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

• Monday, 7 Jun – European Coffee Brewing Centre launches new approval programme for home grinders. Approved grinders can obtain recognition and use a seal of approval. The factors assessed include particle size distribution, grind retention, and uniformity of extraction. Wilfa Uniform and Fellow Ode are the first two approved models.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Geiger Coffee launches on Indiegogo. The sensor was designed by Thin Air Energy and is used to measure ground coffee freshness. Upon contact with coffee grinds, the sensor will indicate the level of freshness using a green or red light.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Entries for Cup of Excellence Mexico winners announced. There were 30 CoE winning lots, with 4 farms scoring over 90 points. The highest-scoring lot was a natural Geisha from Finca Santa Cruz, which scored 91.58 points. The CoE Mexico auction will take place on July 15.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Devoción Coffee Roasters to open new location in spring 2022. The New York roasters will open a new café in the Dumbo neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Devoción has three other locations throughout the city.

• Monday, 7 Jun – ICO announces highest increase in monthly average coffee price since Feb 2017. Coffee prices rose by 10.4% to 134.78 US cents/lb, which is the highest monthly average since 137.68 US cents/lb in February 2017. The increase is attributed to the drop in Brazil’s coffee production for the 2021/22 season.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Nespresso to roll out hydrogen-powered delivery vehicles in Switzerland. The vehicles will be used to transport Nespresso products from factories to retail stores as part of the brand’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 2025.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Commonplace Coffee organises Be The Bridge fundraiser. The Pennsylvania roasters have invited eight local roasters to participate in the scheme. Each roaster will create their own roast profile for a Colombian coffee to be sold under the Be The Bridge label. US $5 of every bag will be donated to Feeding Pennsylvania food banks.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Goldleaf releases interactive Coffee Journal. The log book includes some facts about the history of coffee, information on varieties and processing techniques, and blank pages for tasting notes. Prices start at US $24.99.

• Monday, 7 Jun – Sucafina announces study results on best practices for storing green coffee. The brand’s Asia Pacific team conducted a nine-month study into maintaining green coffee quality in storage while reducing environmental impact. The study found no difference in cup quality between air conditioned and non-air conditioned warehouses. Cutting AC usage also helped to reduce the warehouse’s environmental footprint.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – La Colombe adds Lyon Blend to coffee offerings to mitigate food insecurity. The Philadelphia roasters will donate US $2 from every box sold to Feeding America, a food bank organisation. The coffee is a medium roast with notes of caramel and chocolate brownie.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – MILKLAB releases oat milk for coffee. The Australian company will launch MILKAB Oat in June this year. The oat beverage will join several other plant-based products, such as coconut and macadamia.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – CoE Colombia auction 2021 breaks CoE record for highest average price paid per pound. The auction took place on June 3 with a total of 25 winning coffees, each scoring 87+ points. The average price paid was US $30.79/lb, beating last year’s CoE record of US $28.44/lb at the Ethiopia auction.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – HostMilano 2021 to organise online Host 4 Future seminars. While the in-person event will be held in October, four webinars will take place every Monday throughout June. Topics will include sustainability, design, digitalisation, and change in the hospitality sector.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – Barry Callebaut launches WholeFruit chocolate. The cacao product company collaborated with 30 pastry chefs and chocolatiers to create chocolate bars using cacao fruit, which is typically disposed of as waste. The new chocolate range is available in two flavours: WholeFruit Bold and WholeFruit Velvety.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – Global cold brew market expected to grow by US $1.119 billion by 2024. The CAGR between 2020 and 2024 is predicted to be 28%, with the US contributing around 60% of this growth.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – Planetary Design releases Expedition Coffee Kit as part of BruTek coffee range. The kit includes a French press, an Airscape Classic storage canister, a Cargo Can container for sugar, four BruTrek Camp Cups, a coffee scoop, and an aluminium case. The kit is priced at US $500.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – Caravela Coffee features on Boss Barista podcast takeover series. As part of Caravela’s Relationship Building Team, Ana Sofia Narvaez spoke with Sara Corrales, the owner of Finca Los Pinos and La in Nicaragua. The pair discussed coffee production, local coffee consumption, coffee’s use as a food product, and much more.

• Tuesday, 8 Jun – Typhoon Roasters launches in US market. The Prague roaster manufacturers use drum roasting and fluid bed mechanisms in their Hybrid machines. The Hybrid series ranges from 9kg to 30kg capacity, and can be powered by gas or electricity.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – SCA begins testing for World Coffee Championships qualified equipment. The programme reviews commercial machines and grinders to assess the level of precision and performance for use in competitions, also allowing cafés to certify their equipment with SCA standards. WCC-certified equipment brands will also be eligible to apply for category sponsorship for events in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – Sample kits for One Of A Kind Guatemalan coffee auction available until June 16. Micro and nano lots will be available for purchase, allowing smallholder producers to access new markets and showcase innovation in processing through an international auction platform. The final auction will take place on July 13.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – Registration for the 6th annual IWCA Convention opens. From June 14 to 18, IWCA Global Chapter Network members and industry experts will present on a variety of topics, including sustainability and coffee auctions. The convention will take place from 14:00 to 16:00 UTC.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – illy launches single-serve Y3.3 Iperespresso Espresso & Coffee Machine. The new design, an upgrade on the Y3.2 model, is less than four inches wide to ensure it is compact and easy to use. The Y3.3 machine is available in four colours and includes an energy-saving automatic on/off system.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – Mumac Academy and Alpro launch plant-based training programmes. The in-person training courses will allow baristas and hospitality professionals to improve their knowledge and skills of soy, almond, coconut, and oat milks. The sessions will be held from June 16 to July 21.

• Wednesday, 9 Jun – Toddy to host virtual Better Cold Brew with Toddy: Exploring the Art & Science of Cold Brew event. On July 29, the cold brew equipment manufacturers will lead a free digital trade show, offering cold brew-focused training, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities. Attendees can order Experience Boxes which include Toddy brewing equipment. The event will be held from 14:30 to 19:30 GMT.

• Thursday, 10 Jun – I’M NOT A BARISTA launches Brewing Guide project on Indiegogo. The project was initially released on Kickstarter, but due to increasing interest, the foundation expanded their new initiative. I’M NOT A BARISTA is inviting roasters to sell coffees alongside the Brewing Guide, with every US $2 of coffee sold donated to barista support schemes.

• Thursday, 10 Jun – Annual Grounds For Health auction receives 23 donations of single origin coffee lots. The 12th annual auction will raise money for cervical cancer prevention programmes in coffee-producing communities. Around 15 traders donated coffee, with equipment from Baratza also in the auction.

• Thursday, 10 Jun – Stronghold Roasters and Tim Wendelboe to host Instagram Live session on June 12. The roast-along workshop will use the Stronghold S7 PRO X roaster model, and Wendelboe will profile two lots. The Oslo roaster will also share his roasting expertise. The event is scheduled for 11:00 CET.

• Thursday, 10 Jun – Winners announced for 6th National Quality Contest: Colombia Land of Diversity. All 26 lots were sold, with an average price of US $12.76/lb. The highest price received was for Domingo Torres from Norte de Santander with US $41/lb. Bidders were located in Germany, UK, China, Korea, and Japan.

• Thursday, 10 Jun – Starbucks US faces stock shortage. Due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, footfall has increased for the chain, leaving many stores with “temporary supply shortages”. Items such as oat milk, hazelnut syrup, and chai tea bags mean customers may be left unable to order certain beverages.

• Friday, 11 Jun – Colombian coffee exports fell by 52% in May. While exports throughout the year have increased by 7%, only 427,000 60kg bags were exported in May 2021 – compared to 894,000 bags in May 2020. This drop has been attributed to protests and export blockades taking place across the country.

• Friday, 11 Jun – BLK & Bold coffee roaster signs deal with National Basketball Association. The Black-owned coffee business is selling NBA-themed coffees with the two Eastern & Western Conference The Warm Up blends. For every bag of coffee sold BLK & Bold will donate 5% of sales to the For Our Youth initiative in mitigating homelessness and food insecurity, with the NBA matching their donations.

• Friday, 11 Jun – Ethiopia Coffee and Tea Authority opens Coffee Training Centre Ethiopia. The facility in Addis Ababa includes a wide range of training services, covering everything from producing to roasting. The centre seeks to strengthen the coffee value chain by focusing on environmental and economic sustainability.

• Friday, 11 Jun – Minor Figures launches Roaster Roster programme. The oat milk company will showcase coffees from different roasters every month, with a focus on Colombia in June. This month features Hard Lines (UK), Middle State Coffee (US), and Bredda Coffee (AU). Minor Figures will donate 100% of profits to Nutrir Foundation, which supports displaced children in Colombia.

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

• Monday, 24 May – CEPRO Yanesha Origen Marín Lot 45 included in Singapore Specialty (Micro-Lot) Auction 2021. The indigenous community-grown coffee is sourced from Oxapampa, Peru. The coffee was first sold at the virtual auction last year.

• Wednesday, 2 Jun – Winner of Belco’s Made By Project announced. Coffee producer Arnaud Causse from La Terrazas Del Pisque was awarded first place with his 100% abaca-based filter paper submission. The filters are produced in Ecuador and are 100% renewable.

• Thursday, 3 Jun – Commercial coffee brewer market expected to grow by US $121.56 million by 2025. The CAGR is anticipated to be 7% from 2021 to 2025.

• Thursday, 3 Jun – Coffee sales helped boost J. M. Smucker Co.’s full-year financial results. Net US sales for the Dunkin’ coffee range increased by US $1.5 million to US $583.1 million in total, although profits decreased by around 9%.

• Friday, 4 Jun – Royal Coffee to host Coffee Roasting Flaws and How to Avoid Them online class. The online class will focus on four common roast profiling mistakes and will be instructed by Chris Kornman. Participants will receive five roasted coffee samples to taste. The activity will be held on July 15 at 11:00 PST.

• Sunday, 6 Jun – Eagle One selected for the ADI Design Index 2020. The index is chosen by the Permanent Observatory of Design in Milan based on innovations in research and development. The Eagle One was chosen for its sustainable technology and user-friendly interface.

• Sunday, 6 Jun – Kaua‘i Coffee Company achieves triple certification. The Hawaiian company is now Fair Trade Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, and Non-GMO Project Verified. The certification symbols will be displayed on packaging to spread consumer awareness.

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest stories in the sector, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.