Why Harvester!

Why Harvester!

Written by?

Abdelaziz Bin Abdalla?

Coffee is the world's second most valuable commodity, after oil. It has been a global obsession since its discovery in Ethiopia in the ninth century.

Today coffee beans are bought, roasted, ground and blended by the many roasting companies that have emerged across the globe. This blog will explore what it takes to become a coffee roaster.

But first, let's take a step back for a moment and look at the industry that drives all global demand for coffee.

The dominance of Starbucks – the largest coffee company in the world – has been fairly well documented, but it's important not to lose sight of the fact that Starbucks is just one of many roasting companies. To put it into perspective, in 2013 they sold 3 million more cups of coffee than McDonald's sold burgers worldwide. Coffee is big business.

The coffee industry has always been of great interest to me. As a businessman, I studied the large companies that control global coffee markets. I also read a lot on the history of coffee, from its exploration and distribution to trade agreements and how consumers feel about their coffee today. The more I learned about coffee, the more I realized that it is a perfect example of how complex markets can be: everything from the production process and where it is grown, to roasting it, buying it and blending it. As well as this, it also provides a great example of how the level of competition in a market can vary depending on location.

Coffee has been around for hundreds of years. The first record of its production dates back to Ethiopia in the ninth century. It has grown wild there ever since and reached other countries through trade. It wasn't until the 15th century when coffee make its way to Europe, where it was received with enthusiasm. Soon afterwards, paper mills were powered by its consumption.

From there, coffee spread throughout the world. By 1752 it had appeared in Brazil, and then in Java in Indonesia during the 18th century; soon after that it spread to all regions of the world. Coffee is now produced almost everywhere on Earth – including British Columbia, Canada and Kenya. In 2010 Ethiopia increased its production of coffee by 5% alone .

The coffee industry is dominated by two very large companies: Nestlé, the largest food company in the world and Starbucks, which recently became the largest coffee company in the world.

The French brought coffee to their colony in the Caribbean which is where we know it today as Café du Monde. The first coffee house opened in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1782.

The Dutch colony of Surinam played a significant role in the evolution of coffee – it had the first Starbucks store and coffee was produced by many different companies. Coffee gradually replaced cocoa powder as the main export product from Surinam.

Today there are many types of coffee: arabica and robusta are the most popular types, with the former being more expensive. Arabica beans have a more acidic and berry flavour, whereas Robusta beans have a milder taste and contain more caffeine. The method in which these two types are grown is also very different: Arabica beans grow best in highlands, whereas Robusta's can be produced anywhere and thrive on lower quality soil.

Origins of coffee

Coffee first originated in Ethiopia and was usually enjoyed as a bitter black liquid. It was drunk by Muslim scholars around 1000 AD as an alternative to alcohol. The stimulating quality of coffee appealed to these men who are forbidden from drinking alcohol under Islamic law: it's no surprise that the country is still one of the largest producers of coffee today.

Arab traders then brought the drink to Europe, where it became popular as an exotic hot beverage that was prepared with honey or sugar. It became the fashionable drink of Paris as an alternative to alcohol and people would drink it in cafés. The drink was apparently unappealing at this point and tasted terrible – which means Europeans were drinking it for its stimulating effects, not for its taste. It's a good thing they developed better methods of preparing it!

The Dutch are responsible for developing the method of roasting coffee beans to make them taste better. Around 1650, they started applying heat to berries to bring out their flavor, instead of boiling them into a soup. They did this by using a furnace to raise the temperature of their beans so that they would absorb more heat and release more flavor. This is how roast coffee first came about.

The Dutch also introduced the idea of blending different types of beans together, so that one cup would have a taste a bit like another. This method was very common in Europe until the middle of the 19th century when coffee was eventually sold to its customers by weight, as opposed to volume. The European colonists then took this idea with them to the New World, where coffee was produced and consumed in large quantities.

In 1727 the first coffee shop in Britain opened its doors in London. This shop was the beginning of the coffee house culture which flourished throughout Europe: people would meet there to discuss politics and became more politically aware because of it.

Today, most countries have a domestic coffee brand which is usually sold through retail chains or local cafés. Britain has strong local coffee brands like Costa Coffee, Costa Coffee in China and the United States has a big market for coffee. Local brands are usually sold by weight, not volume, to enable consumers to choose their particular favorites.

Coffee and globalization

In the early 1900s, coffee imports from all over the world began pouring into Europe. European citizens started drinking American coffee which was very popular in Europe at the time, even though it was rare there at that time. The demand for coffee in Europe started to rise, which led to the coffee industry becoming a global business.

Americans started to drink their own brand of coffee: Maxwell House was first manufactured in 1892 and was named after its creator whose last name was Maxwell. The brand's advertising slogan read: "Good To The Last Drop". It's slogan is probably the most well known part of its history.

In fact, the United States played a significant role in the growth of coffee culture around the world: it was there that individuals started to drink coffee at home and not just in cafés. Other countries like France, Germany and Italy soon followed suit. Around 50% of Americans drink their own brand of coffee at home.

As coffee came to the United States, it was thought that the best way to let people know what they were drinking was to give them a name so there would be less confusion. Maxwell discovered that his customers would ask what type of coffee they were drinking: American coffee came into being at this point because of this.

The campaign 'Good To The Last Drop' went on for many years and is still used today as long as Maxwell continues making coffee (which they do until today). The slogan was also used in many different ways, such as on a small sign which hung above the coffee pot in Maxwell's adverts.

Coffee is now an international drink – it is consumed by people from America to China and even Africa. In fact, there are now over 50 million coffee shops around the world – which means over 150 million cups of coffee per day.

Coffee and cancer

There is a lot of debate about the health effects of drinking coffee. Some studies have shown that it can be good for you: it can help to relieve stress and increase your athletic performance. Others suggest that drinking it in large quantities does more harm than good.

Some studies have shown that coffee can help to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, but these are very inconclusive.

One study, published in the September 2009 issue of the British Journal of Cancer, showed that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of developing bowel cancer, but then again there was another study which found no difference in this risk.

There is, however, one thing that both of these studies agree on: the more coffee you drink, the lower your risk of developing cancer. In fact, in one study, it was shown that people who drank four cups of coffee a day had a 40% lower chance of developing cancer than non-coffee drinkers.

Another study found that men who drank four or more cups a day had a 15% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who never touched the stuff. The reason might be that coffee contains antioxidants. These are chemicals in your body which can prevent certain diseases.

There is also evidence to suggest that coffee can help to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Scientists believe this is because it contains caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system and the neural receptors in our brain.

Coffee has been shown to have some health benefits, but drinking it excessively can have negative effects on your liver and your digestive tract. Those who suffer from liver problems should avoid coffee.

Coffee and animals

Coffee has been proven to be an effective treatment for animals much the same way it can help you. One of the most famous cases of this is the 1975 case of a dog named Newkirk. She had battled cancer for four years, but it eventually spread throughout her body despite chemotherapy and radiation therapy which was being given to her at the time. Her family was desperate, so they decided to try something else.

Luckily for Newkirk she lived nearby a veterinary clinic called Colorado State University. Here, professor Eugene Antone designed a trial to see if coffee could help: he gave Newkirk four doses of 60 grams of ground coffee beans per day. The results were amazing: after three months, her cancer was in remission and she had recovered from her illness.

Today, many dogs around the world are treated with coffee and there are numerous scientific studies which support these findings.

Coffee and health benefits

Drinking coffee is good for your health and there is actually a lot of scientific evidence to prove this. It can help with a number of different issues:

Caffeine: the chemical which gives coffee its kick

Several studies have shown that caffeine is beneficial to the heart, particularly in people with coronary heart disease. It can reduce the risk of heart attack and it has a positive effect on your cholesterol levels.

Caffeine can also increase athletic performance: it increases stamina, speeds up your reaction time and gives you more energy – all of which are essential in order to perform at your best. It is most effective when taken an hour before you begin exercising.

Coffee has also been known to reduce fatigue, headaches and mental sluggishness. It can also be beneficial to people with Bipolar Disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Parkinson's disease.

Coffee and your weight

Many people are afraid of coffee because they think it will increase their weight as they drink it. However, this is not the case: in fact, coffee can be beneficial for weight loss.

Studies have shown that those who consume more than four cups a day have a lower body mass index than those who do not.

Studies have also shown that those who drink coffee (regardless of the amount) have a slightly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

How does coffee help us to lose weight? It slows down the rate at which our body breaks down fat and it stimulates the production of insulin.

All good things come in small packages and this is true-for weight loss as well as for health benefits.

Coffee and longevity

One of the main reasons we drink coffee is to help us live longer. Many studies have been conducted on coffee and its relationship to health, but some are more convincing than others. For example, one study published in the June 2010 edition of the British Journal of Cancer found that drinking two or more cups a day lowered your risk of developing bowel cancer by 25%.

However, a recent study published in the March 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee drinkers actually had a lower risk of death than those who never or rarely drink coffee. This study concluded that coffee was actually good for longevity. In fact, it stated that one cup of coffee a day is just as effective as two cups when it comes to longevity. The reason might be that coffee has antioxidants, which fight free radicals that cause cancer and heart disease.

Whichever way you see it, drinking coffee is beneficial to your health. The bottom line is that you should drink in moderation, but if you drink too much it's not the end of the world.

Coffee and diabetes

The studies on coffe and diabetes are not as clear-cut as those on coffe and cancer or coffe and heart disease. In fact, there is evidence that drinking too much coffee can actually increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

On the other hand, male doctors who drink two or more cups of coffee a day have a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who never drink it. It's also been found that if you consume one cup of coffee a day you can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%.

The bottom line is that we're not sure if coffee is good for those who have diabetes, but it does seem to have some sort of positive effect.

Coffee and pregnancy

Coffee has a lot of caffeine in it, but the recommended amount that pregnant women should consume is 200mg (or 2 cups) a day. There are no studies that suggest the amount is more harmful than beneficial, but it's best to take the recommended amount every day.

Women who drink more than two cups a day have a 25% greater risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.

There are some studies that show that women who drink coffee while they are pregnant do not give birth to babies with behavioral problems, such as ADD and ADHD. So, in this case the evidence is mixed.

Conclusion

It's clear that coffee has a lot of health benefits. It can lower your risk of developing some serious illnesses, it can improve your athletic performance, and it can even help with weight loss and make you live longer. However, coffee should be consumed in moderation: it's not something you should drink every day if you don't want to become addicted to it.

One last thing that we should point out is that coffee has a lot of antioxidants in it, which may help with your longevity. And that's a good thing!

How do you drink your coffee? Would you prefer hot coffee or cold? Either way, you deserve a cup of Harvester!

Sources: WebMD, Harvard Health, Medline Plus, Dr. Axe, Cancer.org, Melatonin Research Foundation and University of Maryland Medical Center.