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

• Monday, 15 Mar – Sanam creates coffee fruit extract to use as food and beverage enhancer. The Colombian company has launched the extract in liquid, dry spray, and freeze-dried forms. The product uses the whole coffee fruit, and contains 80% to 90% more antioxidants than other superfoods like blueberries and pomegranates.

• Monday, 15 Mar – FNC launches online store selling 27 brands of 100% Colombian coffee. The store is currently only available in Colombia, but the FNC says it is looking to enter the US market soon.

• Monday, 15 Mar – Virtual High Density 2021 event raises US $3,850 for Grounds for Health. Attendees’ donations were sent to the Vermont-based non-profit, which works with coffee-growing communities to implement screening and prevention services for cervical cancer.

• Monday, 15 Mar – Barry Callebaut opens chocolate factory and R&D lab in Baramati, India. The new facilities are the company’s largest investment in the country to date. The 20,000 square metre factory space will support the creation of more than 100 new jobs.

• Monday, 15 Mar – SCA announces 2021 awards finalists. The Best New Product, Coffee Design Awards, and Sustainability Awards finalists were announced on the SCA website, celebrating product design, innovation, and sustainability.

• Monday, 15 Mar – Weird Beverages launches new RTD tea range. Flavours include White Peach Oolong, Passion Fruit Black Tea, Moroccan Mint Green Tea, and Chamomile Hemp Hibiscus Tea. The RTD beverages have between 10g and 23g sugar in each 16 oz (473ml) can.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Bazzara Espresso launches Trieste Coffee Experts book collection. The live virtual launch was part of the Sigep Exp 2021. Andrea and Marco Bazzara co-wrote the book, which includes insights from leaders in the Italian coffee sector.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Sucafina-envisioned Farmer Connect secures US $9 million in initial round of investment. The global supply chain software provider has received investment from Europe, and North and South America, including from founding partner Sucafina. Funding will be used to develop new products and for recruitment.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Bahizi coffee shop opens in Bujumbura, Burundi. Two-time Burundi Barista Champion, Abdullah Uwamahoro, opened the business with his sister, Anais. The coffee shop is the first in the country to offer specialty coffee as a V60 pour over.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Online B2B directory Coffee Fest 365 set to launch on April 9. The virtual platform allows independent coffee businesses to network, access suppliers and online learning, and qualify for discounts. Both free and paid memberships are available, with full access open to coffee business owners from April 23.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – USAID and Agri-Logic research finds improving robusta production leads to lower carbon emissions. Sustainable farming practices implemented by major brands (including Jacob Douwe Egberts) have led to a reduction in greenhouse gas emission on Vietnamese coffee farms. The ongoing project could create a “carbon sink” where more carbon is captured in the soil than released into the atmosphere.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Táche pistachio milk launches in the US. The brand is the first pistachio milk on the US market. Their range includes an Original Blend and an Unsweetened Original Blend, which are both free from added oils.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Digital carbon calculator The Cool Farm Tool launches in Central and South America. Cooperative Coffees, Root Capital, Sustainable Food Lab, The Chain Collaborative, and six organic coffee co-operatives in Honduras, Guatemala, and Peru have worked together to design the project. It will enable coffee farmers to track the environmental impact of their crops, and improve their understanding of sustainable farming practices.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Uganda Coffee Development Authority upgrades testing laboratory to meet new BSI guidelines. The transition to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard meets guidelines set by the EU’s Market Access Upgrade project. Ultimately, it should represent a focus on improving quality control and certification capability in the UCDA’s Lugogo-based lab.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Coffee Association of Canada announces Robert Carter as new President. Carter is currently the Managing Partner of foodservice and technology company The StratonHunter Group. The CAC is currently set to begin the next stage of its three-year strategic plan.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Café Imports launches Legendary Coffee Exchange online platform. US and Canadian roasters can sign up to the network, which will assign them a business partner. Partners then swap small bags of single origin coffees, and are encouraged to share their insights on roasting techniques.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Franke Coffee Systems launches IndividualMilk Technology on the SB1200. The self-service beverage station allows consumers to choose from a variety of milks, including lactose free and plant-based options. The new IndividualMilk technology guarantees no cross-contamination.

• Tuesday, 16 Mar – Brazilian authorities crack down on coffee companies evading tax. Raids and arrest warrants have been carried out in 39 cities in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Sao Paulo, and Parana. The total value of coffee-related tax evasion is estimated to be around US $178.75 million.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – Starbucks will begin trialling cold-pressed espresso as cold beverages account for more than half of all drink sales. The beverage is already available at Reserve locations, but the company will test a rollout in cafés later this year.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – Kofra Coffee Roasters set to open fourth location on April 2. This coffee shop will be the Norwich-based specialty coffee roaster’s second store to open since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – Swiss Water appoints Marisol Pinzon as Managing Director for Trading and Development. Pinzon will lead global sales and trading (excluding Europe) in the new role. Before joining Swiss Water in 2011, Pinzon worked for the FNC to develop the Asian green coffee buying market.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – Caravela Coffee creates Coffee Compass to help farmers monitor harvest cycles. The wheel was first developed by Hector Calderon as a means of pest and disease detection and prevention. The Compass is available in English and Spanish.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – AMAZ beverages relaunches with new line of carbonated yerba mate RTD drinks. The range includes Acai Blueberry, Lemon Ginger, and Peach Mango. Each can contains 80mg caffeine and is certified organic.

• Wednesday, 17 Mar – Starbucks claims its green coffee will be carbon neutral by 2030. The chain also states it will aim to cuts its green processing water use in half by 2030. A Starbucks sustainable roasting facility is set to open in China in 2022 with a budget of US $150 million.

• Thursday, 18 Mar – WMF Professional Coffee Machines launches industry-first fully automatic cleaning system. Both the coffee and milk systems can be cleaned to HACCP standards without any external assistance. Integrated timers are used to dispense and assess the cleaning agent. AutoClean will be available for the WMF 5000 S+ from June 2021, and will be added to another range later this year.

• Thursday, 18 Mar – Kerry and UN World Food Programme announce Project Amata in Burundi. The project aims to increase access to safe and sustainable milk for communities in the Gitega province. Milk is scarce in Burundi, and children drink an average of 2 cups per month.

• Thursday, 18 Mar – Nespresso invests CHF 17 million (US $126 million) to expand Avenches production facility. The investment will support the development of three new production lines, and expand the distribution centre to cope with increasing consumer demand. The Avenches production centre currently ships Nespresso capsules to over 80 countries.

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

• Friday, 26 Feb – Tim Hortons China plans to open more than 200 stores in 2021. The Chinese branch of the Canadian company closed its funding rounds, and will use the money to open new stores and invest in digital marketing. The coffee chain also plans to enter the Chinese retail coffee market, potentially opening an online store on Alibaba’s Tmall marketplace.

• Tuesday, 2 Mar – Companies begin including carbon footprint of products on packaging. Cosmetic brand Cocokind have started printing sustainability statistics on their packaging, including carbon emissions and how recyclable their packaging is. It has been suggested that similar practices could soon be used for coffee beans and other coffee products.

• Tuesday, 9 Mar – Trade Coffee and Equator Coffees partner to donate to Black Girls Code. US $2 from every bag of coffee sold will go to the organisation, which increases the presence of young girls of colour in STEM industries.

• Wednesday, 10 Mar – Echo Coffee delivers letters to Covid-19 patients. Owner Rob Rigolfi initially collected more than 1,000 letters from customers over six months to send to the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Centre in Arizona.

• Wednesday, 10 Mar – NITRO Beverage Co. successfully close series seed funding. The New Jersey RTD coffee company will use the funding to expand its product lines across the US market, including a range of oat milk lattes to launch later this year.

• Wednesday, 10 Mar – FNC and Cenicafé publish the complete genome sequence of the coffee borer beetle. The sequenced genome has been published by Colombia’s National Centre for Biotechnology Information. These findings allow for better understanding of how the insect affects coffee plants, and how farmers can implement new pesticide management techniques.

• Wednesday, 10 Mar – Cecafé reports that exports of Brazilian coffee to Colombia have increased by 173% in 2021. While exports to Colombia only amounted to 240,000 bags, this represents a significant increase. The US remains Brazil’s top coffee export destination, with 1.3 million bags sold to the country so far in 2021.

• Thursday, 11 Mar – University of Florida outlines potential for coffee cultivation in the state. Acknowledging changing climate conditions, researchers have started a project to grow coffee in Florida, funded by the USDA-backed National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The study will focus on root growth, and scientists plan to roast and taste Florida-grown coffee soon.

• Thursday, 11 Mar – US President Joe Biden signs US $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalisation Fund. The fund is part of Biden’s wider US $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package. Hospitality businesses, including US coffee retailers, will be able to access the fund.

• Friday, 12 Mar – Belco announces Tim Wendelboe as Head Judge for 2021 Made by Project. Alongside Belco’s sister brand, Art of Coffee, the contest looks for latest innovations in coffee product sustainability. The winning project will receive funding and support from Belco experts.

• Saturday, 13 Mar – Winners of 2020 Condesa Co Lab Australian Coffee Championships announced. The competition took place from March 11 to 13, livestreamed for the first time. Ona Coffee staff won several awards, including Hugh Kelly (Vitasoy Barista Champion), Victor Vu (Australian Pauls Professional Latte Art Champion), and Kyoungha “Charlie” Chu (TCX Cup Tasters Champion).

• Sunday, 14 Mar – Melbourne International Coffee Expo 2021 accepted for government business grant. Sponsors and exhibitors can apply for grants that cover as much as 50% of event-related expenses. Applications close on June 30, 2021, with the expo taking place from September 9 to 11.

• Sunday, 14 Mar – Mutima Coffee sells over 200 bags of roasted coffee after launching on International Women’s Day. The online retail brand is run by Sheila and Sharon Kasasa, sisters from Uganda who are currently based in the US. The company exclusively sells Ugandan coffee to North American and European markets.

• Sunday, 14 Mar – Wellbeans Coffee launched to support mental health awareness in the coffee sector. The company was founded by Michael Ellis, who experienced mental health issues while studying at university. Profits will be donated to various mental health charities and initiatives.