Wholesale coffee prices have risen significantly this year, Coffee prices up from wholesale to diner

Coffee prices today - Wholesale coffee prices have risen significantly this year, Coffee prices up from wholesale to diner ; Wholesale coffee prices have risen significantly this year, sending the price of a pound of coffee at the market or a cup at the diner up as well, dealers say.

A 1-pound can was selling for an average of $5.10 in April, the U.S. Department of Labor reported. That was up from $3.64 a year earlier.

"These are big increases -- and I don't think we're done with it," Phil Lempert, editor of the SupermarketGuru.com blog, told the Los Angeles Times. "We're going to see higher prices on coffee for a very, very long time."

Tim Castle, a coffee importer and expert, said prices are likely to rise faster at first in stores than in restaurants. He said restaurants often sell brewed coffee for four times what they pay for it, which allows them to hold the line on price increases for a while.

But even there, prices are going up. The Starbucks chain hiked prices for some of its drinks last fall and is planning a 17 percent increase in the price of coffee beans it sells retail in its coffee shops.

Experts say there are a number of reasons for the price increases. They include bad weather in many coffee-growing areas, which has cut down on the supply, while residents of developing countries like China are drinking more coffee, just as they are using more gas.

Brampton will soon have more coffee than Brazil

Brampton will soon have more coffee than Brazil ; Coffee politics is everywhere around the world, in every major city and here in Brampton. During World War Two, Brazil was the only South American country to send military assistance to the Allies. Most countries in South America were neutral. By 1946, America was still courting Brazil and as a trade-off imported one of Brazil's major commodities coffee. To bolster that arrangement in 1946, Frank Sinatra recorded the 'coffee song'; They've Got An Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil. The song still has relevance today because it underscores the big coffee wars in North America and now in Brampton. Brazilians still grow coffee beans by the billions and they need to sell it around the world and they're not the only ones.

Now, who doesn't like a nice hot cup of coffee? Well believe it or not there are plenty of people who don't. But for those of us that do, we like it hot or cold with milk or cream or sugar or other stuff.

Some claim that the health effects of coffee are huge. Others not so much. Some claim that coffee is a protective panacea for all kinds of chronic diseases. Others believe that in large doses it is addictive. All of that is part of the background to the coffee wars looming at the four corners in every town and city and now in Brampton.

Essentially it boils down to this. John Cutruzzola, a local businessman, has leased a Starbucks in the newly refurbished Dominion Building â?¦ you know the one with the old clock tower at Main and Queen streets. John has spent large amounts of money to renovate that building. He has modernized it adding a glass and steel addition and he has saved it from the wreckers and from becoming a highrise. Cutruzzola has more than any other private citizen taken the challenge to modernize the four corners and he is using his money to do it, not ours.

Sometimes though you can't catch a break and believe it or not, some folks think Starbucks will cause a major catastrophe for the businesses there. They think that it is inappropriate to house a coffee shop in the refurbished Dominion Building and that it somehow takes away from the history of the building. These folks need to take a drive up and down Main Street and see how many old houses have been converted to commercial and medical places. The whole episode is just a tempest in a tea pot.

Some folks still don't get it. The four corners will stay underdeveloped until small business, the city, and major investors see the possibilities. Cutruzzola, for his part, is continuing to keep the ball rolling and the Dominion Building is a prime example of what one person can do. Mike Gagnon, a downtown business man, has it right when he says, " I would like to congratulate John Cutruzzola for having leased to Starbucksâ?¦ As for the other coffee shops located in the downtown, increased competition in the downtown is what makes good business become great business."

In a time when the major shopping plazas are beating the heck out of the four corners, commercial competition should be the rallying point for business. Starbucks, Coffee Culture, and perhaps Green Cup Roastery will bring another feature to attract people to that area. Brampton needs to ensure that each commercial part of the city can support itself and can draw people. The Rose theatre is one magnet, but on its own can't make the magic that businesses can if there are other ways to establish a presence and provide services that people want.

So c'mon on down Starbucks and hello Green Cup Roastery. We hope you both do well. And Coffee Culture we still think you make a great cup of coffee. So let's face it, there'll be an awful lot of coffee in Brampton, just like Brazil. By the way, what happened to Tims?

Starbucks warns over rising cost of coffee

Starbucks warns over rising cost of coffee ; Starbucks has said that the rising cost of coffee will weigh down its profits this year. The US cafe chain chose not to up its profit forecast for the year, despite reporting rising sales and record profits in the past three months.

The firm made net earnings of $347m (£218m) in the last quarter of 2010, up 44% on a year earlier. But investors were more concerned by its rising cost base, and shares in the firm fell 3% in after-hours trading.

"The strong momentum in our global business in fiscal 2011 positions us to... reaffirm our 2011 guidance despite dramatically higher coffee costs," said chief financial officer Troy Alstead presenting the company's latest results.

Wholesale coffee prices have risen by nearly three-quarters since last summer.The rise has been driven by poor weather in Colombia and fears over crop diseases, as well as rising global demand.

Starbucks said it now expected profits to be closer to the $1.47-per-share top end of the guidance previously given. However, markets had expected the firm to raise its guidance for 2011 profits to $1.49 per share.

For the past three months however, business was surprisingly strong, with earnings 15% higher than the market had expected. Revenues were up 8% on a year ago at $3bn, as Starbucks outlets saw a greater volume of customers, particularly in the US.

The firm said the higher sales at stores helped boost its profit margins, offsetting at least for the time being the higher cost of coffee.