The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-02-04
COFFEE DRINKERS
Increasing Amount I'M
ported Into the u. s.
Island Contribution Is Still Verv
Smail-Statistics for Year
1897,

Viewed in the light of COMPARISON
with statistics of other countries, the
importation of Hawaiian coffee into
the United States is small. Coffee has
been exported from the Islands in
varying quantities for the past 80 years.
Within the last five years the industry
has received a considerable impetus
from the success of the planters who
have done the experimental work in
developing it, and from the consequent
opening up Of large tracts of arabic
land.
The high water mark in the exporta-
ton Of coffee since 1867 was reached in
1870, when 415,111 lbs. was exported
Fifteen years later, in 1875, the ex-
ports had decreased to 1875 lbs. The
increase has been rapid since that time
until in 1897 the total exports of coffee
amounted.to 337,15 lbs, valued at $685.
696.62, as against 255, $50 lbs. in 1896.
But the people of the United States
L
capita consumption in 1897 was 995
lbs. so that the amount sent from the
Islands made little appreciate differ
ence in the market When it is con-
sidered that the coffee exported from
the Islands in 1897 would supply only
about $4,000 people with their drink, or
a city with less than a thousand more
inhabitants than there are in Sacra-
mento, Cal, the opportunities for ISL
and coffee in the United States are con-
siderable.
According to the computations of the
Philadelphia Record, during the nine
months of the calendar year ended
September 80, 1897, the imports of cof-
fee into the United States amounted to
5S0,052,9 21 lbs. of the value of $54,-
433, 1872, against 440,323 ,337 lbs Of the
value of $50, 400, 74S, in the correspond
ing months of 1896. The average in
voice cost to the importers of the cof-
fee in 1896 was little more than 1912
cents a lb. In 1897 the average import
cost was a little more than 1912 cents
a lb.
Of this coffee the bulk comes from
Brazil, the importations from which
country in the nine months of 1897,
amounted to Ala, 4S1 ,4O7 lbs. of the
value of S34, 744 1877, against 2SS,793,-
744 lbs. of the value of $35 094, SGT, in
the corresponding nine months of 1896.
The import cost of this 'Rio" coffee in
1896 was a little over II cents lb. and
in 1897 it was S.3 cents a ID.
The next largest supplies of coffee
are from other parts of South America,
the importations from those regions
having amounted in the nine months
of 1897, to 6O,271 900 lbs. valued at ST.
S92,71S. against 59,2O4,S 1874 lbs. of the
value of $S,575, 937, in the correspond
ing months of 1896 Quantities and
values of importations from these
countries have not varied so much as
in the importations from Brazil, which
had an extraordinarily large crop in
1897. The next contributor of coffee to
this country is Central America, the
importations from that region having
amounted to 42,670, ia lbs. valued at
S6,214,S62, or nearly Is cents lb. in
the nine months of 1871 slight in
crease over the importations in the cor
responding months of 1896. Next, Mex
leo sent in the nine months of 1897,
sc, O16,967 lbs. of the value of 81, 574, 253
"a little more than Is cents a Id.
The total importations of Java" cof-
fee from the Netherlands and from the
East Indies in the nine months of 1897
amounted to 14,054, 16S lbs. of the value
of $2,451 ,446, or an invoice cost Of lit
tie more than II cents a lb. That is
the highest priced coffee that comes to
the United States. But the importa-
lions, as may be seen, are small in
comparison with the enormous ship
ments from Brazil. More than so per
cent. of the coffee that comes to the
U. S. is ''Rio," or of like quality and
price. "Rio" is, in fact, the coffee that
the American people drink, sold to
them for a higher priced article. AS
for the famous Mocha" coffee, little or
none of it is imported into the United
States.