February 2008:	—  The East African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) held its convention in Kampala (Uganda) and invited Wagro to present its views on the prospects of African Gourmet Robustas. A copy of the presentation is available in our site’s “documents” section. Visiting exhibitors at the convention, Wagro was made aware of several robusta types worthy of large premiums and able to compete in the Gourmet area, not only in Uganda but also in Tanzania, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo. In light of the recent collapse of OAMCAF in West Africa, Wagro’s position is that EAFCA has demonstrated its savoir faire and could open a West African or a robusta chapter in charge of upgrading and promoting that area’s robustas which show potential for Gourmet status.
November 2007:	—   At the Taipei Tea and Coffee Expo 2007, Wagro and Vietnam’s QY Coffee exhibited for the first time that country’s “Fox Dung “coffee, an extraordinary washed robusta which replicates the fabled sweet and bold type collected decades ago from the excrements of the civet cat, but in completely sanitary and safe conditions. Once more, Asian buyers from all over the region displayed their complete absence of prejudice against robustas and their willingness to use any coffee variety as long as it exhibits fine qualities.
October 2007:	—   New Robusta Futures Contract in New York: Last September saw the introduction on New York’s ICE of a new robusta futures  contract which incorporates advantages, simplifications and complementarities over London’s LIFFE: Size, price and listings are identical to those of  the arabica “C” contract, making arbitrage between mild and robusta contracts possible. Deliverable growths are no less than 27, including many previously untenderable origins and the robusta production of chiefly arabica growing countries. Of paramount importance is the place given to the “new” origins, naturally Vietnam but also China and Laos. What makes this new platform so interesting for gourmet coffees is the absence of premium or penalty according to growth or preparation method (washed or natural), contrary to other coffee contracts. In essence this denotes a lack of prejudice and an exclusive reliance on the coffee preparation and cupping, which must be “sound”. While differentials remain per port of delivery and defects count, gone are the days when, everything else being equal, the coffee from one origin was automatically presumed superior to that from another one. Most specialty coffees do not trade and are not hedged on futures markets, and quantities are far smaller than the standard 37,500 Lbs lot. However, trends will increasingly attribute constant differentials and thus milestones to established Gourmet robusta types. Click here for the Factsheet and here for the FAQ (PDF) .
June 2007:	—   As every year, the Alliance was an exhibitor at the 2007 SCAA Convention in Long Beach, where it recorded a large increase in membership. India returns as a producer while East Timor joins us, and we now have roaster members from as far as Greece and Portugal. Click here to see photos of our Long Beach exhibit. Choosing India as next year's venue for the 2008 Tea & Coffee World Cup salutes that origin's interest to finally receive a fair price for its already excellent robustas. Wagro will be there. The almost 10 year record prices achieved by robustas are only beaten by the value of the arbitrage between them and arabicas (77% as this is written), a level not seen in 20 years. As the robusta shortage endures, the specific demand for the variety is thus clearly demonstrated. Starbucks, blasted by Consumer Reports for selling burnt and bitter coffee, is famous for clamoring it doesn't buy robusta. Could it be that they should...?
April 2007:	—   With uncertainties over its membership mostly behind it, OAMCAF, the African and Malagasy Coffee Organization, is taking a new approach towards high-end robustas, rejuvenating its website, reaffirming its membership in our alliance, and recommitting itself to exhibit the cream of its offerings at the 2007 main international events, such as the SCAA convention and the Shanghai coffee show. Successful peace talks in Ivory Coast and the emergence of a newly formed national unity government are good news for the progress of quality robustas: UCOOPEXCI, the Ivorian cooperative union most advanced quality wise, will once more exhibit its traditional "Gros Grains" at the Wagro booth (# 626) at the Long Beach show. Luwak robusta, the mythic Indonesian type processed through the digestive track of the civet cat and reputedly the highest priced coffee in the world, had so far almost never been exhibited at international trade shows due to its rarity and very high value. Discussions between our Alliance and one of its producers are well advanced and will hopefully result in that coffee's display and promotion on a Wagro booth at the earliest opportunity.
October 2006:	—   The main feature at Shanghai's Tea & Coffee World Cup was the exuberant vitality of the Chinese consuming sector, with all stages far more represented than any statistics would imply: The urban coffee scene in China is exploding, as attested by an afflux of importers, roasters, distributors and retailers, not only local but also coming from distant large Chinese cities and regions. Contacts have been made to upgrade Hainan's substantial robusta production to its full potential. Our Alliance was joined by its first Chinese members, and exhibited Fully Washed Bali WIBs, the now classic Vietnamese Silver Dragon and some promising robustas produced by Cameroon's SBM. Click here to see photos of our Shanghai exhibit.
June 2006:	—   The last SCAA Convention in Charlotte highlighed the return of Ivory Coast to the sector of fine coffees: Hosted by our Alliance, UCOOPEXCI demonstrated its place at the forefront of the cooperative sector and displayed coffees which old timers in the industry found reminiscent of the traditional Ivorian robustas' past glory and commanding prices. Contacts were renewed with Ecuadorian producers determined to end the gloryless role of their robustas as solubles for the Colombian industry and to offer Fully Washed robustas as soon as possible. Progress continued to diversify the Asian Semi Washed offer and to create new types from Vietnam and Indonesia. Click here to see photos of our Charlotte exhibit.
March 2006:	—   The Alliance is an exhibitor at the SCAA Convention in Charlotte (April 7 - 10, Booth 2036), where it plans to display coffee from 3 origins which are newcomers in the specialty robusta field: The Ivory Coast has entrusted its cooperative sector to produce and market limited quantities of a clean, aromatic and well polished bold bean type. Guinea and Angola are reviving the formerly prestigious Kissidougou and Ambrices names. Semi washed and polished Silver Dragon from Vietnam's Acom will be on view, as well as Indonesian WIBs from Java and Bali produced by PT Indo CafCo.
October 2005:	—   At the Tea & Coffee World Cup in Hamburg on September 11, WAGRO makes a presentation on the Quest for Gourmet Robustas, which is followed by a debate on the increasing relevance of robustas in the specialty world. The presentation can be seen by clicking here.
June 2005:	—   At the SCAA Convention in Seattle, Atlantic Commodities' Silver Dragon and Indokom Citrapersada's Java Parchment 18/20 and 20+ enjoyed strong interest and success, reinforced by the announcement that both types will become available as Fully Washed, hopefully starting in 2007. Click here to see photos of the WAGRO booth. The Alliance formally abandons its efforts (at least for the time being) to raise Malagasy robustas to a Gourmet standard. Gourmet Robustas increase and affirm their diversity as a few exceptional lots of Guatemalan washed robustas reach the market with substantial premiums, as the Alliance welcomes its first Guatemalan members, and as Anacafé acknowledges for the first time that these coffees exist.
April 2005:	—   Several new origins and types make their entrance on the Gourmet stage and are exhibited by the Alliance at the SCAA's convention in Seattle: From Vietnam, Atlantic Commodities' Silver Dragon comes in 3 homogenous sizes and appearance, as Screen 18, 16 and Peaberries. From Indonesia, Indokom Citrapersada presents its Java Parchment 20+, one of the boldest and most consistent cupping quality robustas ever produced. Both Cameroon and Ivory Coast preview 2005 and 2006 offerings in the tradition of the 1970's Prime Robustas.
October 2004:	—   The Alliance successfully participated in the presentations and exhibits of the Tea and Coffee World Cup in Singapore, and introduced a working paper on the market of quality robustas (see the Documents section). Samples of a new washed coffee from Madagascar, "Tolongoina Gold" were presented and appreciated. New Gourmet robustas from Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia should follow in the near future. Click here to see photos of the WAGRO booth.
August 2004:	—   Plans are confirmed for Gourmet Robusta producers to exhibit with WAGRO at the Singapore Tea & Coffee World Cup, October 10-12, Booth 219. On October 10, during the Coffee conference, the Alliance will make a presentation on “Robustas, the awakening specialty coffee”. Meetings are scheduled in Singapore with large Asian robusta producers to emphasize the needs and opportunities to improve their image through upgrading part of their crop to Gourmet status.
May 2004:	—   Positive and promising results and feedback from the SCAA Convention Visitors at the Wagro booth in Atlanta were far more numerous than in 2003, with increased interest from all sectors of the gourmet coffee chain. On the consuming side, over 80 importers, distributors, roasters and retailers looked at the coffees displayed, enquired about the various ways to procure them, and were generally convinced by their competitiveness and the opportunities to build up premiums while maintaining affordable prices for coffe drinkers. Membership is on the rise and new contacts have been made way beyond the American continent, with the European, Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean trade. Interest and curiosity have also grown among individual coffee aficionados. New robusta producers and exporters from Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Cameroon, Madagascar, Uganda and Tanzania showed marked interest and indicated their willingness to upgrade their coffees to specialty status and to enter the gourmet market. Several media also reported on the trend and contributed to the public's education, among which “Marchés Tropicaux”, the French language weekly dedicated to soft commodities, which published a special section on Gourmet Robustas. Click here to see photos of the Wagro booth and the activity it generated.
April 2004:	—   The Alliance is an exhibitor at the SCAA Convention in Atlanta (April 23-26, Booth 503), where it displays two new coffees: The “Ambassadors' Deans” are a family of quality robustas from Madagascar, a member of African and Malagasy Coffee Organization (OAMCAF). From Ghana, the “Gold Coast Ashanti” is an Arabusta, a rare variety displaying original characteristics of robustas and arabicas alike.   —   Other OAMCAF members confirm their commitment to enter the Gourmet robusta sector and plan to undertake a vast project aiming to present specific types at the next SCAA convention to be held in April 2005 in Seattle.   —   Mexican robusta producers visit the Wagro exhibit in order to decide how to best market washed robustas as specialty coffees, beginning in 2005.
November 2003:	—   The Alliance confirms its reservation of booths for the exhibits of the SCAA Convention in Atlanta (April 2004) and theTea and Coffee World Cup in Singapore (October 2004).   —   The Alliance is consulted to be included in a German project aiming to upgrade part of the Robusta Production of the state of Espirito Santo in Brazil.   —   Production and Marketing missions are officially launched to create Gourmet Robusta Coffees in the main producer countries of the African and Malagasy Coffee Organization (OAMCAF), Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Madagascar and Togo.
October 2003:	—   Mexican Robusta producers from the states of Veracruz and Chiapas initiate talks with the Alliance to upgrade part of their production to Specialty standards, and request a mission and a presentation of opportunities.   —   The Alliance makes two presentations on Gourmet Robustas in New York during the National Coffee Association Fall Education Conference. For the very first time in the history of coffee, Robustas are specifically acknowledged by an industry official (Mr. Paul Fisher, former President of the NCA and of the New York Board of Trade) as an integral component of the Specialty Coffee Sector.
June to August 2003:	—   Contacts are made with the European trade, especially Italy, to set and promote in a separate class and price category those Robustas specifically produced as Gourmet, starting with those from India and continuing with coffees from Africa and Madagascar, as they become available during the 2004 crop season.
May 2003:	—   Interest in robustas grows. Hereunder an example of an exchange posted on a bulletin board for roasters: >  Let me know which robustas you guys got. >>  It was the sample being handed out by World Alliance of Gourmet Robustas; India Raigode. North America contact is Pierre E. Leblache. Check these out. >  If a robusta is capable of having positive flavor atributes and is used to create an interesting specialty coffee should it be shunned by anti robusta snobs like me? >>  It should only be shunned after you try it and decide you don't like it.  ;-)  But, yeah... My predjudices almost kept me from grabbing the sample too. I walked by the WAGRO booth a few times on Saturday, intent on not looking. By Sunday, I could no longer pretend I wasn't interested so we went by and talked to Pierre for awhile. It's a washed coffee with what looks to be a 17/18 screen size. Except that the beans are less elongated than arabicas, you'd never be able to tell just by looking. Posted by Steve Ackman, Two Loons Coffee
April 2003:	—   EAFCA, the East African Fine Coffees Association, joins our Alliance as it aims to upgrade and promote its best robustas grown in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. The Alliance makes its first American public appearance at the SCAA convention in Boston and exhibits 3 coffee types, all with potential but at various levels of development and evolution: Raigode, and Indian washed robusta, turned all heads and won the prize of best Gourmet coffee in its category. Premiums for Raigode reach 120 %. Many mistake it for a first class arabica and offer prices in line. Château Quinsaloma, an Ecuadorian robusta, has also been noticed. Its development just started and it does not yet display Raigode's homogeneity or regularity, but its aspect has already evolved towards that of a pure Gourmet. Coffees from OAMCAF, the African and Malagasy Coffee Organization are displayed in the form of 4 samples from as many countries, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Togo. They are still a bit raw, but with a strong potential. That promise flows as well from their former status as “Prime Robs” as from the fact that their exporters have decided to build upon the new market conditions. The forthcoming return of these coffees to the stage was noted by the trade and favorably discussed. Our booth received hundreds of visitors and we were asked many questions. Among the new members who joined us and discovered our website are many importers and roasters, an auspicious sign for sales. As to producers and exporters, their presence validates the concept and the future of Gourmet robustas. Please click here to see photos of our exhibit.
December 2002:	—   WAGRO, like many other Associations, Companies, NGOs and Government Administrations, states its position on the coffee crisis and the decline in quality and producer prices: While WAGRO believes in and will actively support measures to improve at source the quality of exported beans, it does not back attempts to legislate green coffee minimum quality standards. These would be unenforceable and would penalize the international trade of green -- as opposed to processed -- coffees.
November 2002:	—   The Alliance becomes member of the American SCAA and the Australasian AASCA. It contemplates memberships into the SCAE (Europe), the SCAJ (Japan) and the NCA (US National Coffee Association).
October to December 2002:	—   Interest and requests for information develop, memberships are taken. The Alliance has members on 4 continents, both from the producing and consuming sectors. The first upgrade project to be managed by the Alliance is identified and scheduled to start in January 2003.
September 2002:	—   World Alliance of Gourmet Robustas launched at Tea and Coffee World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
August 2002:	—   Ecuador starts producing its first Fully Washed Robusta for the specialty market, Château Quinsaloma. More types are in the planning stage.
May 2002:	—   In Anaheim, California, at the SCAA convention, Bombay Burmah exhibits, among other Gourmet types, Raigode. Offered for tasting at the booth, Raigode is mostly declared excellent, but identified as a robusta by less than 50 % of professional visitors. Upon hearing that it is indeed a robusta, and after cupping it again, several guests confess that they liked it better before knowing the truth. We do have a lot of work to fight the prejudice against robustas.
April 2001:	—   The Indian exporter Bombay Burmah creates Raigode, the first washed robusta specifically designed for the Gourmet sector. The processing is fine tuned and improved in 2001, until it is offered under its name starting with the 2002 crop.