Denby Dale Coffee Machines

Coffee Prices - 10 Year High - We Hold our Prices

2008-03-11T01:34:00.006Z

Coffee companies are raising prices on jars of instant coffee and packets of ground coffee with unprecedented speed after being surprised by the surging cost of unroasted coffee beans.

Kraft Foods, owner of the Maxwell House coffee brand, this week became the latest company to increase prices, lifting them by 4 per cent, as wholesale prices for both robusta and arabica beans hit their highest levels in more than a decade.

The price of robusta coffee futures contracts traded in London have soared this year, with the May contract rising by some 40 per cent, as global demand for coffee runs ahead of supply.

Both Kraft and Procter & Gamble – owner of the Folgers brand – have twice increased the price at which they sell coffee to retailers in the US in the past month, highlighting the pressure food companies are under to pass on the cost increases. Kraft has also lifted prices in Europe.
Folgers has raised prices by 45 cents in total over the past six months.

In October it increased prices on a 10.5oz-13oz pack of ground coffee by 10 cents; in February it raised them 15 cents; and this week it put them up 20 cents.

Food companies blame high wholesale coffee prices on increased hedge fund activity in the commodity markets.

Kraft said: “The wholesale price of coffee beans has increased significantly since the beginning of 2008, due to a combination of the weak US dollar and a dramatic increase in speculative investments in commodities, including green coffee.”

But analysts say that food companies have been caught on the hop because they did not hedge their coffee purchases adequately, and need to pass on price rises quickly to avoid losses.

Sudakshina Unnikrishnan, a commodities analyst at Barclays Capital, said wholesale prices for both robusta and arabica coffee were also being driven higher by record low stocks in coffee-producing countries and strong global demand.

Nestlé, the Swiss owner of the global Nescafé brand, said its prices varied by market and it declined to comment on specific pricing actions this year.

Mobile Coffee Vans

2008-02-27T22:04:00.009Z

If you are looking to set up your own business operating a mobile coffee van, you may be a little daunted at the prospect of having to find the many different suppliers required to pull your project together. These include:

Vehicle manufacturers
Fitters

Sheet metal workers / welders

Coffee Machine suppliers

Catering equipment suppliers ie Fridge, oven etc

Power sourcing ie Generator / Gas

Hygiene ie sink basin, plubming, water supply for the machine

Ancillaries including coffee, tea, sugar, cups, biscuits

Financing

And this is just the beginning of potential issues. You will then need to consider managing the project, ensuring all the elements are in the right place at the right time, that the quality of build is more than simply acceptable and that the project is delivered on time.

Here at Denby Dale Coffee http://www.denbydalecoffee.co.uk/ we offer a full managed service from the initail order, agreeing the specification required to delivering the highest quality fitted mobile coffee van available anywhere in Europe. Customers that have been delighted and are using similar vehicles on a daily basis include:

Marks and Spencer
Subway
EuroQuisine
Cafe2U
Many many independant businesses

Some unique features include:

Power operated using an inverter from the engines battery so no noisy generator is required
Integrated water tank, built under the floor which ensures a large capacity and delivers even weight distribution whilst driving
Custom made to your specification
2 Group Coffee Machine with a built in grinder which saves space and power http://www.denbydalecoffee.co.uk/denbydaleshop.asp?id=14890
Fridge with ambient cooler option
Choice of the vehicles
Leasing from just £129 + VAT per week (deposit required on order)
Range, pricing and marketing advice
75 free coffees per week for the lease duration which at retail will pay the cost of the lease

Once your mobile coffee van has been delivered, we offer the option of supplying you with all the high quality hot beverage products you may require, along with cups, chocolate, biscuits, sugars, stirrers etc. Our quality coffees cost just 5.5p per cup!

Please call us on 0845 6446814 or email us at enquiries@denbydalecoffee.co.uk for more information

Is Coffee Healthy?

2008-02-26T07:26:00.001Z

Coffee might soon be considered a health drink following a study showing it is a surprisingly rich source of anti-cancer agents.

A study has found that coffee contributes more antioxidants - which have been linked with fighting heart disease and cancer - to the diet than cranberries, apples or tomatoes.

Fruit and vegetables have long been known to be a good source of antioxidants, but the new findings are surprising because it is the first time that coffee has been shown to be such a rich source of the agents.

Professor Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania warned, however, that the study did not prove that coffee was good for you because high levels of antioxidants in food did not necessarily translate into higher levels absorbed by the body.

Nevertheless, the research - which was funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute - indicates that at least where coffee is consumed in high amounts, the beverage could be responsible for relatively high levels of antioxidants in the diet.

"Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source। Nothing else comes close," said Professor Vinson, whose study was described at the weekend to the American Chemical Society in Washington.

The study found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee appeared to provide similar levels of antioxidants.

The American findings are probably reflected in Britain, where people drink about 70 million cups of coffee each day despite the country's reputation as a tea-drinking nation। More than half of the American population are daily coffee drinkers. Although coffee consumption may be lower in the United Kingdom, nearly half of the British population regularly drinks instant or ground coffee, the market analysts Mintel say.

Antioxidants help to rid the body of harmful free radicals, destructive molecules that damage cells and DNA। They have been linked to a number of health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer. Studies have associated coffee drinking with a reduced risk of liver and colon cancer, type two diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.

But Professor Vinson urged moderation, recommending that people should drink only one or two cups of coffee per day। He added that it was important not to ignore the benefits offered by fresh fruit and vegetables. "Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fibre," he said.

The research showed that, compared with other foods, dates were the richest source of antioxidants। But since so few dates are eaten by Americans, they only contributed a small amount of antioxidants to the average person's diet. Cranberries and red grapes also contain high levels of antioxidants.

A spokesman for the British Coffee Association said: "This study reconfirms the fact that moderate coffee consumption of four to five cups a day not only is perfectly safe but may confer health benefits"

Source: Steve Connor, Science Editor - The Independant

Roasting & Blending

2008-02-17T13:23:00.000Z

The most important phase of the production of excellent coffee is blending & roasting.

With more than 100 coffee-growing regions in the world, each producing beans with distinctive characteristics, proper blending is essential to the balance of flavours necessary to create superior espresso. A single coffee bean will generally not possess the complexity necessary for great espresso. Many espresso blends will contain three to seven different types of beans. The experienced roaster, with his knowledge of each bean, artfully combines them to create the desired blend of flavours. The roaster's blending knowledge is usually a closely guarded secret.

A good roaster must be part artist, and part scientist, to maintain quality and consistency. It is during the roasting process that the sugars and other carbohydrates within the bean become caramelized, creating a substance which is known as the coffee oil. Technically, this fragile chemical isn’t actually an oil, but it’s what gives the coffee its flavour and aroma.

Most green coffee is roasted at approximately 190-220°C for between 6-16 minutes. The roasting process causes the coffee beans to swell and increase in size while greatly reducing their weight.

A lightly roasted bean may range in colour from cinnamon to a light chocolate tan. Lighter roasts are generally not used for espresso since they produce a sharper, more acidic taste than do darker roasts.

Darker roasts, in contrast, have a fuller flavour approaching a bittersweet tang. The amount of oil drawn to the surface of the bean increases proportionately to the length of roasting time.
As the roast darkens, caffeine and acidity decrease proportionately. Dark roasts can range in colour from a medium chocolate brown with a satin-like luster, to an almost black bean with an oily appearance. The darker the roast the more you will taste the char, rather than the flavour of the bean.

Freshly roasted beans will release hundreds of chemical substances in the form of vapours. A day or two will generally be required for these gases to dissipate before the beans will reveal their optimal flavour characteristics.

Today, most beans are packed in air tight bags with a one way valve, which allows the gases to escape, without the beans being exposed to the damaging air. This type of packaged prevents flavour deterioration. If beans are not packaged this way, or once beans packaged air tight are exposed to the air, they will begin to deteriorate.

Once exposed to the air, and if properly stored, beans will stay reasonable fresh for 7 days. We recommend storing beans in a clean, dry, air-tight container, in a cool dark place. Coffee beans should not be stored in a refrigerator, because coffee tends to absorb flavours. Freezing coffee beans can also have a damaging effect, and is not recommended.

History of Coffee

2008-02-17T12:41:00.001Z

Myth has it that coffee was first discovered in or around the 9th century in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) by a young goatherd. He noticed that his goats liked to graze upon berries which seemed to have interesting side effects! The goats jumped around seemingly full of energy and realising that the berries must have some magical property the young goatherd took some back to the village elders. They boiled them with water and soon realised the stimulating potential of the brew. From this point on coffee plants were cultivated by man purely for their precious crop.

The Ethiopians traded with the Arabs and coffee spread eastwards. The Arabs jealously guarded the coffee plant and although they traded widely across the Islamic world all beans for export were boiled to prevent any chance of transplantation. However the Dutch managed to transplant some to Java (Indonesia) in late 1600's, and this was the catalyst for the worldwide growth of coffee cultivation. In the late 17th Century coffee came to the masses of Europe and the first coffee houses opened in Italy, Austria and England. Lloyds of London and the London Stock Exchange are just two of the key institutions whose roots can be traced back to a 17th Century coffee house.

By the 18th Century the French had introduced coffee cultivation to Martinique, and by the end of the century there were between 18 and 19 million coffee bushes firmly establishing Central America and South America as important coffee producers.
Today coffee is grown on five continents, is consumed worldwide, and is one of the most important commodities traded on the world markets.

http://www.denbydalecoffee.co.uk/

Coffee Facts

2008-02-17T12:20:00.000Z

Visit http://www.denbydalecoffee.co.uk/ for more information on coffee

Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year.

Last year in Britain, £730 million was spent on coffee.

Britain consumes 500g of coffee per person, per year.

It takes 42 coffee beans to make a single shot espresso.

Over half of the espresso consumed in the UK is drunk in the South East of the country.

On average, men drink more coffee than women (1.7 cups per day V’s 1.5 cups)

37% of coffee drinkers drink their coffee black; while 63% add a sweetener such as sugar.
57% of coffee is drunk at breakfast; 34% between meals and 13% at other meals.

The USA is the world's largest consumer of coffee, importing 18 million bags annually representing 1/3 of all coffee exported.

The first European coffee was sold in pharmacies in 1615 as a medicinal remedy.

Flavoured coffees are created after the roasting process by applying flavoured oils specially created to use on coffee beans.

Espresso contains less caffeine than any other roast.

The heavy tax on tea imposed in 1773 on the colonies that resulted in the "Boston Tea Party" resulted in America switching from mainly drinking tea to coffee. To drink coffee was an expression of freedom.

Italians do not drink espresso during meals. It is considered to be a separate event and is given its own time.

In Greece and Turkey, the oldest person is almost always served their coffee first.

In the ancient Arab world, coffee became such a staple part of family life that one of the causes allowed by law for marital separation was a husband's refusal to produce coffee for his wife.

Raw coffee beans, soaked in water and spices, are chewed like candy in many parts of Africa.

For reducing wrinkles and improving their skin, the Japanese have been known to bathe in coffee grounds fermented with pineapple pulp.

The Europeans first added chocolate to their coffee in the 1600's.

Our sense of smell, more than any of our other senses makes our final judgement on coffee.

Decaffeinated coffee sales are at their highest in January due to people's New Year resolutions.

Scandinavia has the world's highest per capita annual coffee consumption, 26.4 pounds.

The human body will absorb just 300 milligrams of caffeine at a given time. Additional amounts are cast off and provide no additional stimulation. The human body dissipates 20% of the caffeine in it's system per hour.

Regular coffee drinkers have about 1/3 less asthma symptoms than those of non-coffee drinkers according to a Harvard researcher who studied 20,000 people.

Turkish law makes it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he fails to provide her with her daily quota of coffee.

The coffee bean is the seed of a fruit.

All coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of the equator, from the Tropic of Cancer in the north, to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.

The Americas produce approximately 2/3 of the world's coffee supply.

The two main suppliers of coffee in the world are Brazil and Colombia, with Brazil contributing around 30% of the total.

Over five million people are employed in Brazil by the coffee trade. Most of those are involved with the cultivation and harvesting of over 3 billion coffee plants.

The coffee tree produces its first full crop when it is about five years old. Thereafter it produces consistently for 15 to 20 years.

From the mid 1800s up until the 1970s, over 50% of Brazil's foreign trade income came from growing coffee beans.

There are three main commercial types of coffee bean from amongst many these are Arabica, Robusta and Liberia.

Robusta and Liberian coffee grows best at lower altitudes whereas Arabica is better suited to higher altitudes.

Coffee berries do not ripen uniformly. The same branch may display ripe red berries, unripe green berries and overripe black berries. Conscientious growers select only the ripe berries.

To make a roasted pound of coffee it takes around 2,000 hand-picked Arabica coffee cherries. With 2 beans per cherry - this means around 4,000 beans are in a single pound of coffee.

A mature coffee tree will only produce 1kg of coffee per growing season.

German immigrants in Guatemala developed a cultivation process to use in extreme weather conditions. They burn rubbish near the plantations in severe weather and the dense smoke protects the trees from frost and produces a smoky flavour in the beans.

Hawaii is the only state of the United States in which coffee is commercially grown.

Robusta Coffee has twice as much caffeine in it, than Arabica.

Coffee, if it were taxed like wine would be more expensive than it.

The principle psychological effects of coffee are due to caffeine, an alkaloid that acts as a mild stimulant.

An ordinary cup of coffee contains about 150 milligrams of caffeine - what most physicians call a "theraputic dose".

Over 25 million people are employed in the coffee industry.

After brewing, espresso coffee contains 2.5% fat and filter coffee contains 0.6% fat.

Coffee grows in more than 50 countries and is the second largest export in the world after oil

Coffee sacks are usually made of hemp and weigh approximately 132 pounds when they are full of green coffee beans. It takes over 600,000 beans to fill a coffee sack.

Commercially flavoured coffee beans are flavoured after they are roasted and partially cooled to around 100 degrees. It is then that the flavour is applied as the coffee beans' pores are open and therefore more receptive to flavour absorption.