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Men who drink at least six or more cups of coffee a day may be cutting their risk for advanced prostate cancer by 60 per cent, new research suggests.
This is the first large study looking specifically at the relationship between coffee and metastatic prostate cancer, lead researcher Kathryn Wilson said.

“This is an exciting finding, because there aren’t many modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer.” A definite cause-and-effect link is still far from proven, experts say, and just how coffee might help thwart prostate malignancy isn’t clear.

“There are a lot of compounds in coffee that have various biological effects. It’s a major source of antioxidants and that might have anti-cancer effects,” said Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

“Also, coffee seems to have effects on insulin and has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, insulin is thought to play a role in many cancers, including prostate cancer.”

Compounds in coffee also have an impact on sex hormone levels, according to the study.

But right now, the findings point only to an association between a love of “java” and a healthier prostate.

More study will be needed to confirm the findings and to see if a biological explanation for the phenomenon exists, Wilson said.

The bottom line, she said: “It’s probably too early to tell someone that (he or she) should go out and start drinking coffee just because of this study.” The report was published in the May 17 online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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By Debarati Roy
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Sugar prices rose, capping the biggest three-day rally since mid-October, on speculation that exports may be delayed from India's , the world’s second-biggest producer. Coffee and cocoa also advanced.

Permits to ship 500,000 metric tons of sugar will be issued after Jan. 30, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said yesterday. A panel of ministers will review the decision to allow the exports, a government official said today. Prices have doubled since June 30 as floods cut production in Australia and conflicting details emerged on India’s export prospects.

“With all these delays, the market is getting increasingly concerned about the extent of supplies one can expect from India,” said Michael McDougall, a senior vice president at Newedge USA in New York.

Raw sugar for March delivery gained 1.01 cents, or 3.2 percent, to settle at 32.75 cents a pound at 2:06 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. In three sessions, the most-active contract jumped 8.3 percent. Earlier, the price reached 32.93 cents, the highest since Jan. 4. On Dec. 29, the commodity rose to 34.77 cents, a 30-year high.

In London, refined-sugar futures for March delivery advanced $31.90, or 4.1 percent, to $807.40 a ton on NYSE Liffe.

Brazil is the leading producer and exporter. Thailand is the second-biggest shipper, followed by Australia.

Arabica-coffee futures for March delivery gained 3.45 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $2.347 a pound in New York. In London, robusta-coffee futures for March delivery rose $55, or 2.7 percent, to $2,110 a ton.

Cocoa futures for March delivery climbed $53, or 1.8 percent, to $2,934 a ton in New York. In London, cocoa futures for March delivery rose 30 pounds, or 1.6 percent, to 1,970 pounds ($3,075) a ton.

--With assistance from Pratik Parija and Prabhudatta Mishra in New Delhi. Editor: Patrick McKiernan, Daniel Enoch

To contact the reporter on this story: Debarati Roy in New York at droy5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net

BusinessWeek

Mexico is one of the largest coffee-producing countries in the world, and the largest producer of organic coffee, accounting for 60% of world production in 2000. The vast majority of Mexican coffee, and particularly organic coffee, is grown by small farmers in the southern-most states of
Chiapas and Oaxaca. These two states also happen to be the poorest in the country, and not coincidentally, have the largest indigenous populations. Coffee is one of Mexico's most lucrative exports and close to half a million small farmers and their families rely on the crop for their economic survival.



Coffee did not arrive in Mexico until the late 18th century, when the Spanish brought plants from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Its commercial cultivation began decades later when German and Italian immigrants relocated from Guatemala and other Central American nations. In the 1790s, when the first coffee plantations began to appear in the southeast state of Vera Cruz, Spanish colonialism was already deeply entrenched in the region; the Aztec empire had long been conquered
- and decimated by disease - nearly two and a half centuries earlier. Mexico's vast mineral deposits meant that, for many years, coffee and agriculture took a back seat to mineral exports like gold and silver (and later to oil, currently the largest contributor to the Mexican economy). Unlike the islands of the Caribbean or what would later become "Banana Republics" in Central America, Spanish magistrates were slow to survey and distribute land. This discouraged investment in coffee cultivation and allowed indigenous farming communities to retain small plots of land or communal land-holdings in the remote mountains and isolated countryside of southern Mexico long after colonialism ended.

While independence from Spain brought some improvements to the rural populations in Mexico, factionalism, civil wars and international conflicts with Texas, France and the United States stripped the country of the stability required to develop or instigate social reform for the next 70 years. It was, however, during this time that coffee cultivation in southern Mexico began to flourish on plantations. Border disputes with Guatemala led to the first widespread land registration in the 1860s. This allowed a small number of wealthy Europeans to purchase extensive tracts of previously "unregistered" land and to feel secure investing in nurseries and long-term
cultivation. Granted a large degree of autonomy, local landowners and politicians slowly began forcing small farmers further into the mountains in order to secure their land, and then enticed indigenous men back as indentured servants to work on the land they had once occupied.Only after the Mexican Revolution did small farmers begin to invest in coffee cultivation in a serious way. Agrarian Reforms in the post-revolutionary period granted thousands of small plots of land to indigenous groups and laborers. Labor laws, like Ley De Obreros of 1914, freed many of the county's "serfs" and indentured servants - many employed on coffee plantations - who in turn brought the skills and seedlings to cultivate coffee with them back to their communities.

 The rise of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in the early 20th century also saw the development of INMECAFE in 1973 - the National Coffee Institute of Mexico. The slightly more populist and development-minded government saw coffee cultivation as a valuable contribution to
the national economy, not only funding social development in the rural sector, but also generating much-needed foreign capital for investment in cities and industry.



INMECAFE was developed to support coffee cultivation among small farmers. The organization provided farmers with technical assistance and credit, guaranteed purchases, provided transportation to market, and collaborated with the ICA in order to sell the coffee on the international market. (The ICA was a collaboration of coffee producing and consuming countries based in London, organized to stabilize volatile coffee markets. Through agreements, quotas and subsidies, they succeeded for almost two decades.)

During this period, from 1973-1990, with the support of INMECAFE, coffee production exploded in the rural countryside, multiplying by almost 900% in some areas. Government support did not, however, extend to services beyond coffee production. Farmers in Chiapas and Oaxaca remained among the most marginalized in the country lacking municipal support or the most basic of government services. It was in these areas that some of Mexico's strongest social organizations flourished. Agrarian movements organized to demand further land distribution, labor organizations played a major role in advocating for workers rights and ending debt peonage, and indigenous groups began to reassert their claim to the land and resources they had inhabited for centuries.

In the 1980s, the Mexican government - due in large part to heavy foreign borrowing and a steep decline in the price of oil - defaulted on its loans and was forced into the beginning stages of neoliberal reform. Over the next decade, the Mexican government slowly ended its support of coffee farmers and farming, with INMECAFE collapsing entirely in 1989. This occurred almost simultaneously to the collapse of the ICA (precipitated by a flood of cheap Brazilian coffee dumped on the international market and a rapid decline in the market price). The effect on coffee farmers was devastating.

Coffee, which had previously accounted for $882 million of agricultural exports in dollars in 1985, quickly dropped to less than $370 million in 1991. The price for coffee at the farm gate plummeted, credit dried up, and farmers had no way of selling their crops. Predatory coffee brokers, or coyotes, quickly filled the vacuum left by INMECAFE, exploiting farmers' isolation, lack of access to information, credit or transportation. The years that followed saw a spike in migration to the city and immigration to the United States. The fate of small Mexican coffee producers had never been bleaker. Even before the official demise of INMECAFE (waning government
support met the corruption and bureaucracy that had plagued the organization for years prior) the need for civic organizations to replace government support was clear. The role of social organizations in weathering the storm of Mexican political and economic instability is
immeasurable. For centuries, communal land tied families together and provided support and innovation; after land privatization, social organizations based on common values, economic stakes or ancestry would replace them. Out of the intersection of various labor organizations and agrarian movements, and often with the support of the Catholic Church, arose the first coffee cooperatives in Mexico. Groups like CEPCO and UCIRI in Oaxaca were crucial to the survival of thousands of coffee farmers in the early 1990s.

Cooperatives were formed to replace the transportation, processing and marketing arms of INMECAFE, saving farmers from the exploitation of coyotes. They began to share information on organic certification (the price for organic coffee being much more stable than conventional coffee), and decreasing dependence on capital-intensive inputs like fertilizer. Co-ops contacted European "alternative trade organizations" like Equal Exchange began successfully exporting fairly traded coffee, securing a stable price and pre-harvest financing for their members.

These co-ops have survived not only to replace INMECAFE and become powerful players in the organic coffee industry, but also to extend their purview to economic diversification, environmental initiatives, and to provide and lobby for social services like school and hospitals. They have come to represent islands of self-determination within a political spectrum
that barely recognizes their existence. The model and success of Mexican co-operatives and civic organization has laid the groundwork for some of the most compelling social movements in the world.   Source

By Katia Cortes - Dec 22, 2010 1:08 PM ET

Coffee production in Brazil, the world’s biggest grower, may drop to the lowest in four years in 2011, pushing up prices as trees enter the lower-yielding half of a two-year cycle, Agriculture Minister Wagner Rossi said.

Growers will harvest 37 million bags, down 23 percent from 48.1 million bags estimated for this year, Rossi said in an interview in Brasilia today. Coffee prices will likely rise next year as global demand outpaces supplies amid declining stockpiles, he said.

“Prices will likely remain on a steady rise,” Rossi, 67, said at his office. “World demand is firm and global stockpiles are low.”

Coffee, which has surged 72 percent this year, extended a rally to a 13-year high earlier today on concern adverse weather in Brazil and India will pare global supplies. Arabica coffee for March delivery reached $2.4225, the highest since June 1997. It fell 1.6 percent to $2.3005 per pound at 12:51 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.

Output in Brazil, which ships about a third of world exports, usually drops every other year because trees can’t sustain high yields for two straight harvests. Fungus that was found in coffee crops in southeastern Brazil because of excess rains won’t hurt production, Rossi said.

“The coffee blight is a problem but not a threat to output,” Rossi said. “The improvement in farmers’ income will help them fight the fungus by investing more in their crops.”

Commercial farm lending may rise in the crop year that began in July as growers invest more in machinery and increase planted area to benefit from rising commodities prices, Rossi said. Lending grew 29 percent in the past harvesting season to about $49.8 billion, the ministry said.  Bloomberg

By Fred Ojambo - Dec 4, 2010 12:28 PM ET
Tanzania’s benchmark coffee grade fell 6.8 percent at an auction on Dec. 2 after supplies of the grade rose, the Tanzania Coffee Board said.

The top arabica grade sold for an average $226.16 for a 50- kilogram (110-pound) bag, compared with $242.68 a week earlier, the board said today in an e-mailed statement from Moshi, in northern Tanzania.

Supplies of the grade rose 62 percent to 5,727 bags, it said.

Overall prices at the auction declined by an average of $10.46 per bag, compared with the previous auction because of increased supplies, the agency said. Average prices per bag were however $10.21 higher than the fair market value due to the strong demand, it said.

Supplies at the 18th auction of the 2010-11 season rose 32.2 percent to 18,785 bags from 14,214 bags last week, the board said. All the beans offered were arabicas and fresh supplies accounted for 18,028 bags were the rest were carry overs from last week, it added.

Tanzania reaps its crop from April through August. Arabica accounts for 75 percent of the country’s output, while robusta makes up the rest.

The following are details of the Dec. 2 auction in U.S. dollars for a 50-kilogram bag for the good grades:

*T Grade Offer Sold Low High Average Arabica AA 5,727 5,219 185 264.20 226.16 Arabica A 4,753 4,077 187 260.20 232.53 Arabica B 4,208 3,176 195 255.40 231.34 Arabica PB 1,091 1,091 206 255.00 230.49 Arabica C 1,684 1,561 180 232.80 196.00 Arabica FAQ 320 320 90 90 90 Bloomberg

Just posted some pics of my new roaster the Behmor 1600.  This one pound roaster is so much better than the nesco roaster.  Hopefully this will last longer than the Nesco, I only had it for one year before the bearings locked up in it.  Such a cheaply designed roaster it was.  Anyway go to my facebook page and check it out.   My Facebook

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Individuals who drink half a cup of drink coffee and tea daily may reduce their risk of glioma by 34 percent, according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers at Brown University analyzed data from 410,309 men and women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, who reported coffee and tea consumption in food-frequency questionnaires and were followed over 8.5 years. The researchers used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relation between coffee and tea and brain tumors.

During the study 343 cases of glioma and 245 cases of meningioma were newly diagnosed in nine countries. The researchers observed no associations between coffee, tea, or combined coffee and tea consumption and risk of either type of brain tumor when using quantiles based on country-specific distributions of intake. A significant inverse association was observed for glioma risk among those individuals consuming &#8805;100 mL coffee and tea per day compared with those consuming <100 mL/d (hazard ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.97; P = 0.03). The association was slightly stronger in men (hazard ratio: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.34, 1.01) than in women (hazard ratio: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.42, 1.31), although neither was statistically significant.  Source

Kenya’s coffee production may rise as much as 15 percent in 2010-11 because of improved weather, the Coffee Board of Kenya said.

Output in the 12 months through September may range from 49,000 to 55,000 metric tons, James Wahome, the quality manager at the board, said today by phone from Thika in central Kenya.

“We expect some improvement this season because the weather has not been very bad,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of greenery giving hope for a better crop.”

The 2009-10 production figure of 48,000 tons was higher than a provisional estimate of 39,000 to 40,000 tons after figures were reconciled, Wahome said. Output declined from more than 58,000 tons the previous season after bad weather cut yields, according to the board.

Export earnings in 2009-10 rose 25 percent to 15 billion Kenyan shillings ($189.2 million) because of improved global prices, Wahome said. The country exports nearly all its annual production, he said without providing shipment figures for the past two seasons. The Nairobi Coffee Exchange handles 85 percent of the exports, while the rest is through direct sales, he said.

The East African country plans to raise output to 100,000 tons over the next five years by aiding smallholders to boost production, according to the board. Kenya has about 700,000 small-scale farmers who account for about two-thirds of annual output.

Kenya harvests the bulk of its crop from October through December, while a secondary crop is reaped from April to June.  Bloomberg

To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net. 

By Jean Guerrero
   Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES


MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Mexico's latest effort to revive its coffee output is gaining traction thanks to scorching prices.

With their incomes boosted by surging prices, growers are increasingly taking advantage of a government program that subsidizes the replacement of old coffee trees.

While such efforts won't immediately relieve the shortage of highly sought-after arabica beans, they eventually could lead to higher output and stave off a further decline in the global rankings of coffee-producing countries.

Mexico is the world's seventh-largest producer of green, or raw, coffee. In 2005, it was fifth.

Many of the plants in Mexico are almost 30 years old.

The country's Agriculture Ministry started a program two years ago to encourage coffee growers to hack down old plants and replace them with newer ones. Coffee plants usually bear the most fruit for the first 16 years, after which they produce smaller quantities of berries with irregular sizes and densities.

Mexico's output in the current marketing year that ends September 2011 is estimated at 4.4 million bags, up slightly from 4.2 million bags in 2009-2010. Production was more than 6 million bags, each weighing 60 kilograms, in 1999 following an earlier, less ambitious renovation program that launched in 1995.

Under the current program, federal and state governments offer direct subsidies when growers buy young plants, which each cost between 25-50 cents. The producer must cover about half of the cost, in addition to close to $1 each year for the maintenance of each plant.

Even for average coffee producers with only two or three hectares, the expenditures can add up. Angelino Espinoza Mata, of Huatusco, Veracruz, estimates that he and his wife spent between $6,000 and $7,000 to renovate 80% of their three hectares -- including the cost of the plant, the extra fertilizer, labor and more. Mata is also president of the Veracruz Association for Coffee Production.

Between 60 million and 65 million trees, which account for about 5% of Mexico's total crop, have been replaced in this way over the past two years. Colombia, the world's second-largest producer of prized arabica beans, started a similar program in the spring.

"We need to take advantage of this great moment for coffee," said Rodolfo Trampe Taubert, executive coordinator for the Mexican Association of Coffee Production, or Amecafe. "Demand is growing, internal consumption is growing and the industry needs supply."

A shortage of arabica beans has reigned for more than two years due to disappointing harvests in Colombia and Central America. As a result, prices for arabica coffee futures have spiked to 13-year highs. Coffee for December delivery on Tuesday was trading 0.6% higher on the day at $2.016 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. In Mexico, cash prices as of Monday were at $2.175 per pound, according to the Agriculture Ministry's marketing information service.

Farmers are plowing their rising receipts from coffee sales back into crop renovation. Some producers who had abandoned their crops several years ago because of the lack of profit have returned. Meanwhile, the world's largest coffee company, Nestle S.A. (NSRGY), has also thrown its weight behind the effort, providing Veracruz with 100,000 new trees to establish greater control of coffee from that region.

For the 2009-2010 coffee cycle, coffee exports were down 7.5%, but earnings rose to $505 million from $497 million.

Once the seed is planted, it takes three to four years for the shrub to start bearing fruit.

Producers in Veracruz who were early adopters may see more coffee as soon as next year. Nearly 5 million plants were replaced in the spring of 2008. Since then, another 20 million have gone into the ground.

Mexican officials hope to renovate at least 60% of the country's coffee plants by 2014 in this manner.

Industry groups say they expected the amount of money available to increase this year compared with the $9.6 million distributed last year.

It's not just aging plants that have depressed Mexico's output. Mudslides, humidity-induced fungus diseases and other calamities brought on by recent storms destroyed some coffee plants in Chiapas, the country's largest coffee-producing state, and in Oaxaca, leading some producers to speculate that 2010-2011 national production would be as low as 3.5 million bags.

 

-By Jean Guerrero, Dow Jones Newswires; +52 55 5980 5180; jean.guerrero@dowjones.com

 
http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=1074078

The Associated Press November 2, 2010, 1:26PM ET

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised its outlook for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. partly on the likelihood the company will be able to successfully fold Van Houtte into its coffee business.

Green Mountain announced in September that it was buying Van Houtte, a Canadian specialty coffee company, for $890 million.

S&P boosted Green Mountain's outlook to "stable" from "negative" on Tuesday. Aside from the Van Houtte buyout, the ratings agency said expectations for continued adequate liquidity and the likelihood of margin expansion contributed to the outlook change.

S&P maintained a preliminary "B" corporate credit rating for the company based in Waterbury, Vt. It also reiterated preliminary "B+" issue ratings for Green Mountain's $1.45 billion senior secured credit facility.

Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters added 77 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $34.45 in afternoon trading. Over the last year, the stock has traded in a range of $19.86 to $37.97.

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