The U.S Imports 280 Million Pounds of Coffee...

And thats every month of the year!! Here's a chart showing the monthly coffee imports of the world's largest markets, according to the International Cofee Organization. That's an enormous market. And with the direct marketing capabilities provided by today's desktop publishing software and e-commerce applications (build yourself a Web site, sell on eBay, post to Craigslist...it starts online!), customers have never been so easy to reach. If I were starting a coffee brand right now, I'd start by sending out mailings to every (independent) coffee shop in the U.S. (or as many as you can afford). [If you are interested in purchasing a list of coffee shops (or any other business for that matter), contact Faculty Imports today. I can get you lists of any business category for a reasonable fee.]

What's more, the backlash against big corportate coffee should make it easier for smaller players to see nice returns. Partially as a result of this backlash, the Fair Trade Coffee Movement has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. It's a pretty cool marketing concept, though I can't testify as to how far the good intentions actually go to helping poor people in underdeveloped nations. Standards are required to ensure that the fair trade is truly that. But if it means you earn a higher return for your stuff, while gaining access to a more "compassionate" segment of the market and simultaneously doing some good, then I'm all for it. If you're looking for a supplier of the fair stuff, start by contacting Global Exchange. They import and sell fair trade coffee themselves, so you won't get the price you need to turn a real profit, but if you can work with them long enough to find yourself a reliable supplier who will sell to you direct, then you're golden.

As far as Asian coffee is concerned, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Phillipines are all big producers, but I'm certainly not going to advocate Asian imports over all others. Latin America and Africa produce some of the best coffee in the world, so shop around for the right supplier and try to build your niche. Here's a directory of coffee exporters around the world.