The Sentinel/Intelligencer wrote:In a closed session on Friday night, members of the House and Senate met to discuss a dramatic increase in the amount of duty upon green coffee beans from South America. This new duty would result in at least a $3 increase per pound at the retail level, analysts said, and will add at least 50 cents to the cost of each cup at the counter. The move comes at a time when African coffee-growers are seeking trademark protection for their beans, and it may prove to be a huge windfall for Kona coffee growers from Hawaii and the Pacific. The move is believed to be at the behest of the quiet but powerful loose tea lobby, which has contributed heavily to congressional campaigns for the last decade.
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