Jamaica Coffee Revolution - Starbucks Invasion

Update: 2018/06/21: 

Nothing in this country is ever good until it is owned by a foreign corporation

Misconception: The introduction of Starbucks into the Jamaican Market will add to competition and improve efficiency among local coffee shops.

Local Coffee Shops are already competing with other local and regional coffee shops, that is a fair enough market to compete in since the companies are in the same size range. 

NO! There is no way on this green earth that our small local coffee houses can compete with a Global corporation with the fire power of Starbucks, that would be delusions of grandeur.

Yes they can compete with other local coffee houses or small regional coffee houses but Starbucks can give away coffee and still make a profit. Starbucks generates US$21.67 Billion in sale and worth US$84.6 Billion, trading at 57.07 USD stock price with 27,339 Starbucks stores in 76 countries worldwide. My Poor little Café Blue, Cannonball, LFA Deli, Island Coffee and all my local hangouts.

For the most part Jamaica is a bush tea drinking country but the Coffee Drinking Revolution started some time ago, making great strides with Jamaicans drinking more coffee. The leaders of this local Coffee Drinking Revolution were local Jamaicans using their innovation and imagination to create and deliver a good local product and concept. These local coffee houses engaged the Coffee producing sector like never before, to create a perfect linkage industry. I know how they must feel to start something, to work with something day in and day out, to persevere through hard times only for some big foreign corporation to come in and capitalize on their hard work. 

Since Starbucks opened the crowd has been relentless, all who never use to drink coffee are now drinking it, only because the cup have the Global Brand Starbucks logo on it. Such is the mindset of this never see, come see simpletons. People who use to meet up and hang out at the local coffee houses are now doing it at Starbucks simply because it is imported from foreign, a global brand.   

I fear for the future of the Coffee Revolution, I fear for diversity of the coffee houses because when Starbucks come to town, local mom and pop coffee houses are forced to shut their doors. Starbucks can maintain a lower cost structure and price compared to our local houses. Starbucks can drive up wages which in turn drive up production cost and Starbucks can still undercut local coffee houses by charging less. 

18 APRIL 2018: Starbucks Jamaica will host a job fair in Liguanea later this month, as it gears up to open two locations in Kingston. Starbucks is looking for persons to fill barista and shift supervisor roles at the two locations, one in Liguanea and the other on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston. How much more shit does the Stewart Family need to frigging own! 

UPDATE: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - Starbucks today opened its first store in Jamaica and entered its 76th market globally, marking a historic milestone for the global coffee company's Caribbean operations and its storied history of sourcing the highest quality coffee from the region going back more than four decades.

Let’s face it, the Jamaican economy is now in the hands of the Stewart Family who own this Government lock, stock and barrel. Decisions are not being made for the greater good of the nation but for the greater good of the Stewart Family, who convinced the population that the Stewart family’s interest is the nation’s interest. This is 1% trickle down economics at its very best. 

Yesterday the Observer reported that Jamaica will get its first Starbucks and just reading the headlines filled me with rage. I do not normally express myself with curse words but that news was far too much to take. The very idea that Jamaicans will take money to pay for a Starbucks franchise in Jamaica is an affront to the entire coffee industry and the history of Jamaican coffee.

It is fair to say that even though Jamaica make some of the best coffee in the world, Jamaicans are not coffee drinkers. Jamaicans drink tea, we love our herbs and bushes and drink it day and night to fix various ailments. It is under this climate and uphill battle that our various Gourmet Cafés have been trying to carve out and create a market. There was a time, if you drink coffee then all you could get was instant Salada, instant Mountain Peak and imported Maxwell house rubbish which is like bringing sand to the beach but that was it. The Jamaican coffee revolution started some time ago and was on track to win the war, however slowly. I remember in the early 90’s when news broke that Jamaican Coffee was served at Buckingham Palace but it hardly served in Jamaica. In fact Jamaica has been exporting Coffee to Europe for centuries, so why do we need Starbucks?

For Coffee growers, producers and retail outlets it has not been an easy road BUT if you want Jamaicans to appreciate something that they already own, appreciate their own local produce then all you have to do is export it, then Import it and slap a made in the USA label on it. The Jamaican body might be trapped in Third World, developing Jamaica but the Jamaican mind is wondering landscape and streets of New York, Miami and LA, London, Paris and all the world’s major metropolitan cities. Think of it like being hooked into the Matrix, a virtual world, living our pretend “Over the Top” lifestyles that we clearly cannot afford but who gives a damn!

The news of Starbucks’s impending arrival was met with great celebration and fanfare because Jamaicans in their feeble little small minds, think this is a status symbol. If all the world’s major metropolitan cities have Starbucks and Jamaica now have Starbucks then Jamaica is right up there with them, we have arrived, reached the promise land. People who do not even like to drink coffee or do not normally drink coffee are now impatiently awaiting Starbucks arrival to start drinking coffee because it is only worth drinking when it is an imported brand name product from foreign.

Cypher: [cuts a piece of steak; holds it in front of him] You know, I know this steak doesn't exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize? [eats the piece of steak; sighs contently] Ignorance is bliss.

Starbucks offers brew and beans from various regions, including Colombia and Ethiopia. It also sells specially curated beans for its Reserve line from regions like Sumatra, Guatemala, Antigua and Jamaica.

Starbucks Jamaica will also seek to sell coffee from global origins, but avoided responding directly to whether it would import beans into the island.

Offering beans from global origins implies coffee importation which requires a licence from the Coffee Board, unless Starbucks Jamaica opts to source beans through an existing coffee importer who can match Starbucks' standards.

Jamaica already imports around 433 tonnes of green coffee beans each year to shore up its own supplies. The imports represent around $300 million (US$2.3 million) of expenditure annually that critics say can be better spent domestically to provide jobs and grow coffee output.

Starbucks Jamaica Recruits Managers, Mulls Coffee Permits

What is it about us Jamaicans, we complain that we suffer from low productivity but spend most of our time kicking away the legs from under our local industry simply because we want what those people in that country is having even when what they are having is inferior to what we have.

I remember when we first started importing bottled American water, people use to take great pleasure walking around with these foreign water bottles, with labels facing outwards, sipping with pride. Basking in the knowledge that they are now drinking the same nasty water that their American counterparts are drinking. I also remember in the 80’s being at a party that was serving canned Bud Beer, it was very new at the time and everyone at that party stopped drinking Red Stripe and only wanted to hold those cans in their hands, it was total poppy show on display for all to see. This is the mindset we are dealing with, one that is not only counterproductive but our own worst enemy.

The Jamaican Coffee Shops and Gourmet Café Houses are the front-line soldiers in the Jamaican Coffee Revolutionary War. They have taken on the responsibilities to convert Jamaica from a tea drinking country to a coffee drinking country, promoting our local flagship product. They have made large financial investments and just when it seems they are about to break even and making some progress here comes Starbucks and the idiots who got the franchise, local businesses be damned.

I love our Coffee houses, I find most of them comfortable places to visit and the product they sell top quality. It is a shame most Jamaicans are not as excited about them as they are excited about Starbucks coming to Jamaica. What is it about Starbucks that made it more exciting than any of our local coffee houses? I fail to see the appeal, can someone please enlighten me.

2017-10-04 Update:
Over 80% of all Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is exported to Japan. The Japanese have now refused to enter into new contracts with local producers declaring they will not GO over the US$40 per kilogramme which is less than the US$60 that the Japanese have been paying in the last two years.

I was always against this monopoly deal with the Japanese because by entering into this monopoly deal with the Japanese we have made our position weaker and the Japanese position stronger. This is clearly a buyers’ market NOT a seller’s market, the Japanese have us over a barrel and can dictate terms and they are. We have no other markets in the short to medium terms. I hated the agreement because diversification of the market would have been a better option but we are a lazy people who lives by the values better sure than unsure and we will pay for that stupidity.

Coffee is being bought only once a week now due to this contract dispute with the Japanese and ripe coffee is dropping off trees in the Jamaica Blue Mountains with only one of 18 processors now purchasing supplies from farmers. Mavis Bank would seek to pay farmers at a fair price, at around $6,000 per box. That is less than the $8,000 farmers were reportedly paid last year at this stage of the crop.

Jamaica imports 600,000 pounds Coffee while exports amount to 200,000 pounds. WTF!!! I will say it again WTF!!!!

Cafe Blue – Great coffee and consistently good food and service 

Cannonball Cafe – Loshusan and Sovereign North

CPJ Market and Deli

Brew’d Awakenings - Matilda’s Corner

Kicking Away the Legs From Under Local Production
As responsible Jamaicans we also need to follow the money trail, who own the franchise, are they also members of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Cartel? The ones who have the entire industry working for them and them alone. Who got the licence to open Starbucks in Jamaica when the coffee shop industry in Jamaica, is still in its beginning/Startup stages and why Starbucks?

WHO is the target market and should we not be using our nascent coffee shop industry to promote our Jamaican Coffee? The industry has been devastated these past few years due to natural disasters and falling prices, so how this going rebuild our coffee brand with the establishment of Starbucks?

Why is Jamaica helping to turn around Starbucks at the expense of our own Coffee shops?

What, if any, will be the relationship between Starbucks and Jamaican coffee suppliers? Will they Starbucks sell Jamaican coffee blends? Who benefits? Will the growers benefit? (Growers i.e. small farmers’ vs big busha who own the plantation and drive round in in Range Rover).

With all this talk about fair trade and community coffee, how will that play out with Starbucks relationship in Jamaica? Will Starbucks target to small farmers?

Jamaica itself has not done much to promote brands that are not premium Blue Mountain coffee, so how will they survive the Starbucks.

Starbucks sells hot chocolate and Jamaica grows lots of Cocoa, so will there be any tension, will Starbucks use local Cocoa or will they import?

But we know how all of this will play out, we have been here before many times. McDonald's/Burger King/Popeye’s etc. has already shown us. The franchisees will have to source their makings from abroad because Jamaican beef/chicken/tomatoes/lettuce/now coffee and cocoa beans are not up to their standard. So who benefits? The franchise, the franchisee and couple little counter / cashier / dishwasher subsistence workers.

We have already seen that some Jamaicans who live the rich lifestyles, have no problem feeding the populace cheap pink slime beef patty because they won't source natural organic Jamaican beef, preferring instead to maximize their profits at the expense of Nation Building.

I am not shocked that Adam Stewart is a member of the company that is opening Starbucks. The Best thing to ever to Butch Stewart and his Family was getting this Rubber-stamp Government to authorized anything and everything that is not in the National Interest but in the Interest of the Stewart Family. What is magical about this is that the Butch Stewart and family have managed to convince most of Jamaica that what is in the Stewart Family Interest is also in the National Interest while lining their own pockets. This Government is in the pockets of the Stewart Family who bankrolled their political Party to power.

What People are saying:

Max Maro said: So even though majority of the money will be shipped back to the US. We can still make gains where taxes and employment is concerned. There's also a possibility of sponsorship. Who knows, local coffee growers may make something and plus, more competition for cafe blue and competition is great. Might pay something less when you visit cafe blue next time.

JTID:  It is not a secret that Café Blue cannot compete with a Global Brand like Starbucks, how could they? But you would prefer to kick away the legs from under local companies like Café Blue and other local outlets who started this local Coffee revolution in the first place in favour of Starbucks. Jamaicans are Jamaicans worse enemies because they cannot see the forest for the trees.

Competition is only great when you stand a chance at surviving. A company like Starbucks can under price the local competition to death and you would support that.

This is my trusted coffee maker

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐄

Everyone is aware that 80% of our Blue Mountain Coffee is exported Japan. When news broke of the breakdown of the contractual agreement between Jamaican and the Japanese, the Chinese were quick to step in and exploit that situation.

The Chinese Ambassador declared that if Jamaica could get out of the Japanese agreement, then China would buy Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, as much as we could sell them. The Coffee market in China is growing at 15% per year and we are talking a population of 1.4 Billion people. They have the potential to buy every single coffee bean we can produce.

“𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚, 𝐍𝐢𝐮 𝐐𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐨, 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞.”

The Government is actively engaging the Chinese, getting ready to make a big push into that market as soon as they can get out of bed with the Japanese. As far as I am concern, it really makes no sense to do with the Chinese what we did with the Japanese. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝟖𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 but diversify our market. I am not saying that 80% of our supply cannot go to the Chinese, what I am saying is that it should not be by contract (NOT Locked down) but by the free market. This would leave us free to move into other markets in a timely manner based on price and demand.

“𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞.”

The Japanese buy green beans and then do with it what they like. We would give them 100% pure premium Blue mountain coffee green beans and they would mix it with inferior coffee beans, roast the hell out of it and market it as Jamaican coffee. This cannot continue, we cannot continue to leave the quality of what we produce to people who would bastardized it. The Premium Brand should remain Premium and we should sue anyone who tampers with it! They can bastardized the other brands.

Our Premium Blue Mountain Coffee is best when it is medium roast. Jamaican needs to start pushing the finish product on to the market, from farms to processing. The Chinese are famous for bootlegging anything and everything they feel like. So, I cannot imagine what would happen to Blue Mountain Coffee if we leave quality control up to them.... after plastic rice, can you say plastic coffee beans.

I am not saying not to market to the Chinese. What I am asking for, is that we approach with heads high, with principles and integrity. We have a product that is constantly in the world's top 10 list of best product. A product that is in demand and we need to maintain the integrity of that product and face our buyers like mature adults not beggars. Jamaica have a tendency to sellout what we have for chump change because we live by the principles of "A little bit of something, is better than nothing". The Chinese market and Chinese money are as good as anybody else's, if we approach this the right way.

**"I can hear my people now, the common man in the streets "Afta principles and integrity Cyah Nyam! A better we get a little someting, a quick smalls".

“𝟐𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝟕𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟒𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧.”

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