Sunday, August 19, 2007


my little heart leaps for joy

"Not only are people drinking anywhere from one- to two-thirds of their java outside the home, but specialty brands are increasingly invading the supermarket aisles that were once the purview of Maxwell House and Folgers. And they are seeing success: Brands such as Newman's Own, Intellegentsia and Green Mountain are all gaining market share, largely at the two titans' expense.

Patrick Schumann of Edward Jones said the old reliable brands aren't likely to pick up any lost sales. "The brands that have been established as being higher-quality really are the brands that are going to be able to show continued momentum," he said."

i don't know for how many years now i've been arguing that consumers do respond to coffee quality, as the article concludes. and doing so often in the face of specialty coffee professionals, nonetheless, who often argue that the "average consumer" doesn't know about coffee and doesn't care.

well care they do, 'cuz they've voting with their wallets.

another thing about this piece that makes me really happy is of course to see long-time bccy pal doug zell's intelligentsia right up there as a major regional/semi-national roaster. woo-hoo doug!

this isn't to say that i'm slighting my philanthropic friends at gmcr, tho. not at all!

the only part of the article that bugs me is the end, which describes how tough people find brewing coffee at home to be. pity.

but part of the problem, besides the fact too many americans were stuck with only low-quality supermarket junk available, is that most home coffee machines are just terrible. the water's too cold, the cycle and dispersion are all wrong – it's not america's fault.

we need a revolution in coffee machines just as we have had one in specialty coffee! when will the online machine purveyors really step into the limelight?

who will invent the truly awesome new machine design?

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posted by fortune | 7:53 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 2 comments