This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Food prices are at their highest level since the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization began keeping records in nineteen ninety. The causes include bad weather and growing demand. Some experts also blame the use of food crops to make fuel.
食品价格现在处于联合国粮农组织1996年开始跟踪记录以来的最高水平。食品价格高涨的原因包括恶劣天气和不断增长的需求。一些专家还将其归咎于用粮食制造生物燃料。
But higher food prices are not always the result of limited supplies.
但食品价格上涨不全都是因为供应紧缺。
Coffee prices have jumped almost fifty percent in six months. Prices have reached a thirteen-year high. Yet growers expect their current crop to be almost ten percent bigger than the last one.
咖啡价格近6个月已经涨了近50%，创13年新高。然而咖啡种植者预计目前种植规模比去年增加了近10%。
JM Smucker is an American company known for its jellies and fruit spreads. But Smucker also owns Folgers, America's top-selling packaged coffee. And it owns Dunkin' Donuts, which sells coffee to wash down the doughnuts at its stores.
斯马克尔（JM Smucker）是一家美国公司，以出售果冻和果酱而闻名。但斯马克尔旗下还有美国最畅销的福杰仕（Folgers）袋装咖啡，同时它还拥有唐恩都乐（Dunkin' Donuts）快餐连锁店，店里销售咖啡搭配甜甜圈食用。
On Tuesday, Smucker said it would raise the prices of its coffee products by an average of ten percent. It said the increase is driven by the higher prices for coffee beans.
斯马克尔公司周二表示，将咖啡产品平均价格提高10%。并表示，上调价格是由于咖啡豆价格上涨带动。
Experts say coffee prices are rising mainly because people are willing to pay more. Coffee sellers like Mark Warmuth say tastes are changing and more people want a good cup of coffee.
专家们说，咖啡价格不断上涨主要是由于人们愿意为此付出更多。马克·瓦穆斯（Mark Warmuth）等咖啡销售商称，咖啡口味不断变化，同时越来越多的人们希望喝到一倍好咖啡。
MARK WARMUTH: "There's no right or wrong answer with regard to ‘What's a good cup of coffee?' A lot of it has to do with personal preference or taste."
瓦穆斯：“关于“什么才是一倍好咖啡？”并没有一个标准答案。这主要和个人喜好、口味有关。”
Mark Warmuth owns the M.E. Swing Coffee Company in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington. He says big coffee sellers like Starbucks help his business by building a base of customers who want something better.
瓦穆斯拥有M.E. Swing咖啡公司，公司位于华盛顿附近的亚历山大市。他表示，星巴克一类的大型咖啡销售商建立了一批希望追求更好口味咖啡的客户群，这有助于他的生意。
MARK WARMUTH: "They're seeking something that would be better than what they can buy at Starbucks. They're seeking out smaller, boutique, artisan, craft coffee roasters, which I consider us to be, a boutique coffee roasting company. What we can do is source better quality beans and supply them at a fresher level because we're smaller and we can cater to the smaller metro area. That helps us compete with bigger companies."
瓦穆斯：“他们追求一些比星巴克销售的口味更好的咖啡。他们寻找一些更小的，精致的、手工的咖啡烘培店。我认为我们就是这样一家精品咖啡烘焙公司。我们所做的就是获取品质更好的咖啡豆，并以更新鲜的品质提供给他们。因为我们规模更小，我们可以迎合小都会区的需求。这有助于我们和大公司竞争。”
Yet Mr. Warmuth can thank those bigger companies like Starbucks for spreading the idea of coffee as an affordable luxury. The thinking goes that during hard times, people might not go on a trip but they might be willing to pay extra for good coffee.
然而瓦穆斯得感谢星巴克一类的大公司传播咖啡是一种负担得起的奢侈的理念。这种理念认为，在困难时期，人们可能不去旅行，但他们可能愿意掏钱喝杯好咖啡。
The company supplies restaurants and other businesses, but also has a store in Washington near the White House. Customers pay thirteen dollars for less than half a kilogram of beans -- about double the price of other brands.
该公司为餐馆和其他企业供货，但还在华盛顿白宫附近有一家店。顾客可以花13美元买到不到半公斤咖啡豆，比其他品牌咖啡豆贵了约一倍。
Greater demand for high-quality coffee has helped drive coffee prices higher. That includes greater demand among Brazilians. Brazil is the world's largest exporter of coffee.
对高品质咖啡越来越大的需求帮助了推动咖啡价格上涨，其中包括巴西人对咖啡需求的增加。巴西是全球最大的咖啡出口国。
People in India are also drinking more coffee. Starbucks just announced plans to enter that market in a deal with India's Tata Coffee company.
印度人饮用的咖啡也越来越多。星巴克刚刚宣布，与印度塔塔咖啡公司达成协议，计划进军印度市场。 |