Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s stories.

• Monday, 11 Jan – Jamaica celebrates third annual Jamaican Blue Mountain Day. The country’s coffee sector has partnered with the Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association to increase internal consumption and promote the coffee to tourists, influencers, and the Japanese market.

• Tuesday, 12 Jan – The Covid-19 pandemic is revealed to have cost US coffee chains US $11.5 billion in sales. Market researchers predict it will take at least two years for businesses to recover, with almost a quarter of the market eliminated. Despite this, sales are predicted to stabilise by summer 2021.

• Tuesday, 12 Jan – Research suggests higher coffee intake may reduce prostate cancer risk. A study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ Open has found that an extra cup of coffee every day may be linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men.

• Wednesday, 13 Jan – Indian coffee production projected to reach five year high – but rains threaten success. Out-of-season rain in major coffee-growing regions has hampered January harvest activity in India. Output for the 2020/21 period was initially predicted to reach a five-year high of 342,000 tonnes but there is now some uncertainty.

• Thursday, 14 Jan – Launch of the Sixth Edition of the annual Coffee Barometer. The report is commissioned by the Coffee Barometer Collective, and supported by Conservation International, Hivos, Oxfam Belgium, and Solidaridad. The report will continue its tradition of highlighting coffee sector dynamics and sustainability trends.

• Thursday, 14 Jan – Marcus Boni joins Simonelli USA as Vice President of Brand Development & Engagement. In this role, Boni is set to broaden the company’s presence across the North America market by improving awareness and visibility of both the Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino brands. 

Here are a few news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look.

• Dunkin Donuts debuts coffee with 20% more caffeine. The brand’s “Extra Charged Coffee” contains added green coffee extract, allowing drinkers to enjoy added caffeine without altering the taste of their drink.

• Buencafé introduces 100% pure coffee oil made from Colombian coffee. Physically extracted from roasted beans via extrusion, the oil is additive-free. It has food and beverage applications, and can even be used in perfumes and cosmetics as its fatty acids offer emollients and UV protection.

• Cold brew brand BKON secures US $3 million investment from beverage packager GoodWest Industries. Their Reverse Atmospheric Infusion invention led to 300% production growth last year, allowing 16 brands to debut quality tasting, “shelf-stable” cold brew. This investment will see the brand expand its production capacity and extraction capabilities in a more scalable way.

• Sucafina takes majority interest in UK-based Complete Coffee Limited (CCL). Existing owners, the Breminer family (who have operated the business since 1943), will retain interest. The partnership will expand CLL’s soluble, specialty and green coffee offerings via Sucafina’s global network. “We welcome CCL and look forward to working together to serve the British coffee market,” says Sucafina CEO Nicolas Tamari.

• Mayorga Organics donates US $147,503.70 to hurricane relief. All online revenue earned by the business between 7 November and 31 December went to relief efforts in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. 

• Lavazza tops list as Australia’s favourite coffee brand. Comparison website Finder revealed that Breville was the country’s top coffee machine brand, while Maxim manufactured the most sought-after grinders.