[30.11.2004, 12:10]
How much it will cost to open a coffee-house in St. Petersburg? … ... The consumption of coffee in coffee-houses is between 40 percent and 60 percent of the overall volume of sale in the city. According to calculations, a 100-seat coffee-house consumes one kilogram of coffee a day. The price policy of a coffee-house depends on the place where it is situated. The average sum of the bill lies between 100 and 300 rubles and depends on the level of the coffee-house. One has to spend about 1000 US dollars per square meter to open a coffee-house. It takes form two to three years to cover one's outlay. Suppliers from Italy occupy a large share on St. Petersburg coffee market. From 60 to 70 percent clientele of coffee houses are women. These figures were released at the conference of experts in coffee market held as a part of thee 6th international coffee festival (26-26 November 2004).
//Saint-Petersburg.ru//

[29.11.2004, 12:05]
St. Petersburg has 160 coffee-houses, Russia-500… ... At present 160 coffee-houses have been opened in St. Petersburg. Though Moscow that has about 200 coffee-houses out passes St. Petersburg, its share in the country is significant since there are only 500 such cafes in Russia. These figures were released at the conference of experts in coffee market held as a part of the 6th international coffee festival. According to RBC, St. Petersburg has a very small number of coffee-houses compared to cities in the West. Experts believe that there should be a coffee house for each 5 000 residents. They forecast that the number of coffee-houses in St. Petersburg would increase about ten times in 15 years.
//Coffeetea.ru//

[22.11.2004, 12:00]
A painter from the Urals region turns into a tea flower… ... A regional arts gallery in the city of Chelyabinsk opened an exhibition of works by a painter, Elena Shetinkina, on the 19th of November. It displays 75 graphic paintings and sculptural compositions devoted to Chinese themes. The painter interprets flowers and mythological animals - dragons, phoenixes, tigers - and Daoist symbols in her works. The exhibition embraces several topics. A series of works under the topic "Tea Life" is devoted to tea ceremony and meditation with a cup of tea. The painter makes an attempt to express perception of drinking tea using colour, light and composition in the series of "Famous Chinese Tea". Several works in chinaware are demonstrated under the series of "Desert Spirit".
The painter attended the presentation as a live painting: costume and body-art made it possible for her to create the effect of a blooming tea flower.
The visitors of the exhibition witnessed an original method of making a drink from tea flower. Elena offered this original present to residents of Chelyabinsk following the Chinese saying that it is better to live one year without vine than a day without seeing how tea flower blossoms out.
//Uralpress.ru//

[19.11.2004, 12:00]
The trading house of I.P. Kolokolnikov, Nasledniki has been opened in Tyumenia ... The museum of local lore, history and economy in Tyumenia presented a new exposition - the trading house of I.P. Kolokolnikov, Nasledniki. It exhibits tea tins, old balances and Chinese tea sets. The exposition is opened in the house where successors of Ivan Petrovich Kolokolnikov, trader of the first guild opened their shop in 1904. It took six years to restore the house. With the opening of the exhibition the museum received an additional space in the month when it marks its 125th anniversary.

[12.11.2004, 12:00]
Sri Lanka Supports for promoting trade and economic cooperation with Ukraine ... A delegation of Ukrainian experts headed by first Deputy Economic and European Integration Affairs Minister Valeri Pyatnitsky has visited Sri Lanka. Valeri Pyatnitsky met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahind Rajapaksa. The Ukrainian Economic Ministry's press department informed this. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister described bilateral relations as friendly and promising, and welcomed progress that had been made in trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. The Ukrainian delegation held meetings with the Minister of Tea Plantations, the Tea board Chairman, the Minister of Trade and Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Deputy Foreign Minister on the 10th of November.

[12.11.2004, 11:45]
A Muscovite takes legal action against McDonald's over a hot cup of coffee ... The Moscow-based daily Vedomosti says that a Muscovite, Olga Kuznetsova followed American Stella Leebek, who could win $650 thousand from McDonald's ten years ago, and demanded that McDonald's paid a compensation of 100 000 rubles for burns caused by spilling hot coffee.
The lawyer of the victim, Maksim Dombrovitsky from the "Knyazev and Partners" judicial company said that 37-years-old Olga Kuznetsova brought legal action against McDonald's yesterday and demanded a moral compensation of 100 000 rubles and 400 ruble for harm caused to her health.
//Nta-nn.ru//

[09.11.2004, 11:15]
"Veda-Pak" supplies the Kraft Foods with glass packing ... Speaking to a RBC correspondent Veda-Pak Company official said that the company holds talks on supplying coffee glass packing to the Craft Foods Ukraine facility. On the insistence of the Kraft Foods, the official gave no details about when the company starts to deliver glass packing and the volume of supply. Until recently the company supplied jars to the Kraft Foods factory in the Leningrad region for packing Maxwell House soluble coffee with 50 gram and 100 gram capacities. The talks between the two sides started in December 2002. Veda Pak supplied its first consignment in autumn next year when it produced several millions of jars. The partnership with Craft Foods became possible when Veda-Pak installed additional equipment and production and quality control procedures were worked out and introduced together 2004.
//Rbc.ru//

[05.11.2004, 11:10]
Russians demand from Starbucks "a ransom" ... Former traders of lavatory pans plan to open a chain of legendary Starbuck coffee-houses without the involvement of legal owners of the brand.
Arbitrary Court in Moscow rejected to recognize invalid the trademark of Starbucks Coffee, which was registered in Russia by the American Starbucks Corporation. Two Russian Companies, "Starbucks Co. Ltd." and "Press Co. Ltd.", that have already seized two brands from the American company tried to contend for this trademark and plan to open a chain of coffee-houses under the Starbucks trademark. Other companies on the market believe that the move by Starbucks Co. Ltd. is aimed at forcing Americans to buy their own brand rather than engaging in restaurant business. They advice Starbucks Corporation to get back the brands and settle the matter at the earliest, before Russian consumers feel that they are associated with scandal. In these circumstances it is most likely that the American Corporation faces difficulties in entering the Russian market.
//Rbcdaily.ru//

[03.11.2004, 13:00]
Russia commissions East Europe's first sublimated soluble coffee factory ... Russia will produce agglomerated and sublimated coffee using an advanced technology offered by the NIRO Company, world's leading company in making equipment for the production of soluble coffee. Equipment installed at the facility of "Moskovskaya Kofeinaya na Payakh" Company is the most advanced machinery in Europe today. With the commissioning of the facility the company will produce the full assortment of coffee from roasted beans to the best quality Premium class soluble coffee.
The cost of the project exceeds $70 million. The company received a $45.4 million-loan from the Sberbank of Russia for 6.5 years.
//Bankir.ru//

[02.11.2004, 11:00]
A court declined to support the reputation of Nestle ... Arbitration court in Moscow rejected today a suite by Nestle on libel action. The company appealed the court to take action against national association for genetic security, which published a report that Nestle uses genetically modifies raw materials. Nestle is dissatisfied with the verdict and plans to appeal.
//Kommersant.ru//

[01.11.2004, 18:40]
Strange events continue to occur ... The Russian department of the SCAE, the European Association for Specialty Coffee, held a meeting in Moscow on the 29th of October. It failed to meet the expectation of the community since it turned to a routine gathering for the announcement of its new governing body. According to the results of the vote announced by the Trigve Klingenberg, SCAE director for promoting international relations, Konstantin Voevodin was re-elected as national coordinator with 19 votes.
Under new organization demands adopted at the SCAE board of directors in September, the department's governing body consists of its 3-5 active members. The new body consists of B.Shikhmuradov (15 votes), T.Lukhminskaya (12 votes) and V.Tolmacheva (11 votes). Although this was a general meeting only 12 out of over 30 Russian members attended. They were 7 from Moscow, 1 from St. Petersburg, 1 from Obninsk, 2 from Vladivostov and 1 from Rostov-on-Don.
//Coffeetea.ru//