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Overview
This book explores the various aspects of coffee culture around the globe, relating the rich history of this beverage and the surroundings where it is produced and consumed to coffee destination development and to the visitor experience. Coffee and tourism venues explored range from the café districts of Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand to the traditional and touristic coffee houses of Malaysia and Cyprus to coffee-producing destinations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific. This is a must-read for those interested in understanding coffee in relation to hospitality and tourism. Readers should gain a new appreciation of the potential for coffee-related tourism to contribute to both destination development and pro-poor tourism objectives.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781845411923 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Channel View Publications |
| Publication date: | 04/20/2010 |
| Series: | Tourism and Cultural Change , #24 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 248 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Lee Jolliffe, editor of Tea and Tourism: Tourists, Traditions and Transformations (Channel View Publications, 2007) is a tourism academic at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. For this volume, investigating coffee-related destinations and tourism experiences around the world Jolliffe is joined by a cadre of researchers, resulting in an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural examination of how tourism related to coffee can have economic and social objectives, contributing to the development of destinations and the experiences of tourists, while in coffee-producing situations having the potential to improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their communities.
Lee Jolliffe is Professor (Retired) at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John, Canada and a Visiting Professor at Asia Ritsumeikan University, Japan. She is the editor of Tea and Tourism: Tourists, Traditions and Transformations (2007) published with Channel View Publications and has investigated tea tourism in Japan, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and South Korea.
Read an Excerpt
Coffee Culture, Destinations and Tourism
By Lee Jolliffe
Multilingual Matters
Copyright © 2010 Lee Jolliffe and the authors of individual chaptersAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-84541-192-3
CHAPTER 1
Common Grounds of Coffee and Tourism
LEE JOLLIFFE
As we live, work and travel around the world, it is obvious that coffee is inextricably connected with our everyday lives. If we are coffee drinkers, we grind beans on waking for a ceremonial cup to welcome the day, pick up a coffee enroute to work and later meet friends for coffee at a café. According to Boé (2000), coffee is drunk for pleasure, for cultural reasons or out of habit. Even if we are not coffee drinkers, it is difficult not to be embraced by the social space of the café (Boniface, 2003) as we consume other beverages, be it at an independent café or at a city center or airport Starbucks (Clark, 2007). During travel, we may serendipitously come into contact with coffee culture, such as the pioneering café culture of Seattle in the USA, the historical café culture of Leipzig, Germany, or café trends in Hanoi, Vietnam. Many travelers seek out the café as a social place to relax and socialize while enjoying coffee. Other travelers visit locations where coffee is produced and participate in the coffee harvest (Ewing, 2006).
Coffee has a long history. Originating in Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa, the cultivation of the wild plant 'coffea Arabica' may have begun as early as the 6th century. While there are many myths about coffee discovery, according to Tannahill (1988) the first written reference is attributed to a 10th-century Arab physician. The first coffee house was established in Constantinople in 1534 (Tannahill, 1988). However, it was not until the 17th and 18th centuries that coffee moved from a novel to a popular drink (Cowan, 2005). In both London and Paris, coffee houses became centers for coffee consumption and discussion (Shapira et al., 1975). Civitello (2005) refers to the emergence of these coffee houses as public meeting places changing social and political habits. While the coffee house in England did not endure because of the rise of tea, these establishments are nonetheless seen as reflective of the rise of a more democratic and modern society (Cowan, 2005).
In the 18th century in Leipzig, Germany, close ties between the coffee houses, the mercantile class and trade fairs encouraged the creation of music and the exchange of ideas (Schwalbach, n.d.). Between 1731 and 1734, Bach wrote his Coffee Cantano, a comic opera about addiction to coffee, at the Coffee Baum (Plate 1.1). During Bach's time in Leipzig (1725–1750), patrons enjoyed coffee and played games and live music at Richter's outdoor coffee garden. In Vienna, café culture is acknowledged as having played a critical part in a vibrant intellectual and artistic activity at the beginning of the 20th century. In Paris, such café culture is acknowledged to have contributed to modernity (Habermas, 1989).
As the drinking of coffee became popular, countries formed their own rituals around coffee, each region's coffee taste acknowledged as being related to its history, work habits and style (Calvert & Stacey, 1994). In the USA, the boycott of tea resulting from the revolt against the tea tax imposed by the British (the Boston Tea Party of 1773) established coffee as the traditional distinctive drink of the country (Perry, 2001). Countries adopted coffee as part of their national identity, as with the coffee-producing country of Colombia that has marketed itself as a producer of fine coffee (Kummer, 1997) with their logo showing Juan Valdez and his mule climbing the mountain. The National Federation of Coffee Growers logo is now used by distributors around the world to certify that the coffee is 100% Colombian (Figure 1.1).
Coffee as part of food and beverage tourism is a cultural experience (Boniface, 2003). Different coffee traditions lend themselves to culinary tourism, and locations with unique forms of coffee production and heritage may use this in destination branding. Coffee is experienced through travel and besides collecting coffee experiences, travelers may collect objects related to coffee as souvenirs (Timothy, 2005) or may purchase coffee beans as a souvenir (Berger, 2005).
Defining Coffee
Coffee begins as the seeds of the berry or fruit of the coffee tree, a tropical shrub of the genus Coffea (Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2004).
Coffee as a drink is made from the roasted and ground seeds. Coffee cultivation requires a frost-free climate with moderate rainfall and adequate sunshine; the tropical regions where coffee grows are known as 'origin regions' (Knox & Huffaker, 1997). Most coffee is grown within a broad geographic band bordered by the Tropic of Cancer to the north and the Tropic of Capricorn to the south (Calvert & Stacey, 1994). There are two main species, Coffea arabica, known as Arabica coffee and Coffea canephora, known as Robusta coffee. Robusta is grown at lower altitudes than Arabica. Robusta is generally used for blending instant coffee as it is of lower quality than Arabica, which is used for specialty coffee (Castle, 1991).
Some of the major producing countries are listed in Table 1.1. Each country produces coffee of different types, utilizing different farming systems that range from farmers with smallholdings to large corporate plantations.
In many countries, coffee berries are collected for processing from small farmers by cooperatives or associations. According to Davids (2001), coffee is processed by versions of either a dry or wet method. In the dry method, the oldest of the processing methods, coffee is picked and left out in the sun to dry. Periodically raked, it can take from ten days to three weeks to dry. In the wet method, the fruit covering the bean is stripped, the fruit is then fermented and washed and then further fermented (by a wet or dry method). After this step, the coffee is washed and dried, either by the sun or by mechanical means. After processing, coffee is often shipped off as green beans to be roasted in the importing country.
Coffee was traditionally sold at coffee auctions, a system gradually replaced by commodities markets, in which coffee is purchased before it is grown. Consequently, coffee as a commodity has an associated industry behind it that includes farmers, cooperatives, processors, brokers and coffee industry associations. The farmers who cultivate coffee around the world are only the first to be involved in the long journey of coffee from the bean to the cup.
Coffee and Hospitality
Coffee is directly connected to hospitality, in home and commercial hospitality settings. At home, like tea (Jolliffe, 2004), coffee may be offered as a sign of hospitality. Likewise in commercial settings, coffee is on the menu as an accompaniment to a restaurant meal, or in café settings coffee is viewed as the main attraction. Coffee culture inspires the design of café settings (Bellamy, 1997). Coffee is associated withvarious forms of food service outlets, such as coffee houses, coffee shops, coffee bars and cafés. Each of these types of establishments has differing levels of informality (Boniface, 2003) in settings where coffee and food are served.
For hospitality operators, coffee may represent a profitable aspect of their business. Coffee has become an industry trend with operatorsadopting particular blends of coffee beans that act as a signature for their operations. Companies such as the global company Starbucks (Clark, 2007) have transformed both coffee and traditional café culture by branding distinctive café ambience and coffee experiences.
A recent boom in coffee drinking is acknowledged to have led to an increased number of franchised coffee houses, such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe' Nero (Laurier et al., 2001). The former researchers investigated the social life of the café, in profiling the Flaming Cup Café as a place of informality and social equality as patrons share tables and, if they wish, interact in an adult setting.
Going for coffee involves more than just consuming the beverage itself, it is a small social event as part of everyday life. Informal gatherings focusing on drinking coffee as common ground for interaction include coffee hours, coffee mornings and the coffee klatch, the latter combining coffee with conversation. In Canada, the vernacular includes a coffee row, a regular gathering of people at a café for coffee and conversation, especially in rural areas (Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2004). The Canadian coffee and donut chain, Tim Hortons, encouraged the institutionalization of the coffee break, a social break from work accompanied by coffee (Penfold, 2008). In the UK, the colloquial speech includes a coffee morning, defined as a morning gathering at which coffee is served, often in aid of charity (Oxford English Reference Dictionary, 2002).
Around the world, cafés have thus evolved as social meeting places with a distinctive ambience, or third places for meeting away from home and work (Boniface, 2003). They are seen as a place to relax, discuss, socialize and study (Davids, 2001). Coffee is referred to as 'the drink of the present' by Walker (2004) and as a 'hip' beverage by Thorn (2006), indicating that a background of history and modern marketing makes it an attractive product for modern consumers.
Coffee and Tourism Experiences
Coffee and tourism collide where coffee consumption becomes a hospitality product and where tourism activities relate to experiencing aspects of the history and production of coffee. Coffee tourism can thus be part of cultural and culinary tourism initiatives. If seen as a niche area of tourism (Novelli, 2005), it would be a very small sector, appealing to 'coffee enthusiasts'. However, viewed as part of the overall tourism experience, coffee can be an integral part of the travel journey and can form a routine or special part of the experience once at the destination. Coffee tourism is defined as being related to the consumption of the coffee, history, traditions, products and culture of a destination (Jolliffe & Bui, 2006).
Interest in coffee can be peaked by artifacts representing the inquiry, such as the souvenir jute shopping bag from Costa Rica's Doka Estate that proclaims (in Spanish) 'three generations of coffee' and 'fabulous French roasted Costa Rica Coffee', and the shopping bag from Maine's Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Company with the quote 'Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love', attributed to a Turkish proverb. Shopping adds value to the tourism experience (Westwood, 2006) and single origin specialty coffee beans can be a souvenir.
Since coffee experiences are a familiar part of everyday life, as with culinary experiences described by Long (1994), these encounters are not usually perceived of as being exotic or out of the ordinary. However, when we travel, out of habit seeking out a local café may be an introduction to the local culture and its coffee traditions. We thus come into contact with a beverage that is familiar, yet through its different cultural and hospitality contexts provides a distinctive experience. In these encounters, we are participants in culinary tourism, described by Molz (2007) as the intersection between food and travel. For example, the coffee and donut chain, Tim Hortons, noted as a ubiquitous part of the Canadian foodscape (Penfold, 2008), provides a familiar experience for Canadians and a unique experience for visitors. However, culinary tourism as branded in Canada is not noted to include coffee (Hashimoto & Telfer, 2006). Evolving coffee traditions around the world are subject to change as part of globalization, for example the international coffee company Starbucks has influenced global coffee culture (Clark, 2007) and many cafés around the world compete, as in this picture of café signage from Daegu, South Korea (Plate 1.2).
Coffee rituals are reflected in the coffee paraphernalia that Davids (2001) describes as being used to transport coffee from the pot to the palate. This includes a variety of cups, pots and coffee-making machines. The history and material culture associated with coffee can be experienced at coffee museums around the world. In Leipzig, Germany, besides a lively contemporary café culture, the city houses the historic Coffee Baum, a restaurant, café and museum complex, known as one of the oldest coffee houses in the world. Some coffee companies have established their own museums, such as Café Chicco D'Oro's 'World of Coffee Museum' in Switzerland, established to tell the history of the produce, to illustrate its economic importance and to document the value of this well-loved beverage (http:www.chiccodoro.ch). In Zurich, the Johan Jacobs Museum documents aspects of coffee in terms of art, commerce and culture of the beverage through its collection of paintings and print, silver and ceramics. The collection includes 2000 historical postcards of Viennese cafés in various European cities. Another cultural aspect to be considered is the 'art of coffee'. Just as the preparation of food in the form of gastronomy is proposed as a fine art, so too can coffee be expressed through coffee preparation, as with latte art and barista competitions around the world, e.g. the Barista cup title in the USA (Bellamy, 1997).
Coffee as a contemporary product is inextricably linked to place and consumers are able to drink coffee from individual countries of origin whose properties can be distinguished by taste, although blended coffee had been the norm (Thorn, 2006). Specialty coffee from single estates or regions has become popular; as Molz (2007) remarks, food acts as a transportable system of place and identity. With the rise in popularity of specialty coffees exposing consumers to more interesting brews, Thorn (2006) observes that with roasting and blending styles varying around the world, tasting coffee at home or as we travel can be a culinary experience.
Three basic types of coffee destinations can be identified (Table 1.2). First, coffee-producing countries have distinct locations that could be considered as 'coffee-producing destinations', e.g. Colombia, where 'coffee finca tourism', opening up coffee farms to visitors is acknowledged to have been around since the 1990s (Ewing, 2006). Second, locations where significant café cultures have emerged could be 'coffee culture destinations', e.g. the café district of Seattle where Starbucks established their first café. Third, particular locales associated with the history of the production, sale and consumption of coffee can be considered 'coffee history destinations'. London, UK, the location of the early coffee auctions, is an example of a coffee history destination, evidenced by the exhibits housed at the Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum in London.
As destinations look for ways to differentiate themselves from others, culinary aspects are highlighted, with food and drink being seen as a significant attraction (Boniface, 2003; Hjalager & Richards, 2002). This also applies to coffee-producing destinations, as studied in the case of Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam (Jolliffe & Bui, 2009). At many destinations, coffee is associated with the café as a meeting point for arts and discussion; when cafés are clustered, café districts have evolved and some locations have introduced coffee festivals as a means to promote their coffee production or consumption.
Gradually, the idea of branding a coffee destination is emerging as is evidenced by field work in the Central Highlands of Vietnam (Jolliffe et al., 2009). Coffee farm tours, trails and routes are emerging as the foci of tourism activities in a number of the countries where coffee is produced, such as in Costa Rica where producer Café Brit diversified their income from coffee by developing a farm tour with associated visitor services (Brennes et al., 1997). At Café Brit, tourism was employed to open up export markets for the company.
The Attraction of Coffee Tourism
Traveling to coffee-producing countries provides opportunities to experience coffee at its origins by visiting coffee farms, coffee-processing facilities and even cafés overlooking coffee plantations, or exploring the origins of coffee through organized coffee tours or trails (Batten, 2007). Coffee prepared at its origin may not taste the same as that consumed at home, but the experience of observing the harvesting and production can be a highlight for many visitors. This can involve staying in coffee-related accommodations, e.g. hotels overlooking coffee plantations. In these settings, coffee is often incorporated into the menu. For example, an article in a UK newspaper, The Independent (2007), notes that on the island of Mauritius,
Guests of the five-star Beau Rivage hotel can tour the plantation and then head back to the hotel to try its special coffee-tasting menu.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Coffee Culture, Destinations and Tourism by Lee Jolliffe. Copyright © 2010 Lee Jolliffe and the authors of individual chapters. Excerpted by permission of Multilingual Matters.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Introduction
1. Common Grounds of Coffee and Tourism - Lee Jolliffe
Part 2: Coffee Culture and Tourism Contexts
2. Coffee Servicescapes: The Design of Café Culture in New Zealand - C. Michael Hall, Janna Tipler, Rochelle Reddy and Karina Rowling
3. Café Culture and Conversation: Tourism and Urban(e) Experiences in Wellington, New Zealand - Adam Weaver
4. From the World Coffee Conference to the Local Café: Coffee Events Large and Small - Leanne White
5. Coffee-House Culture and Tourism in Cyprus: A Traditionalized Experience - Evi Eftychiou and Nicos Philippou
Part 3: Coffee Destination Experiences
6. Coffee in Vietnam: International Tourist Experiences - Lee Jolliffe, Karen Kwan, and Giang Khong Yen
7. Coffee Culture, Heritage and Destination Image: Melbourne and the Italian Model - Warwick Frost, Keir Reeves, Fiona Wheeler and Jennifer Laing
8. Coffee and Coffee Tourism in Kona Hawai'i: Surviving in the Niche - Charles Johnston
9. Serendipitous Coffee Experiences in Papua New Guinea - Wendy S. Shaw
Part 4: Responsible Coffee Tourism and Cultural Change
10. Blending Coffee and Fair Trade Tourism - Michael Hall
11. Canada’s Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative Coffee Tour Venture - Nancy Chesworth
12. Beyond Fair Trade: Enhancing the Livelihoods of Coffee Farmers in Tanzania - Harold Goodwin and Harro Boekhold
13. La Ruta del Café and Los Santos Coffee Tourism: A Central America Project to Develop Coffee-Related Tourism to Augment Coffee Families’ Incomes - Bob Harvey and Diane Kelsay
Part 5: Conclusion
14. Coffee and Tourism Research Directions - Lee Jolliffe