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

• Mon, 18 Oct – HOTELEX Shanghai Exhibition to take place in March 2022. The 31st annual HoReCa expo is expected to attract over 220,000 visitors. Some 3,000 exhibitors will be showcasing services and products at the event, including coffee. The expo will take place from 28 to 31 March 2022.

• Mon, 18 Oct – Victoria Arduino releases new Black Eagle Maverick espresso machine. The new model includes temperature-controlled T3 Genius Technology and a three-phase extraction system known as PureBrew Technology. The Black Eagle Maverick can also extract filter coffee using the PureBrew Coffee Filter.

• Mon, 18 Oct – illycaffè launches new illy Art Collection with Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum. The new designs reflect the traditional keffiyeh Arab headscarf to bring attention to the ongoing conflict in Palestine. The limited edition coffee cans and cups will be available from November to December.

• Mon, 18 Oct – VacOne Air Brewer launches on market. The brewer uses vacuum technology to brew both hot and cold coffee, which VAC claims enhances sweetness and reduces bitterness. VAC also offer a Quintal subscription which highlights origin roasters in Latin America.

• Mon, 18 Oct – Registration opens for Brazil International Coffee Week. The event will be held in-person in the city of Belo Horizonte, as well as via online streaming. The expo will be held from 10 to 12 November.

• Mon, 18 Oct – Baratza to host limited edition Virtuoso+ giveaway on Instagram. Participants must follow Baratza on the social media platform and submit a Baratza Grinder Monster design by 26 October. Ten submissions will be selected for public voting, before the winner is announced on 30 October.

• Mon, 18 Oct – WCA confirms speakers for last 2021 Cross Talk Series webinar. Shaping the Future of Digital Traceability in Coffee: “Towards a more transparent farm-to-cup digital economy” will take place on 27 October at 15:00 BST. CEO of Enveritas David Browning will be the keynote speaker and panels will include Chief Impact Officer of Sustainable Harvest Kellem Emanuele and Olam’s Head of Coffee EMENA Deepak Kaul. Registration is free.

• Tue, 19 Oct – UK hospitality leaders push for VAT to remain at 12.5% permanently. Trade body UK Hospitality have representatively signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking to not raise VAT back to 20% in April 2022. The letter states that maintaining the 12.5% rate will enable the hospitality sector – including coffee shops – to recover from the financial damage of Covid-19.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Black Sheep Coffee opens first UK franchise location. The new store opened in Birmingham and is part of the London coffee chain’s 2022 expansion plans to open 30 new cafés.

• Tue, 19 Oct – UK Coffee Week survey finds 96% of UK consumers base coffee shop purchases on coffee quality. Alongside quality, 70% of consumers stated price was a deciding factor, while 69% claimed supporting local businesses was important. Sixty-nine percent reported sustainability was also a crucial deciding factor for coffee purchases.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Dubai COFE App launches Discovery Points campaign for local and international roasters. The ecommerce platform launched the campaign in the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia and is offering customers AED 300 (US $82) for up to 30 different coffee brands.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Sanremo to debut You espresso machine and X-One grinder at HostMilano. The single-group machine and new grinder will feature alongside the company’s other models. HostMilano will be held from 22 to 26 October.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Sustainable agriculture and rural enterprise Gorilla Coffee Alliance launches in DRC. The partnership between USAID, Nespresso, Olam, TechnoServe, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Congolese social enterprise Asili will support some 8,500 coffee farmers over a 5-year period. The programme will also protect endangered Grauer gorillas from poaching and deforestation.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Sucafina announces 2030 sustainability strategy roadmap. The three pillars of the strategy include Caring for People, Investing in Farmers, and Protecting Our Planet. Sucafina will aim to include 350,000 farmers in its supply chain by 2025 and ensure all wastewater from coffee washing stations is certified by the International Finance Corporation by 2023. The 2030 roadmap is accompanied by Sucafina’s 2020 sustainability report.

• Tue, 19 Oct – Storm to debut new espresso machines and grinders at HostMilano. New models include the Pilot, Profilo, and Tempesta FRC espresso machines. The Faro grinder will also be showcased at Storm’s booth at the coffee event.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Submissions still open for AVPA International Contest of Coffees Roasted at Origin. Last year’s competition included over 150 coffees from 25 countries. Applications close on 31 October.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Rain in Brazil causes arabica prices to drop. Rainfall helped to initiate flowering in arabica-producing regions for the 2022/23 harvest. On 18 October, arabica prices fell some 2% to US 221.96 cents.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Fundraiser launches for two-time El Salvador barista champion Víctor Flores Menéndez. Menéndez was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Funds raised will be used to finance his treatment and support his family.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Dalla Corte to launch Icon espresso machine and Edge grinder at HostMilano. The Icon is designed for the HoReCa market with a customisable back panel, while the new compact Edge grinder includes a touchscreen display.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Food 4 Farmers and GrainPro launch strategic partnership in Latin America. Hermetic storage technology company GrainPro will provide financial support to non-profit Food 4 Farmers, which currently operates in Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The partnership will also leverage the leadership of both GrainPro and Food 4 Farmers.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Röststätte launches new Frozen Coffee Box. The Berlin roaster’s new kit includes a bag of coffee and five glass tubes for freezing individual doses. The roaster’s Head of Education Nicole Battefeld-Montgomery has published a set of best practices for freezing roasted coffee.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Online green coffee platform Typica launches in UK. Through the platform, producers and UK roasters can directly trade coffee, starting at one bag (60kg). By 2025, Typica aims to support over 5,000 producers in 70 countries. Since launching in Japan in April, the platform includes 800 roasters from 12 countries.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Cooperative Coffees and The Chain Collaborative set to host three-part webinar series. The three virtual events will address the impact of climate change on the coffee industry, focusing on carbon sequestration as a tool for producers. The webinars will take place on 21 October, 4 November, and 18 November and will be presented in English with Spanish translations.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Frozen capsule company Cometeer raises US $35 million in Series B funding round. Cometeer has so far raised US $100 million in funding, which will be used to scale production. Sales and shipping are now open to the public, including capsules from roasters such as Klatch Coffee and Onyx Coffee Lab.

• Wed, 20 Oct – Oatly and Alpro partner on Plant-Based Food Alliance in UK. The Alliance will work on a UK Plant-Based Food Charter that will provide framework for building systems which promote plant-based diets. The Alliance will also advocate for improved product labelling and public campaigning on environmental issues, as well as advocating for more support for farmers moving towards dairy alternatives.

• Thu, 21 Oct – CBD coffee company Flower Power Coffee joins SCA. Flower Power is one of the first CBD-focused coffee companies to join the organisation. CEO Chuck Siegel says the membership will secure the company’s long-term growth.

• Thu, 21 Oct – WCR to host Think + Drink 2021 webinar on 27 October. Speakers include CEO Dr. Vern Long, Scientific Director Dr. George Kotch, Strategy and Communications Director Hanna Neuschwander, and VP of Peet’s Coffee & Tea Doug Welsh. The annual gathering will discuss topics such as the 2021 IPCC report and WCR’s new breeding programme. The webinar will be held at 17:00 CEST.

• Thu, 21 Oct – Masterpieces by Daterra auction to be held on 30 November. The auction will showcase 15 microlots, including of the Laurina and Aramosa varieties. The theme of this year’s auction is inspired by indigenous Brazilian communities. Samples are available to purchase.

• Fri, 22 Oct – Winners announced for first-ever CoE Ecuador. The highest scoring coffee was a washed Typica Mejorado from Arashi farm, achieving 90.39 points. Three coffees scored over 90 points, while all coffees scored over 87 points. The 2021 CoE Ecuador auction will be held on 29 November.

• Fri, 22 Oct – Olam Food Ingredients launches new branding as “ofi”. The global food and spice trader will focus new branding on sustainability and direct trade supply chains. ofi recently opened a new soluble coffee processing facility in Brazil to serve increasing demand.

• Fri, 22 Oct – Fairtrade International and B Lab launch partnership. The two sustainable certification organisations (including for coffee) announced they will work collaboratively to pursue the UN’s SDGs, which include reducing poverty and improving gender equity by 2030.

• Fri, 22 Oct – Wega to showcase espresso machines and grinders at HostMilano. The WBar, Nova, Urban, and WMini machines will be available at Wega’s booth at the coffee event. The new line of RCW grinders includes AutoDosing technology.

• Fri, 22 Oct – Nestlé announces Starbucks products were largest contributor to nine-month 2021 sales growth. Sales of Starbucks-branded retail products were up 15.5% on 2020, while Nespresso capsules were up 11.3% on 2020. Overall, Nestlé’s sales increased 2.2% to CHF 63.3 billion (US $68 billion).

• Fri, 22 Oct – Uragan to showcase high performance dishwashers at HostMilano. The line of dishwashers was developed in collaboration with Univerbar and water treatment company BWT. The Uragan 40 model is designed for glasses and coffee cups.

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

• Mon, 11 Oct – First Libya Coffee Expo attracted 10,000 visitors. The event was held in Tripoli on 1 October and included a barista competition. The second expo will be held on 30 September 2022.

• Tue, 12 Oct – SCA provides updates on 2021 Board of Directors election. The final ballot now includes Sales Manager for Simonelli Group Giovanni Fucili. Voting will open on 1 November and close on 30 November.

• Tue, 12 Oct – Fundraising campaign launched for Zen Café barista Michelle Strong. Strong was the victim of a car accident in South Bend, Indiana and is currently in the ICU at a local hospital. Donations will be used to fund her hospital treatment.

• Wed, 13 Oct – Coffee start-up Blank Street receives US $25 million in Series A funding round. The mobile New York coffee company will use funding to expand retail growth and develop a new wholesale vendor programme. Blank Street aims to have 100 retail locations in New York City by the end of 2022.

• Wed, 13 Oct – Starbucks partners with Netflix on novel adaptation TV series. But Have You Read the Book? will be filmed in Starbucks locations across the US. The show will feature authors, cast, and series creators discussing the process of adapting novels to TV shows.

• Thu, 14 Oct – Luckin Coffee Board of Directors adopt shareholder rights plan. The plan aims to protect the interests of the coffee chain’s shareholders and the long-term value of their investments. The shareholder rights plan is part of Luckin’s restructuring agreement after findings of financial misconduct in 2019.

• Thu, 14 Oct – DMCC awarded 2021 Global Free Zone of the Year award for 7th consecutive year. The award was provided by Financial Times’ fDi Magazine. DMCC also received the Middle East Free Zone of the Year.

• Thu, 14 Oct – AccuWeather announces expansion of MinuteCast weather forecast tool in Latin America and Caribbean. The precipitation tracking tool offers minute-to-minute forecasts four hours ahead, which can be used by coffee farmers to predict erratic and detrimental weather patterns. The app can be downloaded for free.

• Thu, 14 Oct – IAC research finds coffee is second most consumed beverage in Brazil. Along with the Axxus Institute and Campinas State University, over 4,000 participants were surveyed about their coffee consumption. During the pandemic, Brazilians increased their coffee consumption, with 21% opting for lower-priced coffee products.

• Fri, 15 Oct – American Journal of Managed Care publishes research on coffee consumption and liver stiffness. The study included over 4,500 participants and evaluated the effects of regular and decaf coffee. Individuals who consumed over 3 cups of coffee were found to have decreased liver stiffness, which may be beneficial for those who have or are at risk of liver disease.

• Fri, 15 Oct – The Barista League puts out calls for content curators for 2022 High Density event. Content curators will present topics at the online event. Applications will close on 22 October and participants will be announced on 29 October. High Density 2022 will be held in March.

• Fri, 15 Oct – Oatly opens Singapore production facility. The joint facility was opened in partnership with food and beverage company Yeo Hiap Seng Limited. Oatly’s first factory outside of Europe and the US will produce oat milk for Asian markets.

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Photo credits: Nicole Motteux