, it will change how you perceive taste for however long that effect lasts," senior study author Robin Dando said. from sugar cane and will reduce carbon emissions by about 10%. The packaging is recyclable and provides the same protection for coffee products. "This is a first step towards com- pletely renewable packaging," said Appelqvist. "We will hopefully contrib- ute to a climate-smart solution that others can imitate. This is a slightly more expensive solution, but we believe that the costs will decline in the long run." The company was the first to remove aluminum from its coffee packaging in Sweden in 1993. UGANDA Coffee Exports Generate Higher Revenue Ugandan coffee sales are growing and officials credit much of the gains to price increases and a redirection of exports from South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country reported $327 million in coffee sales so far in 2017, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). That total is only $44 million short of Uganda's entire export coffee earnings in 2016. Uganda has been able to diversify its export destinations and not rely on war-torn South Sudan for sales, accord- ing to Adam Mugame, executive director of research at Bank of Uganda. The Democratic Republic of Congo is now Uganda's largest export market. Uganda's coffee earned an average of $2 per kilo so far this year, up 18% over last year. The drought in Brazil has helped boost prices for Uganda's coffee, accord- ing to James Kizito, UCDA's market intelligence and information manager. US Café Imports Source Map Café Imports has diagramed its history of sourcing and buying green coffee in a series of maps targeting the specialty coffee industry. A composite of the 26 individual country maps is now available in a worldwide view, 27-inch by 39-inch display. Creative director Andy Reiland led the research effort that relied on input and fact checking from exporters throughout the world's specialty coffee- producing regions. To request a map, visit http://www. cafeimports.com/maps SWEDEN Löfbergs' Canadian Operations The Löfbergs Group, a leading Swedish coffee roaster, announced it will begin operations in Canada. Lars Appelqvist, c.e.o. at Löfbergs said the decision "is a natural step for us as we are already selling coffee to approximately 3,000 units in Canada. We are increasing the service level at the same time as we can seize new business opportunities in a better way." Löf- bergs's Canadian company will be based in Toronto. The company will focus on sales and service to the out-of-home coffee market and clients such as Circle K among others. "Investments abroad are an important part of our growth strategy. The goal is to increase the volume with 50% between 2015 and 2020," said Appelqvist. The company is also replacing its oil-based plastic with a plant-based solution. The new packaging is made

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