Our Mission

Coffee Monitor serves coffee growers, import/exporters, roasters, retailers, machine manufacturers, researchers, development agencies, consumers, public policy makers, etc in their needs for objective coffee industry news & information.  It is a place where the range of information is great, serious attention is given to neglected or emerging problems, a place where different voices have a chance to be heard, corrective comments are offered if misleading, incomplete or false information is presented.  

This effort is another information technology approach to alleviating some of the problems in the complex global coffee trade, which we hope will complement all of those innovative efforts out there.  By aggregating coffee related news and information and presenting them in a balanced and relevant manner, the site provides a unique service for everyone with a stake in the industry.

Objectives of Coffee Monitor include, but are not limited to, gathering news and information from wire services, coffee growing communities, big and small companies, professional and business coops, associations, and organizations, research institutes, and academic circles; conduct researches and
analyses and offer commentaries when necessary; provide custom market data; share stories as they happen regardless of where they occur; etc.

Our Belief 

Of course, there is no scarcity of information about coffee and related businesses on the internet. In fact, the information available online is overwhelming.  A Google search for coffee related websites results in tens of thousands of websites and blogspots that are focusing on coffee in one form or the other. However, most, if not all, of those sites specialize in specific areas of the coffee trade; so, they are tailored to fit the needs of the people in those particular businesses.  In the extreme cases, some of the websites barely exist beyond displaying virtual signage of the existence of the entity.  

The problem is, however, that the variety of specializations and the scope of each website make it difficult for readers to get the complete picture of the “coffee world.”  Sorting through online materials for relevance and timeliness of the information sought is a daunting task.  In our view, this has led to localization of information exchanges rather than facilitating a frequent and broader circulation.  The more localized the information exchange becomes it is more likely that the fragmented communities are listening to their own voices.

A "Crying Need"

Based on our research, we have come to believe that there is a crying need for an open source information exchange medium that should serve as a central source of hard information, serious and balanced reporting on problems and prospects in the coffee industry.  There is a need for a space where opposing views are presented and analyzed.  And most iimportantly, we believe, all public information needs to be made accessible to the public free of charge, without any preconditions and need to subscribe to anyone.