Best Coffee in the World? Where else but Italy?

It would be hard to imagine Italy without coffee. Italian coffee is an art form with many customs and traditions. It is the main part of the national breakfast and the home to coffee drinks that have taken the rest of the world by storm. Italians managed to invent a coffee culture unequaled anywhere else in the world, even despite the fact, that the coffee itself was discovered in South Africa.

Nowadays there are many coffee roasters present in the country, processing imported green coffee.

In 2011 Italy took third place (behind Germany and Belgium), in the classification of the main roasted coffee exporters, with a volume of 2,5 million bags. The sector has held up mainly thanks to exports, which now account for 60% of total turnover.

This positive trend confirms the increasing appreciation for the Italian coffee from foreign markets.

If we look back in history, coffee was first shipped from the Middle East to Venice. At that time it caused a furore. Coffee consumption soon spread to Rome and the rest of Italy, with imports arriving at the ports in Naples, Bari and Sicily. It became an important staple in the Italian cuisine, evolving in a culture that is still relevant today.

If you want to taste probably the finest coffee in Italy, you should visit Trieste. The Italian port bristles with life and has a fascinating history.

During 2011 the Port of Trieste was able to keep the first position for the import of green coffee.

Trieste’s love-affair with coffee goes back many years, to the time of the maritime trade routes.Its tax-free port status coincided with the coffee craze sweeping Europe.

The port is considered to be the main hub of the coffee trade of this city in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with exports directed more and more towards Eastern Europe and imports increasingly following routes in Brazil, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The port city developed a string of Viennese-style coffeehouses. You can visit still several of them, such as Caffè Tommaseo with its faded bello époque charm.

It is worth mentioning that in Italy the market of espresso machines for professional use is flourishing as well: in 2005 the turnover made up about €287m, of which €212m from abroad (thanks to Asian markets, the USA and Australia).

Basically, the sector of espresso coffee machines exports excellence to the rest of the world, also in terms of style and innovation.

Small Country Big in Rice

If you were asked to name some of the leading rice producers and exporters of the world, you might say China, India, or the United States.

You’d be forgiven for not thinking of Uruguay.

From relative obscurity half a century ago, Uruguay is now among the world’s top 10 rice exporters. 95% of its rice production is exported, thus becoming South America's major rice exporter.

Thus year-round rainfalls, humid climate and numerous water reservoirs have made Uruguay as a medium-sized rice producer and South America's major rice exporter.

The national Rice Growers Association also plays a strong role in Uruguay's rice farming. It represents all rice farmers and negotiates prices directly with the country’s Union of Rice Mills.

10000 Greenhouses Bring Almeria, Spain, Prosperity

Ever wondered how would 10 000 plastic greenhouses look like from space? Almeria,Spain, has it covered. This historic city in Andalusia Province is at the heart of the country's agriculture industry, accounting for $1,5 billion in economic activity.The greenhouses are packed together so tightly that they're visible from space. 

This example of a modern agricultural "marvel"exports almost three-quarters of its crops to other parts of Europe. Several tons of greenhouse vegetables and fruits such as peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchinis are grown here year round. With just more than 200 millimeters of annual precipitation to support crop growth, the area relies on groundwater fed by small stream aquifers from the mountains to the north.

These gardens are a kind of money-making machines, fueling the province of Almeria's economy.

It is worth mentioning that 35 years ago, this area in the southeast Spain was dry and desert-like.

But with imported soil and fully hydroponic systems the area has been intensively used for agriculture. A mix of thousand of companies tend the crops inside the plastic greenhouses. Temperatures can reach more than 45 degrees Celsius inside the greenhouses.

And one more interesting fact: according to some researches from the University of Almeria, the green house effect keeps Spain cool. The local temperature has dropped an average of 0.3 degrees Celsius every 10 years since 1983.

Macau - Shopping Paradise

Macau is acity filled with surprising shopping environment. The popular buys include jewelry, brand clothes, Chinese antiques, premium beauty products, porcelain, watches, electric gadgetry, etc. And all these commodities can be found in Macau at free duty prices. You name it, they have it.

Macau is situated in the best location to tap the enormous resources and market potential of the China market.

The region has also the best position to receive visitors from the USA and Europe.

With export-manufacturing sector as one of the major industries of Macau, large quantities of inexpensive products are sold in the international market. As a free-trade port with stable currency, Macau pursues a low taxation policy.

The top export destinations of Macau are Hong Kong, China, USA, Germany and Japan.  

Countries with no natural resource but, thrive to become world major exporters

Not all nations are created equally, countries that are rich in natural resources do not need to import as many raw materials. This allows them to concentrate on increasing their economic strengths through income gained from exports . Those countries who have few or noresources, import everything for their industries. Despite thatthough, there are currently 8 economies in the world who thrivedunder such environment. 

The article lists countries that don't have much resources by its own, but still managed to contribute at least $200 billion worth of exports to the world.

1. Japan Exports:

Japan is a beautiful country with beautiful nature. A mountainous, volcanic island country, Japan does not have sufficient natural resourches for its own needs. The country however, built up a very diversified, varieties of advanced industries that are among the world's most successful. Japan's major exports include automobiles, consumer electronics, computers, semiconductors, copper, iron and steel.

2. South Korea Exports:

 South Korea is one of the world's leading industrial powerhouse today. Major exports of South Korea include semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, automotive, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals, high tech electronics and information displays. The South Korean economy is still expanding at the fastest pace.

3. Italy Exports:

Though Italy doesn't have many bustling skyscrapers, it is one of the world's leading economies. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises.The main weakness Italy has is the lack of resources. Major exports of Italy include engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, automotive, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; refined metals and high-end luxurious consumer products.

4. Hong Kong Exports:

Hong Kong, due to its size, has very little arable land and natural resources, so it imports most of its food and raw materials. Hong Kong is the world's largest entrepot, the city does not produce much, but it imports semi-manufacture, refine and assemble them, then re-export them.

96% of Hong Kong's exports are made up from re-exports. Major exports of Hong Kong include textiles & clothing, electronics, plastics, toys, watches and clocks.

5.Singapore Exports:

A leading entrepot like Hong Kong, 48% of Singaporean exports are made up from re-exports but unlike Hong Kong, Singapore has a strong manufacturing industries of its own. The tiny island produces 10% of world's semiconductor wafer. Major exports of Singapore include machinery and equipment, electronics, semiconductor, consumer goods, food & beverages, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals and refined oil. The rest are re-exports.

6 Switzerland Exports: 

Switzerland economy focuses on niche industries, specifically light and agricultural industries. Switzerland has very strong food processing and confectionery industry, producing multinational food company such as Nestle. The Swiss also excelled in luxurious watch-manufacturing, with well-known global brands such as Rolex and Swatch. Major exports of Switzerland include machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products and foodstuffs, and the country is the 19th largest economy in the world.

7. Taiwan Exports: 

Taiwan experienced rapid industrialization which transformed it into the world's no.1 hi-tech electronics and semiconductor manufacturing hub. In the 1980s, Taiwan had become an economic power, with a mature and diversified economy, solid presence in international markets.By 2010, Taiwan replaced Japan as the world's top producer of semiconductor. Major exports of Taiwan include computers, electronics, semiconductor, flat panels, machinery; metals; textiles, plastics, chemicals; optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments.  

Leading Milk Producing and Exporting Countries

Milk and dairy products are essential for many people’s diet. In 2013, dairy manufacturers around the world produced about 730 million tonnes of milk. With such a large amount of milk produced each year, have you ever wondered where this milk comes from? Well, wonder no more! The article provides a list of the Leading Milk Producing  Countries  in the world!

India tops our list. Not surprisingly due to its population size, India is one of the world’s largest producers of milk and leading milk product exporter. Total annual production of milk in India is estimated to be 110 million tonnes, enough milk to fill over 44,000 Olympic sized swimming pools! This year the country has set a new goal - to reach a record 140.6 million tonnes. This record does seem possible as Recent years India has seen a significant growth in milk production  due to development of large co-operatives.

Second place belongs to the US. About 72% of the calcium in the U.S. food supply comes from dairy foods. The country's dairy farms produce roughly 23 billion gallons of milk annually. This amount  is still enough milk to fill over 34,000 Olympic sized swimming pools! U.S. dairy farms are producing three times more milk today, as compared to 1960. These figures are not bad for a country with a population almost four times smaller than India’s.

Third place goes to China.  China had one of the lowest milk consumption per capita in the world, but according to the recent statements here has seen a significant increase in both Chinese milk production and consumption. Today, China’s annual milk production is estimated to be 40 million tonnes.

Milk is favourite food in Pakistan and is consumed as fresh, boiled and powdered. Over the  past years the country  has seen a growth milk production  as  a large number of modern dairy farms have been established in different areas.

Fifth on our list is Russia. Recent figures show Russia’s annual milk production is estimated to be 34 million tonnes. Like China, Russia is also one of the world’s largest importers of dairy products.

More than 13 billion liters of milk are produced annually on New Zealand's 13,500 dairy farms. Dairy farming is considered to be a part of a proud agricultural tradition in New Zealand. It is an interesting fact that in New Zealand most of the milk is processed for the international market (dairy commodities represent approximately one third of international dairy trade each year).  New Zealand also remains the dominant exporter of butter accounting for about 65 percent of total trade 

Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits and they are truly enjoyable. They are grown around the world.

Although not a native crop to Egypt, strawberries thrive in Egyptian soil and weather.

Strawberry is very productive in Egypt - farmers can collect 40 to 50 tons of strawberries per hectare, much more than what is grown in other areas. Egypt exports strawberries to Europe, Asia, Africa, and other parts of the Middle East.

In 2013 The US Department of Agriculture announced market access for the Egyptian government to export strawberries to the US. This is welcome news for exporters from Egypt as earlier most exports traditionally went to the EU and Gulf markets.

Granting Egypt access to the American market is “a testament to the high quality of Egyptian strawberry exports”, a statement read on the Egyptian Embassy’s website.

Some fun facts about strawberry:

• Strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds on the outside.
• Americans eat an average of three-and-a-half pounds of fresh strawberries each per year.
• Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries.
• Roughly 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Championships, together with 7,000 litres of cream.
• Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.  

Top Gold Largest Exporting Nations

Import and export is what most of us are aware of, but this is not new, if we look back in history then we will see that this practice was also popular in early times. Trade played a major role in the cultural, religious, and artistic exchanges that took place between the major centers of civilization in Europe and Asia. Importing goods from other world and exporting their goods to other far places was quite common practice.

Similarly today in our modern civilization import export business is prevalent in more modern form. Now if any entrepreneur wants to export goods from a different country, s/he has so many options available, and the most dominant and useful mode is online.

The video below shows the biggest gold producing and  exporting countries in the world.

Top 10 Global Ports

The export import ports play a significant role in promoting international trade. They link international cities and boost international trade. Countries are eager to boast the busiest port in the world signifying their economic growth , and indicating their presence in the global market.

There are various factors which can be used to assess how ‘busy’ or ‘large’ a port is; this could be a reference to the area covered by the port, the amount of traffic handled or the gross tonnage processed.

This top ten list of global ports has been made in consideration of the role that these ports play in the import and export capabilities of the nations they serve and in internationalimports and exports.

10. Port of Felixstowe, United Kingdom

The Port of Felixstowe is the United Kingdom's busiest container port,dealing with over 40% of Britain's containerised trade. It has had numerous investments over the years. This North Sea port processes more than 3.4 million TEU’s (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) every year and connects the UK to more than 360 other global ports.

9. Port of Hamburg, Germany

Germany’s ‘Gateway to the World’ is the nation’s largest port and the third largest in Europe, behind Rotterdam and Antwerp.

A vital part of Germany's and wider European import/export business, the port has consistently built its position as a major ”water-based– interface for intercontinental trade flows. This applies to cargo transports to/from the Far East, Eastern European countries and the Baltic Sea states.

8. Port Hedland, Western Australia

The naturally deep anchorage of this harbour has led to Port Hedland becoming one of the highest tonnage ports in all of Oceania.

In 2011, the port handled in excess of 199 million tons of cargo, more than any port in the history of Australia. Exports for Port Hedland include iron ore, of which the port is one of the largest handlers in the world.

7. Port of Jebel Ali, United Arabs Emirates

Worlds largest man made harbor , Jebel Port in Dubai is also the biggest port in the middle East.

With links to the Dubai International Airport Cargo Village, this port is the epicentre for international imports and exports in the Middle East.

6. Port of South Louisiana, United States

As you might expect, the largest port in the United States falls along the mammoth expanse of the great Mississippi River. As America's largest tonnage Port district, the Port of South Louisiana is the premier sea gateway for U.S. export and import traffic.

As well as occupying a top spot in the world largest shipping ports and the largest in America, the Port of South Louisiana is also one of the biggest bulk cargo ports in the world. In2013 the Port of South Louisiana accounted for up 70 percent of the nation’s grain exports, including wheat, soy and corn.

5. Port of Hong Kong, China

Like many of the world’s largest and busiest ports, Hong Kong in the South China Sea is a natural harbour and accounts for the cities strong presence in the world market.

4. Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia

Tanjung Pelepas on the mouth of Pulai River is one of the fastest growing ports in the world.

If the expansion of the port continues at its present rate, Tanjung Pelepas could overtake the likes of Singapore in terms of container traffic.

3. Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands

For the larger part of the 20th century, the Netherlands was able to boast the busiest port in the world, in terms of cargo tonnage. That is, until the 41 square mile Port of Rotterdam was overtaken by counterparts in the Far East.

Rotterdam still holds the top position of the busiest port in Europe. And with a draft of 74 feet, the Port of Rotterdam occupies a unique position as one of only two ports in the world that can accommodate the world’s largest cargo ship, the MS Berge Stahl.

2. Port of Singapore, Singapore

The origins of this port date back to the 13th century, when Singapore was a significant location for the exportation of cotton, glassware and ceramics for the international market.

Nowadays, the port handles more than 420 million tons of cargo every year and is ranked first in terms of containerised traffic. It also handles almost a quarter of the world’s shipping containers and connects Singapore to more than 600 global ports.

1.Port of Shanghai, China

The trading Port of Shanghai handles a staggering 32 million containers a year and carries 736 million tonnes of goods to far-flung places around the globe.

Stretching as far as the eye can see, rows upon rows of containers lie stacked up at the Port of Shanghai waiting to be shipped abroad.

It’s this fearsome capacity that has helped China become the world’s largest tradingnation.

At the heart of Chinese commerce, the Port of Shanghai is responsible for a quarter of the country’s foreign trade. Occupying a geographically crucial space at the head of three of China’s rivers –the Yangtze, Huangpu and Qiatang – Shanghai is China’s gateway to the East China Sea and the international market. 

Not all Sugars are the Same. Sugar Cane Production and Exports in Mauritius

The world demand for sugar is the primary driver of sugarcane agriculture. Cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced. This tropical grass is native to Asia where it has been grown for over 4,000 years. The largest world suppliers of sugarcane are Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan,Mauritius, etc. In the United States, sugarcane is grown commercially in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii.

Sugar canehas been cultivated in Mauritius for nearly 400 years now and it occupies around 45% of the surface of the island, it therefore holds an important place in the landscape and the ecology of Mauritius. In fact sugar cane is a reliable source of green and renewable energy on the island.

In the 21^st century, the industry still leads the way, not in size but in innovation. It remained the island's leading sector in terms of exports.
Sugar is the history of Mauritius," says Jacques d'Unienville, chief executive of Omnicane, the largest sugar producer in Mauritius.

Mauritius has specialized in the manufacture of a wide range of “special sugars”, with its know-how in sugarcane cultivation, and through their continuous innovation, developed 17 different types of special unrefined sugars.

“Made in Mauritius” is a label of quality for special sugars. Mauritius currently supplies no less than 120,000 tons of unrefined cane sugars to some 40 destinations worldwide, comprising 20 countries in the European Union, the United Sates, Canada, in the Middle East, Far East, Australasia and Eastern Europe.

Ready to Go Global? An Avocado Success Story

Nowadays more and more business are considering the opportunity of expanding to other parts of the world. Exporting your products to new countries means new market opportunities and faster growth of your business. 

The Avocado Export Company is an example of a success story. Formed in 2009, AEC is an alliance of 5 avocado producers with the sole purpose of selling their avocadoes to the world. After just 4 years, the company has grown its business to export $6.2 million worth of avocadoes in 2012/13 to a growing global market. The target markets include Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the UAE and Thailand. In 2009 the company was recognised with a Premier of Queensland Export Award.

This story is inspirational to other businesses seeking to establish strong international tradepartnerships. If executed properly, many businesses have successfully increased their business by 60%—or more—within the space of just 3-4 years. The potential is high.