In Ireland coffee ( not instant ) comes in big soft airy bags weighing 227g or 250g or 341g and costs €18 to €21 /kg . For cheap-skates , “imported” coffee costs less , for example ; vacuum packed Douwe Egberts 250g ( strange that’s exactly 1/4kg) costs €15-/kg .
Meanwhile on the continent the French pay €12-14/kg for Arabica and +/- €8- for Robusta and in Holland the same Douwe Eg. is available for €7-/kg (1/2 our price).
( edit 5/3/2007 - DON'T READ THIS PART AS PEOPLE DON'T APPRECIATE MY humour !)
The soft airy packs of “Domestic” coffee has many advantages over the hard “brick” packages ;
1. For the consumer its less dangerous , Germans have lost eyes as they unpacked these bricks and French women were murdered by their lovers ( who drank the evidence , nerves gave most away during questioning) , children have suffered gangrenous toes when these ¼ kg packs fell on them , need I go on?
2. The airy bags help the aroma to unfurl into thin air , so we throw out the stale coffee and this helps to keep little hill farmers in business as we stock up on more airy coffee .
Of course these benefits come at a cost ;
1. The domestic coffee producers need to invest in expensive air blowing machines iso cheap vac-pack, and pay for the extra big (air-tight) plastic bag
2. The supermarkets can’t stack the airy bags like bricks and have to spend ridiculous effort explaining to customers how to compare the price of airy coffee to the 10% heavier continental brick. .
3. Although the Irish consumer only pays 50% more ( I suspect the Supermarkets are subsidizing some of the cost involved ) , he’s still got to dispose of the extra packaging .
Oh! my question is , how will we persuade the continentals to shell out for safe coffee?
pjq
Meanwhile on the continent the French pay €12-14/kg for Arabica and +/- €8- for Robusta and in Holland the same Douwe Eg. is available for €7-/kg (1/2 our price).
( edit 5/3/2007 - DON'T READ THIS PART AS PEOPLE DON'T APPRECIATE MY humour !)
The soft airy packs of “Domestic” coffee has many advantages over the hard “brick” packages ;
1. For the consumer its less dangerous , Germans have lost eyes as they unpacked these bricks and French women were murdered by their lovers ( who drank the evidence , nerves gave most away during questioning) , children have suffered gangrenous toes when these ¼ kg packs fell on them , need I go on?
2. The airy bags help the aroma to unfurl into thin air , so we throw out the stale coffee and this helps to keep little hill farmers in business as we stock up on more airy coffee .
Of course these benefits come at a cost ;
1. The domestic coffee producers need to invest in expensive air blowing machines iso cheap vac-pack, and pay for the extra big (air-tight) plastic bag
2. The supermarkets can’t stack the airy bags like bricks and have to spend ridiculous effort explaining to customers how to compare the price of airy coffee to the 10% heavier continental brick. .
3. Although the Irish consumer only pays 50% more ( I suspect the Supermarkets are subsidizing some of the cost involved ) , he’s still got to dispose of the extra packaging .
Oh! my question is , how will we persuade the continentals to shell out for safe coffee?
pjq