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

• Monday, 19 Apr – illycaffè announces Jack Edwards as new President of North America branch. Edwards has extensive experience in the premium beverage industry, which will support illycaffè to expand across the US.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Diedrich Roasters and Firedancer Coffee Consultants set to host one-day Coffee Roasting Forum. The event will include lectures, online cuppings, and networking opportunities, taking place on May 20 at 8am PST.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Coffee and fast food chain Leon acquired by EG Group for between £80 and £100 million. EG Group, owned by the billionaire Issa brothers, will take full control of Leon’s 71 stores, and plan to open some 20 outlets per year from 2022 onwards.

• Monday, 19 Apr – ICCO report finds cacao contract prices fell in March. Prices fell by 13% and 14% in London and New York respectively. Production levels increased in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, while stocks rose in both Europe and the US.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Cepea reports likely increase in Brazilian robusta production. A larger volume of robusta is expected to be reported at the end of April and beginning of May.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Research from CIRAD finds that Coffea stenophylla has potential to support coffee farmers through climate change. The species originates in West Africa, and is able to grow under higher temperatures and drought conditions. Blind cuppings from companies such as Nespresso and Jacobs Douwe Egbert found stenophylla had a desirable profile, with a cup score above 80 points on an arabica scale.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Rwacof set to launch environmentally-friendly organic fertiliser. Parent organisation Sucafina has partnered with The Bug Picture and COPED to develop the product. Rwacof will donate one bag of fertiliser to farms in Rwanda for every 60kg sack of green coffee purchased. The sustainably-produced fertiliser is supposedly “better suited” to Rwandan soils and more affordable for producers.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Nestlé develops resilient low-carbon robusta varieties in effort to meet net zero targets by 2050. Using non-GMO breeding, the company’s researchers have launched two new robusta varieties, with 50% higher yields and 30% lower carbon emissions. One of the varieties is already growing in Central America.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Chameleon Organic Coffee announces “Ultimate Coffee Break” sweepstakes. The coffee company, best known for their cold brew products, are offering to pay two people US $3,000 in a campaign to take more coffee breaks during working days. Applicants can sign up until May 31.

• Monday, 19 Apr – Juan Valdez Café becomes certified B Corp. The Colombian coffee chain, managed by the FNC, has become one of the first coffee chains in the world to achieve this certification. It started its B Corp application in 2019.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – ACE announces winners of Nicaraguan Los Favoritos Private Collection Auction. In first place was an anaerobic low-temperature processed Ethiosar from Los Placeres Farm. It was the only coffee scoring over 90 points at the auction. The Ethiosar variety is a hybrid of Rume Sudan and Sarchimor.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – WMF launches Coffee Excellence Centre to provide support and training. SCA-certified trainer Martin Billmann will deliver online seminars and webinars to partner organisations. Topics covered will include drink recipes and WMF machine specifications.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Starbucks launches virtual tours of Costa Rican farm. As part of its 50th anniversary, Starbucks has launched an immersive online experience of its Hacienda Alsacia farm. The coffee chain purchased the farm in 2013; it has been open to visitors since 2018.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Allegra 2021 UK Coffee Leader Summit to take place online from 8 to 10 June. The three-day virtual B2B event will be open to all UK coffee and hospitality industry professionals, with two days of networking opportunities and one day of lectures and panel discussions. The main focus of the event will be “reinvigorating the UK hospitality industry post-pandemic”.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Joe’s Garage Coffee wins 2021 Excellence in Manufacturing Customer Service Award. The private label coffee and tea supplier was presented the award by Business Intelligence Group. The award is based on historical customer service performance metrics.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Oatly sales rose to US $421.4 million in 2020. This is an increase of 106% on 2019, with the US being the second largest market. However, the company is still operating at a loss of US $60.4 million.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Molecular Psychiatry study released, detailing brain activity in regular coffee drinkers. When resting, those who regularly consume coffee have reduced connectivity between two areas of the brain – the right precuneus and the right insular. This indicates improved motor control and higher alertness.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – Sustainable Coffee Institute releases new cupping forms and protocols. The Portland, Oregon non-profit has launched the educational resources as a free download. The binary methods of evaluation have been removed to allow for a more descriptive assessment.

• Tuesday, 20 Apr – HumaniTea releases two RTD plant-based tea lattes. To coincide with the UK’s National Tea Day on April 21, the company launched the country’s first RTD vegan tea lattes. Flavours include Earl Grey Oat Milk Classic Tea Latte and Matcha Oat Milk Green Tea Latte.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – Nescafé launches Nativ Cascara in Australia. The RTD beverage is made using upcycled coffee cherry husks, and contains native Australian ingredients. Flavours include Classic, Kakadu Plum, and Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – One Tree Planted announces partnership with Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee. The reforestation non-profit will plant one million trees over the next five years in countries where Mother Parkers sources their coffee, starting with Honduras and India. One Tree Planted also works with Rainforest Alliance.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – Tim Hortons announces Tims For Good sustainability platform. The campaign will focus on food and beverage quality, environmental goals, and social responsibility. Last year, the coffee chain donated 1.7 million coffees to frontline workers in Canada.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – US sales of Coca Cola with Coffee down thanks to Covid-19. The US was the 50th global market to launch the product; however, sales fell by 6% in the last quarter of 2020. This drop has been blamed on stock hesitancy, caused largely by Covid-19 shipping issues. Coca Cola have since announced an increase in sales similar to pre-pandemic periods.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – ICO reports 2020 coffee consumption in Taiwan reached 104 cups per capita. The country’s coffee imports in 2020 increased to 43,500 tons. Convenience chains such as 7-Eleven accounted for approximately one-sixth of all sales.

• Wednesday, 21 Apr – Adda Coffee & Tea partners with CarbonCroc to become carbon neutral. The company’s three cafés in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have partnered with the start-up, which helps companies calculate and minimise their carbon emissions. Adda now calculates its operational carbon emissions using a Shopify App, and purchase offsets through CarbonCroc, who invest in carbon-offsetting projects.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Marco Beverage Systems and Onyx Coffee Lab host webinar entitled The Challenges of Opening Your Own Specialty Coffee House. As part of the Marco Academy webinar series, co-founder and Head Roaster of Onyx Jon Allen will discuss some common obstacles that café owners face.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Olam Group and Mondelēz International partner to launch world’s “largest sustainable commercial cocoa farm”. The 2,000 hectare farm in Indonesia will include a seedling nursery and a health and education centre for employees and their families. The project will create 700 jobs for locals, with almost half of these roles reserved for women.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Keurig Dr Pepper will eliminate one million pounds of virgin plastic in K-Mini coffee brewers range. The black K-Mini is manufactured using 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, while the K-Mini Plus in black is made with 50% PCR plastics.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – illycaffè US announces annual reduction of 175 US tons of plastic with “The One Makes The Difference” campaign. The initiative begins with new recyclable to-go cups, made using resources from sustainably managed forests. The cups will be available at illycaffè out-of-home outlets across the US. The US branch of the coffee company also partnered with Michelin to award chef Patrick O’Connell with a Green Star for his sustainability efforts.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Guinness releases Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Beer in US markets. The alcoholic beverage is brewed with cold brew extract and coffee flavouring; it has tasting notes of espresso, chocolate, and caramel. Guinness’ new product will be rolled out to other markets over the next 12 to 18 months.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Global capsule market expected to grow by US $8.53 billion by 2025. The CAGR is predicted to stay at around 5% from 2021 to 2025, with Europe expected to make up some 45% of global growth.

• Friday, 23 Apr – Dalla Corte Zero wins 2021 iF Design Award. The iF Design Awards are held annually, and celebrate excellence and quality in design. The coffee equipment manufacturer received the award for its latest espresso machine model thanks to its sustainable and energy-efficient design.

• Friday, 23 Apr – Two Rivers issues recall for Nesco Model CR-04-13 Coffee Bean Roasters. The coffee equipment manufacturers voluntarily announced the recall after complaints of overheating and plastic melting as a result. No injuries have been reported.

• Friday, 23 Apr – Lavazza partners with Slow Food to launch “Slow Food Coffee Coalition”. The network aims to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers by promoting a better understanding of various coffee origins. The Coalition invites all actors in the supply chain to sign up to its manifesto.

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

• Thursday, 15 Apr – Mobile app “Farm-Trace” is launched. The agritech start-up uses satellite data and AI technology to map landscapes and produce sustainability reports on deforestation and carbon capture. The app is being used in several agricultural sectors, including coffee production.

• Friday, 16 Apr – Fiorenzato launches new “Home” coffee equipment range. The first product in the range is the AllGround grinder, with titanium-coated 64mm professional burrs capable of grinding up to 1,400 kg of coffee. The grind setting collar is divided across espresso, filter, and moka for ease of use.

• Friday, 16 Apr – Eversys releases updated Shotmaster espresso machine range. The new machines are capable of producing 8 espresso shots at a time, meaning a maximum capacity of approximately 700 espressos per hour. The steam wands are in the middle of the machine, which allows two baristas to use it at once.

• Saturday, 17 Apr – Ethiopia Coffee and Tea Development Authority will work with NGOs to replace old coffee varieties. These reforms are part of a wider effort to increase the country’s income from coffee exports. The authority is designing a 15-year strategic plan which focuses on promoting the consumption of Ethiopian coffee in global markets.

• Saturday, 17 Apr – Starbucks and Arizona State University to open research and innovation facility. “The ASU-Starbucks Centre for the Future of People and the Planet” is set to open in December 2021. Research will focus on Starbucks’ sustainability efforts.

• Saturday, 17 Apr – Luckin Coffee secures US $250 million in funding from Chinese investors. The money will be used to restructure the company under the terms of their settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Sunday, 18 Apr – Coup in Myanmar creates barriers for coffee export. Bank closures and roadblocks are affecting farmers who are being forced to sell coffee locally. During the Covid-19 pandemic, poverty levels in Myanmar have increased to 63%.