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

• Mon, 20 Sep – Second cycle of 2-year Brazilian Agribusiness Market Access Programme (PAM AGRO) launched. The programme is ran by Apex-Brasil to promote Brazilian agriculture (including coffee) on a global scale. PAM AGRO was created through partnerships between Apex-Brasil and several private organisations, including the BSCA. The aim of the programme is to increase agricultural exports, while focusing on sustainability, safety, and technology.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Royal Coffee to host Buying Green Coffee: What Roasters Need to Know course. The in-person class will cover topics such as harvest timelines, supply chain logistics, and the C market. Registration closes on 12 October and Royal will host the event on 14 October.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Jamaican Women in Coffee secures first grant from Canada Fund Local Initiative programme. The CA $21,972 (US $17,139) grant will be used to improve access to farming tools and implement larger scale practical training. The goal of the funding is to improve coffee quality and yields, as well as strengthening climate change adaptation.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Pret A Manger launches US subscription service. Subscribers are able to order up to five beverages per day in-store with the Classic and Premium plans. The service is currently available in New York City and Washington D.C.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Clive Coffee and Eureka partner on self-dialing grinder Lucca Atom 75. The new model has an integrated laser-calibrated sensor that measures the gap between the burrs. The grinder also includes TrueGrind technology that provides optimal grind setting recommendations for dialing in.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Judges and MCs announced for Coffee Masters at 2021 London Coffee Festival. The Head Judge will be Tim Sturk. James Wise, Diana Johnston Ledezma, James Hennebry, and Rob Clarijs will be the supporting judges. Sierra Yeo and Celeste Wong will host the event as MCs.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Nestlé to launch transition to regenerative food supply chains. The company will work with over 500,000 farmers (including coffee producers) and 150,000 suppliers on social and environmental initiatives. Nestlé is pledging to adhere to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

• Mon, 20 Sep – De’Longhi Australia launches online Coffee Lounge. The virtual platform connects local roasters with consumers, including Seven Miles Coffee Roasters. Consumers can access coffee industry news, recipes, and educational courses.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Ronnoco Beverage Systems releases first on-demand cold brew dispenser. The new machine can extract cold brew in 60 to 75 minutes. Ronnoco will debut its cold brew machine at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show from 6 to 8 October. The company’s cold brew is expected to reach convenience stores by early 2022.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Wabilogic launches new tech-forward Melitta-branded coffee brewers. The Melitta Vision auto-drip brewer includes a specially designed water dispensing head and a digital brewing variable interface. The Senz V model includes a TDS sensor and live measurements for coffee weight, water weight, and brew temperature.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Sucafina Rwanda (RWACOF) and Bank of Kigali relaunch farmer financial service IKOFI. Through the IKOFI programme, farmers can access financial services, such as bank accounts and cash withdrawals. The Bank of Kigali will waive fees for coffee farmers involved in RWACOF projects.

• Mon, 20 Sep – Bain Capital Credit confirms investment in Gail’s bakery chain. Estimates of the value of the investment are £200 million (US $277 million). The deal is part of a long-term plan to sell the London food and coffee chain, a process which has been delayed due to Brexit and Covid-19.

• Tue, 21 Sep – International Trade Centre to host virtual launch of 4th edition Coffee Guide. The Coffee Guide provides extensive information on all aspects of the coffee industry, including farming and exporting. The virtual launch will cover the ITC’s research on topics such as digitalisation, consumer trends, climate change, and supply chain finacial equity. The launch will take place on 1 October (International Coffee Day) at 16:00 CET.

• Tue, 21 Sep – Blue Bottle to be carbon neutral by 2024. Throughout 2021, Blue Bottle has focused on renewable energy sources for its US and Japanese cafés, diverting café waste from landfill, and reducing consumer dairy consumption by offering oat milk at no extra charge. The specialty chain will publish its sustainability roadmap in 2022.

• Tue, 21 Sep – Single-serve machine Bruvi secures US $7 million in pre-Series A funding round. Bruvi’s machines use recyclable and compostable B-Pods to brew espresso-style and cold brew beverages. Funds will be used for software development, digital marketing, and preparing pre-orders for November.

• Tue, 21 Sep – SCA Italy to organise Coffee Boom event on International Coffee Day. During 1 October, events will take place across the country in roasteries and cafés to promote the Italian specialty coffee industry. Rancilio Group will head the A Question of Profiling virtual panel discussion on coffee extractions at 10:30 CEST.

• Tue, 21 Sep – Nespresso joins Amazon-backed Climate Pledge. The company is one of 86 new signatories, including Procter & Gamble and HP. Signees agree to regularly report carbon emissions, implement carbon insetting systems, and offset remaining emissions to be carbon neutral by 2040. Nespresso plans to be carbon neutral by 2022.

• Tue, 21 Sep – Digital Coffee Future to host online 2021 Traceability Summit. The event will discuss opportunities, challenges, and benefits of digitalising the coffee industry. Speakers will include Julio Guevara from PDG Media and Producer & Roaster Forum, Michael Sheridan from Intelligentsia, and Karl Wienhold from Cedro Alto. The webinar will be held on 28 & 29 October.

• Wed, 22 Sep – Pentair appoints Melissa Barra to Board of Directors. Barra currently serves as the Executive VP and Chief Sales and Services Officer for Sleep Number Corporation. She has previously held top leadership roles with Best Buy Co., Grupo Futuro, Citibank, and GE Capital. Barra will seek to strengthen Pentair’s strategic and digital operations.

• Wed, 22 Sep – Ben & Jerry’s partners with BLK & Bold Roasters on new ice cream flavour. The black-owned company has provided its cold brew for the limited edition Change Is Brewing flavour. Made in partnership with the Movement for Black Lives, the launch aims to raise awareness of the People’s Response Act – a call to restructure policing strategies in the US.

• Wed, 22 Sep – Best of Panama auction results announced. Last year’s record of US $1,300.50/lb in the washed Geisha category has been broken by Bambito Estate Coffee’s Avalanche of Flavors lot receiving US $1,502/lb. The highest price recorded per lb was for a Nuguo Fermented natural Geisha at US $2,568/lb.

• Wed, 22 Sep – Brazil‘s national supply company Conab estimates 2021/22 harvest to drop to 4-year low with 46.9 million bags. This represents a decrease of 25.7 million bags from last year’s harvest. Arabica production is predicted to reach a 12-year low of 30.7 million bags, while robusta yields are set to increase to 16.1 million bags.

• Wed, 22 Sep – SCA publishes first edition of Coffee Sensory and Cupping Handbook. The first edition expands on The Coffee Cupper’s Handbook which was first published in 1986. The latest edition explores 30 years of research on coffee sensory science, including perceptions of mouthfeel and flavour. Early release print editions will launch on 1 October, with further print and digital versions available in late October.

• Wed, 22 Sep – World Coffee Research closes Global Coffee Monitoring Programme. The organisation’s on-farm trials ended in early September, which WCR claims will enable it to grant farmers better access to healthy plants and more varieties. On-farm trials will continue in Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Thu, 23 Sep – NCA announces dates for 2022 Virtual Convention. After the association agreed that in-person events were not feasible considering Covid-19 health and safety measures, the convention will be held online from 8 to 10 March 2022.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Winners of 2021 US National AeroPress Championship announced. Hugo Cano of Amberson Coffee placed first, while Austin Bowers of Third Wave Coffee took second place and Kyle Sweetland of Redtree Art Gallery and Coffee Shop placed third. Cano will represent the US in the 2021 World AeroPress Championship, to be held in March 2022.

• Thu, 23 Sep – MICE 2022 announces finalists for Product Innovations Awards. Categories include Coffee Preparation Equipment, Ancillary Electrical Equipment, Coffee Accessories, and Specialty Beverages. Nominees include KeepCup for the KeepCup Thermal cup and Toddy for Cold Brew Cupping Kit. Nominees are judged by both an independent panel and MICE attendees.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Former barista creates online Coffee Footprint Calculator tool. Lucy Zaborowska collaborated with scientist Komal Rafay to create the online tool that calculates the carbon footprint of coffee beverages, including espressos and flat whites. The tool also gives personalised suggestions on how to reduce coffee carbon footprint.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Westrock Coffee Company will responsibly source all coffee by 2025. Currently over 60% of the company’s coffee and tea is sustainably sourced. Westrock will bridge the gap through partnerships with the Committee on Sustainable Assessment and the British Standards Institution, who will both audit Westrock’s sourcing programmes.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Louis Dreyfus Company reports 46.9% increase in net sales during 2021 first half financial results. Net sales increased to US $24 billion compared to the same period in 2020.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Caravela launches online platform Roaster Hub. The new platform allows roasters to manage green coffee inventories, request samples, and connect to Caravela’s coffee suppliers through the dedicated support centre.

• Thu, 23 Sep – Lavazza receives €500 million (US $586.5 million) loan for sustainability projects. Funding was received from a number of European banks through term loans and revolving credit lines. Money will be used to finance Lavazza’s environmental, social, and governance programmes.

• Fri, 24 Sep – BSCA to host The History of Special Coffee web series. As part of its 30th anniversary, the association will host a number of online English-subtitled episodes focusing on the Brazilian coffee industry. The first two episodes will explore coffee production and processing in Brazil.

• Fri, 24 Sep – Algrano announces Be the Coffee DJ campaign. The online platform connects producers with roasters to promote more direct trade. The new campaign aims to increase awareness of financial equity across the supply chain, including an origin-focused Spotify playlist.

• Fri, 24 Sep – Scooter’s Coffee to offer free filter coffee on US National Coffee Day. On 29 September, customers can claim free filter coffee at participating locations using the Scooter’s mobile app.

• Fri, 24 Sep – Atomo Coffee launches synthetic cold brew product in US. The company claims it has released the world’s first synthetic coffee product to market. Atomo uses plant waste to recreate the taste and mouthfeel of traditional coffee. The RTD cold brew products are available in Classic and Ultra Smooth flavours.

• Fri, 24 Sep – Starbucks to expand global Greener Store presence. The coffee chain has over 2,300 Greener Stores in the US and Canada which have lower environmental impacts than traditional Starbucks locations. The company aims to retrofit 10,000 Greener Stores by 2025.

• Fri, 24 Sep – University of Florence to launch coffee master’s degree. The course will cover a broad range of topics, including the history of coffee and preparation methods. A pilot study of the master’s course will take place in January with 24 students.

• Fri, 24 Sep – Casa Zeta Jones coffee brand launches. The company was founded by British actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and partners with SCA-accredited US roasters. Portions of profits will be donated to various charitable causes.

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

• Tue, 14 Sep – Gaggia Milano launches the fully-automatic La Solare machine. The Z4000 iX grouphead maintains temperature stability during extraction. The Coffee APPeal app allows users to remotely select beverages.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Peet’s Coffee releases seasonal menu items. The Pumpkin Latte, Maple Latte, and the new plant-based Pumpkin Oat Foam Cold Brew will be available until 2 November. The Maple Oat Frappé will be exclusively available to Peetnik Rewards Members via Peet’s mobile app.

• Wed, 15 Sep – MTPak Coffee publishes article on impact of US Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act on coffee businesses. The act focuses on supporting coffee businesses in transitioning over to sustainable packaging. MTPak highlights how roasters and café should opt for more recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable packaging options.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Dutch Bros partners with Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions for new Education Benefit Programme. The programme will support Dutch Bros employees in obtaining educational degrees or certifications. EdAssist’s coaches will support employees pursuing educational courses.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Gordon St. Coffee partners with Solinatra on home compostable capsule range. Solinatra claims its compostable biomaterial breaks down within the same timeframe as banana peel. Gordon St. Coffee are selling ten coffee capsules for £5 (US $6.90).

• Thu, 16 Sep – Costa Cruises to serve Caffè Vergnano on-board cruise ships. The Italian cruise ship operator will include a Caffè Vergnano-branded cafeteria on its Costa Smeralda flagship, with another outlet to open on the Costa Toscana ship.

• Fri, 17 Sep – COE sells exclusive lots of 2021 Ethiopian winner. The anaerobic Sidama coffee was grown by Tamiru Tadesse Tesema. The coffee can be purchased for US $140.40/lb and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Fri, 17 Sep – Steeped Coffee announced as finalist in NEXTY Awards. The Certified B Corp is a finalist in the Best New Product category for its French Roast Fair Trade Organic Breakwater Blend. Winners will be announced at the Natural Products Expo East from 23 and 25 September.

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Photo credits: @575cafe