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One of my first attempts to get a good shot of espresso from my new Rancilio Silvia. I think this shot was a little slow, perhaps due to tamping too hard? Suggestions and comments welcomed! More details on this shot: Coffee: Lavazza Crema e Aroma Grinder: Rancilio Rocky, set to 6. (I tried 9, 8 and 7 and had troubles with the shots being a little too fast).

Tagged as: attempt, Espresso, Rancilio, Shot, Silvia

Espresso shot attempt with my new Rancilio Silvia | Semi Automatic …

I have a Lavazza Modo mio coffee machine, the temperature is not always hot as it could be, any ideas?

if there is one thing that I am absolutely crazy about, it’s coffee. This love of mine started at a very young age and has fueled two prior full-time jobs of mine in cafes as a barista and the greatest caffeine tolerance I’ve come to know. I love coffee in all of it’s precious forms, flavors, consistencies and blends and am always interested in new flavors and concoctions that can be made from the comfort of my own kitchen. When a friend of mine hooked me up with Senseo, I was ecstatic, to say the very least.

Senseo is a sub-company of Sara Lee and makes an excellent coffee pod system that literally transformed the way I have my coffee every day.

The Senseo system makes absolutely delicious (and delightfully strong) single serving amounts of coffee with their innovative system that is so easy to use that once I took it out of its box, I was using it within minutes. while brewing my first cup of coffee, I realized that the Senseo actually made foam each and every single time automatically, which makes the coffee that you are brewing at home stand out even more so than a regular cup of coffee you would purchase at any coffee shop.

The coffee that the Senseo produces is also quite different than your average cup of regular coffee. the Senseo cup seemed to go down a lot of smoother than normal coffee does, even my boyfriend, who usually can’t stand coffee and its gritty behavior going down, will drink it if it is made with this machine!

One of the best things about the Senseo that I was also surprised to find is that the entire thing is set up so that it is an absolute dream to clean. there are no small crevices that you simply can’t get your hands into to clean, the back of the system comes right off so you can fill it up with water and sits right back onto the machine with ease. best of all, the system uses individual coffee pods that the water goes through so they have completely eliminated the horror of coffee grounds winding up in your mug and also the grounds that tend to go everywhere during the cleaning process. Within just a short amount of time using the Senseo, I gave my fully-functional, almost brand new typical coffee pot to a friend of mine because I hadn’t used it once since using this this machine.

There are a variety of different coffees and even teas that are made specifically for the Senseo coffee pod system, so each and every coffee and/or tea drinker out there will benefit from this machine. you can order the Senseo coffee pod system as well as coffee and tea pods at their official online store, Target, Wal-Mart, or even Amazon.

For a special promotional offer

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Special Promotional Offer

There is a special promotional offer going on with the Senseo machine right now. at Share Senseo, they are giving people the chance to receive a free Senseo single serve coffee pod system just by filling out a questionnaire; the only sum of money you will be responsible for, for this machine that is regularly over $70, is the shipping and handling of just $15.

What are you waiting for? Share a Senseo today.

*This is a limited time offer and is open to US residents only. Promotion ends June 30, 2008 or while supplies last.

The Holy Grail of Coffee Machines

Now you can use Keurig single serve coffeee brewers to make gourmet cup of coffee in less than 1 minute anytime of a day with new Kenya AA gourmet coffee. the best part is: there is no clean-up after.Wow isn’t that great

K cups can just be used with Keurig coffee brewers. if you do not have one, well perhaps it is time to get yourself one..we absolutely love the fact that with Keurig brewer you can have fresh coffee at any given time of a day. that ensures the coffee never gets spoiled. Another great thing about Green Mountain coffee k cups is the wide variety of coffee flavors you can get in your local coffee shop or at your reputable online coffee provider.

One additional great thing is that we are talking about gourmet quality coffee, which is specifically made in order to be placed in cups that are called coffee k cups so as to easily fit into Keurig brewing machine. Green Mountain Coffee k cups are pre-packed gourmet coffees from countless blends and types that give gourmet coffee lovers a proper treat.

People that taste Green Mountain coffee k-cups coffee just love it. it has several amazing flavors which practically no one can resist. the specialty of Green Mountain is the coffee business and they stand for excellent coffee.Just by pressing the button on your Keurig brewer you get a perfect cup of gourmet coffee when ever you want. There really is no need to grind your coffee beans and hope that you measured it correctly. each pod has just the amount that is needed to get the perfect cup of caffeinated drink. No hassle. No mess.

What you get in fact is a good cup of coffee any moment you feel like it. Everything you need to do with the Green Mountain Coffee k cups is that you open the Keurig machine, insert your favorite k cup, close the machine, press the start button and in under 1 minute you will definitely get the delicious gourmet coffee which you’ll want to drink alone or repeat the brewing process and share coffee with your friends.

Green Mountain Coffee K Cups are now offered in new flavors that are sure to be loved just as much as any other flavors that have been invented.Green Mountain offers Kenya AA, one of the new Extra Bold K Cup that they have released to the market. this kind of coffee is packed with twenty percent more coffee in each serving that is sure to jump-start your day right.this has been specially designed for coffee consumers who need an

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New Green Mountain Coffee k Cups – New Kenya AA Coffee

Does anyone have any knowledge about commercial espresso machines?

Talking about a wide variety of coffee machines would be remiss if we didn’t include Saeco coffee machines. so this article is going to be all about the Saeco brand of coffee machines.

Saeco is an Italian company with a relatively recent founding. Founded in 1981, they have quickly become one of the preeminent coffee machine makers in the world. I was surprised at how recent their entry into the coffee market was, considering the panache that their brand carries. Perhaps it was because Saeco came out of the gates pretty strong. in 1985, just a few short years after they were born, they introduced the first automatic espresso machine for domestic use. from bean to coffee machine.

As we’ve been speaking about in this blog for some time, the name Philips and Senseo keep coming up. This is no exception when it comes to the Saeco coffee machine. in 2009, Philips made a bid to purchase the Saeco company from its founders, Sergio Zappella and Arthur Schmed.

Let’s take a look at some of the great innovative features that Saeco has introduced into their coffee and espresso machines just in this past decade. There are quite a few great new features that we as consumers can now enjoy thanks in large part to Saeco. and of course if you have a Saeco coffee machine then you’ll enjoy many of these features as standard depending on the model you buy.

In 2001, Saeco introduced the Incanto line which was the smallest domestic coffee maker at the time. in 2003 they introduced the Saeco Brewing system or SBS, which allowed you to vary the crema on your espresso according to personal taste just by turning a nifty little knob. in 2004 Saeco introduces the first fully automated coffee machine that has a touch screen interface.

In 2006 Saeco ramps up production with two new lines that really and delectably push the envelope on coffee machine design. these two lines are known as the Primea line and the Talea line respectively. in 2007, keeping in touch with their design they stay the course but introduce a more compact coffee maker under the Odea line.

Also introduced in 2007 is the Saeco Adapting system which after just a few brewed cups of coffee the machine figures out how much to grind from any type of bean roast for the specific size cup. in 2008 Saeco introduces the XSmall line which is their smallest line of Saeco espresso machines to date. They also bring out Energy Save with automatic standby this ensures that their coffee machines use less than 1 W/h.

2009 introduces the Syntia line with 3 color icon display making brewing espresso a snap. Xelsis line is also introduced with one touch functionality on their touch screen interface. and my favorite feature to date came in 2010 when Saeco introduces Digital ID on the Xelsis which allows for one touch personal brewing with finger print technology. Now more than one user’s profile can be uploaded into the machine and with just your finger you can brew your perfect cup every time. Now that’s pretty cool!

Now the Saeco Xelsis Super Espresso Maker is not a cheap machine. but for the connoisseur it is a terrific hands free option to making that perfect cappuccino or latte or just espresso every single time. I haven’t been able to afford one yet, but you better believe it’s on my wish list :O)

But I do have one of the Saeco coffee machines. I splurged on the Saeco 4045 Vienna Plus. All I can is ce magnifique.

Related Posts:

• Saeco Incanto – Espresso how You Want It
• Gaggia Titanium – Push Button Espresso, Molto Bene!
• Cappuccino Machine – Bend it Like Friars!

Saeco Coffee Machines | Coffee Sensei

(Hawaii 24/7 photo special by Ken Love)

A new study on the “Economic Effects of Blending Kona Coffee” concludes that current Hawaii law transfers profit from independent Kona coffee growers to the large corporations that produce Kona coffee blend.

HRS 486-120.6 – a statute which authorizes use of the “Kona” name on packages of 90% foreign-grown coffee, is the legal loophole that blenders use to label their mostly foreign coffee with the Kona name, and the result is income flowing out of Hawaii into deep out-of-state corporate accounts.

The study was undertaken by Marvin Feldman, Ph.D. of the San Francisco-based firm of Resource Decisions. Feldman analyzed and contrasted two polar cases – a Business as Usual case and a no Blending case.

The study’s Executive Summary explains: “Under the Business As Usual case -The analysis concludes that blenders gain up to $14.4 million in “economic rent” per year through the use of the Kona appellation on 10% Kona blends. Kona coffee growers experience an economic loss that may be on the order or possibly greater than the benefit to the blenders.

Under the no Blending case — the analysis shows an upper bound estimate of $14.4 million loss per year to the blenders and marketers of 10% Kona coffee blends, with a corresponding gain to growers that may equal or exceed that loss.

The blenders’ loss in the no Blending case would be offset by the benefit of improving consumers’ perception of the quality of “Kona Coffee” by avoiding attaching that appellation to a product whose taste is indistinguishable from commodity coffee.

In 2007, the state Legislature made a factual finding that “existing labeling requirements for Kona coffee causes consumer fraud and confusion and degrades the ‘Kona coffee’ name” (Senate Concurrent Resolution no. 102, 2007). Now, the Feldman Study will focus the attention of the Legislature on the economic damage caused by this consumer fraud, confusion, and misuse of the Kona coffee name – damage not only to Kona coffee growers, but to the state’s revenues as a whole.

“Hawaii needs to protect the economic interests of its farmers,” said Kona Coffee Farmers Association president Bruce Corker, “and should provide the same types of protections for the ‘Kona Coffee’ name as California provides for ‘Napa Valley Wines,’ Idaho provides for ‘Idaho Potatoes,’ and the State of Georgia provides for ‘Vidalia Onions.’”

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is a volunteer, non-profit, community-based organization of coffee farmers with the mission to promote and protect the economic interests of Kona coffee farmers who grow and sell 100% Kona coffee and to seek greater legal protection of the Kona coffee name.

The full text of Marvin Feldman’s report:

Economic Effects of Blending Kona Coffee — A Preliminary Analysis

Marvin Feldman, Ph.D., Resource Decisions

February 10, 2010 – Executive Summary

This report is the result of a preliminary analysis of the economic effects of blending Kona coffee with non-Hawaiian coffees. although based on a limited level of effort and limited data availability, it was possible to reach certain conclusions regarding the magnitude and incidence of economic impacts on growers and blenders. Two polar cases were analyzed: a Business As Usual (BAU) case and a no Blending case.

Under the BAU case — the analysis concludes that blenders gain up to $14.4 million in “economic rent” per year through the use of the Kona appellation on 10% Kona blends. Kona coffee growers experience an economic loss that may be on the order or possibly greater than the benefit to the blenders.

Under the no Blending case — the analysis shows an upper bound estimate of $14.4 million loss per year to the blenders and marketers of 10% Kona coffee blends, with a corresponding gain to growers that may equal or exceed that loss. the blenders’ loss in the no Blending case would be offset by the benefit of improving consumers’ perception of the quality of “Kona Coffee” by avoiding attaching that appellation to a product whose taste is indistinguishable from commodity coffee.

With regard to the distribution of the impacts, the report concludes that the marketing of 10% Kona blends authorized by current Hawaii law results in a partial transfer of profit from growers to blenders and from in-state to out-of-state interests.

Background

At present, the Hawaii Revised Statues Chapter 486 -120.6 specifies that the geographic origin labeled coffee must contain a minimum of 10% of coffee from that geographic origin. the Hawaii State Legislature passed SCR 102 in 2007, a bill which among other items requested that the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) study labeling requirements for Hawaiian-grown coffee with a geographic designation. In it the HDOA was asked to address a number of issues related to Hawaiian coffee including an economic analysis of increasing the minimum content from 10% to 50% for geographically designated coffees such as Kona coffee. This is the most recent of a number of inquiries regarding the use of the origin name Kona coffee.

The HDOA held several meetings with the concerned associations and industry groups. from these meetings the HDOA noted that the Kona Coffee Farmers Association favors restricting the Kona name to 100% Kona coffee while the Kona Coffee Council and the Hawaii Coffee Association favor retaining the current 10% minimum requirement. In its report to the Legislature prepared in response to SCR 1021, HDOA notes that coffee farmers in the Kona region have expressed concern that the use of the Kona geographic designation for blends with 10% Kona content has lead to consumer confusion and is misleading.

SCR 102 also includes the statement: “WHEREAS, existing labeling requirements for Kona coffee causes consumer fraud and confusion and degrades the ‘Kona coffee’ name;” the HDOA concluded that increasing the minimum content from 10% to 50% would have a significant economic impact on producers, processors and consumers. HDOA recommended that a new study be undertaken that would analyze these economic impacts.

They received a quote of $200,000 from the University of Hawaii CTAHR and another from the Kona County Farm Bureau for an estimated cost of $98,000.

No funds have been allocated from the Legislature to conduct an economic study. Under the present financial conditions faced by Hawaii it is unlikely that funds will be available any time in the near future. therefore the Kona Coffee Farmers Association (KCFA) decided to act on its own to fund a preliminary study to utilize existing data sources and previous studies to place some boundaries on the economic effects of alternative blending requirements.

Resource Decisions was engaged to conduct this study. This report is the result of that study. although the scope and budget for this preliminary study were severely limited, this report represents an effort to place some boundaries on the economic impacts of the current 10% minimum blending requirement versus the KCFA’s proposal to limit the use of the Kona name to 100% Kona coffee.

In the interest of full disclosure, the Principal of Resource Decisions, Marvin Feldman, owns and operates a small leasehold coffee farm in Captain Cook. He is a member of both the KFCA and the Kona Coffee Council.

Data Sources and Limitations

The primary source for data for this study is “Hawaii Coffee” a biannual publication of the HDOA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) a branch of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition data was compiled from other HDOA publications and other publications as referenced.

The Hawaii Coffee data present previous years’ data in several issues. for ease of use, these data are compiled into tables including data from the 1997/1998 year through the latest available year 2008/2009. the tables are broken into Statewide, big Island and Kona District Tables. the Kona District table was not published by the HDOA/NASS. rather it was constructed from the Hawaii County table by assuming that Kona District production comprises 90% of the Hawaii County production, as estimated by M. Southichack.

The HDOA/NASS data do not break out the price for the various grades of Kona coffee, notably Prime grade. the author estimates that this grade, the lowest grade that can be labeled Kona coffee sells at 75% of the average of all grades of Kona coffee.

This study is limited by the lack of data available from the blenders, who consider their data proprietary. the missing data includes the actual cost of production of Kona blend coffee, the annual volume of sales and tax revenues from sales of Kona blend. In the absence of hard data, these values were estimated using reasonable assumptions and professional estimates. the author would be happy to adjust the analysis accordingly if these data are made available.

Preliminary Analysis

Given the limited data presently available and the very limited scope of this study, analysis was limited to two polar cases and one intermediate case. the first case examines the economic impacts of business as usual, assuming that Kona blend absorbs the entire prime grade Kona and does not use any other Kona coffee. the second case assumes that all of the Kona prime grade production is sold as commodity coffee and there is no 10 percent Kona blend sold.

Business as Usual (BAU) Case

Although in theory the category of “Kona Blends” could include any pure Kona content from the statutory minimum of 10% to 99%, in actual practice almost all Kona blend coffees are exactly 10% Kona. the vast proportion of Kona blends produced in Hawaii is produced by two Honolulu-based companies: Hawaiian Coffee Company (Lion and Royal Kona brands) and Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Company.

HCC employs approximately 450 people and is a subsidiary of Paradise Beverages which is in turn a wholly-owned subsidiary of Topa Company. Topa is privately owned by John Anderson who is a California resident.

Hawaiian Isles Coffee Company ltd., employs 150 people (125 in Honolulu) and has annual gross sales of $36 million. Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee is owned by its president Michael Boulware, who is a Hawaii resident.

Both companies also produce and market pure Kona coffee. All of their Kona blend coffees contain the minimum Kona content to permit the designation of Kona coffee: 10 percent. they are privately held companies so detailed sales information, notably the breakdown of sales of Kona blend coffee is not publicly available.

A number of assumptions must be made in order to estimate the current sales volume of Kona blend coffees:

* All blends contain exactly 10% Kona coffee
* only the lowest grade coffee legally identifiable as Kona (“prime grade”) is used
* All of the prime grade Kona coffee is used in blending

The first and second assumptions can be justified on the basis of common sense. the labels state the contents are at least 10% Kona coffee (the legal minimum requirement for Kona labeling). There is no reason for them to contain more than 10% nor is it likely that they contain Kona grades higher than prime grade8, because the Kona coffee content is not detectable, even to an expert cupper.”

Because the actual quality of Kona blend coffee is less critical than the cachet of the name Kona coffee, it would be illogical for blenders to use higher grades. This assumption has been verbally confirmed by Jim Wayman, President of Hawaiian Coffee Company, in public meetings.

The assumption that ALL of the prime grade production of Kona coffee is used for blending is conservative in that it tends to inflate the economic value attributable to the blended product.

These assumptions are generally substantiated by the available data. according to Southichack 2006, approximately 10% of all Kona coffee produced is prime grade, 30% is Number 1, 30% is Fancy, 20% is Extra Fancy and the remaining 5% is peaberry. Data on Kona coffee production is not reported separately from the total production of Hawaii County, but Southichack estimates that Kona comprises 90% of the Island’s production.

The average green production of all grades of Kona coffee in the past 10 years has been 2.7 million pounds. Thus approximately 270, 000 pounds per year of prime is available for blending, resulting in an estimated 2.7 million pounds of green Kona blend. Allowing 20% for the shrinkage due to roasting, results in 2.2 million pounds of roast 10% Kona blend being available under the BAU case.

(It should be noted that the estimated availability of prime grade Kona might be underestimated by as much as 5 percentage points (15% of the crop rather than 10%) based on comments by blending industry leaders at public meetings and data on coffee imports due to blenders. However, as these data could not be substantiated, the lower estimate of 10% based on Soutichuck was used).

Blenders Perspective

From the blenders’ perspective, the value added by blending Kona and commodity coffee is based on the cost of the component green beans, plus the added cost of roasting and bagging. Commodity coffee is currently trading at $1.40 per pound, for an estimated delivered cost in Hawaii of $1.50. the average price of all grades of green Kona coffee was $6.63 during the 2008/2009 season.

Assuming that the lower grade “prime” Kona sells at 75% of the average of all grades yields a cost of approximately $5.00 per pound. Thus a pound of 10% Kona and 90% commodity coffee currently costs $1.85 per pound. Allowing an additional $1.50 per pound for warehousing, roasting bagging and marketing, and applying a 20% shrinkage factor due to roasting, results in an estimated total cost of $3.81per pound of roasted Kona blend.

Kona coffee blends are sold at wholesale to stores and directly to retail through web sites. Hawaiian Coffee Company’s website lists their Lion brand at $16 per 20 ounces resulting in $12.80 per pound. Hawaiian Isles coffee offers their blend at $16 per two pound package resulting in a price of $8.00 per pound. Averaging these two prices results in $10.49 per pound. Thus the spread between cost and retail price averages $6.68 per pound of apparent net profit for internet retail sales.

There is no public data on which to estimate the extent of retail internet versus wholesale sales to stores and distributors. the internet sales are no doubt far more profitable than the sales to the wholesale market. However, making the extreme assumption that all sales are retail sales, yields an extreme upper-bound estimate that the marketing of Kona blend yields an apparent net profit of $14.4 million per year to the blenders. In economic terminology, the blenders receive an economic rent in the amount of $14.4 million per year from the use of the Kona appellation.

Coffee Grower Perspective

Growers receive an estimated $1.4 million from the sale of prime Kona to the blenders. the higher grades (the remainder of the coffee production) are sold by the growers either through retail sales or to wholesalers who market pure Kona coffee. many growers believe that purchasers of Kona blend are deceived by the label Kona coffee on blends and that the sale of blends degrades the appellation Kona Coffee by attaching it to an inferior product. If this allegation is correct, the demand for pure Kona coffee is reduced as potential consumers reduce their willingness to pay the premium price for pure Kona coffee because it is not a differentiated product from non-specialty coffee.

Eliminate Kona Blends

It is not the purpose of this report to elaborate on the extent of consumer deception inherent in the Kona blend products. these arguments are addressed in several papers and testimonial filing by the Kona Coffee Farmer’s Association. A statement that appeared in a refereed journal summarizes some of these issues:

When asked what quality they expected of a 10% Kona Coffee Blend, consumers believed the blend would have less of the special Kona coffee characteristics than pure Kona coffee, since they felt that 10% was too small an amount to have an influence on the flavor. However, since some consumers preferred a mild coffee, they would try the 10% Kona Coffee Blend. many expressed concern that tourists who buy Kona Coffee Blends do so without carefully reading the label. consequently, these tourists may find Kona Coffee Blends not to be distinctive and may think that the leading descriptor Kona Coffee was not worthy of a special price. This reaction is similar to consumer attitudes toward trivial, easy-to-make brand extensions, which are perceived as an unjustified excuse to use an already established “brand,” in this case Kona, and may actually damage the brand’s image (Aaker and Killer 1990).

Dr. Hodgson confirmed to the KCFA in 2007 that, “Dr. Bruhn and I think that the results still apply today.”

Expert cupper Ken Davids, editor of Coffee Review, said in his experience it would be very difficult to impossible for even an experienced cupper to determine which of two otherwise identical blends contained 10% Kona and which did not. Davids reviewed Kona Blends for the Coffee Review in April, 2006:

“Kona can’t be blamed for the indifferent quality of the three Kona blends we sourced. the Kona blends we sampled suggested that these companies tossed whatever vaguely low-acid, wet-processed coffee they had around the warehouse into their faux Konas without much real commitment to approximating the subtle Kona character.”

A 2004 report by the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture on the outlook for Hawaii’s coffee industry states:

Quality maintenance and product differentiation are the major factors determining long-term success of Hawaii coffee industry. Product differentiation based on point of origin is critical because bean quality is partially determined by natural factors (soil composition, rain, temperature, and sunlight), which are location-specific, in addition to cultural practices and cherry processing.

A more detailed study might explore the economic effects of alternative blends including for example 20% and 50% Kona blends, which are presently marketed in small quantities. However, for this preliminary analysis a polar case of eliminating Kona blends will provide some insights. for this purpose the no Blending case assumes that all coffee identified by the geographic designation “Kona Coffee” contains only pure Kona coffee.

The absence of Kona blends would in all likelihood have a positive effect on the Kona coffee market due to improved consumer perception of the quality of Kona coffee. As evidenced by Hodgson and Brand’s 1992 consumer preference study, many consumers are disappointed in Kona blend quality and are deceived in thinking that this inferior product is representative of Kona coffee. these consumers might not try Kona coffee again.

In the absence of Kona blends these consumers would not be eliminated from the market, thus shifting the demand for Kona coffee upward. Other consumers who might have continued to buy Kona blend for the snob appeal or as gifts would be lost to the market. However, without Kona blends, anyone who tries Kona coffee would be exposed to the actual flavor of Kona coffee.

Given the perception of Kona as one of the great specialty coffees of the world, it is reasonable to anticipate that the eliminating Kona blends from the market will enhance the overall perception of the quality of Kona coffee and hence the shift the demand for Kona coffee upward, qualitatively illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a shift in the demand curve due to increased perceived quality of Kona coffee due to the elimination of blending. With this perception change, the quantity demanded at each price would increase. This figure is qualitative due to data limitations. the actual degree to which the supply and demand curves will shift and the shape of these curves remains to be quantified.

Blenders Perspective

The blenders would lose the $14.4 million per year of economic rent that is gained by attaching the Kona name to 10% Kona 90% commodity coffee. This loss would likely be offset by additional sales of their pure Kona coffees as all major blenders also sell pure Kona. it is not clear whether the offset would be partial, or completely recovered by these additional pure Kona sales. This would depend on the change in buyer perceptions about Kona coffee in the absence of blends.

Thus the $14.4 million in economic rental obtained by blenders for the use of the Kona appellation is an upper-bound estimate of the loss to blenders from the elimination of Kona blends. the profits due to blending are shared by the employees involved in blending, packaging and marketing Kona blend and the owners of the blending companies. In the case of the largest blender, HCC, all of the proprietor’s income (profit) leaves Hawaii and accrues to Topa, the parent company, which is owned by a California resident John Anderson. Hawaiian Isles Coffee appears from public information to be Hawaiian owned. the proportion of the labor income that might be lost due to the elimination of blend would affect Hawaii residents.

Again, it is not clear how much of this loss would be offset by gains in the sale of pure Kona coffee by the current blenders, processors and direct retail sales growers.

Growers Perspective

The prime grade coffee that would otherwise be used in blends would most likely be included in the estate grade coffee sold by growers through the retail market. If the prime coffee is sold on the wholesale market it would likely receive the same price as is presently paid by the blenders, resulting in no net change in the market for prime. This coffee might otherwise be sold as 100% Kona coffee at the presumed lower price of $6.63 per pound or mixed in with higher grades of Kona coffee. it is unlikely that the additional 10% of the volume of Kona coffee represented by the prime grade output would produce a glut of Kona coffee.

According to the Hawaii Coffee Association (an organization largely comprised of large growers, roasters, blenders and distributors) in past years all Kona coffee demand typically exceeds supply. therefore it is likely that growers would not experience any economic loss due to the elimination of Kona blends.

As seen in Figure 1, the area under the shifted demand curve at price P2 (blue square pattern) represents the additional producer surplus accruing to the growers. As a large percentage of Kona coffee owners are Hawaiian residents most of this surplus would remain in Hawaii. All of the additional labor income needed to provide the higher equilibrium quantity supplied would remain in Hawaii.

Preliminary Conclusions that can be drawn from existing data

There is no data on which to base a quantitative demand curve, but the qualitative relationship is illustrated in Figure 1. the shaded area A shows the loss of producer surplus (net profit) that result from this effect. Note that this producer surplus is lost to all retail sellers of pure Kona coffee (vertically integrated growers, roasters, and blenders to the extent to which they also market pure Kona coffee).

With the available information it is not possible to quantify the demand curve and its shift and thus to determine whether the gain in producer surplus to the vendors of pure Kona coffee completely or partially offsets the loss of economic rent obtained by the blenders for the use of the Kona appellation.

We have demonstrated that a maximum of $14.4 million of producer surplus or economic rent is obtained through the use of the Kona appellation in Kona 10% blends. Growers experience no benefit from blending as is now practiced. In fact they experience a loss that is possibly on the order or greater than the gain to the blenders. the net efficiency (blenders gain versus growers loss) cannot be estimated form the existing data.

There are equity issues at stake as well, both from the consumer perspective and from the growers’ perspective. these issues go to the fairness and possibly the legality issues of: whether the blenders’ economic rent is justified at the expense of the erosion of the Kona appellation (see Aaker and Keller (1990). they are not economic issues per se. the appropriation of the Kona appellation by the blenders has been generally understood by researchers to be misleading to consumers.

Despite the fact that Kona blend labels do disclose the 10% minimum percentage of Kona many consumers see the name Kona prominently displayed on the label and incorrectly infer that they are buying a superior product. Professional taste tests indicate that this is not the case. furthermore, the distribution of the economic impacts represents a transfer of profit from growers to blenders and from in-state to out-of-state interests.

Bruce Corker, President of the KFCA states: “We are aware of no region anywhere in the world, other than the State of Hawaii, which authorizes the use of the name of one of its specialty agricultural products with only 10% genuine contents.”

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture Market Outlook Report states “Quality maintenance and product differentiation are the major factors determining long-term success of Hawaii coffee industry. Product differentiation based on point of origin is critical because bean quality is partially determined by natural factors which are location-specific, in addition to cultural practices and cherry processing.”

Options for further study

As noted above, data limitations and the scope of the current study limit the definitiveness of the conclusions that can be drawn at this time. Further research in the following areas would help to further refine the economics effects of changing the blending requirements:

* Gather data from blenders on volume of sales, costs and profitability of the blended coffee products currently being sold.
* Information from blenders on the employment attributable to blended coffee sales and regarding the portion of proprietors income remaining in Hawaii.
* Quantification of the degree to which consumers of Kona blends are misled in thinking they are purchasing a true Kona coffee.
* Investigation of the economic effects of intermediate blending scenarios such as a minimum of 50% pure Kona in products identified as Kona coffee.
* Fiscal revenue implications for the state of Hawaii and Hawaii county resulting from the current blending requirements and the impacts of alternative blending requirements.
* Quantification of the supply and demand curves qualitatively represented in Figure 1 of this report.

Additional information regarding consumer preferences for Kona blends is NOT a high priority at present because past research has already adequately addressed these issues. Nor will additional economic research help to define equity issues related to the blenders’ current ability to extract economic rent from the Kona appellation and thus erode the quality perception of the Kona coffee brand.

References

Aaker, D.A.; Keller, K.L. (1990) Consumer Evaluations of Brand Extensions, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 27-41.

Bittenbender, H. C., and Smith, Virginia E. (2004). Growing Coffee in Hawaii. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Bittenbender, H. C., et al. (August 1990). “Coffee Industry Analysis Number 3,” Agricultural Industry Analysis: the Status, Potential, and Problems of Hawaiian Crops. Submitted to the Governor’s Agriculture Coordinating Committee. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Fleming, Kent, and Nakamoto, Stuart (2003). “Kona Coffee for the Japanese Market,” Western Profiles of Innovative Agricultural Marketing: Examples from Direct Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism Enterprises. Western Extension Marketing Committee.

HASS, Statistics of Hawaii Agriculture, various issues, Department of Agriculture, State of Hawaii.

HDOA: HASS, Hawaii Coffee, a biannual report, various issues 1997-2009, Department of Agriculture, State of Hawaii.

Hawaii Coffee Association. www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org

International Coffee Organization. www.ico.org/ 15

Southichuck, 2004: Hawaii’s Coffee Industry Market Outlook Report Hawaii Department of Agriculture hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/research-and-outlook-reports/Coffee%20Outlook%202004.pdf

Martin, Donald, Hawaii Coffee, various issues, HASS, Department of Agriculture, State of Hawaii.
the McKinsey Quarterly (March 2004). “A Wake-Up call for Coffee Growers,” Chart Focus, www.mckinseyquarterly.com/newsletters/chartfocus/2004_03.htm.

Nakamoto, T. Stuart, and John M. Halloran (July 1989). the Markets and Marketing Issues of the Kona Coffee Industry. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii.

Nakamoto, T. Stuart, et al. the Coffee Market in Japan. Information Text Series 037. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii.

Southichack, Mana (July, 2006). Hawaii’s Coffee Industry: Structural Change and Its Effects on Farm Operations. Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Final Report.

Report: Kona coffee blends take profits from growers | Hawaii247 …

M&a Navigator: Deal pipeline – 12 May (M&a Navigator via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The following is a list a of deals covered in detail by M&a Navigator this week:US NATIONAL HEALTHCARE BUYS HOME HEALTH OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITH THREE CENTRESUS healthcare centres operator National HealthCare Corporation (AMEX:NHC) said yesterday an affiliate of the group has bought sector firm Home Health of South Carolina inc.

Status: Closed- SPANISH BANKS CAIXA GALICIA, CAIXANOVA STRIKE AGREEMENT ON MERGERThe boards of Spanish savings banks Caixa Galicia and Caixanova sealed an agreement on their merger.

Status: Agreed– CHINA’S ZHU JUN REPORTEDLY IN TALKS TO BUY UK’S LIVERPOOL FCZhu Jun, the chairman of Chinese online gaming firm The9 Limited (NASDAQ:NCTY), was cited by the Beijing Times as saying he was in talks to acquire UK’s Liverpool premier league football club, but there was no certainty of a deal.

Status: Speculation; Talks- CONSORTIUM LED BY GOLDMAN SACHS TO BUY STAKE IN TAIKANGA group led by US investment bank Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is close to buying a 15.6% stake in Chinese life insurer Taikang from French insurance giant AXA (EPA:AXA) for nearly USD1bn (EUR789m).

Status: Talks- GENERAL DYNAMICS BUYS EBV EXPLOSIVES ENVIRONMENTAL COUS business aviation products and services provider General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) said it has acquired EBV Explosives Environmental co, active in demilitarisation and disposal of munitions, explosives and explosive wastes, for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Closed- US FSCM BANK WRAPS UP BUY OF AMP’S MILESTONE MORTGAGENew Orleans-based first Southern Capital Mortgage Bank, or FSCM Bank, announced it had completed the purchase of Milestone Mortgage, the mortgage unit of Aviation Mortgage Partners (AMP) in California, for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Closed- FRENCH CREDIT AGRICOLE ASSURANCE TO SELL CREDIT AGRICOLE LIFE SERBIJA TO AXACredit Agricole Assurance, a unit of French banking group Credit Agricole (EPA:ACA), announced it was disposing of insurer Credit Agricole Life Serbija to Axa Mediterranean Holding, fully owned by French insurer AXA (EPA:AXA), for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Agreed- US ALLOVER MEDIA TAKES OVER HOME OUTDOOR ADVERTISING AGENCY FILLBOARD MEDIAUS out-of-home advertising agency AllOver Media said it had bought local hand-held outdoor advertising firm FillBoard Media, serving petrol stations and convenience stores in the US and Puerto Rico, for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Closed- SWEDISH POOLIA TAKES OVER STAFFING FIRM UTVECKLINGSHUSETSwedish staffing company Poolia (STO:POOL B) said it has bought local sector firm Utvecklingshuset for an undisclosed sum effective 1 April 2010.

Status: Closed- LONZA TO TAKE OVER US SOFTWARE MAKER MODA TECHNOLOGYSwiss pharmaceuticals and biotechnology group Lonza (VTX:LONN) said it has struck a deal to buy US software provider MODA Technology Partners for an unspecified amount.

Status: Agreed- ALTERIS RENEWABLES TAKES OVER US ISI SOLARUS renewables company Alteris Renewables said it has taken over solar electric system producer ISI Solar for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Closed- COPEC SAID TO BE EYEING AEI’S STAKE IN TERPELChilean fuel distributor Compania de Petroleos de Chile (Copec) is keen on buying a 24.96% stake in Colombian peer Terpel from US energy investment fund AEI.

Status: Speculation- CANADIAN ADENYO ACQUIRES US MOBILE ADVERTISER MOVOXXCanada-based mobile marketing solutions provider Adenyo said it has bought US mobile advertising firm MoVoxx inc, without revealing the purchase price.

Status: Closed- US CSS CORP BUYS GLOW NETWORKS, INTEQ’S RIMS UNITUS technology solutions provider CSS Corp said it had taken over consulting and engineering firm Glow Networks and the remote infrastructure management services (RIMS) operations of IT company InteQ in a bid to bolster revenues.

Status: Closed- TURKEY TO START BASKENT DOGALGAZ SALE ON THURSDAYThe Turkish privatisation agency said it would launch the sale of 80% in gas distributor Baskent Dogalgaz, which is active in Ankara, tomorrow.

Status: Auction- DUTCH ACOMO CONSIDERS MORE ACQUISITIONSDutch agricultural products trader Amsterdam Commodities (AMS:ACOMO) will review various options for additional potential acquisitions.

Status: Bidding- RUSSIAN SYNTERRA TAKES OVER HOME TELECOM KANSSTELRussia’s telecommunications group Synterra has taken full control of local Kansstel, a supplier of fixed-line and broadband services in the Tver region, for an undisclosed amount from private investors.

Status: Closed- NUEVA RUMASA’S DAIRY BUSINESS ATTRACTS MAJOR INTERESTMadrid-based holding company Nueva Rumasa said six companies are in the run for its dairy unit Cacaolat ahead of the latter’s planned initial public offering.

Status: Bidding- MDC PARTNERS PURCHASES MAJORITY IN US INTEGRATED MEDIA SOLUTIONSCanadian marketing specialist MDC Partners (TSE:MDZ.A) said it has taken a controlling stake in US Integrated Media Solutions (IMS), a direct response media company, for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Closed- BELGIAN HAMON BUYS GERMAN SECTOR CO ENVIROSERVBelgian engineering, procurement and contracting (EPC) company Hamon & Cie (EBR:HAMO) announced the acquisition of German air pollution control specialist Enviroserv.

Status: Closed- CHEMINOVA CLOSES BUY OF ISAGRO DIMETHOATE BUSINESSDanish chemicals producer Cheminova has closed the acquisition of the global dimethoate insecticide business of Italian agrochemicals maker Isagro (BIT:IGS) for EUR9.7m (USD12.3m).

Status: Closed- RHEINMETALL STARTS TENDER OFFER FOR SIMRADGerman automotive and defence group Rheinmetall (FRA:RHM) has initiated the tender offer for Norwegian Simrad Optronics (OSL:SIT), a producer of electro-optical equipment, at NOK8.25 (USD1.34/EUR1.06) per share in cash.

Status: Bidding- CORRECTED – FRENCH GROUPE GLON BUYS EGG PRODUCTS SPECIALIST FRANCE PONTE-INOVOIn our story dated 10 May 2010 and headlined “French Groupe Glon buys egg products specialist France Ponte-Inovo” please read in the second paragraph “The company also aims at boosting its revenue from its egg products division to EUR190m (USD248.1m) per year” instead of “from agrifood and animal feed activities”.

French feed and food company Groupe Glon has bought local egg products specialist France Ponte-Inovo.

Status: Closed- WIENER STAEDTISCHE TO SELL 9.18% OF BUILDER PORR TO TURKISH RENAISSANCE GROUPWiener Staedtische, the Austrian unit of Vienna Insurance Group (WBAG:VIG), will dispose of a 9.18% stake in local builder Porr (WBAG:POS) to Porr’s shareholder Turkish Renaissance Group, Gunter Geyer.

Status: Agreed- US LITHIUM TECHNOLOGIES TAKES OVER SCOUT LABS, TO BOOST PORTFOLIOCalifornia-based Lithium Technologies (OTC:LTHU), providing social CRM solutions, said it had bought home Scout Labs, a social media monitoring firm, for an undisclosed sum and in a move to broaden its customer engagement solutions portfolio.

Status: Closed- FRANCE TELECOM EYES BUYS IN EMERGING MARKETS, AFRICA – MAIN TARGETFrance Telecom (EPA:FTE) is again on the hunt for acquisitions in emerging markets, particularly in Africa.

Status: Bidding- ATEA TO ACQUIRE E-COMMERCE CO DROPZONE FOR EUR3.7MNorway-based IT products and services provider Atea (OSL:ATEA) announced it has inked an agreement to buy Oslo-based e-commerce company Dropzone for an enterprise value of NOK29.2m (USD4.7m/EUR3.7m).

Status: Agreed- US REDPRAIRIE CORP CLOSES BUY OF HOME SMARTTURNUS productivity solutions provider RedPrairie Corp said it had wrapped up the purchase of home SmartTurn, focused on on-demand inventory and warehouse management systems (WMS) solutions, for an undisclosed price and in an attempt to expand its portfolio.

Status: Closed- JPMORGAN BOOSTS SHAREHOLDING IN MEDIA GROUP GANNETTUS investment bank JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) has raised its interest in US media and marketing group Gannett (NYSE:GCI) to 10.2% from 2.28%.

Status: Closed- US SOFTWARE FIRMS THE SANT CORPORATION, KADIENT TO TIE UPUS The Sant Corporation, offering proposal and sales document automation software, and peer Kadient announced a merger agreement to form a top provider of on-demand sales enablement software solutions.

Status: Agreed- POLAND EXPECTS TO CASH IN EUR1.8BN FROM PRIVATISATIONS NEXT YEARThe Polish treasury hopes to pocket nearly PLN7bn (USD2.2bn/EUR1.8bn) from privatisation deals in 2011.

Status: Auction- S AFRICAN DISCOVERY TO ACQUIRE UK STANDARD LIFE HEALTHCARESouth African insurer Discovery Holdings (JNB:DSY) said it has clinched a deal to buy, via its unit Pruhealth Holdings, Standard Life Healthcare, the medical insurance unit of UK sector player Standard Life (LON:SL) for ZAR1.56bn (USD208m/EUR164m) aimed at boosting presence in the UK.

Status: Agreed- DUTCH HAL CLOSES BUY INTO MEXICAN OPTICAL CHAIN GRUPO OPTICO LUXDutch investor HAL Holding (AMS:HAL) said it has completed the previously announced purchase of a 25% stake in Mexican optical retailer Grupo Optico Lux.

Status: Closed- PRIVATE EQUITY DEAL FOR FIDELITY NATIONAL COULD GO UP TO USD15BNThe negotiated acquisition of US electronic payment processor Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS), eyed currently by a group of three major private equity firms, may reach a value of some USD15bn (EUR11.9bn).

Status: Talks- CEO SAYS GERMAN SAP ON THE HUNT FOR MAJOR ACQUISITIONSGerman software company SAP (ETR:SAP) is exploring various takeover opportunities in an attempt to add new technologies to its existing product offering.

Status: Bidding- GREEN MOUNTAIN CLOSES DIEDRICH DEALUS coffee maker Green Mountain (NASDAQ:GMCR) unveiled the completion of the acquisition of sector player Diedrich Coffee (NASDAQ:DDRX) following the obtained approval from the Federal Trade Commission.

Status: Closed- FIRSTENERGY, ALLEGHENY ENERGY APPLY FOR MERGER PERMISSIONUS electric utility holding companies FirstEnergy Corp (NYSE:FE) and Allegheny Energy (NYSE:AYE) filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to clear the proposed combination of their operations.

Status: Agreed- ABC SUPPLY TO BUY BRADCO SUPPLY CORPUS roofing supply company ABC Supply co unveiled an agreement to buy local sector firm Bradco Supply Corp, without revealing the financial terms of the deal.

Status: Agreed- RYTEC CORPORATION TO BUY WYND STAR DOORSUS manufacturer of high-speed, high-performance rolling, folding and sliding doors Rytec Corporation said it has agreed to buy Ohio-based, privately-held sector player Wynd Star Doors for an undisclosed sum.

Status: Agreed- STANCHART NEGOTIATES USD10BN ACQUISITION OF S AFRICAN NEDBANKUK bank holding company Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) is negotiating to take over South African bank Nedbank (JNB:NED) for USD10bn (EUR7.9bn).

Status: Talks- US COMPUPAY CLOSES PRIORITY PAYROLL BUYUS payroll service company CompuPay said it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Nevada-based sector player Priority Payroll, without providing financial details.

Status: Closed- US MARKEL BUYS FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT MAKER SOLBERNUS speciality insurance products marketer and underwriter Markel Corporation (NYSE:MKL) said it has acquired the assets and operations of home privately-held food processing equipment maker Solbern.

Status: Closed- BULGARIA TO OFFLOAD 33% STAKE IN E.ON BULGARIABulgaria has decided to sell its 33% interest in the local unit of German utility E.ON (ETR:EOAN) to raise funds under an anti-crisis strategy.

Status: Auction- GE PLANS TO PUT OVER USD1BN IN ACQUISITIONSUS conglomerate General Electric (NYSE:GE) is planning to spend over USD1bn (EUR792m) on acquisitions given a projected cash of more than USD25bn at the end of the year.

Status: Bidding- INDUSTRIAS ROMI RAISES OFFER FOR HARDINGE TO USD10Brazilian machine tools maker Industrias Romi (SAO:ROMI3) said it has sweetened its bid to acquire US sector player Hardinge (NASDAQ:HDNG) to USD10 (EUR7.8) per share in cash, adding this is Romi’s “best and final offer”.

Status: Bidding- PORTUGAL TELECOM GETS EUR5.7BN OFFER FOR VIVO STAKEPortugal Telecom (ELI:PTCA) said its Spanish rival Telefonica (MCE:TEF) has submitted an unsolicited EUR5.7bn (USD7.3bn) offer for its 50% stake in Brazil’s mobile phone operator Vivo (SAO:VIVO3).

Status: Bidding- SEADRILL PLACES MANDATORY CASH BID FOR SCORPION OFFSHOREOslo-listed offshore drilling contractor Seadrill (OSL:SDRL) said it had made a cash NOK36 (USD5.9/EUR4.6) per-share mandatory offer for the remaining shares of Scorpion Offshore (OSL:SCORE).

Status: Bidding- LIONS GATE STOCKHOLDERS GET NEW EXTENSION BY ICAHN GROUPThe Icahn Group, owned by activist shareholder Carl Icahn, announced a new extension of its tender offer for Canada-based movie production studio Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE:LGF).

Status: Bidding- ITALY’S INTESA SANPAOLO SAYS IN TALKS TO SELL FIDEURAM STAKE TO US HELLMAN & FRIEDMANItalian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo (BIT:ISP) said it was in preliminary discussions with US private equity investor Hellman & Friedman over the sale of a minority stake in its unit Banca Fideuram, to be soon listed.

Status: Talks- CVC REPORTEDLY AUCTIONS 4% IN IG GROUPUK-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has put a 4% stake in British spread betting firm and bookmaker IG Group (LON:IGG) on the market through Barclays Capital.

Status: Auction; Speculation- DUTCH NPM CAPITAL NOT TO BUY MAJORITY IN PUNCH GRAPHIXDutch investment firm NPM Capital announced the termination of the proposed acquisition of a majority stake in home digital-printing and pre-press equipment maker Punch Graphix (AMS:PGX).

Status: Terminated- DEUTSCHE POST STILL IN TALKS WITH CARAVELLE TO SHED FRENCH PARCEL UNITGerman mail and logistics group Deutsche Post (ETR:DPW) is still negotiating to sell its loss-making parcel business in France, DHL France, to financial investor Caravelle.

Status: Talks- HONG KONG BILLIONAIRE PREPARES BID FOR EDF’S UK DISTRIBUTION NETWORKHong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing is preparing a GBP4bn (USD5.9bn/EUR4.6bn) bid for the UK electricity distribution network of French energy group EDF (EPA:EDF).

Status: Bidding; Speculation- BOEING, BAE SYSTEMS, RAYTHEON SAID INTERESTED IN ARGON’S TAKEOVERUS planemaker Boeing (NYSE:BA), UK defence group BAE Systems (LON:BA) and US sector company Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) are said to be among the suitors for the takeover of US defence company Argon ST (NASDAQ:STST).

Status: Speculation; Bidding- SERBIAN GOVT SAYS CITIGROUP CONSORTIUM SOLE BIDDER TO ADVISE ON TELEKOM SRBIJA STAKE SALEThe Serbian finance ministry said that a Citigroup (NYSE:C)-headed consortium is the only bidder to advise in the country’s sale of a 40% stake in telecommunications operator Telekom Srbija.

Status: Auction- GENERAL ELECTRIC REPORTEDLY MULLS OVER WAYS OF DIVESTING GARANTI STAKEUS industrial giant General Electric (NYSE:GE) is said to be mulling over a block sale or public placement as ways to dispose of its 20.85% shareholding in Turkish Garanti Bank (IST:GARAN).

Status: Speculation; Auction- UK STEEL MAKER CORUS PICKS CITIGROUP TO SELL ITS TEESSIDE PLANTUS steel company Corus is disposing of its Teesside production facility in northern England and had selected US Citigroup (NYSE:C) to arrange the sale, a Corus spokesman said.

Status: Talks- US ROCK OF AGES GETS TAKEOVER PROPOSAL BY SWENSON GRANITE COUS Rock of Ages Corporation (NASDAQ:ROAC) said Swenson Granite Company LLC has filed a takeover bid for the granite quarrier and producer, offering USD4.38 (EUR3.35) per outstanding share in cash.

Status: Bidding- ROMANIAN GOVT TO START TALKS ON SALE OF STAKE IN UKRAINIAN KRIVOY ROG TO ARCELORMITTAL GALATIThe Romanian economy minister, Adriean Videanu, said that the government will initiate talks this week for the sale of its stake in Ukrainian ore processing plant Krivoy Rog to Romanian steel company ArcelorMittal Galati.

Status: Talks- UK GOLD MINER AVOCET SAYS IN TALKS TO DISPOSE OF SE ASIAN MINESUK gold miner Avocet Mining (LON:AVM) denied media speculation that it had concluded the sale of its South East Asian mines to PT Lebong Tandai, a unit of Indonesian coal miner PT Merukh, for USD250m (EUR191.5m), and said it was in early talks with interested buyers.

Status: Talks- US MONEY4GOLD PLANS TO BUY MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING FIRM OPRAUS precious metals recycling company Money4Gold Holdings inc (OTC:MFGD) said it has sealed a letter of intent to take over Kansas-based mobile phone recycling firm Office Products Recycling Associates (OPRA).

Status: Exclusivity- APAX PARTNERS TO ACQUIRE CONTROLLING STAKE IN BRAZILIAN TIVITBritish private equity firm Apax Partners is to buy a controlling 54% interest in Brazilian IT group Tivit (SAO:TVIT3).

Status: Speculation; Bidding- PRIVATE EQUITY FUND EVA GRUPE TO BID FOR POLISH MIESZKOLithuanian private equity firm EVA Grupe is seeking clearance from the Polish competition regulator to acquire confectionery Mieszko (WAR:MSO).

Status: Bidding- SPANISH MARSANS TO SELL TOUR OPERATOR VIAJES MARSANS IN FEW DAYSSpain-based tourism group Marsans is planning to dispose of tour operator Viajes Marsans within the next few days.

Status: Auction- SONY MUSIC PLANNING BID FOR BRITISH RIVAL EMIUS recording giant Sony Music mulls over a potential bid for struggling British competitor EMI, Sony Music CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holz said.

Status: Bidding- LOTOS LIKELY TO BUY OUT LITHUANIAN GEONAFTAPolish refiner Lotos (WAR:LTS) is considering the acquisition of the residual 58% in Lithuanian oil exploration major Geonafta, Lotos CEO Pawel Olechnowicz said.

Status: Bidding- VIRGIN MONEY DROPS BID FOR UK BANKING ASSETSBritish financial services company Virgin Money has withdrawn from bidding for 318 branches of Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) across the UK.

Status: Auction; Terminated- GOLDSMITH CAPITAL PARTNERS EYES GERMAN KAUFHOFAsset manager Goldsmith Capital Partners is one of the interested parties for German Cologne-based department-store chain Kaufhof, part of Metro (ETR:MEO), a spokesman for Goldsmith said.

Status: Talks- PEABODY ENERGY FILES DEFINITIVE, REVISED OFFER FOR AUSTRALIAN SECTOR CO MACARTHURUS coal miner Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) said it has filed a definite offer of AUD15 (USD13.52/EUR10.47) per share in cash to take over the control at Australian sector company Macarthur Coal (ASX:MCC).

Status: Bidding((Comments on this story may be sent to tww.feedback@m2.com))(c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

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M&A Navigator: Deal pipeline – 12 May

The evening of may 18th, 2010, was one of celebration and joy. Republican Tea Party candidate Rand Paul soundly won the Kentucky Republican Senatorial primary by a crushing 23%, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Kentucky’s Attorney General, Jack Conway, a Democrat, come November. The wine flowed, the hugs were endless, and Rand swore to bring the government back to the people.

“We’re not done yet,” Rand grinned, rolling up his sleeves while addressing the crowd cheering him on. “We have a lot of business still to attend to, and I propose we get started off on the right foot by writing a law that would allow us to dig up Rosa Parks’ grave and move her to the back of the cemetery she’s in. I’m not racist – I’m merely a Libertarian, and the man who owns the cemetery has made it known to me that he wants her in the back.”

Rand Paul didn’t actually make the above comment, but he used that exact logic on The Rachel Maddow Show last week. Paul had publicly criticized parts of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Maddow had some questions on his stance. Paul started off on the right foot by stating, “I’m not in favor of any discrimination of any form,” though his answer quickly fell into a tailspin. In only twenty-four hours after his primary election victory, Paul made national headlines for his criticism of a law that played a crucial role in bringing along racial equality in the United States. he further explained his criticism to Rachel Maddow:

“But I think what’s important in this debate is not getting into any specific ‘gotcha’ on this, but asking the question ‘What about freedom of speech?’ should we limit speech from people we find abhorrent. should we limit racists from speaking. I don’t want to be associated with those people, but I also don’t want to limit their speech in any way in the sense that we tolerate boorish and uncivilized behavior because that’s one of the things that freedom requires is that we allow people to be boorish and uncivilized, but that doesn’t mean we approve of it…”

Well said, Paul. The Civil Rights Act has been for too long denying business owners their first amendment right to discriminate, even if it violates African-Americans’ right to, you know, live an equal life. I can’t tell you how many business owners I’ve spoken to who have said to me, “It’s bad enough that I have to serve black coffee, but serving black people too is just too much. It’s like, put some cream in there or get out of here, you know? When President Obama won the election in 2008 I wanted to rename our coffee with cream as ‘The Obama,’ because he’s mixed too, but I was told it might be in bad taste. The only bad taste is black coffee. I’m not racist – I just have a right as a business owner to say, hey, government, stay out of my business and let me make my diner as white as my intentions.”

In fairness to Rand Paul, he did say he’s not racist and this argument has been made before. Republican Barry Goldwater made the exact same objection to the Civil Rights Act when it was being debated in 1964. Goldwater said on the Senate floor that he’s opposed to discrimination but was against the bill because it “would embark the Federal Government on a regulatory course of action with regard to private enterprise and in the area of so-called ‘public accommodations’ and in the area of employment.” In other words, the federal government would be telling private businesses who they could and couldn’t serve or hire, which is none of their business.

One of the major criticisms of the Tea Party to date has been their hostile racial overtones and their overwhelmingly white members. Rand Paul’s primary victory may have caused celebration within the Tea Party ranks, yet their spokesperson came under fire for questioning the Civil Rights Act in less than one day after his victory. That does nothing but bolster an already negative reputation to the rest of the country, and was a serious enough blunder that even RNC Chairman Michael Steele criticized Rand’s comment publicly and warned him about what it means to be a member of the Republican Party.

Rand Paul may hate discrimination, but not as much as he loves businesses having the right to do what they please, even if that means they discriminate.

Scott Janssen is a graduate student, blogger, and all-around drain on society. Follow him at his blog at www.pantslessponderings.com

Follow Scott Janssen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pantslessponder

Where's my Right to be Racist?

Gourmet Coffee

Even a Coffee Bean or San Francisco Coffee outlet frequenter won’t be able to master the art of appreciating true gourmet coffee unless they know the history and info about gourmet coffee. Oh, of course, you don’t have to an EXPERT to enjoy and understand gourmet coffee, but knowing a little bit more than the grocery store owner who sells Instant Coffee would help you appreciate the taste, smell and absolute heaven that gourmet coffee fans know gourmet coffee is absolutely capable of.

Gourmet coffee is nothing like wine. with wine, the longer you leave (some wine, anyway), the better the taste, the higher the quality and the pricier it is. But with gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. if possible, get Coffee Beans that have been roasted no more than 1 week before. And if you’re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, only buy 100% Arabica Coffee.

It’s pretty hard to find Freshly Roasted Coffee bean on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans that you’re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months back. one way to counter this problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with a home-Coffee Grinding machine as and when you need it. It’s really easy with the kind of machines they have today, so, if you want to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, grind it when you need it.

Once you’ve purchased the Gourmet Coffee Beans, don’t just leave out there in room temperature. what you should do with gourmet coffee beans is to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge if you’re planning to use it soon. However, if you’re going to keep it, store the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the FREEZER.

You need the right grinder for the right brewer. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you make your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.

With wine, the country where the grapes are grown makes a difference. with gourmet coffee, not only is the country of origin for the Gourmet Coffee Bean makes a difference, the company that sells the gourmet coffee beans matters too. buy only from reputable companies for gourmet coffee.

And one last thing about gourmet coffee is this – learn to enjoy it, appreciate the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you’ll soon see the wonder of gourmet coffee. if you’re hurrying off for work in the morning, forget about gourmet coffee! during the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee.

About the Author

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