Welcome to the 2023 February edition of our monthly newsletter. The coffee industry has been buzzing with excitement this month, and so have we. From new innovations in coffee production methods to the emergence of new coffee trends, there has been plenty to keep coffee lovers everywhere on their toes. The past month we have cupped some exiting new arrivals and explored the trends in the coffee market to get an understanding of what they might mean for the future of the coffee industry.

Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or simply a lover of all thing’s coffee, this edition has something for everyone. So, sit back, grab a cup of your favourite brew, and enjoy!


 A WORD FROM THE CUPPING ROOM

Exciting news from the cupping room this month, as we welcome the arrival of some much-anticipated Ethiopian varietals. 
Our team had the absolute pleasure of cupping four very interesting Microlots. Sourced from Tracon Trading, we brought in a varied range of ‘Wine Process’, ‘Carbonic Maceration’ and Long Fermentation Microlots.

Coffee is the most important commodity in Ethiopia and Tracon recognises this and has specialised the company to produce the finest export-grade coffees for the global mainstream and specialty markets.  Tracon owns fifteen of their own washing stations throughout the regions of Limou, Gera, Yirgacheffe, Guji, Kochere and Sidamo. Their facilities include modern processing lines equipped with colour sorters, and as of last year, steel fermentation tanks and vacuum pumps for anaerobic processing.

Along with owning their own facilities, Tracon offers ‘Vertical Integration’ in some regions of Ethiopia. This is essentially a partnership or commercial agreement with other privately owned washing stations, where Tracon commits to buying all grades (grades 1-4) from the collection point and processes the green coffee in their own mill in Addis. The benefit of vertical integration is that the growers receive advance payment for their cherry, free transport of the cherry to the facilities, a five percent increase on average market prices and free agronomical and processing training.

Bennetts have been working with Tracon since 2015 and have seen the qualities increase year on year. We hope to continue nurturing this relationship for many more years to come. For expressions of interest in these coffees, please contact your Account Manager or check out our website



                                                                                             A 20 Day Anaerobic Fermentation Hut in Ethiopia

MARKET REPORT

Following a couple of months of relative calm, normal service resumed for the New York “C” market during the month of January, as prices broke through the strong resistance level of 155 US cents/lb, only stopping just above 141 US cents/lb.

At this point, the market found itself technically speaking in oversold territory. However, what one would have expected to be a bounce to the upside, quickly turned into a rally which slowly but surely recovered all the lost ground and promptly blasted through the recent ceiling of 170 US cents/lb. Prices then jumped overnight (literally) from 170 to 180 as speculative short-covering action came into play during the closing stages of the month. The early days of February have seen the market come back down sharply into the low 170s, although it is too early to say whether or not it will continue to ease.

The causes behind such contrasting moves in the space of one short month are unclear as yet, although the extreme ends are likely to have been speculative in nature. It’s the middle bit where it gets interesting, as a physical shortage of current crop 22/23 Brazilian coffee stemming from the 2021 frosts and preceding drought has now come to the forefront as a supply issue.

Exporters from the world’s largest arabica-producing country have been struggling of late to fulfil commitments as the flow of coffee from farmers has all but dried up. This has seen internal pricing sky-rocket in Brazil, as that market usually consumes in excess of 20 million 60kg bags for internal consumption. What this means is that exporters need to meet the internal market’s price expectations at the very least if they are to have any hope of exporting.

The shortage in Brazil has therefore been supportive of international prices, hence the recovery from those very low lows seen during the first half of January. For now, at least, other origins don’t seem to be having any major supply disruptions, and with demand from major consuming economies still lukewarm, there is no clear indication as to where prices may go next. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether 170 US cent/lb will be a new support level, or whether it will revert to being the strong price ceiling it had been these past 3 months or so.   
          

COME WORK WITH US 

Bennetts are the green coffee experts bringing a world of coffee experience to generations of roasters. Every day we share our knowledge and expertise to support our partners to sustainably grow and prosper, and we’ve been committed to this cause for four generations. We are an independent, family-owned, Australian business. Join our team as we celebrate over 100 years of growth.

Are you passionate about coffee? Are you highly organized, motivated, energized, and ready for a challenge?  Are you able to demonstrate a hands-on approach to everything you do? Do you have high attention to detail? Are you process driven? If this sounds like you, you could be our next Quality Control Technician.
This role will see you report to the Quality Assurance Manager and work within the Quality Department to ensure that all Bennetts goods are consistently within safe food and product quality standards as well as maintaining product inventory and quality process protocols.

As the Quality Control Technician, you will be responsible for performing all the main functions within the cupping room including sample analysis, roasting, grading, cupping, roaster maintenance, document control and internal audits. This role will also support the Quality Assurance Manager to uphold external certification processes such as Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified. Both practical and theoretical skills are required to execute this role.

You will possess a desire to support and enrich the Bennetts team with your coffee knowledge and uphold the Bennetts values consistently across all business activities. For the right candidate this offers an amazing opportunity to work in an inspiring and experienced team in a fast-moving and thriving industry sector.
While Bennetts has been around for a long time, we are constantly evolving and growing our business and our passion for the industry. We want our company values to be reflected in the opportunities and growth we aim to provide for each employee. To achieve this, we are looking for someone who respects equality in everything they do, strives for better sustainability practices, and positively adds to our culture.
This role is Permanent Full time, working from our office and cupping space in Melbourne.

How to Apply: Please send your resume and cover letter to quality@hab.com.au 

ONLY applications with cover letters will be considered - please take the time to outline why you think you are the perfect fit for this role, and our team.

Ideal Experience:

• Previous experience in a similar role (but if you don't, just tell us why you'd still be brilliant)
• Relevant Tertiary Qualification
• Strong coffee industry knowledge preferred
• Knowledge of coffee cupping and grading preferred
• Knowledge of HACCP principles preferred
• Proficient administrative skills
• High attention to detail, taking pride in accuracy, timeliness and consistency
• An outgoing, positive approach and confident in dealing with people
• Working knowledge or practical application of coffee roasting 
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks to ensure timely execution of tasks
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate within a team environment
• Excellent computer literacy and written English skills    

WAREHOUSING 

Notice to our valued customers. 
Due to a national shortage, CHEP branded Pallets are in short supply at 3PL and Warehousing providers across the country. 

As a result of this national shortage, you may see some of your goods delivered on plain skid/pallets, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 

We are monitoring the situation on a weekly basis– however it is still important that roasters with a CHEP account remain vigilant about swapping empty CHEP pallets upon receipt of each delivery. Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated.

 Happy Roasting,
The Bennetts Team