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Roadblocks for Change in Colombia
You may have heard about the recent transportation strikes in Colombia, the longest such strikes in Colombia’s history. Then again, you may have not. After 46 days of strike, agreements were reached with Colombia’s trucker’s unions including concessions on truck maintenance, an affordable housing...
C Market: Market Tanks As Colombian Coffee Flows
This week in the global economy, Wall Street takes the spotlight in finance performance with a fourth consecutive week of gains, led by positive reports in corporate earnings. After digesting the news of Brexit, stock markets in the US, Europe and Japan are trading with more stability and the...
More Good, Less Bad and Ugly
I managed to do little to no thinking for a solid week— just soaking up the sun, blissfully ignorant to what was happening outside of my visit with family in North Carolina— but the world goes on and the news, it turns out, is unavoidable. First it was more than 250 people killed by suicide...
Catracha Coffee Single Farm Micro-lots Have Arrived
Catracha Coffee single farm micro-lots have arrived from Honduras. These coffees are produced by small individual farmers and arrived here in Oakland ranging in size from 5 bags up to 20 bags, marked with the farmer’s name to ensure traceability for each lot. These are not cooperative coffees,...
C Market: Friday Dollar Jiu Jitsu
This week in global finance, the US stock market posted its third consecutive week of gains as retail growth outdid expectations and the Chinese economy reported unexpected growth this quarter. Despite poor performance from major US banks, equities, indices and commodities all managed to trend...
Green Coffee Analytics part II – Screen Size
Download the printer-friendly PDF In Part I of this series on analyzing green coffee, we focused in a lot of detail on the water – specifically the relationship of a green coffee’s water content and activity to its safety, longevity, and potential for browning reactions in the roaster. This...
Market Rebounds on Soft Dollar
This week in international economics defined markets with further concern for a global economic slowdown. Opinions can be found on both sides of the fence with some economists seeing a potential recession amidst Brexit turmoil, limited European growth and reduced Asian output, while others claim...
C Market: High Notes
This week in global finance, US markets posted a cautious recovery from the Brexit downturn with equities, indices and commodities showing gains at the end of trading today after news that the Bank of England could cut interest rates. US payroll reports will be issued next week and markets will...
Molds, Mycotoxins, and Coffee – Part II of II
Download the printer-friendly PDF Bob & Max’s Note: If you are a coffee roaster doing wholesale business with any number of large-format retailers in the United States, you’ve probably been hearing the phrase “HACCP” with more regularity. In an effort to provide the best customer service we...
C Market: The Brexit Perplexes
This week’s events in global finance were rendered meaningless by the British referendum to leave the European Union. British voters’ decision to exit the EU sent shock-waves throughout financial markets, causing commodities, indices and stocks to plunge, and striking a blow to the value of the...
Grounds for Health – It’s Been 20 Years
Grounds for Health – It’s Been 20 Years by Pam Kahl - VP, Development & Communications – Grounds for Health Editor's Note: Royal Coffee has been pleased to work with Grounds for Health since 2006. We invited Pam Kahl to speak a little about why their mission is as important as ever. Join us...
Molds, Mycotoxins, and Coffee – Part I of II
Download the printer-friendly PDF Bob & Max’s Note: If you are a coffee roaster doing wholesale business with any number of large-format retailers in the United States, you’ve probably been hearing the phrase “HACCP” with more regularity. In an effort to provide the best customer service we...
C Market: Up and Over
The last two weeks in macroeconomics revealed a more vulnerable financial configuration as new hires and home sales in the US dropped, the Federal Reserve stayed its hand from increasing interest rates after publishing a reduced forecast for economic growth and the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P...
Fresh Crop Ethiopian Coffees – First Impressions
My first time cupping at Royal was right around this time of year; the weather was becoming gentler, and my nose was still sensitive to the ubiquitous jasmine vines in the Bay Area. I was a full-time barista, and used to tasting coffees that made it all the way through various levels of quality...
You Do Well, We Do Well
Dear Royal Reader, For my entire coffee trading career my client base has heard my incessant mantra: If you do well; we do well. Meaning that if the specific client was successful and in some small part credited my recommendations on quality, quantity, and price points they would return for...