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This page is - The Coffee Council

The Coffee Council is a largely-informal body made up of several very experienced managers, all at director level, in the coffee trade. Their common belief is that there are certain issues which should be discussed, debated, and brought to the attention of the trade in general in a way which no other trade organisation is doing.  Where necessary, the Council is willing to speak out for the trade in the media and elsewhere, again as no other organisation is doing.  The Council does not seek to set rules, or put itself up as a controlling authority; it has no membership in the formal sense, and certainly sets no fees.    The Coffee Council exists to promote discussion of items which are in the interests of all, and to stand up for the trade when necessary.

You can contact the Council through Louie Salvoni of Espresso Service. 0844 692 2222

One more scalded customer is         one too many...

To read the full report, click the cover.

 

The hot-drinks trade has been told to review safety procedures inside coffee houses.  The Coffee Council, the relatively new think-tank comprising several senior managers from trade companies, has been tracking stories in the news media concerning customers who have suffered scalding injuries from hot beverages.

 

Compared to the millions of drinks served every day, it appears to be a small problem - nevertheless, the trauma of a scalding is a very major incident for those involved, and the Council has discovered some shortcomings in the trade's safety training and practices, so has recommended that it is in café-owners' own interests to review their own precautions and working practices.


The project was compiled with the assistance of many trade companies, and the Child Accident Prevention Trust. The mother of a baby recently scalded in a café has contributed her story and called for greater education of staff in first-aid for scalds, while the Trust has invited the public to report their experiences of scalding, but equally, in fairness, has also invited reports of good practice in cafes.


A very general review of recent cases suggests that there are relatively few cases in which blame could rest with the person actually serving the coffee. However, for the reputation of the industry and for the protection of individual operators, the Coffee Council says that the matter of injuries caused by hot drinks should attract the attention of every catering-trade employer or manager, and calls upon the catering industry to express its determination that one more scalded customer is one too many.

 

How many espresso machines meet the safety regulations?

To read the full report, click the cover.

 

There is still disagreement and misunderstanding in the coffee trade concerning the inspection and certification of espresso machines.

 

It is only recently, many months after the explosion in a supermarket cafe, that we can begin to see some activity from the regulatory authorities over the matter of espresso machines.  It is still suspected that a vast number of commercial espresso machines out in the field are not covered by the required certification of inspection.

 

There remain remarkable areas of doubt and confusion - it is not clear whether all cafe operators and caterers know of the regulations, it is not clear how often an espresso machine must be inspected and certified, and it is not even clear who is qualified to issue such certification.  The regulatory authorities and the insurance companies do not speak clearly on the matter.

 

The idea that an espresso machine can explode and cause injury to the public, as happened in the 2010 incident, can only be detrimental to the trade's reputation - and yet the trade's media and associations, with one exception (us) have said nothing at all on the subject!

 

The Coffee Council reports on the various conflicting points of view, and says that the matter must now be made clear.

 

 


 

The origin of the motto – or, the benefits or a classical education in the modern coffee trade.

*

It is common knowledge that the ancient Romans invented the coin-in-the-slot system for drinks, but it was not until comparatively recently that it was realised that their advances in North Africa had indeed taken them into what is now Ethiopia, and into the coffee growing regions.

The entire accounts of the report given to Caesar in the senate were for many years lost,  but when scraps of parchment were eventually discovered, the following report was pieced together:

The praesidium approached Caesar in the forum with the following proposition:

“We have discovered in the African countries a hot drink made from the inside of berries.”    (In Africa terra valudis imbibo fecit).  “Let us form a trade association (congressus professio) for coffee!  We shall charge between 70 and 450 denarii for membership; from this we can vote large sums in honararia to our own officials, and claim generous amounts for our administrative department.  We need to only maybe run a trade golf day, with an awards dinner in an attempt to justify the membership fees.  We shall all have a jolly good time.”

As Caesar approached the senate, he bought a latte, (‘tunc Caesar in senata Starbuckiam barista latte fecit) and generously enquired of his main senator:  ‘et tu, Brute?’  

Then he considered the submission of the senators, and replied in the immortal words: ‘non prandiam, non praemiam, non golf diem – sed praeclerea caffe’  ('Let there be no awards, no dinners, no golf day – just excellent coffee’.)

All this is recorded in the archives of the great Roman historian, Facetius.

To this day, these remain the priorities of the Council - although subjects are discussed with great good humour, the serious reasons for doing so are not forgotten.