Attendees to the National Automatic Merchandising Association's blockbuster CoffeeTea&Water (CT&W) event in New Orleans won't want to miss a tour of the New Orleans (NOLA) Port Authority and Dupuy Storage and Forwarding Corp., announced NAMA Director, Coffee and Water Service, Roger Stewart NCE5, CCS. Rich in history, the port boasts a state-of-the-art facility at the center of the world's busiest port complex and serves as the port of choice for moving coffee.
The tour is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15, noon to 4 p.m. during CT&W which will be held at the New Orleans Hyatt Regency Tuesday to Thursday, Nov. 13 to 15. CT&W is the single largest education and networking event for coffee, tea and water service operators nationwide.
According to its history, New Orleans has been a center for international trade since the early 1700s when it was founded by the French. Today, the Port of New Orleans' state-of-the-art facilities are at the center of the world's busiest port complex, Louisiana's Lower Mississippi River. The Port of New Orleans is the port of choice for moving many cargoes including coffee because of its proximity to the Midwest via 14,500 miles of inland waterways, six class I railroads and the interstate highway system.
"The Port of New Orleans is the nation's leading coffee-handling port with 14 warehouses, more than 5.5 million feet of storage space and six roasting facilities in a 20-mile radius along with packaging facilities," said Ana L. Menes, Port of New Orleans marketing manager, Latin America/Caribbean, in a prepared statement.
"All the added value services are provided at one stop for this industry, making us the port of choice, in the Gulf area, for coffee imports," said Gary LaGrange, Port president and CEO. "New Orleans understands the importance of the coffee industry being here. Expanded shipping services are now offering importers new opportunities at the Port of New Orleans. We want to thank our loyal customers that continue to make us a top-notch coffee port and at the same time reach out to new customers."
One of the modern bulk processing operations located at the Port of New Orleans is Dupuy Storage. "Dupuy was started in 1936 by my Great Grandfather, John Dupuy, as a traditional coffee and tea warehousing firm," said Janet Colley Morse, business development director for Dupuy.
"Over the years, however, we have developed into much more. We now operate facilities in four port cities including New Orleans, Houston, Jacksonville, and Miami. Currently, we like to think of Dupuy as more than just a warehouse. We continue to grow and expand on a daily basis, and strive for being 'ahead of the curve' with regards to value added services dependent on the needs of the coffee and tea industries," she said.
Concluded Stewart, "CT&W is all about strengthening and supporting the operators and our industry. This tour of the second largest port of entry for green coffee and one of the leading coffee and tea warehousing companies should be an exciting educational adventure for all."
For additional information and to register online for CoffeeTea&Water 2012, visit www.namacoffeeservice.org and click on the 2012 logo.
