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| Members of the old coffee and sugar exchange located at 78 Beaver Street. Circa:1925 |
Price controls were lifted on coffee, and moved up to 51.4 cents in 1948 and 55.4 cents in 1950. Following a frost in Brazil in 1953, retail prices rose to 1.108 cents average in 1954, but slipped back to 59.2 cents in 1959.
The membership of the Association continued to grow during the 1950's as roasters became more active members. The first GCA Weekend took place in 1950 at Montauk Manor on Long Island, and became a featured social event for many years.
During the 1950's, there were several damaging reports issued on the negative effects of caffeine on people's health, with coffee being singled out as one of the main problems. The GCA, led by Anisansel of Hard & Rand, Byers of Hills Brothers, Clark of Anderson, Clayton, as well as the membership individually, worked to clarify and rebut much of the negative research. However, it brought into popularity "decaffeinated" coffee, which sold for several years before being attacked for the chemicals used to produce it. The 1950's also saw the rapid expansion of soluble coffee after the huge increase in prices resulting from the 1953 Brazilian Frost. This in turn led to major increases in Robusta production in Africa and Indonesia and an equal rise in imports to the USA.
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