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Whither the Blue Mountain coffee?

Published:Thursday | March 14, 2019 | 12:00 AM

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Jamaican coffee is hard to beat, and hard to replace. Yet, like a giant on the stage, this world-­favourite beverage has stood by and allowed other brands to gain ascendency in market over it.

If the quality of the Blue Mountain coffee is so unquestionable, what could account for it being ­relegated into the silence as a mere gold dust to be pursued but never for sale? Is it that quality and ­quantity are mutually exclusive, or is it that the ­geography for producing the same grade is not available for world market demands?

Starbucks continues to rake in billions of United States dollars annually for its coffee, with its main suppliers appearing to be Colombia, Brazil and other large producers. The Blue Mountain brand doesn’t even offer a single drop in the ocean of coffee drinking around the globe. It’s almost like an item that is too special for general sale. I’m sure that the reality may not support a fantasy that this coffee is a gold mine waiting to take over.

But, for whatever reason things are as they are, it certainly appears odd that a product with such potential as a major foreign exchange earner can be so sheltered from the common affairs of goods and service.

Homer Sylvester