Which industry are you talking about? I see the a) Australian cafe industry is being separate to the b) Australian coffee roasting industry, as being separate to the c) Australian coffee growing industry. I think everyone here has been talking about an association that appears to represent in the main, the cafe industry, with a secondary "rub off" to the other industries mentioned. Unfortunately, the rub off effect has up as well as down sides, as it fosters a lot more roaster competition in an expanding market and while that is good for the cafe industry, it isn't necessarily any good to individuals in the roaster industry, with all and sundry wanting to get in on the act in what is essentially a very small market despite the rapid growth. I can see the possibility of partnerships being developed between the roaster and grower industries (I dont like the way some growers burn their own coffee, and I reckon there may be a few roasters out there that would like to have an interest in a plantation), but I can't see what the cafe/eatery industry has in common with the other two. The wholesale butcher and fruit and veg industries probably have more in common with the cafe industry than the coffee roasting and growing industries do, and I bet the monthly meat and veg accounts are a lot bigger than coffee bean accounts. So who is being directly represented here, and by whom, and for what purpose? Are "specialty" "coffee" associations misnamed? If Kenya AA, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, New Guinea plantation A grade, Guatemala Antigua, Costa Rica La Lapa or Sumatra Mandhelling for example are already the norm with small coffee roasting companies, what is "specialty"? What is a specialty coffee roaster? Are these associations "coffee" associations, or "cafe" associations, or "cafe consultant" associations? Fresh Coffee
