At Starbucks, brokers are key partners in brewing winning risk management strategies By Elisabeth Boone, CPCU mericans' love affair with coffee is almost as old as the nation itself. Cowboys drink it dark, hot, and strong as iron filings.
Hostesses serve it in dainty demitasse after dinner.
And millions of us, from park rangers to presidents, rely on a steaming cup of java to clear the fog of early morning, to fight the midafternoon blahs, and to provide the perfect finish to a hearty evening meal. It wasn't until recently that most of us knew anything more about coffee than the brand we chose from our supermarket shelf. Coffee was coffee, no more exotic or sophisticated than staples like salt, sugar, butter, or bread. In the last several years, however, coffee has made a quantum leap from commodity to gourmet delight. Coffee houses, once the dark, mysterious haunts of black-clad beatniks, now are a familiar part of the suburban landscape.