Peter Harf, head of JAB Holding Co.
A bombshell report dropped today out of Germany, where Bild, a popular Berlin-based broadsheet, is reporting on the disturbing Nazi pasts of Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr., whose descendants today own JAB Holdings.
The Washington Post breaks it down in English:
The tabloid Bild, one of Germany’s most popular papers, reported that Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr., whose family backs JAB Holdings, had significant links to the Third Reich.
JAB Holdings is a privately held conglomerate that has investments in a wide portfolio of global companies, among them Peet’s Coffee, Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper-Snapple. It acquired Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, which owns three national bagel chains — Einstein Bros., Noah’s New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel — in 2014.
The report goes on to mention that Herr Reimann—Sr. died in 1954, Jr. in 1984—were “anti-Semites and avowed supporters of Adolf Hitler” whose businesses benefitted from association with the Third Reich, including the disturbing use of forced labor. Reckoning the German crimes of World War Two in today’s business climate remains an ongoing concern for modern German businesses, with WaPo namechecking “Hugo Boss, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and others” as firms with similar narratives. There are of course many more, including IBM, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola (through the Fanta brand), Kodak, Bayer, and the Associated Press, to name just a few.
For their part here in 2019, JAB is owning up to it, issuing the following statement to Bild (as translated by WaPo):
“It is all correct,” family spokesman Peter Harf, who is one of two managing partners of JAB Holdings, told Bild. “Reimann Senior and Reimann Junior were guilty. The two men have passed away, but they actually belonged in prison.”
In 2014 JAB commissioned a historian to learn more, and will publish his findings in a public book upon completion, as per reporting by Business Standard. Harf, the family spokesman, told Business Standard that JAB intends to donate some 10 million Euros (roughly $11 million USD) to “a suitable organization” as reparations for unpaid labor during the Nazi regime.
JAB was founded in Germany in the 1820s, and today owns a varied portfolio of brands including Clearasil, Calgon, Mucinex, Durex, Woolite, Coty, Dr. Pepper Snapple, and a wide range of coffee and fast casual cafe brands, including Pret a Manger, Caribou, Panera Bread, Krispy Kream, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Keurig Green Mountain, and Peet’s Coffee and Tea. In recent years they’ve extended ownership into the specialty coffee and third wave cafe market, acquiring Stumptown Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee, and Mighty Leaf Tea, as well as investing heavily into Trade, the online roaster marketplace based in New York.
This story is developing…
Read previous Sprudge reporting on JAB Holdings.
Disclosure: Intelligentsia, Stumptown, and Trade are advertising partners on Sprudge Media Network.
The post Berlin Newspaper Reports On JAB’s Dark World War Two Ties appeared first on Sprudge.
BUSTED! You saw “endocannabinoid” in the headline and you just came running. We’re telling your parents, Holden Caulfield. But while we’re totally ratting you out, we can also explain to your folks that new research finds a link between coffee consumption and a drop in the number of neurotransmitters in the endocannabinoid system, the opposite effect of those “tomato plants” you are growing in your closet that you told your mom are for the science fair.
Published in Journal of Internal Medicine, the study is the work of lead author Marilyn Cornelis, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. According to Science Alert, Cornelis et al took 47 coffee drinkers and had them quit consuming coffee for a 30-day time period. These 47 participants would then drink four cups a day for 30 days, followed by eight cups daily for another 30 days. At each stage of testing, researchers would take blood samples from the participants to measure and analyze “changes in biochemistry that result from consuming food and drink.”
The resulting profile revealed 115 metabolites were impacted by the consumption of coffee. A total of 82 of those chemicals were already known, and could be mapped to 33 metabolic pathways, a number of which were completely new relationships.
One of these noted effects was to the endocannabinoid system. According to the article, the endocannabinoid system affects everything from cognition to sleep to appetite. Consuming cannabis increases the number of endocannabinoid neurotransmitters, and in times of stress, the human body “tends to decrease its production of endocannabinoids.” This study found that coffee consumption had an effect similar to that of stress.
It may not be the coffee consumption per se causing the stress, but the drastic changes in consumption asked of the study’s participants. “The increased coffee consumption over the two-month span of the trial may have created enough stress to trigger a decrease in metabolites in this system,” Cornelis states. “It could be our bodies’ adaptation to try to get stress levels back to equilibrium.”
The study also found a link between drinking coffee and the metabolic pathway keeping steroid levels in check, which could have an effect on “everything from growth to sexual characteristics.”
Thus far, the study only goes to show that there is a link between drinking coffee and the endocannabinoid system; the exact interaction has yet to be established. The next step, according to Cornelis is to “delve deeper and study how these changes affect the body.”
So whenever your parents find the espresso machine hiding under your bed, let them know you need it to regulate your endocannabinoid levels. You’ve been eating a lot of tomatoes.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
The post Coffee’s Effect On The Endocannibinoid System appeared first on Sprudge.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, is famous for many things. Depending on your age, you might know it as the childhood home of President Gerald Ford, as the birthplace of Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, or possibly as Beer City USA.
Ah yes, the beer. Grand Rapids has made quite the name for itself in the world of beer over the past few years. The city features such breweries as Founders, Atwater, New Holland, Hopcat and many more (almost 40 actually), making it a must-visit destination for beer lovers everywhere.
But beer isn’t the only beverage for which Grand Rapids is known these days: the coffee scene here, already formidable for years, is growing steadily—from neighborhood cafes to world-famous roasters, there’s something for every taste and preference. So the next time you’re in Grand Rapids, whether to take part in the Ale Trail or visit Anthony Kiedis’ childhood home, here are some coffee shops to help caffeinate your trip.
Madcap Coffee Company
Any coffee tour of Grand Rapids has to start at Madcap. With three cafes and a roastery in the city, and wholesale accounts stretching the length of the country, Madcap, arguably the city’s first true specialty roaster, has gained quite the reputation—one stretching well beyond Grand Rapids.
Their flagship cafe at the corner of Monroe Center and Ottawa Ave in downtown Grand Rapids is the perfect encapsulation of everything Madcap stands for. The big, open plan space, all white paint, and exposed brick exude a simple elegance, allowing the clean branding and immaculate service to shine.
Atop a long low-profile bar, a matte black three-group La Marzocco Strada cranks out espresso drinks, with the assistance of Mahlkönig PEAK and Nuova Simonelli Mythos One grinders, while pour-over coffee is ground by an EK43 and brewed by a pair of Wilbur Curtis Seraphim brewers (all also in the same matte black). Madcap’s impressive selection of retail coffee is on display, alongside a small but solid food menu (ice cream sandwich, anyone?).
Due to its central location (and reputation), Madcap’s Monroe Center cafe is always busy, but it’s worth braving the crowds to see what all the fuss is about.
Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge
Just a few blocks due south of Madcap’s flagship lies Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge. A comfortable, welcoming mood pervades Lantern, from the local art on the walls to the basement seating area.
Oh yes, the basement. The upstairs part of Lantern is mostly taken up by the bar—where Bay City’s Populace Coffee Roasters is served on a La Marzocco Strada or various manual brew methods—and a couple of armchairs. Downstairs, however, lies a quiet, inviting brick-walled space, with wooden beams, rustic pillars and lots of comfortable seats. Atmosphere is provided by the small, high windows (this is a basement, after all), and soft mood lighting.
Lantern feels like your favorite local coffee joint, and its hidden-away basement style adds to the speakeasy charm. Couple that with quality coffee, a wide selection of pastries and a commitment to sustainability, and you’ve got yourself a worthy stop on any coffee tour.
Ferris Coffee & Nut
Over the Grand River to the west lies Ferris Coffee & Nut, the sprawling cafe and retail location of this 94-year-old Grand Rapids institution. Part coffee shop, part candy store, Ferris serves an array of inventive drinks, many of which incorporate their rotating selection of house-made nut milks—a growing trend Ferris, a nut roaster, has been able to take the inside track on.
The cafe itself, newly renovated, is large and bright, with a big communal table and low, fashionable armchairs before floor-to-ceiling windows. The marble-topped bar holds a three-group Synesso Cyncra, alongside Mahlkönig PEAK and K30 grinders, while the polished concrete floors make everything inside sparkle warmly, even on a grey Midwestern day.
The drink menu is extensive, with cold brew and pour-over options accompanying the usual espresso suspects—all anchored by their array of nut milks. They also serve sandwiches and a selection of pastries, and if you venture into their retail store you can find a host of nuts, candies, and chocolate for sale, alongside the requisite bags of coffee.
Lyon Street Cafe
In the Heritage Hill neighborhood, Lyon Street Cafe sits on the street from which it takes its name. Nestled between a home brew supply store and a bakery, with a wine store and a pizza parlor in close proximity, Lyon Street feels like the very definition of a neighborhood cafe—which is what it turns out to be.
Long and relatively narrow, Lyon Street’s white-painted brick walls make it feel bigger than it is. Booth seating lines one wall (booth seating is always a good idea) while the bar runs along the other; in between are high two-top tables which give a nice elevated view of the cafe.
Lyon Street’s coffee lineup rotates (they recently showcased Cat & Cloud from Santa Cruz, CA). A shiny La Marzocco GB5 combines with a Mahlkönig K30 grinder, while a white EK43 and a row of Hario V60s take care of manual brews. If you’re not in the mood for coffee, beer on tap and a selection of wines are also available.
Anchoring a row of neighborhood shops is no easy task, but judging by the number of people visiting on a Saturday afternoon in October, Lyon Street is a doing a very good job.
Rowster Coffee
Wealthy Street, where the final three cafes on our tour reside, runs east-west almost the entire length of the city, and the slice that contains Rowster definitely fits the name Wealthy—this is an ultra-hip district, with boutiques, breweries, and bars stretching into the distance.
Rowster Coffee sits unassumingly on the corner of Wealthy and James, their flagship location showcasing simple, clean design and a thoughtful approach to coffee. There’s a lot to like about the interior, with its subdued color palette and minimal seating. It gives the cafe a sense of space and serenity, a feeling that is only enhanced by the laid-back, eclectic music selection.
While Rowster is, as the name suggests, a coffee roaster, they’ve moved their roasting operation offsite, allowing the cafe to concentrate on the brewing and serving of coffee (retail bags are, of course, available to take home).
The bar area takes up about half of the space, with a low wood-topped counter backed half by chalkboard paint and half by subway tile. A Modbar under-counter espresso machine and pour-over system mean there’s no barrier between the customer and the barista preparing their drink, adding to the sense of openness and giving the cafe the feel of a hip cocktail bar or an upmarket diner.
As with all good coffee shops on lively streets, the bar seats in Rowster’s huge front window are the ideal spot to while away an afternoon, sipping a draught cold brew or kombucha and watching the denizens of Wealthy St. go about their fashionable lives.
Squibb Coffee & Wine Bar
A few blocks down Wealthy St. into the East Hills neighborhood sits Squibb Coffee & Wine Bar, artfully blending daytime with nighttime to offer both caffeinated and alcoholic drinks (as well as cheese and various small plates).
Squibb (named for the owners) has a light, airy feel, with white tables and an imposing white bar, atop which squat a Kees Van Der Westen Mirage espresso machine and Mahlkönig PEAK grinder. Exposed ductwork and industrial-chic light fixtures are met with a mural of a giant squid on one wall, for a playful touch.
Coffee is provided by Populace, as well as rotating guest roasters from around the country, and there is also an extensive tea selection courtesy of Rishi Tea. Cheese and charcuterie round out the menu, accompanied by toast and a selection of small plates and snacks.
The combination coffee and wine bar is a smart idea in this part of the world, as during the long Michigan winters customers can come in for a coffee in the morning and happily get snowed in, safe in the knowledge that wine and cheese are available for later on.
The Sparrows Coffee & Tea & Newsstand
The final stop on our Grand Rapids coffee tour is only a block down from Squibb, but has a charm that’s all its own. Small, cozy and friendly, The Sparrows is a local landmark in the East Hills neighborhood.
Housed in a standalone former hardware store, The Sparrows has been in business for more than 10 years, and they recently began roasting their own coffee on the west side of town.
The cafe on Wealthy St. is warm and inviting, with high-backed armchairs in the front window and a row of two-top tables running along the wall opposite the bar. A La Marzocco GB5 produces an extensive list of creative specialty and seasonal drinks in addition to the classics.
Where The Sparrows really stands out, however, is in the third part of the name. Along the wall opposite the bar runs a rack of magazines and newspapers, from The Atlantic to Fader and The Detroit Free Press—although a sign asks customers to purchase them before reading, implying an awkward conversation in the past.
The Sparrows’ combination of coffee house and newsstand is both reassuring and necessary, as the role of community spaces becomes ever more important and access to print journalism dwindles. Being able to pick up a local newspaper or political magazine alongside your morning latte is a rare gift, and should be cherished.
Fionn Pooler is a journalist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the publisher of The Pourover. Read more Fionn Pooler on Sprudge.
Top photo by Rachel Liu.
The post A Coffee Drinker’s Guide To Grand Rapids, Michigan appeared first on Sprudge.
 |
| Duck Soup, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Ducks |
 |
| Wall Street ducks in pin striped suits Northern Pintails. |
It’s about time the men of the world finally caught a break. New research suggests that coffee may help prevent the growth of prostate cancer.
It seems like there’s a study coming out every month that finds a new benefit of coffee consumption, so much so that I had to check the Sprudge archives to see if we’d already written about this one (we haven’t). According to Medical News Today, this newest research comes out of the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science in Japan, who tested a variety of different compounds in coffee to see if they would have any effect on the growth of prostate cancer, which the CDC lists as “one of the leading causes of cancer death in men.”
Of the 1,000 nonvolatile and 1,500 volatile chemical compounds found in a single cup of coffee, the researches honed in on just two: kahweol acetate and cafestol, “hydrocarbons that naturally occur in Arabica coffee.” For their tests, the researchers began by dosing prostate cancer cells—ones “that were resistant to standard cancer drugs,” per the article—in a petri dish with kahweol acetate and cafestol, where they observed that the cancer cells grew at a less rapid rate. They then moved on to testing in mice, where 16 subjects were transplanted with the cancer cells and then placed into four different groups: no treatment, treated with just kahweol acetate, treated with just cafestol, and treated with both kahweol acetate and cafestol. The results, according to study leader Dr. Hiroaki Iwamoto, are promising:
We found that kahweol acetate and cafestol inhibited the growth of the cancer cells in mice, but the combination seemed to work synergistically, leading to a significantly slower tumor growth than in untreated mice.
Dr. Iwamoto adds:
After 11 days, the untreated tumors had grown by around [3.5] times the original volume (342 percent), whereas the tumors in the mice treated with both compounds had grown by around just over [1.5] (167 percent) times the original size.
But before you go butt-chugging a Wush Wush, the article is quick to note that this is just a pilot study and there is still much more research that needs to be done before any hard conclusions can be drawn. Dr. Iwamoto states that the test needs to be replicated with a larger sample before moving on to humans. Nonetheless, the results are positive, especially for those who already drink coffee and have prostates. So keep doing what you are doing, prostated coffee drinkers, you may be doing yourself a favor.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Top image © Monkey Business/Adobe Stock
The post Coffee May Help Slow The Growth Of Prostate Cancer appeared first on Sprudge.
