Caffeine Diplomacy: Nestle to Bring Cuban Coffee to US

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Caffeine Diplomacy: Nestle to Bring Cuban Coffee to US

Jun 20, 2016 Agence France-Presse

NEW YORK—Nestle announced on Monday it will reintroduce Cuban coffee to the U.S. for the first time in more than 50 years following the easing of United States sanctions on Cuba. The Swiss food giant plans to sell Cuban coffee under its individual-capsule Nespresso brand, initially as a limited edition, starting in several months.

"Nespresso is thrilled to be the first to bring this rare coffee to the U.S., allowing consumers to rediscover this distinct coffee profile," said Guillaume Le Cunff, president of Nespresso USA, in a statement. "Ultimately, we want consumers in the U.S. to experience this incredible coffee and to enjoy it now and for years to come."

A spokesman for Nestle said the coffee has "wood notes" and a "light caramel finish."

In April, the U.S. Department of State in April updated its list of goods that could be imported into the US from Cuba to include coffee.



Read more: http://www.industryweek.com/trade/caffeine-diplomacy-nestle-bring-cuban-coffee-us?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IWNews+%28IndustryWeek+Most+Recent+News%29

[Judi Lynn]

1. The next taste of US-Cuban diplomacy will be coffee-flavored

The next taste of US-Cuban diplomacy will be coffee-flavored

Written by Keenan Steiner

5 hours ago

Havana, Cuba

Whether it’s well-balanced cortadito, a simple espresso, or one of the many coffee concoctions found at Havana’s coffee shops, Cubans are particular about their caffeine. Cuban coffee, as a style, is usually some combination of strong, dark-roast espresso with sweetness from sugar.

Cubans are better known around the world for their rum and cigars than their coffee. But in the mid-1950s, before the revolution, Cuba exported more than 20,000 metric tons (22,000 tons) of coffee to global markets, and official figures in the 1980s often exceeded 12,000 metric tons. Since the Cuban economic collapse following the fall of the Soviet Union, exports from the annual harvest have fallen drastically to just 660 metric tons, according the most recent figures provided by the International Coffee Organization.

In that time, Americans have become rabid and discerning consumers of caffeine. And since the Obama administration made a little-noticed regulatory update in April allowing certain Cuban coffee imports, some entrepreneurs and companies have been racing to make it the first Cuban agricultural good to be commercially exported to the US since the embargo was imposed more than 50 years ago.

Nestle-owned Nespresso, which sells single-serve coffee capsules for its home brewing machines, appears to be winning that race, announcing today that it will begin sales of a Cuban espresso roast in the US in the fall. The coffee was produced by small farmers and purchased from Cubana, a British company that already imports Cuban coffee to Europe, and the state-owned enterprise Cubaexport, Nespresso said. Though its initial purchase is only a few dozen tons, the company plans to invest to increase Cuban farmers’ production through a partnership with sustainable development nonprofit TechnoServe.

More:
http://qz.com/709772/the-next-step-in-u-s-cuban-diplomacy-will-be-coffee-flavored/

[CanonRay]

26. Don't buy Nestlé products

Now matter how much you want Cuban coffee.

[elleng]

2. Oh good, Nestle!

Nestlé Pumps Millions of Gallons for Free While Flint Pays for Poisoned Water.

http://www.democracynow.org/2016/2/17/michigans_water_wars_nestle_pumps_millions

[Jazzgirl]

8. Thank you!

That's why I won't be buying any. They do the same in drought stricken Cali too and haven't paid any fees in over 20 years!!!

[truthisfreedom]

3. I hope they don't corner the market!

Maybe Exxon or Monsanto could step up?

[LoisB]

4. As much as I love coffee and as much as I would love to taste Cuban coffee, I

wouldn't put another nickle into Nestle's coffers.

[Joe Bacon]

20. I remember how my Grandpa loved Cafe Bustelo when it came from Cuba.

It was always his favorite coffee.

[jtuck004]

5. Why can't some Cubans do it? We have plenty of places that could buy whatever

they could ship today.

[cstanleytech]

9. Right now because they dont have a distribution network setup plus they will have to

to negotiate with the varies retailers to find room for the coffee on store shelves, nestle has a network though to distribute it with retailers in place and it knows who to deal with.

[tabasco]

6. Probably price-gouge the shit out of it, too.

capitalism and all.

[Jazzgirl]

7. And I won't be buying it.

I don't buy jack from Nestle anything. None of their products. I'll wait until somebody else distributes it.

[ozone_man]

12. I know, Nestle and all.

Cuba needs help right now, maybe Nestle today and all kinds of fair trade labels tomorrow.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. Maybe it's the powdered milk, but...

I have never had a good or even drinkable cup of coffee in Cuba.

[tabasco]

37. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zz zzz ....... . .

[madokie]

11. I"m old enough to remember

Back when C&H stood for Cuba and Hawaii, Sugar that is

NO where can I find that info on the internets but I remember it well, C&H, Pure cane sugar from Cuba and Hawaii. there was a little jingle that went with that advertisement.

[csziggy]

13. ASR Group now owns C&H Sugar

Our Brands

Florida Crystals
Domino Sugar
C&H Sugar
Redpath Sugar
Tate & Lyle Sugars
Lyle’s Golden Syrup
Sidul
Zing™ Stevia
http://www.asr-group.com/about-us/our-world/index.html

Apparently the "C" in C&H stood for Caifornia:

[madokie]

15. I'm sorry but C&H

pure cane sugar used to stand for Cuba and Hawaii. I'm talking about in the early to mid '50s. I remember it well. The embargo on Cuba in the early '60s and then the C stood for California from then on


don't tell me I don't know what I know,

[csziggy]

16. They probably changed the definition for "C" during the cold war

When Cuba was selling their sugar to the USSR and Cuba turned from a friend to a foe.

The commercial I posted was the earliest one I could find on YouTube.

[madokie]

17. Best I remember it changed

when Castro took over.

I've searched the net high and low and could not find anything concerning this.

I remember when C&H stood for Cuba and Hawaii well though

[Beartracks]

21. I found this one, small reference so far...

... to "Cuba and Hawaii Sugar Company" in a book entitled Reflections of a Bankruptee on Debt, Amnesty, Revolution, and History - A Critique of Contract Theory by Frank T. De Angelis, published in 2001, where he provides such as the full name of "C&H Sugar Co." The link should take you to a preview of the relevant page (3):

https://books.google.com/books?id=CaVPOH41EXwC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=%22cuba+and+hawaii%22+sugar+%22c%26h%22&source=bl&ots=LbpCwBn9Vj&sig=bV1CaUfGI8DiVkTBsyziZSyvQR0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwim7oWfgbjNAhWJ1IMKHQscAGAQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=%22cuba%20and%20hawaii%22%20sugar%20%22c%26h%22&f=false


But then, I also found this reference to "California & Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corporation" from an industry publication -- The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer -- in 1922, well before the Cuban revolution. This seems to be the long-hand name for "C. & H. Sugar Company" in the headline. The article also ties that company name with the C&H refinery in Crockett, CA. The link should take you to a preview page (268):

https://books.google.com/books?id=e01KAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR77&lpg=PR77&dq=%22C+%26+H%22+cuba+sugar+hawaii&source=bl&ots=Ra9DnYXoZ6&sig=ViBWrTGn_fkf9vctumvqqyzMhZw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjH3rKfhbjNAhUm44MKHcNHCeA4ChDoAQghMAM#v=onepage&q=%22C%20%26%20H%22%20cuba%20sugar%20hawaii&f=false


This may not be conclusive of anything, though, since maybe the refinery COULD have been its own company distinct from a parent corporation?? But... that would seem odd to have two companies sharing the same acronym.

Hmm...

======================

[Beartracks]

22. Here's a vintage 1934 C&H sack on ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cloth-C-H-Pure-Cane-Berry-Granulated-5-Sugar-Sack-Copyright-1934-/391484521740?hash=item5b264bbd0c:g:aIUAAOSwc1FXYfxE


It shows the date 1934 and bears the name California & Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corporation -- same as that 1922 trade pub.



====================

[Beartracks]

24. Perhaps you were thinking of Central Hershey?

Milton Hershey (of chocolate fame) built a town called Central Hershey in Cuba where they had a sugar refinery and other facilities.

Maybe... Central Hershey could be your C&H?? Although, I get the impression they mainly provided sugar for their chocolate factory in Pennsylvania. But one link below is for a a vintage sugar sack on ebay, so perhaps the sugar was sold directly to consumers, too.

http://www.hersheyarchives.org/essay/details.aspx?EssayId=16&Rurl=/resources/search-results.aspx?Type=BrowseEssay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cloth-Sugar-Bags-Hershey-CUBA-3-Bags-/222152150081?hash=item33b94ccc41:g:n1IAAOSwM4xXX0Aj


The story on Hershey's site, which mentions that "central is the Cuban term for a sugar mill and its surrounding town," goes on to note that "Hershey's Cuban holdings were sold in 1946 to the Cuban Atlantic Sugar Company."


=========================

[Judi Lynn]

14. I remember the commercial, but not the fact C & H meant Cuba and Hawaii. Thanks for that! n/t

[chapdrum]

18. Woo-hoo Nestle'!

One of the oldest rogue corporations going (and full steam ahead, too).

Yay!

[lordsummerisle]

19. Just wondering how

this is allowed to go ahead when there is an embargo in place?

[dflprincess]

23. Cuba needs to be careful

or it will wind up right back where it was in 1958 when corporations and the mob were running it and they had their puppet, Batista, in place as the leader.

Cutting deals with the crooks at Nestle does not make me hopeful for the country's future.

[brooklynite]

25. The dealing cutting will be done by the Government, right?

The one that provided a socialist paradise for the past fifty years?

[Feeling the Bern]

30. As compared to the gangster rule of Batista that the CIA and the US Government supported?

[harun]

33. Right, the one that provided Universal Healthcare for all Cubans and anyone in Cuba.

[dflprincess]

39. And education nt

[uppityperson]

28. I don't understand the thrill.

[Feeling the Bern]

29. Fuck Nestle. As evil a company as Wal-mart

[marble falls]

31. I want Cuban coffee, just not from Nestle. I find myself in the odd position of boycotting a Cuban..

product for progressive reasons.

[alarimer]

32. Let the pillaging of Cuba by corporations begin!

Guess who stands to benefit most from the thawing of relations with Cuba? Certainly not the Cuban people. American corporations now have a new place to destroy.

Coming soon...

Vacation houses for dot-com billionaires.
Trump Golf courses (because what else do you do with a potential tropical paradise? Build a playground for millionaires).
Mega-resorts where you never actually get to see any of the island, but are stuck inside a fake paradise, sanitized for your protection, of course staffed by the locals who can't actually afford to live anywhere near where they work.
Cruise terminals destroying some of the last, best marine habitat in the Caribbean?

What other travesties can we expect of the new Cuba?

[IronLionZion]

34. It has to start with something

maybe sugar will be next.

I suspect they're going with one company and one product first like this so as not to dramatically increase prices for it in Cuba. They probably want to phase it in over time as their economy adapts. Canada has been buying Cuban products but USA is a much bigger market.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

35. A company like Nestle can buy in such quantities ...

... that there won't be affordable Cuban coffee left for Cubans.

Unless of course, Nestle sells Cuban* coffee.
...* "Cuban" is a registered trademark for Nestle coffee made in China.

[yurbud]

36. this could even make conservatives pro-Castro: "He's a commie, but DAMN his coffee is great!"

[Judi Lynn]

38. Why People in Havana Are so Crazy for Their Coffee

Why People in Havana Are so Crazy for Their Coffee

Photographer Adam Goldberg captures the cultural importance of Cuba's black gold

By Craig Cavallo Posted February 25, 2016


[font size=1]
Photo:Adam Goldberg

Workers enjoy a coffee from a ventanilla before work
[/font]
Cuba's clock stopped in 1960 when the U.S. imposed a trade embargo. More than 50 years later, the American portrait of the Caribbean island 90 miles south of Florida is still painted with old cars and colorful but crumbling buildings. And without much opportunity to see the country over the decades, we've ignored some of its most crucial cultural mainstays, such as its coffee. "In Cuba, coffee is not about the type of extraction or the quality of beans," says Adam Goldberg. "It is a vehicle to bring friends together."

Goldberg is a New York-based software engineer with an affinity for coffee, food, and photography. He founded A Life Worth Eating in 2007 to document his meals and adventures. "When I was traveling, I would get to know a city through its coffee shops. They became a guide for me," he says. "Coffee shops attract young professionals with a good pulse on their city." So last year, Goldberg co-founded Drift, a biannual magazine that explores a city—its culture and its people—through the lens of coffee.

Cue Havana. "I had always dreamed of visiting Havana," writes Goldberg in Drift. With American-Cuban relations easing, he dedicated the month of September there for volume three of Drift, uncovering a complicated history and discovering a passionate culture that has persevered and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Cuban coffee culture and the island's black gold alive.



Photo:Adam Goldberg
[font size=1]
A patron inside Cafe la Luz. "They only serve espresso," Goldberg says, "and one employee works three machines, each one capable of brewing four espressos at a time. There are 12 stools, so the employee pulls 12 shots every five minutes or so."
..[/font]
At the turn of the 20th century, Havana had more than 150 cafes. This number slowly started to shrink as coffee took a backseat to the island's production, and export, of rum and cane sugar (white gold). Castro nationalized coffee production after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and the island turned its efforts to farming food. "Production declined but consumption rose," says Goldberg. "50 years ago, Cuba was producing 60,000 tons of coffee a year." Today, that number is closer to 6,000 tons.

More:
http://www.saveur.com/cuban-coffee-culture