“We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.” — William Shakespeare.
mycuppa January 2021 Newsletter
Annual December shipping meltdown
Like clockwork every year, we dread the arrival of December as it always succeeds in throwing incredible shipping problems at us and all retailers using Australia's overloaded parcel networks.
This year, Sendle's NSW Armageddon caught everyone by surprise, and we have switched off Sendle for safety (yours and ours) until the severe nature of these failures can be reasonably explained or understood. We suspect something is wrong between Sendle and one of their large partners.
AusPost surprised everyone with decent performance, way better than expected, except for maybe the odd route failure, which will always be a frustrating feature of their "automated" service any time of the year.
Will 2021 be the year of rapid inflation?
Importing goods is now more expensive and difficult thanks to the disruption of the pandemic and the impact of escalating trade disputes with China.
Sea freight has been a nightmare for the last six months for every company importing goods. During November and December, Australia's critical ports in Sydney and Melbourne became a cauldron of frustration and disappointment.
Please read our blog on how many things will get more expensive in 2021.
January 2021 Secret Label
January's Secret Label is a highly-flavoured blend with a beautiful finish that builds to a sweet note of red cherry and dark chocolate.
We have crafted a blend of 4x premium specialty grade lots to produce a coffee that generates intense flavours and sublime sweetness in the cup.
Bold, rounded, broad, full, juicy, and sweet with a red cherry and dark chocolate note that rises to an explosive finish, deftly exhibiting strength without harsh edges.
This puppy cuts through milk like a judge's gavel halting an objection!
There are delicious flavours of stone fruit contrast with sweet citrus acidity.
There is a tasty, thick, syrupy body of honey and toffee. We love truffles with a long red cherry and dark chocolate finish in the aftertaste.
AROMA - red fruits, cocoa
FLAVOUR - stone fruit, honey, toffee, truffle, red cherry and dark chocolate.
ACIDITY - Citrus, balanced.
BODY - Rich, full, syrupy.
BALANCE - Delightful lift as it moves across the palate.
AFTERTASTE - Long with red cherry and dark chocolate.
OVERALL - A refined richness that builds in the cup to a sweet finish.
For a limited time only - ending when the allotment has run out, which may occur before the end of the month.
Watching the cost needle rise
Beyond the Australian parcel network dramas, international sea freight has been a severe pinch point for all Australian companies relying on imported goods during the second half of 2020, and there's a reason why some shelves have been empty at many retail stores.
The pandemic interrupted finely tuned supply chains and, in some cases, abruptly broke the delicate balance of supply and demand optimized over many years.
Sea freight has always been challenging, particularly the dysfunctional Australian cargo facilities in Botany and Port Melbourne - boats continue to sit out at sea off the coasts of our primary capitals, waiting up to 20+ days for a docking slot.
Over the last nine months, Australia has accumulated an unprecedented monster stockpile of empty containers, partly due to trade disputes with China and no physical space to park these empty containers.
It's causing poor efficiency and unexpected, excessive port charges automatically passed onto freight customers.
Besides taking much longer for containers to be processed, it's more costly as the port authorities happily exercise their free license to invent new surcharges and conditions when faced with challenges.
Bottom line, folks - everything will increase in price, even just a bit, as the expense of importing has risen without any prospect of subsiding in the short term. Good luck booking a vessel, as the spot market has effectively closed and disappeared.
Combined with shortages of so many items (cars, plants, appliances, equipment), these are worrying inflationary concerns as tight supply leads directly to price rises.
Over the last four months, we have tried to purchase new equipment for our warehouse and have had to wait a long time for stock to arrive in Australia and pay high premiums.
It's the same situation with air conditioners, large appliances, earth-moving equipment, and almost everything imported.
Coffee prices have been nudging higher over the last quarter as the desperation of labour shortages at farms put a big bite on crop processing volumes, continued port congestion around the globe, chronic lack of shipping capacity and supply differentials all force the pressure upwards with high volatility forecast to continue well into 2021.
