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

• Mon, 29 Nov – Robusta futures continue to increase. January deliveries closed at US $2,296/tonne on 26 November. Heavy rainfall and shipping delays in Vietnam are leading to significant price increases.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) expects export increase to Russia. The UCDA met with investors from the Russian Federation to discuss robusta exports for instant coffee products. Uganda hopes to produce 20 million bags of coffee per year by 2025.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Tims China opens exclusive locations in China’s METRO stores. The Chinese division of the Tim Hortons coffee chain announced a new strategic partnership with the retailer. Tims China will operate several on-the-go locations in METRO stores, with nine stores planned for January 2022.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock concludes virtual specialty coffee roundtable. The virtual conference brought together small-to-medium sized coffee producers with buyers from Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.

• Mon, 29 Nov – La Marzocco 2021 sales jump by 60%. The Italian espresso machine manufacturer expects to close 2021 sales at over €210 million (US $237 million). La Marzocco exports machines to over 100 countries.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Coffee Collective publishes first book in English. The English version of the Danish B Corp roaster’s book The Fundamentals of Excellent Coffee covers all levels of supply chain. Shipping is scheduled for 8 December.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Colombian farm Green Coffee Company receives Rainforest Alliance certification. The company owns and operates 11 farms in the country, which all received the certification. GCC is also pursuing B Corp certification through a third party auditor.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Mazzer launches its first ever hand grinder. The Omega manual grinder contains 47mm conical burrs and a micro-step adjustment system. Shipping will begin early 2022.

• Mon, 29 Nov – Sucafina provides updates on Ugandan regenerative soil programme. Thirty demo plots were installed by Ugacof (Sucafina’s sister company in Uganda) to assess the effects of different fertilisers on soil health. Over the next 12 months, Ugacof will study the effects of fertilisers on coffee quality and yields.

• Tue, 30 Nov – Black Rock Coffee Bar opens 100th location. The US drive-thru chain chose Arizona as the location for its latest milestone. Black Rock Coffee Bar now operates in seven states across America.

• Tue, 30 Nov – Boutique coffee chain EL&N opens location at Heathrow Airport. The Terminal 3 café was opened in partnership with retail consultant Harper Dennis Hobbs. EL&N operates stores in London, Paris, Doha, and Kuwait City.

• Tue, 30 Nov – Lavazza opens Goal Zero Area at Trento Science Museum. The installation is intended to spread awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The 3D artwork, designed by the Truly Design art collective, was inspired by Lavazza’s Blend for Better logo.

• Tue, 30 Nov – World Coffee Producers Forum to host fifth webinar. The New Challenges After Covid-19: And Now What? will address logistical issues currently facing the global coffee industry. The webinar will be held on 14 December at 8:00 EST.

• Tue, 30 Nov – illycaffè announces nine finalist countries for 6th Ernesto illy International Coffee Award. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua, and El Salvador are the finalists for the annual award. illy has selected nine artists to represent each country for a digital art installation. The winning countries will be announced throughout December.

• Tue, 30 Nov – CoE Ecuador 2021 auction results announced. The highest bid was US $97.10/lb for the washed Typica Mejorado from the Arashi farm – totalling over US $19,200 for 198lbs. Total bids at the auction reached over US $250,000.

• Tue, 30 Nov – Nespresso joins new US reforestation project. The Swiss coffee machine manufacturer has partnered with American Forests to fund three projects in California, Texas, and Hawaii. Some 100,000 seedlings will be planted to restore over 320 acres of forests.

• Wed, 1 Dec – Israeli roasting start-up Griin rebrands as “ansā”. The rebranding includes a new website design and company logo. The company says its on-demand countertop roaster can roast single doses of coffee in 90 seconds.

• Wed, 1 Dec – Faema receives Archiproducts Design Award 2021 for new espresso machine. The Faemina received the award in the Kitchen Category for its sustainable design functions. These include reduced start-up times and ten-minute automatic standby.

• Wed, 1 Dec – Löfbergs sets sights on 100% circular packaging by 2030. The Swedish roaster claims it has reduced its carbon emissions by 73% since 2005. It wants to start phasing out fossil fuel-based plastics into fully recyclable options.

• Wed, 1 Dec – MILKLAB Oat to be used in Malaysian Digital Latte Art Throwdown 2021. As part of Digital Malaysia Coffee Week, remote participants can only use the company’s oat-based milk in the finals. The final rounds will take place on 1 December and 12 December.

• Wed, 1 Dec – Food4Farmers launches 2021 Giving Tuesday donation campaign. The organisation is hoping to raise US $50,000 for coffee-producing communities in Latin America. Food4Farmers partners will match all donations up to US $10,000 through 31 December. One-time donations over US $50 will receive a bag of women-grown coffee roasted by Brio Coffeeworks.

• Wed, 1 Dec – London roaster and social enterprise Old Spike to open new carbon neutral coffee shop. The carbon neutral and plastic free location will open in Piccadilly Circus, with more central London locations planned over the next six months. Each new café will provide a job for someone has experienced homelessness. Old Spike partners with the Eden Reforestation Project to plant a tree for every bag of coffee sold.

• Wed, 1 Dec – Franke launches new Digital Coffee Machine Explorer. The virtual platform allows users to explore the functions of several Franke fully automatic machines. The platform also includes personal guides and video tutorials.

• Thu, 2 Dec – Breville and Onyx Coffee Lab host seasonal drinks webinar. The Holiday Cheer and Charcoal: Coal Cappuccino and Cheer & Whip live demonstration showcased two seasonal drinks developed by the US roaster. The Coal Cappuccino includes charcoal, while the Cheer and Whip is a mocha topped with strawberry cream.

• Thu, 2 Dec – IWCA to host free webinar for chapter members. The non-profit will host a virtual seminar on improving occupational health and safety in the global coffee supply chain. The webinar is in partnership with the International Labour Organisation and will take place on 7 December.

• Thu, 2 Dec – Over 100 experts take part in German Coffee Association’s International Virtual Congress on Coffee Capsules. Speakers included Tim Decken from Nespresso Deutschland and Bill Murray from the National Coffee Association.

• Thu, 2 Dec – FNC launches women-grown coffee line. The new coffee line will be sold in the US, Europe, China, and Japan. Sales of the coffee will benefit the estimated 31% of Colombian producers who are women.

• Thu, 2 Dec – Ally Coffee opens new office in Hamburg. The office is set to open in early 2022 and will include a quality control lab. Ally also operates other European offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as locations in North and Latin America and Africa.

• Fri, 3 Dec – SCA to host Sensory Summit in February at UC Davis. The in-person event will take place from 4 to 6 February 2022, with limited tickets available. The Sensory Summit focuses on the latest findings in academic coffee research.

• Fri, 3 Dec – Nigeria joins the International Coffee Organization (ICO). The West African country finalised its membership with the ICO, making it one of the 43 coffee-producing countries represented by the organisation. Its membership will seek to improve quality and farming practices in Nigeria’s majority-robusta coffee sector.

• Fri, 3 Dec – New research reveals caffeine consumption can increase alertness and visual accuracy. The Effects of caffeine ingestion on dynamic visual acuity study was carried out in part by Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science in Canada. Findings concluded that consuming more caffeine helped to improve the speed and accuracy of identifying small moving stimuli.

• Fri, 3 Dec – Joint venture to provide US $3.2 million loan for Nicaraguan coffee farmers. IDH Farmfit Fund and Oikocredit are offering the eight-year loan for investments in a new dry mill and wet mill. Nicaragua’s coffee farmer association, Aldea Global, will manage the funds.

• Fri, 3 Dec – Rancilio launches new home espresso machine. The Rancilio Silvia Pro X will replace the Silvia Pro model in the home machine range. The dual-boiler machine, which is available in a range of colours, includes customisable pre-infusion settings.

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

• Mon, 22 Nov – Starbucks US announces festive menu items. The Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, and Toasted White Chocolate Mocha are available, as well as the Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. This year’s Starbucks Christmas Blend 2021 includes a dark roast Sumatran coffee.

• Mon, 22 Nov – Melitta Group acquires 70% stake in Italian roaster. Caffè Corsini was established in 1950. The family-owned specialty roaster’s top leadership will remain in charge of the company’s operations under the new agreement.

• Tue, 23 Nov – Indian coffee company Sleepy Owl raises US $6.5 million in Series A funding round. Funds raised will be used to scale both core product offerings and national distribution networks. Sleepy Owl sells roast and ground, cold brew packs, and RTD coffee products.

• Tue, 23 Nov – South Korean coffee chain A Twosome Place acquired by Carlyle Group. The chain currently operates over 1,400 stores. Carlyle Group will seek to upscale the number of global locations and work on menu development.

• Wed, 24 Nov – Dunn Brothers Coffee donates sales of seasonal blend to humanitarian organisation Alight. The US roaster is donating sales proceeds of the Holiday Beyond Blend to the refugee and migrant support organisation. The blend is available until 31 December.

• Thu, 25 Nov – Online marketplace “ColombianCoffee.us” launches in US. The platform sells coffee from producers, roasters, and cooperatives in Colombia directly to US consumers. Products include whole bean, roast and ground, capsules, and instant coffee.

• Fri, 26 Nov – Counterfeit Nescafé products seized in Germany. Nestlé Deutschland claims the instant coffee products were packaged in Nescafé Gold jars that are no longer commercially available. Reports state more Nescafé counterfeited products may be in circulation in the Netherlands.

• Fri, 26 Nov – Carimali releases three new fully automatic espresso machines for BlueDot range. The BlueDot and BlueDot Plus are targeted towards smaller businesses in the HoReCa market. The BlueDot Power is designed for HoReCa businesses serving higher volumes of coffee. All models include five hoppers, with three designed solely for capsules.

• Fri, 26 Nov – Peets Coffee releases new seasonal menu items. New drinks include the Holiday Spice Cold Brew Oat Latte, the Holiday Spice Latte, and the Peppermint Mocha. The Mint Matcha Latte is available exclusively to Peetnik Rewards members. Seasonal drinks are available until 4 January 2022.

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Photo credits: @miguel_reg