As Jim Brewer sat in his office overlooking the packaging facilities of Creolé Coffee,
his thoughts returned to the date last Spring when he had assumed corporate
responsibilities for green coffee procurement at one of the largest family owned
coffee processors in the United States. The last twelve months had been a very
difficult time in Jim’s life; there had been dramatic swings in the price of green
coffee. Although his superiors assured him they were satisfied with his
performance, Jim couldn’t help but wonder if he was cut out for this type of work.
He knew that if Creolé Coffee were to continue its recent successes on the regional
and national levels, a long-term green coffee procurement strategy had to be
developed to guarantee a sufficient supply of quality coffee at stable prices.