'Blue Mountain' coffee claim 'grounds for alarm', says licensed seller
Many retailers wrongly advertise they sell premium Blue Mountain beans, says importer
Many coffee products sold at a premium in Hong Kong as "Blue Mountain" have only a remote connection with the Blue Mountain Range in Jamaica from where they are supposed to come, an importer claims.
Jim Coke, CEO of Hilmann Reinier Commodities, which imports Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica, said he had filed a complaint with the customs department.
He said some coffee carried misleading product descriptions and were in breach of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
"Some companies are making coffee they call Blue Mountain without authorisation," Coke said.
He has named two coffee makers and one retailer in the complaint.
When people talk about Blue Mountain, they usually refer to the mountain range in Jamaica that produces one of the world's top coffee beans.