European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Consumer watch by Mary Neth. Look for a big leap in Coffee prices May 25 Inu Sarteur commissaries and probably continuing shortages in some , not All the new pricing information sin As yet Here Are some examples of what you can expect according to William Miner chief of Supply management european Field office troop support Agency Maxwell House Electra perk and drip one Pound from$2.18 to $2.99 Maxwell House drip two pounds from fl.43 to $5.95 Maxwell House regular three pounds from $6.28 to $8.85 Maxim instant freeze dried from $2.99 to $3.74 Sanka eight ounces from $2.89 to $3.74 and and Maxwell House instant 10 ounces from $149 to $3.99. Also Folger regular three pounds from $5.61 to $9.56chase and Swanbom two pounds from $5.36 to $6.16 Folger instant 10 ounces from from $2.99 to $4.38 taster s Choice freeze dried four ounces from $1.45 to $2.45, and nescafe instant 10 ounces from $2.04 to $3.96. If these prices sound frightening they could be worse. Although the Price you pay for commissary Coffee has been steadily increasing just four months ago that regular three pounds of folgers that will be up to pm on May 25 was Selling for only$4.39the stores still offer the Best buy around. In fact according to some company representatives even the new higher prices will be a couple of months old compared to rocketing Coffee prices in the  prices on the american Market Are generally lower than in other countries. Prices in Austria double Din 1976 in three instalments. In Israel where the con Sumer authority is urging a Coffee Boycott the Price Isnow about $4.50 a Pound up from $1.68 a year ago. The picture is even gloomier in Germany. Coffee already has been averaging $5 a Pound and is predicted to go up to Over $7 by year s end. At Many stores a Pound now is unto 15 and 16 marks$6.38 to $6.80. Friday May 13, 1977  cups and saucers the stars and stripes Page 19 commissary customers who be had a watchful Eye on this unstable Coffee Price Market an Proba Bly responsible for the shortages in some stores i Europe. One commissary for example was completely out of in Stant coffees for about a week and did t expect to have any More on its shelves until the next delivery Date which was about five Days away. The manager explained that nearby stores were in to Short Supply themselves to give out Stock to help out and that the cupboards at the commissary system s euro modern living Pean warehouses reportedly were Bare  be just had above Normal sales says Miner. Why Haven t Coffee prices in the overseas military stores caught of with wholesale prices la the . As yet for one thing there s that Long pipeline the length of time it takes before goods that Are ordered reach the shelves in Europe. For another there s that once a month Billing system of the Usa eur stores. Air Force commissaries Price goods As the Stock comes in with the result that sometimes during a period of Price rises they offer the customer less of a bargain at present Best buys if in Stock Are the three Pound Chase and Swanbom for $5.13 $1.71 a Pound and i instant the 10-ounce nescafe for $2.04. Prices of Coffee in the cafes Shires Alst seem Tobe below what could be expected. This is probably because that the Stock has t had a rapid turnovers it has carried a higher Price tag than the same brands stocked in the commas Soaries. This might result in a time when the gaffes stores could offer a better buy on some brands. If the cafes Stock does t move and it s the policy of the Exchange system not to raise prices of goods already on the shelves in june a Pound of Maxwell would be $2.75 at afo Odland compared to $2.99 in the commissary. Meanwhile the new York times reports that the heaths finally gone out of the Coffee Market. For the last four weeks prices of Green a roasted Beans deliverable this month Nave dropped by 64 cents a Pound. Last week alone the drop was 22  this mean that Coffee lovers can expect lower prices at the supermarket soon not necessarily Accord ing to Coffee traders. All it Means at the moment is that the year Long Rise in Coffee prices May be leveling off. The pot keeps bubbling How Are other countries reacting tothe Coffee Price disaster Back in the ., Many people faced with new Price hikes an eight ounce Jar of instant taster s Choice for example will be up to $6.49 by mid july Are switching to Tea Cocoa and other less expensive drinks a fact that s already being reflected by lower sales figures. According to the . Department of agriculture sales were off 12 per cent 1976 when compared to those of the Previ Ous , in Germany though where the consumer spaying 40 per cent More than a year ago nearly $7 a Pound a present the Public does t seen to be reacting As strongly. There Are no signs that there will be a Boycott. At least not according to do Journo a consumer oriented Magazine which report that a Survey showed German Coffee drinkers were not about to switch beverages or give up their favorite pick me up. Coffee has outdistanced Beer by the Way As Germany s favor Ite drink. It s consumed to the tune of 155 quarts per person a year. In any Case consumer Boycotts la the United states and in England have had Little effect a Coffee dealer said Consumers would have to Cut their Coffee drinking in half for two months to affect prices. There s Hope in sight  crops to replace those destroyed by Frost in Brazil in 1975will be ready for harvesting in 1979 at the latest. When they hit the Market prices should Start going  though the brazilian frosts did Hurt the crop there Isno worldwide shortage of Coffee. But neither is there a huge sur plus As in the past to keep the prices Low. According to Legen Coffee was first discovered by a goatherd in  that country its use spread though the whole near East. The european debut was made in Venice at the beginning of the1700s. In 1711, a Black named Oliver who with the Stream of French Huguenots had Immi grated to Germany won the con cession to open the first Coffee House in Berlin from the Prus Sian King Friedrich i. The history of Coffee is full of such legends and stories. As to those prices there have been other times in history when Cost or a cup has been stagger ing. During the inflation year of 1923 in Germany for example Quarter of a Pound Cost one Bil lion  even half that Price it definitely would be Tea  Neth Tea is still cheaper but. By Louise Cook associated press Offee drinkers who switched to Tea to save Money face More bad news. The in creased demand for Tea has boosted the Price about 10 to 20per cent in the last couple of months. Tea is still cheaper than Coffee. An associated press spot Check showed the Price is around two cents a cup. Compared to six cents and up for Coffee. In most areas however a 100-bag Box Ofa National Brand of Tea Sells for just under $2 House brands Are less in the Usa eur commissaries it s possible to buy 100 bags of Issue Tea for 81sits. Name brands sell for $1.04 and $1.19 a Hundred according to the april 25 to May increases in Tea in the . Reflect recent boosts in wholesale prices on the London Tea Market. Dealers there say the rises Are due mainly to the rising demand for Tea As a substitute for increasingly expensive  average wholesale Price for Tea in Ludm was slightly Over 77 cents around Early this month up from about 50 cents a year  do not think we have seen the top of the Market said George Neal chairman of the Tea brokers association. It s very much a question of Supply and  the demand is reflected in stores in the United states. Tea sales have increased quite a bit inthe past couple of  said Doug Bouder manager of the Sunflower super Market in Nashville Tenn. A 100-bag Box of a National Brand of Tea Sells for $1.87 i Bouder s store up from $166 several months ago. The House Brand is $1.09 for100 bags. Stores traditionally have used Coffee Asa loss Leader Selling it at or even below the wholesale level in an attempt to draw customers to the store. There Are indications they May have to do the same wit Tea. Neil Golub executive vice presi Dent of Price chopper foods Lac. Of Schenectady n.y., said he is Selling a National Brand of Tea for $1.58 per 10t bag Box. He said be pays 11.65 for the Tea and added that the wholesale Price is going up to $1.81. Golub was one of the first to urge people to drink less Coffee and switch to other beverages. He said sales Are Down slightly but added that some people Are buying Coffee and hoarding it in anticipation of higher prices later on. As for the future he said Consumers Don t have a lot of pleas ant information to look Forward to regard ing prices of Coffee and  in Seattle Woodrow White the buyer for27 Lucky food stores said one National Brand of Tea was Selling at $2.09 for 100bags, up 20 cents in the past month. Another National Brand has remained steady at$189, but is expected to increase shortly. Tea sales did t take off until about Las month and now they re up maybe 25 per cent said White. Tea prices have Bee relatively stable but we be had two or three rises lately.". Tom Sheldon assistant manager of Low Cost stores in Phoenix ariz., said the Price of 48-bag boxes of Brand name and House Brand teas had increased two cents recently to 83 and 71 cents respectively. I guess it s gone up about a Nickel for every Dolla Coffee has gone up he said. Some retailers and Tea companies have been running special promotions on the  Check of four stores in Portland Maine showed that three had sales on Tea with savings ranging up to 80 cents on a 100-bag Box. The manager of Martin food markets which was Selling a National Brand of Tea for 99 cents per 100-Bagbox, 60 cents less than Normal said customers were buying three and four pack Ages of Lea on sate and they definitely have lessened Coffee prices