Expect the unexpected, follow the lovers lost in this blog.

A blog to cater your mind,body,and soul as you drink Turkish Coffee. We are proud to present our new storyline called Cafe's search for his "Zahir". Everyday is a new day for the "Cafe" (from Istanbul) & his journey for "Zahir" (from Baku). Don't expect extraordinary drama from the narrator, me. Still, this is a drama (maybe real!), and have better impact on you than watching a soap opera. Guaranteed. There is genuine feelings within inspirational periods. Cross your fingers for this story to end with happy marriage :-) All rights are reserved.

EDIT (01 July 2009) - She is engaged with another man, and I finally made my marriage proposal bringing my family to Baku. The result: She stays engaged and will have her wedding, so called "toy", with that another man.

Rest in peace Ms. Zahir.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Local Stories about Turkish Coffee - Israel

It would be great to host a broad range of audience from different parts of the world in this blog to share their local experiences with Turkish Coffee. A local news I found out today comes from Israel. Published in The Jerusalem Post, "Strauss Group Ltd. doesn't represent a monopoly in the Turkish coffee market, an Israeli court ruled Monday."
Here is some information about the company.

"Thomson Financial Business Description:
The Group's principal activities are manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a broad range of food products, including yogurts, dairy desserts, soft cheeses, confectionery, coffee, chocolate, salads, freshly squeezed juices, baked goods, salty snacks, olive oil, honey, cereal-based products and soy desserts. The Group's shares are listed on the Tel Aviv stock exchange."

The company is ranked 12th in the Dun's 100 Israel's Largest Enterprises.


Coffee Consumption and Turkish Coffee's Local Presence in a Global Brand - Gloria Jean's Coffee

Thanks to Google once again offering the news section on the left side of this blog. A recent news article about Turkish Coffee gives me valuable information to share with you. First of all, many global coffee brands are have been entering Turkey. Gloria Jean's is one of them. They include Turkish Coffee in their menu, and one customer comments "seeing our local tastes in a global brand makes me happy." I certainly agree, but I want to see Turkish Coffee in the menu of all coffeehouses around the world. In the beginning, this offer can be led by chain stores, or independent stores, doesn't matter. But, it should start soon. However, there is also the dilemma of the name. If there is Turkish Coffee on the menu, why not Arabic coffee, Greek Coffee, Lebanese Coffee, Armenian Coffee, and so on. Still, I don't think it is a big deal. During Ottoman Empire, there was one and only coffee which was today's Turkish Coffee. So, all other coffee's can still unite under the name of Turkish Coffee. And, flavors might be dedicated to certain countries. Like, cardamom flavor might be called Arabic coffee, and so on. Well, it is open for discussion, please share your opinion. Last, the hesitation to offer Turkish coffee (in the US) might come from the difficulty to brew it on site. So, an easier way to brew might create easier access for purchase.
And finally, here are the coffee consumption figures quoted from Zaman newspaper:

Turkey does not take an important part in global coffee consumption.
According to the numbers of 2001, the country that consumes the most coffee is the US. The order of per capita consumption after the US is:

Finland - 11.1 kg

Sweden - 8.55 kg

Denmark - 9.71 kg

Norway - 9.46 kg

Australia - 7.9 kg

Germany - 6.9 kg

Switzerland - 6.80 kg

Holland - 6.48 kg

Coffee consumption in Turkey is under 200 grams.

The Global Compact Leaders Summit at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland 5 - 6 July 2007

The Global Compact Leaders Summit took place on 5th and 6th July. It is a little bit late notice, but I wanted to share two important videos recorded during the meeting. You can find all the videos on UN webcast page.

A tiny bit information about the gathering:
"The Global Compact Leaders Summit will be an historic gathering of approximately 1,000 top executives of participating companies, heads of international labour, civil society and United Nations agencies, in addition to select government officials. Participants will reflect the composition and regional distribution of the various stakeholder groups within the Compact."

The president of Corporate Communication and Information Technology Group at Koc Holding AS, Ali Koc, gave a very effective speech during the Plenary meetings.
His quote from Jim Collins's Good to Great book was very relevant. He said that greatness is not a function of circumstances, it is a result of conscious choice and discipline.

Also, I would suggest Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Coca-Cola Company, Mr. E. Neville Isdell's speech. He focused on more political dilemmas like "conflict on resources costing lives." He also said "the global population continues to grow mainly of course in places that are less able to support additional inhabitants." He gave worthy note on the importance of water resources and global climate change.

As a result, I would highly recommend Mr. Isdell's video. And, I highly appreciate the talks, but everybody needs to walk the talk.