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

• Monday, 15 Feb – DMCC Coffee Centre announces that it processed 7 million kilograms of coffee during 2020. Coffee from 25 countries across Africa, Asia, and Central and South America were shipped and handled by the DMCC. The total value of coffee processed amounted to AE $250 million (US $68 million).

• Monday, 15 Feb – Brazilian agronomist named for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Alyyson Paolinelli is a former Minister of Agriculture, the director of the Tropical Biomes Project, and played a key role in forming the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).

• Monday, 15 Feb – Lykke Kaffegårdar partners with Wave Investments. Swedish sustainability organisation Lykke is partnering with Hamburg-based investment group Wave to scale its international operations. Wave has three specialty coffee brands in its portfolio.

• Monday, 15 Feb – Brazilian 2021/22 arabica production could fall by as much as 39.1%. The Ministry of Agriculture (CONAB) estimated total production will be somewhere between 29.7 to 32.9 million bags, at least a 32.4% decrease compared to 2020. Increasing temperatures and reduced rainfall are the two main causes.

• Monday, 15 Feb – Bubly Bounce caffeinated sparkling water launched by PepsiCo. The sparkling water drinks will be initially available in five flavours as both 12 and 16-ounce cans. Each can contains 35mg and 47mg of caffeine, respectively.

• Monday, 15 Feb – International Women’s Coffee Alliance announces another new board member. Alongside the newly appointed Susie Spindler, Aileen Rerhrhaye will also be joining the IWCA board. Rerhrhaye is the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Trading at Sucafina North America.

• Monday, 15 Feb – Mahlkönig updates Guatemala shop grinder. The new design includes a larger hopper that can hold 45% more coffee than the previous model. It also has a more accessible interior for maintenance and cleaning, and a pictogram control panel for easier dial-ins.

• Monday, 15 Feb – Brazilian postal service launches coffee capsule recycling programmes. In the northeastern state of Ceará, Nespresso-compatible capsules can now be deposited at post offices in the capital, Fortaleza.

• Monday, 15 Feb – National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia launches 2021 coffee renovation programme. Colombian farmers will receive US $140 per plantation to keep yields high and farms profitable. Total funding will amount to more than US $7 million.

• Monday, 15 Feb – Brazilian coffee co-op and Microsoft partner to launch coffee cryptocurrency. Minasul, in Varginha, Minas Gerais, has partnered with Microsoft to create a cryptocurrency called “Coffee Coin”. One kilogram of green coffee translates to one Coffee Coin, which can be used in local stores.

• Tuesday, 16 Feb – The Partnership for Gender Equity announces Gender Equity Index. The organisation received US $105,000 in funding from coffee and cocoa partners (including Lavazza and Allegro Coffee Roasters) to develop the indexing tool. This resource will be used to overcome gender barriers throughout global supply chains.

• Tuesday, 16 Feb – Nestlé Japan launches its plant-based latte range. In response to growing interest in dairy alternatives in Japan, Nestlé’s plant-based range includes oat and almond-based RTD, soluble, and capsule options.

• Tuesday, 16 Feb – Well Grounded graduate opens community café in London during lockdown. Single mother Sophia graduated from the Well Grounded enterprise, which trains vulnerable young adults to work in the coffee sector. Located in East London, Carmen’s Family Coffee House creates a “welcoming space for families”.

• Tuesday, 16 Feb – Sibarist releases Fast Filter brewing papers. The Barcelona-based coffee equipment company has launched its cone-shaped paper filters. Sibarist claims that the product can increase flow rate by as much as 15 to 40% when compared to competitor products. The company claims the improved permeability of the filters allows for a more consistent flow rate.

• Tuesday, 16 Feb – Tony’s Chocolonely removed from “Slave Free Chocolate List” due to ties with Barry Callebaut. The chocolate and cocoa products company, Barry Callebaut, has been scrutinised by International Rights Advocates, along with other key industry players. Tony’s has stated that their chocolate is 100% slave-free, and reiterated that working with Barry Callebaut allows for full traceability at scale.

• Wednesday, 17 Feb – Kōkako Organic Coffee Roasters upcycles 8,800 plastic milk bottles to design bar. The New Zealand-based roaster partnered with upcycling enterprise Critical to create “marble-like cladding” for its coffee bar.

• Wednesday, 17 Feb – San Cristobal Coffee Importers expands FincaLab into Ethiopia. The Seattle-based green coffee importer has created a transcontinental “internship” with members of the Asikana co-operative in Oromia, Ethiopia. The proprietary FincaLab system, which improves quality management and traceability, will be utilised across the co-op.

• Thursday, 18 Feb – CoffeeDrunk showcases custom-made La Marzocco espresso machine. The LA-based coffee shop partnered with design studios DISCOMMON and Pantechnicon. The original machine is a 2-group Strada AV, with the customisation process amounting to 6 months.

• Friday, 19 Feb – The Moscow division of Paulig Barista Institute becomes SCA-certified. Three Russian organisations are now SCA-certified, all of which are located in Moscow. Paulig is the first FMCG company in Russia to become certified.

• Friday, 19 Feb – I‘M NOT A BARISTA set to launch brewing “guide cards” on Kickstarter. The not-for-profit will launch its new project in March, with funds going back to support baristas working in the coffee sector. Each card will contain information on a unique brewing recipe, provided by coffee “champions” and consumers.

• Friday, 19 Feb – Hemro Group expands sales distribution in the US. The coffee grinder group (which includes the Mahlkönig, Ditting, Anfim, and HeyCafé brands) will be focusing on increasing regional sales in the US. In particular, it has set out the West Coast as a target area for sales, and has appointed Samuel Grant as Sales Manager.

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

• Monday, 8 Feb – Oatly TV ad airs during Superbowl LV. The 30-second advert featured Oatly’s CEO, Toni Petersson. The ad was originally aired in Sweden in 2014, but Oatly were forced to drop it after Swedish dairy companies filed lawsuits. The cost of a 30-second ad spot at Superbowl LV was estimated to be more than US $5.5 million by several publications.

• Wednesday, 10 Feb – The Orb One raises over US $30,000 on Kickstarter. US studio Crucial Design developed the brewing device with a wider base for easier stovetop use. The Orb One can be used to brew both espresso and pour over-style coffee with a 250ml capacity.

• Wednesday, 10 Feb – Petition for continued UK VAT cut receives over 12,000 signatures. The UK government reduced VAT to 5% to support hospitality businesses (including coffee shops) during Covid-19, but are looking to return to 20% next month. Law dictates that once a petition receives more than 10,000 signatures, the UK government must formally respond to it.

• Thursday, 11 Feb – Global Coffee Report 2021 – 2026 published. The global coffee market was valued at US $465.9 billion in 2020. Read the report for more region-specific details on consumption and market size.

• Thursday, 11 Feb – Cauz Coffee to launch around February 22. The UK-based roaster will donate 50% of its profits to cancer charities. Cauz’s core coffee range includes two blends and a single origin espresso roast.

• Thursday, 11 Feb – La Colombe’s Operating Manager, Hugh Moretta, opens Rowhome Coffee. Moretta, the manager of La Colombe’s Workshop Programme, partnered with Eli Shaika to open the independent café in Philadelphia. Rowhome Coffee showcases the more exclusive and rare offerings from La Colombe.

• Friday, 12 Feb – Virtual Producer Roaster Forum 2021 tickets released. Prices start from £85 for the event on April 5 to 7. Three new speakers have also been confirmed: Karl Wienhold of Cedro Alto, Nicole Ferris of Climpson & Sons, and Ricardo Oteros of Supracafé.

• Sunday, 14 Feb – Global Coffee Platform adds four new sustainability schemes to its roster. The addition of ECOM’s SMS Verified, Neumann’s NKG BLOOM, and Olam’s AtSource Entry Verified and AtSource Plus increases the number of GCP’s sustainability schemes to 9. The upcoming second “GCP Snapshot” will measure transparency and sustainability across the coffee sector.

• Sunday, 14 Feb – Kenya’s High Court rules tea planters are allowed to use mechanised harvesters. Labour unions state the introduction of mechanisation will lead up to 50,000 job losses. Per day, one harvesting machine can pick the equivalent of 20 tea pickers. The ruling states that Unilever Kenya, Ltd. “has a right to [mechanise] and adopt technology in its operation”.

• Sunday, 14 Feb – US sales of home roasting equipment increased during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Maria Troy, the co-owner of California-based Sweet Maria’s, noted that sales of all brands of home roasters rose by 40% when compared to the same period in 2019.