Food History

With the large multi-national coffee companies focused purely on coffee as a commodity rather then a drink to be savoured, it allowed a new sector to emerge

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

During the ‘Dark Age’ of coffee there was still excellent coffee available, if you knew where to look for it. A number of small cafes and shops continued to trade, sourcing and roasting high quality arabica beans. These outlets were typically run and frequented by immigrants (usually Arabs, Turks, Greeks and Italians), far from the mainstream.

All this began to change in the 1960s, with the post World War II ‘Baby Boomers’ coming into adulthood. Many of this generation were keen not to follow in their parents footsteps, preferring to act in a more bohemian way. For them, these cafes and shops were an ideal place to meet, read poetry, take drugs and experience alternative culture.

One such coffee shop in Berkeley (California) is widely credited as being the main inspiration on the emergence of the speciality coffee sector. Peet’s Coffee & Tea store, opened in 1966 by Alfred Peet (dubbed the ‘grandfather of speciality coffee’), enthused a number of its customers, who later became key players in the speciality sector. Peet, an immigrant from Alkmaar (Holland), had developed a distinctive style of roasting coffee from working in his family’s coffee and tea business. After emigrating to California, aged thirty-five, he opened his shop employing his artisan coffee roasting techniques to build a loyal customer base. Peet’s coffee was so loved that he even had his own set of groupies: the ‘Peetniks’.

Two of Peet’s most important customers (historically) were a couple of Seattle coffee lovers named Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. In 1971, after tasting Peet’s fine brews, they were inspired to open their own coffee shop back in Seattle called Starbucks. Starbucks opened as a bean-only-store, steadily building a loyal customer base during the 70s and early 80s through its fine arabicas and darker roasts.

In 1984, the director of retail operations and marketing, Howard Schultz, tried to persuade Baldwin and Bowker to open the first Starbucks coffeehouse. Schultz had just returned from a trip to Milan, where he had noticed the existence of coffeehouses on almost every block. These were not just places to enjoy great espresso coffee, but also served as meeting places. Schultz was keen to recreate this kind of coffeehouse in America, but Baldwin and Bowker rejected Schultz’s plans as they were unwilling to get into the restaurant business.

Undeterred, Schultz left Starbucks in 1985 to open his own coffeehouse, ‘Il Giornale’. Still using Starbucks coffee beans to make espresso drinks, Il Giornale proved extremely popular with the Seattle public. So popular in fact() that, in 1987, Schultz was able to buy Starbucks from Bowker and Schultz. Changing Il Giornale’s name to Starbucks, Schultz began to rapidly expand, opening over 1,000 stores in a decade.

The story of the first British speciality coffeehouse also involves Alfred Peet. In 1995, Scott and Ally Svenson wanted to open a coffeehouse in Covent Garden, London. Their background was in marketing and design and, even though they were originally from Seattle, they did not know much about coffee. This is why they approached Steven Macatonia and Jeremy Torz of Union Coffee Roasters. Steven and Jeremy had fallen in love with coffee while working at Peet’s in California. On their return home they decided to open their own roasting outlet and were soon supplying places such as the River Café, the Caprice, and the Ivy.

The Covent Garden coffeehouse, named the Seattle Coffee Company, was another big success and inevitably expansion soon followed. The rapid growth of the company caused increasing demand on Union Coffee Roasters, so the two companies decided to merge together. In 1998, after opening over 60 outlets throughout the UK, Starbucks came knocking at their door. They saw the acquisition of the Seattle Coffee Company as an ideal way to enter the UK market. Soon the Seattle Coffee Company was no more, with all its stores re-branded as Starbucks.

The popularity of coffeehouses has been phenomenal. Almost every high street in Britain has a least one coffeehouse now. Words such as espresso, cappuccino and café latte are commonplace. In fact the price of a café latte is now one of the products that the British government use to measure inflation. Market analysers believe that the success of the coffeehouse is not solely due to the coffee they serve, but the atmosphere in which it is served. Coffeehouses in Britain in the 1990s were a break from convention. In the consumerist landscape of the high-street, coffeehouses represented a place to relax. Customers were encouraged to take their time over their coffee; sit on big comfy sofas; offered the daily newspapers to read; allowed to idle the afternoon away watching the world go by. In other words, coffeehouses had returned to playing their original role in society, as they had done when they first arrived in Britain back in 17th Century.

The growth of these coffeehouses has helped to heighten the public’s awareness of the speciality coffee sector. Increasingly, individuals are looking to have a slice of the coffeehouse in their own home, investing in espresso makers and other coffee accessories. Coffee is now widely available from a multitude of origins, roasted to differing degrees and ground to your requirement. In short, the ‘Dark Age’ of coffee is well and truly over.

James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee: http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk - Uk online retailer of designer coffee accessories. Through the Coffee Knowledge section of his website he aims to help people understand more about coffee and give them tips on how to make great tasting coffee in their home.

Check out http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/Coffee_Knowledge.html for more articles or if you have a question send it to: coffeeknowledge@gallacoffee.co.uk

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Web ChefJackie.com

A Brief History Of Cheesecake To 1545 by Andrew Krause
A Brief History of the Cookie Jar by Sarah Freeland
A History of Teapots - How to Improve the Tea Experience by Jon Stout
A Look At Some Of The Dining Habits Of Ancient Romans by Gregg Hall
American Food History: A Work In Progress by Andrew Krause
Ancient Fig Trees Through History by Patrick Malcolm
An Elizabethan Madrigal Dinner (Part 1) by Andrew Krause
An Elizabethan Madrigal Dinner (Part 2) by Andrew Krause
Can Openers – A Brief History Lesson by John Gibb
Charles Elme Francatelli - Chef to Queen Victoria by George Matel
Chef Hat History by Jason Gluckman
Chef's Outfit by Celeste Yates
Chile Con Carne: A History by Dhiraj Bandurkar
Chinese Food by Marci Crane
Chocolate History - Part I by Michael Russell
Chocolate History - Part II by Michael Russell
Chocolate History - Part III by Michael Russell
Coffee Cake Is A Tasty Treat With A Rich History by Robert J. Carlton
Colonial Cooking - A History Of American Cuisine by Abhishek Agarwal
Culinary Challenge (Quiz) by Deanna Mascle
Culinary Herbs - Definition, History and Future by Rhonda Holland
Cutlery - A Brief History by Harwood E Woodpecker
Digging The History Of Cutleries by Stuart Wintergear and Carol Wintergear
Down the Ages - The Rich History Of Chinese Cooking by Abhishek Agarwal
Eating History - The Potato by Paul Rinehart
Fannie Merritt Farmer - Mother of the American Cookbook by Terry Kaufman
Food Timeline -- A chronology of food history.
Greece - The Ancient Kitchen by Sofia Petrakou
Growing Tomatoes - Harvesting History And Health by Annette Welsford
Historic Recipes
History of Chocolate Gifts by George Murray
History Of Citrus by Patrick Malcolm
History of Coffee: Part I - Africa and Arabia by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part II - Spread of Coffee to Europe by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part III - Colonisation of Coffee by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part IV - Commercialisation of Coffee by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part V - Speciality Coffee by James Grierson
History of French Cooking by Michele Robbins
History Of Green Tea by Jon Stout
History of Pasta by Jessica Ackerman
History of Salsa Sauce - The Mexican Connection by Chris McCarthy
History of the Bridegrooms Cake by Yolanda Nash
History of the Coffee and Espresso Machine by Chris Vorelli
History Of The New York Cheesecake Recipe by Andrew Krause
Ice Cream History Facts - Where Did This Creamy Cool Dessert Originate? by C. Steendahl
Inside The Victorian Kitchen by George Matel
Pizza: Its History and Ancestors by Holly Bliss
Popcorn History - From Caves To Children's Birthday Parties by Mike Dougherty
Rich History of Chocolate by Celeste Yates
Snack Facts: The Incredible History Behind Some of Your Favorite Foods by Suzanne Lieurance
The History of Aprons by Thomas Morva
The History of Beef Jerky by Tommy Stabosz
The History Of Chocolate by Lee Dobbins
The History of Culinary Arts by Milos Pesic
The History Of Italian Food by C. Steendahl
The History of Pie by Susanne Myers
The History of Refrigerators by Chris Vorelli
The History Of TexMex Cuisine by Patt Carpenter
The History of the Birthday Cake by Jeff Cisneros
The History of The Hamburger by Ian Macdonald
The History of the Microwave Oven by Low Jeremy
The History of the Wedding Cake by Jeff Cisneros
Waffles - Contemporary Food with Thousands of Years of History by Terry Kaufman
Wine and the Roman Empire by Jennifer Jordan

< Back to Culinary History