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October 2007: New NY robusta futures coffee contract -- click here for more information. |
The world of coffee today:
An unlikely paradox
In Europe, America and Japan, specialty coffee has never been more visible, popular, or touted as a beverage of choice. Fancy bars, boutiques and other points of sales offer an ever growing selection of types, brands and coffee based drinks. For many educated consumers, coffee has acquired a name, a personality, and it is perceived as a delicacy. Yet, after stagnating at historic lows for years, green coffee prices now vary widely depending on the variety, and many producers still find themselves in a horrible situation.
In this course of events, no coffee variety has suffered more than robustas. After sinking to less than half those of arabicas, producer prices have unevenly caught up, leaving many types by the wayside. The causes are well known: overproduction, generalized dry-processing affecting quality, lack of promotion, usage for soluble or other low-end products, and a resulting poor image. The foreseeable future for standard robustas, which in earlier days were respected and worthy coffees, is not something to look forward to.
Between 1989 and 1992, after the international quota system collapsed, prices plunged roughly 70 %. Arabica producers suffered the most, and the more dynamic and visionary started producing and processing “special coffees” which they sold at a premium, giving a tremendous boost to what was to become the Gourmet high paying trend.
The specialty coffee phenomenon: Born in another time of crisis
Hope and potential: High quality robustas
While most robustas are still caught in dire straits, their trouble is not caused by the robusta variety per se. “Coffea Canephora” which is the scientific name of the robusta plant, is in no way “worse” than “Coffea Arabica”. The latter has just fared better in policies, processing, selection and especially marketing. Gourmet robustas are already produced, although still almost confidentially, and they prove to be excellent, with appearance and cup qualities different from those of arabicas, but equally appealing. Just like arabicas, they can be produced by a few, but not all, origins. They need to be identified, selected, carefully picked and processed, and finally promoted and sold through specialty channels to dedicated coffee lovers.
Consumers need them, and so does the specialty market: One thing that we have learnt with gourmet coffees, all those years, is that they need to remain individual and exclusive, and to cater to an extremely wide range of tastes. Each type can only be sold in small quantities, therefore the constant need for new ones. What bulk coffee traders contract in thousands of tons, specialty importers buy in hundreds, sometimes tens, of bags. Gourmet robustas represent today the largest untapped source of new aromas, flavors and individual types. In the global gourmet landscape, they have a place to fill alongside the best milds, well ahead of certain mediocre arabicas which are increasingly used to meet a growing demand. Price-wise, they can and they will draw the same premiums as today’s existing quality coffees. Only, because they are robustas, they will always have a competitive edge which will open the price range of specialty coffees to more consumers.
This is our main objective, which we develop in the following pages. With us, you have a part to play to achieve this goal and reap the benefits.
Sincerely,
Pierre E Leblache
Founder Executive
