Coffee Giants Rule Pricing Landscape

The Cup of Excellence focus of the specialty coffee industry is to be expected from this sector: Quality is what is important to the specialty coffee roasters and should be applauded (“Cultivating Change to Take Back the Land,” Dec. 12).

Specialty coffee is still, and will remain, a tiny segment (by dollar volume) of the coffee industry, and unfortunately the Cup of Excellence effect will be similarly minute.

The giants -- Nestle, Kraft Foods Inc., Proctor & Gamble Co. and Sara Lee Corp. (Starbucks Corp. doesn’t come close to entering this category) -- drive the business, and until their downward price stampede is confronted, the farmers will continue to be devastated.

They have turned the farmers’ product into a cup of despair. These companies bear the substantial responsibility for the current coffee farm conditions.

Mark Zuckerman

Culver City