We are back on board with our usual trading hours.
We hope you enjoyed the short break to spend time with family and friends, whilst indulging in the end of year festivities.

2023 brings forth new opportunities and experiences within the coffee world, and we can’t wait to share ours with you. We look forward to reconnecting over the next year, and wish you all a safe and prosperous 2023.

The coffee market has been a hot topic for several months, however, we thought we’d start off with some updates from the cupping room and some of our partners.

 
A WORD FROM THE CUPPING ROOM

In December we landed a few nice African coffees, but in the whirlwind that is the lead up to Christmas we didn’t get to tell you about them. Of particular interest was the Kenya ABC Washed Arabica which cupped with crisp lime and stone fruit acidity, fresh herbal notes and a sweet caramel and raisin finish. Scoring 80 points, we think this regional coffee makes for a great espresso blender.

Thanks to ideal climatic conditions and rich volcanic soils, Kenya proves a great region for coffee cultivation. This lot was handpicked, and the cherry delivered to the wet factory for pulping and fermentation in tanks for 24 to 48 hours. The parchment coffee is then cleaned and soaked again in fresh water to remove any remaining fruit before being spread out on raised drying tables. During drying, the parchment is frequently turned by hand to ensure consistency in the bean. When the parchment has dried to the desired moisture level, it is taken to the dry mill to be hulled.

“ABC” refers to the screen size of this Kenyan coffee – meaning the green bean spans a range of screens from 16 to 18. While displaying a larger percentage of screen 16 beans, we think this helps enhance the intensity of flavours and acidity in the cup.

Contact your Bennetts Account Manager for pricing and availability.

Drying tables in Kenya

MARKET REPORT

After the utter mayhem of the last couple of years for the coffee market, you’d be forgiven for being relieved that December turned out to be on the tamer side of things… The final month of the calendar tends to be a “quiet” one, as much of the trade is winding down for the year and turning its thoughts to desperate last-minute shopping (you know who you are) and general end-of-year revelry.
 




Following the precipitous drop during the latter stages of 2022, coffee prices have been on bit of a holding pattern since November, with futures contracts generally trading between 160 and 170 US cents/lb (albeit with the odd breakout either side of that range). There has been no significant news in recent times that would swing the price either way.

Brazil, the usual mover and shaker, has had almost perfect coffee-growing weather this year (political climate aside), and we’ll get to know how big the harvest is this year once the crop reports start to come in from the field around February/March. Colombia’s main central harvest is now done and dusted, and as expected will be below where it should be (but this was already known), and Central American coffee flow is now in the full swing of things following a slow start…

Global demand is still looking tentative, as large roasters continue to digest long positions at high prices with the added handbrake-effect of recession-induced reduced consumption. It’s far from certain when this situation will turn around, so we’ll have to continue keeping a keen eye on things, because once/if the trade decides it’s time to buy, things could move very quickly.  
  

TIGER CONSERVATION

Bennetts have been collaborating with WildCats Conservation Alliance since 2006 to raise over $35,000 for wild tiger conservation projects across Asia. With an increase in public donations, WildCats experienced an overall 27.5% rise in income compared to last year. The number of zoos donating also increased from 37 to 52, suggesting that a recovery from the pandemic is under way. Amongst the many donors, Bennetts contributed nearly US$2,000 over the course of the 2022 year. 

We will continue to support the amazing work that WildCats do in conserving the wild tiger throughout Asia. We do this by donating USD$1 from every bag of our Indian Tiger Mountain Coffee sold. Not only is this initiative a worthy cause, we think this coffee is pretty great too.

Despite the continual impact of COVID-19 on the projects WildCats are involved in, their efforts remained effective in 2022, reacting to threats and maintaining scientific research. Their mission and vision for 2023 is to ensure safety for wild tigers and leopards across Asia, whilst raising awareness about their endangered status, alongside funding carefully chosen conservation projects that strive to achieve their desired vision.

If you would like to know more about how to support this cause, contact your Bennetts Account Manager or listen to WildCats Pawcast here

Photo courtesy WildCatsConservationAlliance