Spain: the world's most active coffee scene.

My guess is that many people have inaccurate impressions of coffee in Spain. They may not know that while it swiftly merges into the larger, more concentrated and controlled framework of the European Community, it continues to thrive as a distinct coffee world to itself; this relates directly

to coffee mentality, actual trading, roasting and marketing practices, etc. Many may not know too, that serving this intense, somewhat private, world of coffee in Spain is an entire supply industry, ranging from machinery to packaging. When it comes to coffee, Spain is a collection of strong and separate regional coffee markets. Yet it is also a group of powerful coffee individuals and families whose interests are multi-regional.

Here, the so-called 'multi-nationals', who are the only coffee companies with presence throughout Spain, bear an irrefutable Spanish stamp. Despite regionalism, there is an overall Spanish feel to coffee business, which seems to mix ambition with eccentricity, brilliance with parsimony-the cheapest coffees in the consuming marketplace find their ways to Spain, and unfortunately too often too prominently into the national cup. In Spain, coffee as a drink may not be something to be proud of (although thinking is beginning to change and some seem willing to pay more than lip service to quality), but it is a booming, good business. It is also a matter of character and charisma, and this is a pleasure in our age of increasing corporate orthdoxy.

In volume, Spain's green coffee imports have rapidly increased throughout the past decade. Spain has, in fact, been the world's fastest expanding market for green coffee. The nation imported 175,826 tons of green coffee in 1990, an increase of more than 11% over the volume in 1989, of 158,071 tons. In less than 10 years, green coffee imports have increased by more than 50%.

Brazil remains the leader on the Spanish green coffee market, with sales in 1990 of 43,785 tons (25% of total market). Colombia took second place with 23,947 tons (13.6%). By order of importance, the other green coffee market leaders for Spain are Cameroun--21,675 tons, Uganda--18,387 tons, Indonesia--8,936 tons, Zaire--8,760 tons, Ivory Coast--7,876 tons, Paraguay--4,955 tons, Nicaragua--4,720 tons, Honduras 3,326, Costa Rica--3,261 tons. More than 47% of imports are of Robusta coffees.