Coffee News Recap, 3 Sep: Vietnam lockdowns could affect global coffee supply, robusta prices reach 4-year high & other stories

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

• Mon, 30 Aug – Breville to host Boozy Coffee: Clopen and Fo-Rum webinar on 15 September. Co-hosted by Onyx Coffee Lab and Crate & Barrel, the virtual event will explore two coffee cocktail recipes created by Onyx. The webinar will take place at 16:00 PST.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Specialty coffee collective Impact opens in Medellín, Colombia. Impact was founded by Those Coffee People, Rituales, Proyecto Renacer, La Fábrica, Las Brisas, and Moara – investing a collective US $1.1 million in local communities. The roaster incubator will include a quality control lab and processing facilities.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Royal Coffee to host Roast Profile: Theory and Practice in-person class. The session will explore how the three main roasting stages affect overall roast profile and coffee flavours. Registration is open until 27 September and the class takes places on 30 September. Attendees must have proof of Covid-19 vaccination.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Costa Coffee UK faces supply chain shortages. Post-Brexit trade rules, Covid-19 lockdowns, and supply chain employee isolation are all believed to have affected stock levels. Customers have also reported that some stores have no coffee. Costa has implemented limited menus to accommodate for stock shortages.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Covid-19 lockdown in Vietnam affects coffee exports. Measures taken to mitigate the rise in Delta variant cases in Ho Chi Minh City have led to difficulties with exporting goods, including coffee. Vietnamese authorities have said they will deploy military troops to maintain stay-at-home orders, which may affect key coffee-growing regions in the Central Highlands.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Futures for robusta reach four-year high. Due to July frosts in Brazil and Covid-19 lockdowns in Vietnam, robusta prices have reached US $2,024 per tonne. Arabica futures also increased in August by 3%.

• Mon, 30 Aug – European Society of Cardiology finds coffee consumption can decrease risk of stroke and heart disease. The study covered data from over 468,000 participants. Results found consuming between 0.5 and 3 cups of coffee per day led to a 17% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and 21% lower risk of stroke.

• Mon, 30 Aug – J.M. Smucker Co. announces 2021 Q1 results. J.M. Smucker represents brands such as Folgers and Dunkin’. Net sales decreased by 6% to US $1.9 billion compared to the same period in 2020. Profits fell by 17% to US $151.3 million.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Sail Away Coffee releases hard cold brew range. The Sail Away Club hard seltzer line includes Ocean Berry, Piña Colada, Mimosa, and The Original flavours. Each 12oz (354ml) can contains 50mg of caffeine.

• Mon, 30 Aug – Sucafina updates sample roasting profiles. Quality Control Coordinator for Sucafina Specialty Europe Franciska Apró has updated the roasting guidelines for washed, natural, and experimental processed coffees. The Roast Summary is available to download for reference.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Cropster and Probat partner on roaster software integration. The Cropster Control & Replay Assist software is now available on all Probat PIII roasting machines. Users can control heat and airflow directly through the app.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Emmi Caffè Latte to use chemically recycled polypropylene cups. The RTD iced coffee brand has partnered with Greiner Packaging to produce cups, while Borealis will provide the recycled polypropylene material. Emmi Caffè Latte claims it will use packaging that contains at least 30% recycled materials by 2027.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Afficionado Coffee Roasters opens first NYC location. Afficionado have sourced and roasted coffee for restaurants, hotels, and caterers in the city for over 12 years. The new 2,000 sq ft café will open in Manhattan.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Raw Coffee Company launches three Timor Leste coffees. The UAE roaster claims the coffees are new to the market. The washed, natural, and honey processed coffees are all sourced from the east Ermera region of the country.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Chemex celebrates 80th anniversary. The coffee brewer was invented in 1941 by Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. To celebrate its anniversary, Chemex has released two new models – including the 80th Anniversary Decal Chemex and 80th Anniversary Handblown Chemex.

• Tue, 31 Aug – SCA announces candidates for 2021 Board of Directors. Cosimo Libardo (Strategic Advisor at Nomad Coffee Consulting), Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian (owner of JNP Coffee), David Piza (Vice President of Global Sales at Westrock Coffee & Tea), Sarina Prabasi (co-founder of Buunni Coffee), and Andrew Tolley (Director of Tolley Coffee & Tea) have been put forward as candidates. The final 2021 ballot will be announced on 12 October.

• Tue, 31 Aug – COLETTI launches outdoor camping coffee blend on Amazon. The coffee percolator manufacturers have developed the blend for two years. The company claims the Yosemite medium-dark roast contains 20% more caffeine than other blends on the market.

• Tue, 31 Aug – Partnership for Gender Equity appoints four new board members. John Smirnow (Vice President of Market Strategy for the Solar Energy Industries Association), Aimee Russillo (Associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development), Dr. Patricia T. Morris (Director of Gender and Inclusive Development at EnCompass), and Courtney Hood (Partnerships Coordinator at International Union for Conservation of Nature) will join the board of directors.

• Wed, 1 Sep – DMCC announces best eight-month performance in seven years. During the first half of the year, the commodities trade centre partnered with 1,230 companies. DMCC also recently opened the Crypto Centre for businesses (including roasters and coffee traders) operating in blockchain sectors.

• Wed, 1 Sep – Airscape releases bulk coffee storage Airscape Bucket Insert. The new insert fits 3, 5, and 7-gallon containers (11 to 26 litres) and includes an integrated nitrogen flush valve. The inserts are available as single units, three-packs, or six-packs.

• Wed, 1 Sep – Olam secures three US $5.2 billion loan facilities. The three facilities comprise a US $1.2 billion three-year term loan and two 18-month bridge loan facilities valued at US $2 billion each. The financing will be used to support Olam’s restructuring plan.

• Wed, 1 Sep – SCA US chapter sets up support channels for coffee businesses affected by Hurricane Ida. The hurricane hit the state of Louisiana on 29 August. The 2021 Specialty Expo is scheduled to take place in New Orleans on 30 September to 3 October.

• Wed, 1 Sep – CQI partners with FlavorActiV for training programme. FlavorActiV produces flavour references which can be used to describe specific aromas, tastes, and mouthfeels. CQI says the partnership will support calibration training for tasting panels and coffee professionals.

• Thu, 2 Sep – Pre-orders open for Seize The Bean coffee board game. The project received over €137,000 (US $162,000) in funding on Kickstarter. The game centres around the Berlin coffee scene, with players competing to win cards representing certain customer groups, including “Hispters”, “Tourists”, and “Starving Artists”.

• Thu, 2 Sep – UK roaster Rave adds anaerobic Colombian coffee to single origin range. The coffee was sourced from the Risaralda Community Project No. 126, where farmers ferment coffee for up to 120 hours. The coffee will be available to purchase from 8 September.

• Thu, 2 Sep – Elektra Coffee releases new Sunny Verve espresso machine model. The machines were designed in partnership with 2018 World Barista Champion Agnieszka Rojewska. Only 13 units are available globally.

• Thu, 2 Sep – Swiss Coffee Trade Association to hold virtual annual meeting on 14 and 15 October. Key aspects of the webinar will include long-term sustainability practices and the digitalisation of the supply chain. Speakers will include David Behrends, Managing Partner of Sucafina, and Vivek Verna, Managing Director of Olam Coffee.

• Thu, 2 Sep – The Barn launches new Sustainable Capsule range. The Nespresso-compatible single origin capsules are made from German wood chips. The coffee pod range includes its Seasonal and Low Caf Brazilian coffees, as well as the Masterpiece Panamanian.

• Thu, 2 Sep – Caffè Culture Show 2021 takes place in London. The two-day coffee shop exhibition includes the SCA UK Latte Art Championships. Two new events at this year’s show are the Hipster Brew-Off and ESTA UK Matcha Whisking Competition.

• Fri, 3 Aug – Nestlé inaugurates largest R&D accelerator in Switzerland. The facility is located at the company’s main research centre in Lausanne. Upon opening in 2019, some 80 products have been tested in 18 countries.

• Fri, 3 Sep – Indian coffee chain Café Coffee Day closes 67% of stores over three-year period. Due to Covid-19 measures, debt, and the threat of legal action for rerouting finances, the chain announced that its profits had decreased 108%, with a RS 1.37 billion (US $18.8 million) loss during 2021 so far.

• Fri, 3 Sep – Krispy Kreme opens first location in Egypt. The first store opened in Cairo, with 10 more locations planned in the country over the next year. In partnership with Americana Group, Krispy Kreme operates 200 stores across the MENA region.

• Fri, 3 Sep – SCA’s USA chapter encourages postponement of United States Coffee Championships. In an open letter to the US coffee community, the chapter said holding the competitions in New Orleans 30 days after it had been struck by Hurricane Ida was “simply not appropriate”.

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

• Mon, 18 Aug – Russia coffee and food-to-go chain Podorozhnik to open 500 more stores after IPO. The chain plans to raise 1.9 billion rubles (US $25.8 million) after the IPO on 14 September. Podorozhnik currently operates 159 stores.

• Mon, 23 Aug – Bluestone Lane and Califia Farms launch Draught Oat Flat White. The draught coffee drink includes Bluestone’s Flagstaff blend cold brew and Califia Farms’ Oat Barista Blend.

• Mon, 23 Aug – US coffee chain Colectivo Coffee unionises by a count of 106-99. Employees of the company first voted to unionise in April 2021. If Colectivo becomes unionised, it would be the largest coffee chain to do so in the US.

• Tue, 24 Aug – BKON appoints Itamar Loss as Vice President of R&D. Loss previously served as a long-term engineer and equipment developer at Franke Beverage Equipment. He will assist in developing BKON’s industrial cold brew sysetms.

• Wed, 25 Aug – Alldae Cascara partners with Finca Deborah on new sparkling coffee beverage line. Founder and licensed Q grader Ryan McDonnell worked with coffee producer Jamison Savage to use husk from Geisha coffee cherries from Finca Deborah, Panama. Flavours include Original, Ginger, and Pineapple.

• Wed, 25 Aug – Starbucks China appoints Leo Tsoi as new CEO. Tsoi has served as Starbucks China’s Chief Operating Officer and President of Starbucks Retail for the last five years. Through his work at Starbucks China, Tsoi has helped to diversify store portfolio and develop the in-store customer experience.

• Thu, 26 Aug – HumaniTea to launch products on Amazon. The company launched the first RTD plant-based tea lattes on the UK market. HumaniTea’s products will be featured on Amazon’s launchpad section.

• Thu, 26 Aug – Limini Coffee releases refillable capsule range. The Nespresso-compatible capsules are filled by tamping down coffee grounds and placing the lid over each pod. Once used, the capsules can be composted.

• Fri, 27 Aug – Africa’s largest coffee co-op Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union appoints Dejene Dadi as new General Manager. The union was founded in 1999, now representing more than 557,000 farmers across Ethiopia. Dadi has previously served as export strategist and Chief Executive for the union.

• Sat, 28 Aug – Starbucks US to focus on drive-thru store development. Business Insider reported the closure of some older stores, such as those in shopping malls, mainly due to Covid-19. The coffee chain will also turn its attention to opening more contactless and “convenience-focused” stores.

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Photo credits: Meklit Mersha @meklitmersha