全球十大咖啡城市 Taiwan, Singtex

全球十大咖啡城市 台北入列 【08:15】

〔中央社〕咖啡已經成為現代人的主要飲品之一，「今日美國報」旅遊版選出全球十大最佳品嚐咖啡的城市，台北市也名列其中。

今日美國報（USA Today ）指出，對咖啡愛好者來說，談到咖啡就讓他們眼睛一亮，不同品種、烘焙技巧以及泡製的方式，哪種咖啡最好，總有一番爭辯，但今日美國報選出全球十大最佳品嚐咖啡的城市，各有各的獨特性與美味。

台北市是唯一入選的亞洲城市，今日美國報指出，在東亞的台北市以咖啡文化與飲品聞名，但將台北列入全球十大最佳品嚐咖啡城市的主因在於好的咖啡是台北的文化遺產，新鮮烘焙的高品質咖啡豆合乎標準，同時緩慢、勞力密集式的泡製方法，鋪陳了真正的好咖啡。

在全球十大最佳品嚐咖啡城市中，歐洲就占了3席，分別是奧地利維也納、葡萄牙里斯本與挪威奧斯陸，其中維也納被排在第1位。

今日美國報認為，許多城市都以咖啡文化為傲，但只有維也納可以自稱具有聯合國教育、科學、文化組織（UNESCO）的認證。UNESCO在2011年頒給維也納咖啡之家無形文化遺產獎。

美國則不意外的由星巴克發源地的西雅圖與波特蘭獲選，報導指出，西雅圖與波特蘭分別被旅遊與休閒雜誌選為美國最佳咖啡城市的前兩名，入選不意外。
另外入選的還有古巴哈瓦那、澳洲墨爾本、加拿大溫哥華與巴西聖保羅。




Taiwan firm finds groove by recycling coffee for fabrics


Each day, trucks from textile maker Singtex Industrial Co travel throughout Taipei, scouring 7-Eleven convenience stores and Starbucks cafes for up to 500 kilograms of their main refuse - coffee grounds.


Often dumped after the morning espresso is brewed, the grainy byproduct is crushed by Singtex into microscopic bits and mixed into the company’s polyester fabrics. The coffee grounds help the fabrics absorb odours, making it a prized accessory for athletes and outdoorsmen alike.


This innovation, made by Singtex in 2006, has become so successful that it has reversed the fortunes of the company, landing it contracts with major global clothing brands and sending profit margins sky high. Before that, Singtex produced cheap fabrics in China and sold bedding products. Its business was constantly under threat by a crowded market of low-cost textile manufacturers.


“We realised that every time we tried to follow the industry into a new fabric, South-East Asian manufacturers would copy us and do it cheaper,” said Jason Chen, Singtex’s president.


“So you are forced by the competition to constantly innovate, and we now usually release a new patent every five years just to stay ahead of the game.”
Singtex’s success story presents a rare case for Taiwan’s manufacturing sector, which is better known for making components and products for other global brands to sell.


Only a few companies, such as bicycle maker Giant Manufacturing Co and smartphone company HTC Corp, have successfully transformed themselves into valuable brands in their own right.
Their success is handsomely rewarded. Singtex’s revenue increased 35% in 2011 from the year before, and the company enjoyed gross profit margin of 25% that year, according to Chen. He declined to provide hard profit and revenue numbers because the company is planning to go public on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 2013.
By contrast, ordinary, run-of-the-mill fabric makers typically settle for gross margins of 5 to 10%, according to Robert Jou, the spokesman at the Taiwan Textile Research Institute.
The story of how Singtex came upon their innovation is now fully baked into its narrative. Chen was accompanying his wife to a cafe when he witnessed an old lady requesting coffee grounds from the barista. They asked the barista why, and he explained that, like baking soda, people were using coffee grounds to get rid of foul odours in refrigerators.
“So my wife said to me, ‘You are so smelly all the time. I think you better use this coffee to get rid of your body odour. Can you put it in your fabrics?’ I thought this was such a great idea that fell from the sky, and I immediately got my experts to start developing a patent,” Chen said.
The innovation also adds credence to the message of sustainability that is now Singtex’s primary marketing tactic. Besides using coffee grounds, the company says it makes 100% of its polyester fabrics from recycled plastic bottles and burns natural gas to power its mill. Chen and his staff also wear their monthly outdoor forays, such as wetland cleanup expeditions and marathon runs, proudly on their sleeves. Singtex’s strategy has attracted over 100 clients, including clothing brands The North Face, Timberland, and Hugo Boss. To gain market recognition, Singtex requires products to be co-branded with its “S.Cafe” label.
In June, the textile maker landed another a big break when the English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Club announced that its new kits, designed by US-based Warrior Sports, contained S.Cafe coffee grounds.
“From a consumer’s point of view, they understand the story and the performance benefits,” said Kenny McCallum, Warrior Sports’ head of football products, who noted that they have sold more than 1mn home kits since June.
Examples like Singtex come at a crucial time for Taiwan. The government is trying to address a decade of wage stagnation by encouraging low-cost, contract manufacturers to move up the value chain and develop branded products, which it hopes will boost incomes.
With things looking up for Chen, he offered the following advice to executives who seek higher value.
“You just can’t use a low-cost manufacturing mindset to tackle branding. You have to talk about your product in a way that consumers can understand and believe. My strategy is this: find the right message, develop your story, and give back to society.” DPA