tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post6596368029347874475..comments2024-03-02T06:33:28.289-05:00Comments on Anthropology in Practice: A Trail of Coffee BeansKrystal D'Costahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-26124292480433959502011-12-01T05:37:47.626-05:002011-12-01T05:37:47.626-05:00Thanks.Thanks.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05397131141232209619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-82566939389155973582010-08-22T16:54:14.079-04:002010-08-22T16:54:14.079-04:00Well, a counter about the gadgetry is that, in spi...Well, a counter about the gadgetry is that, in spite of the American obsession with such toys, they're really not necessary. I have in my kitchen a Chemex coffee maker. It is basically an hourglass-shaped glass pitcher with a wood handle. During WWII it was endorsed by the Department of Defense (then the Department of War) because it did not even require any metal parts. And it's perfectly possible to make coffee with more humble means - indeed, coffee *could* be made in an empty can over an open flame, if one so desired. So it's not by any means necessary to market expensive coffee machines in order to sell coffee. Not that anyone selling coffee would mind selling machines too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-65812537626406723542010-08-05T23:18:35.442-04:002010-08-05T23:18:35.442-04:00Thanks for chiming in @hasufin! No. 3 is relevant ...Thanks for chiming in @hasufin! No. 3 is relevant to a point that appeared in the Roseberry literature—the idea that the multitude of gadegets, devices, and products associated with coffee helped increase its saleability. The market sustains itself through accessories which make the coffee necessary—why own a coffeemaker if you aren't going to make coffee? So all of these things combined are factors in the market.Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-39586298199081520872010-08-05T19:41:17.382-04:002010-08-05T19:41:17.382-04:00@A
Since, unlike Krystal, I don't intend to re...@A<br />Since, unlike Krystal, I don't intend to research this one, I'll float my theories as to the conundrum you pose:<br />1) It may be that the coffee sellers already have most, or even all, of their crop committed to export. This situation exists in other areas. For example, it is rather difficult to find Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the US, largely because over 80% of it is exported to the more-distant Japan. If growers are making consistent profits in that trade, they may see no margin in trying to tap into a potential but not actualized local market.<br /><br />2) They may not be *able* to tap into that market. Does the industry exist in Peru not only to grow the beans, but also to roast, grind, package, and distribute them? I do not know about the Peruvian industry, but this is a possible direction to research. If there does not exist the infrastructure to yield a consumer product in the country, then it would require considerable capital outlay to build it.<br /><br />3) Does the market exist? If a single can of instant coffee costs a day's wages, I cannot but imagine that relatively little is purchased. Is there a significant demand for coffee to be made at home? Do very many people have coffee makers of whatever type? Or would that, too, call for more marketing, consumer education, and development? This would also act as a bar to bringing coffee to Peruvian markets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-84891861843994221802010-08-05T10:24:19.155-04:002010-08-05T10:24:19.155-04:00A - You said a few things that piqued my interest ...A - You said a few things that piqued my interest because they are patterns that I can find throughout the Caribbean.<br /><br />"What's always seemed strange to me is that quality coffee is not available in most of the country."<br /><br />Your question is a great one. And I have a few ideas, but given the responses here I'm a little hesitant to float them because I'm not a hundred percent clear on the issues. It actually may be connected to bananas and trade embargoes. I'll write to someone who may know, and I'll see if I can get some answers.Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-52611429745634379182010-08-04T10:22:41.154-04:002010-08-04T10:22:41.154-04:00I work in Peru, where a lot of coffee, particularl...I work in Peru, where a lot of coffee, particularly organic coffee, is grown. What's always seemed strange to me is that quality coffee is not available in most of the country. Whereas brewed coffee is sold at every street corner in non-coffee producing countries like Chile and the US, Nescafe instant is the only coffee you'll find in most Peruvian stores, restaurants, and homes, even in cities of 70,000 people or more. It costs more than in the US (while most foods cost less), about a day's wages for a rural laborer for an 8oz/225g can of instant coffee. Instant coffee is really popular as a breakfast item, often with sugar and evaporated milk. <br /><br />What kinds of economic patterns could lead to a product being less available and more expensive in the country in which it is produced? Why don't growers bring beans to markets in the highlands or the coast and undermine Nestle's monopoly with a cheaper, tastier product? I have never been able to fathom it. It may have something to do with the fact that part of instant coffee's appeal is that it is a pre-packaged product you buy in a store, not at the market. As such, it is a marker of middle class identity. Or maybe the growers have exclusive contracts keeping them from selling their beans domestically. Does anyone have ideas about what's going on?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07250734663723387398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-6751097431796927142010-08-03T22:06:50.916-04:002010-08-03T22:06:50.916-04:00Ha. Thanks for the catch. Fixed.Ha. Thanks for the catch. Fixed.Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-11297521575504179572010-08-03T21:47:33.142-04:002010-08-03T21:47:33.142-04:00Minor I know bur there is no such word as "Ex...Minor I know bur there is no such word as "Expresso"Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16058384884724495086noreply@blogger.com