Man's Tongue Insured for $14,000,000

Published:

Coffee taster's tongue insured for $14M

March 9, 2009 at 2:38 PM
 

 

 

LONDON, March 9 (UPI)
Taster explains what he does.

The tongue of the chief coffee taster for a worldwide chain of coffee shops has been insured for $14 Million.

Gennaro Pelliccia personally tastes a sample of each batch of raw coffee beans at its London plant before they are roasted and shipped to its stores.

"My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavours," he says.

Costa Coffee, which sells 108 million cups of coffee worldwide each year, aims to double its number of outlets.

The insurance policy was taken out with Lloyds of London.

"The taste buds of a Master of Coffee are as important as the vocal cords of a singer or the legs of a top model, and this is one of the biggest single insurance policies taken out for one person," said a spokesman for Lloyd's broker Glencairn Limited, which arranged the insurance cover.

"In my profession, my taste buds and sensory skills are crucial," Pelliccia said. "My 18 years of experience enable me to distinguish between thousands of flavors. My taste buds also allow me to distinguish any defects, which enables me to protect and guarantee Costa's unique Mocha Italia blend."

While competitor Starbucks has been forced to close hundreds of locations around the world, Costa officials said their company has thus far evaded any recession-powered downturn and reported positive sales growth this year.

A spokesman for Glencairn, the Lloyd's broker handling the policy, said Pelliccia's insurance trumps the $4.8 million policy taken out for singer Bruce Springsteen's voice.

"The taste buds of a 'master of coffee' are as important as the vocal chords of a singer or the legs of a top model, and this is one of the biggest single insurance policies taken out for one person. It shows how valuable Gennaro's tongue is to the Costa brand," the spokesman said.

Entry #198

Comments

Avatar time*treat -
#1
Ah, well, that was my 2nd guess. ;^)
Avatar pumpi76 -
#2
what the hell?...lol..

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