Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/178110
For Orellana's family and many other Central American growers, coffee is often the main source of income. But according to Gerber, low prices and a predatory loan culture make it very difficult for smallholder farms to survive. Orellana is working to change that, says Gerber. "The idea is being more connected with where the products we're consuming are coming from," she says, "and realizing that getting the cheapest cup of coffee is not necessarily a good goal." "The Way Back to Yarasquin" has now been screened in coffee shops and theatres throughout the Bay Area, and in February it will make its way back to Honduras when Gerber and Orellana present it in Santa Elena for the first time. Orellana says she hopes the documentary will highlight the importance of small growers not just in Honduras but around the world. "Our purchasing power can help to make a difference in someone's life," she says, "and even an entire community." For her, that community just happens to be home. —Regan Crisp CAFÉ SHOW, WORLD COFFEE LEADERS FORUM BRING HUGE CROWDS TO KOREA When the Café Show opens next month in Seoul, South Korea, for its 12th go-around, it will take a larger form than ever before. After a 2012 installment in which it welcomed a whopping 72,800 visitors from 63 countries, the Café Show will expand from two halls to three for the 2013 exhibition in order to welcome an even bigger crowd. "This is going to be the largest scale we've ever had in our 12-year history," says Laura Hentges, a member of the organizing committee for World Coffee Leaders Forum, an event taking place in conjunction with the Café Show. "We're definitely anticipating more people." One of Asia's largest coffee events, the Café Show will take place Nov. 21-24 and will feature roughly 500 exhibitor booths and several competitions—including the Korea Barista Championship, which will determine the country's entry in the 2013 World Barista Championship that will take place June 9-12 in Rimini, Italy. Other competitions at the Café Show will be the Korea Chocolatier Contest and the Master of Cupping, in which coffee cuppers will square off to identify coffees. And the show will feature activities such as the Coffee Training Station, in which coffee professionals demonstrate latte art, roasting and more; the World Coffee Adventure Seminar, with talks about coffee-producing nations; and the Afternoon Tea Party, showcasing another beverage popular in Asia. But at this show, coffee will receive the bulk of the attention— which makes sense, given Korea's coffee-obsessed landscape. "The café culture is huge in Korea," says Hentges. "There are cafés on every street basically." Hentges says the Café Show targets both the coffee trade and consumers, and a large part of its attendance comes from the latter category. On the other hand, the World Coffee Leaders Forum—operating under the same roof as the Café Show Nov. 20-22—is geared exclusively toward those in the coffee trade. The event's theme is "Global Coffee Industry Issues and Potential of the Asian Market," and the curriculum will include several plenary sessions, panel discussions and more. Those registering for the World Coffee Leaders Forum will also be granted entrance to the Café Show. For more information on the two events, go to cafeshow.com or wclforum.org. —Chris Ryan continued on page 22 BIRDS AGAINST BORERS: Researchers at Stanford University have reported that birds are serving as an effective combatant of the crop-damaging coffee berry borer. The Costa Rica-based research found that birds are eating the pests, leading to higher coffee yields. | LEADING BRAND: Data compiled by Bloomberg found that Americans buy Folgers more often than any other coffee brand for brewing coffee at home. | freshcup.com October 2013 21