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

• Mon, 10 Jan – Green coffee packaging company Ecotact launches in North America. The hermetic packaging brand’s nine-layer bags are now available in the US and Canada.

• Mon, 10 Jan – Israeli coffee companies to reform under Aroma Espresso Bar Israel brand. Aroma Israel and Aroma Tel Aviv separated in 1999, but will reform under one main brand identity. Aroma Israel operates over 50 international locations.

• Mon, 10 Jan – Colectivo Coffee claims employee unionisation efforts were mishandled. The official unionisation vote was counted at 106-99 in August 2021. However, the company’s lawyers claim several ballots were mishandled and unlawfully solicited. The union representing Colectivo employees allege the legal filing is an “obstructive tactic”.

• Mon, 10 Jan – Arabica futures rebound from six-week low on ICE stock market. Contracts for March deliveries closed at US 231.75 cents/lb – an increase of 3.8% over the past few weeks. Robusta futures fell slightly to US $2,350/tonne, after reaching a 10-year high earlier in the year.

• Tue, 11 Jan – Drive-thru chain Dutch Bros releases 2021 financial results. Company-operated sales increased by 11.5% throughout Q4. Dutch Bros opened a total of 35 stores in the US during 2021, including its first locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

• Tue, 11 Jan – Italian coffee brand Caffè Borbone releases compostable capsule range. Through its long-time partnership with packaging design and production company IMA, the coffee company has launched the Amici della Natura capsule line.

• Tue, 11 Jan – Hario launches new Mugen brewer. The Mugen was co-designed by 2016 World Brewers Cup Champion Tetsu Kasuya. The new plastic brewer includes star-shaped grooves, which Hario says allow for more steady extraction rates.

• Tue, 11 Jan – New multi-year monthly high for coffee prices, according to ICO’s December 2021 report. The monthly average for December 2021 prices was US 203.06 cents/lb – a 4% increase on the average price in November 2021. The ICO’s report also states global exports of coffee dropped 12.4% in November 2021.

• Wed, 12 Jan – World of Coffee Dubai attracts more than 7,000 visitors. The SCA’s flagship coffee trade show was held for the first time in the Middle East. Exhibitors include UAE roaster Coffee Planet, which showcased its 90+ coffee range.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Brazilian cooperative Cooxupé receives Nespresso’s Reliable Partner Award. Cooxupé provides coffee to Nespresso’s AAA Sustainable Quality Programme from more than 730 farms in the Cerrado Mineiro region. Since 2008, the co-op has delivered 6.4 million bags to Nespresso.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Go Fund Bean reopens Virtual Tip Jar programme for US coffee shops. The non-profit first initiated its project in March 2020 during the height of forced Covid-19 closures. Go Fund Bean is currently compiling a list of donation projects for US coffee businesses still affected by financial hardships and staff shortages.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association to increase coffee export revenue to US $6 billion by 2030. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said strengthening connections between production and trade, expanding export markets, and improving supply chain sustainability will aid growth.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Women-owned Hangover Coffee to expand product line in 2022. Co-founders Natalie Ma and Melody Jung are set to launch dark roast and decaf options for their single-serve “Pour Over Pouches”. The brand is also looking to partner with HoReCa businesses.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Turkish roaster CoffeeNutz launches single-serve Yuzen Kahve. The vacuum-sealed bags each contain one serving of coffee. CoffeeNutz recommends using 230ml (8oz) of water heated to 96°C (205°F) for best results.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Packaging company Constantia Flexibles receives TÜV Austria certification for coffee capsules. The company’s EcoPressoLid material for capsules was awarded “OK Compost Industrial” by the certification body. This is Constantia Flexibles’ first certified compostable product.

• Wed, 12 Jan – Qualified sponsors for 2022-25 World Barista Championships announced. Testing for the 2022-25 sponsors took place in Milan in October 2021. The Tempesta by Storm Barista Attitude is the Qualified Espresso Machine sponsor, the Mythos MY75 by Victoria Arduino is the Qualified Espresso Grinder sponsor, and BWT water+more is the Qualified Water Filtration sponsor. More World Coffee Championship sponsors will be announced soon.

• Thu, 13 Jan – Melbourne International Coffee Expo announces 2020-21 Product Innovation Awards winners. The Flow coffee telemetry system came first in the Ancillary Electrical Equipment category, Specialty Beverage Station came first in the Coffee Preparation Equipment category, and JOCO Aroma Lid won in the category for Coffee Accessories. Applications for the MICE 2022 Product Innovation awards are now open.

• Thu, 13 Jan – International Coffee & Chocolate Exhibition 2022 to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event will take place in the city for the third time from 16 to 19 March.

• Thu, 13 Jan – Fertiliser manufacturer Yara signs agreement to produce fossil fuel-free fertilisers. Yara signed a commercial agreement with agricultural cooperative Lantmännen to produce ammonia-based fertilisers (including for coffee) using hydropower by 2023. Yara claims the new sustainable fertilisers will reduce supply chain emissions by up to 90%.

• Thu, 13 Jan – CoE and ACE partner with grinder manufacturer Comandante to design exclusive winners range. Comandante will provide the top three winners of each CoE competition with a trophy grinder.

• Thu, 13 Jan – Producer Roaster Forum Colombia 2022 to be held from 30 June to 1 July. The annual two-day event will take place in Medellín, alongside a PRF Origin Trip Experience. More than 5,000 visitors are expected to attend PRF Colombia 2022, with tickets available to purchase soon.

• Fri, 14 Jan – SCA postpones 2022 Coffee Retail Summit. The third virtual event of its kind will now be held from 20 to 22 May, due to rising Covid-19 cases in the US. Each day of the event will focus on a different international coffee market. The summit will be free to attend.

• Fri, 14 Jan – Food & beverage company Kerry predicts most popular flavours in 2022. The Global Taste Charts report claims the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated “more sophisticated” flavour pairings, such as beer and kombucha, and lavender and chocolate. The report also says botanical, citrus, and fermented flavours are becoming more popular with consumers.

• Fri, 14 Jan – Coffee Equity Lab to launch Coffee Equity Design Challenge. Led by the Vanderbilt University, the course will host a series of coffee sustainability and equity workshops. Participants will use research to create and prototype educational tools targeted at specific challenges in the coffee industry. The course will begin on 19 January.

• Fri, 14 Jan – Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association releases coffee industry forecasts report. The association indicates a growing interest in robusta coffee, as well as increasing demand for high-quality instant. The BSCA also predicts the coffee market will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

• Fri, 14 Jan – First majority women-owned specialty roaster opens in San Fernando Valley, LA. Founder and owner of Laidrey Gacia Tachejian opened the first location on 7 January. Free public cuppings will take place on the first Friday of every month.

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

• Tue, 28 Dec – Unofficial Starbucks franchise opens in Caracas, Venezuela. Starbucks solely operates through Nestlé Venezuela, which is the only authorised distributor of Starbucks products in the country. The fake Starbucks store, named “We Proudly Serve”, could potentially face legal action for copyright infringement.

• Wed, 5 Jan – Hong Kong coffee equipment manufacturer Wug2 releases home grinder. The 83A grinder includes both interchangeable 83mm flat and conical burrs. Pre-order deliveries are expected to ship in March 2022.

• Thu, 6 Jan – Food and coffee-to-go chain Greggs appoints new CEO. Roisin Currie will move into the position on 1 February, 2022. Greggs reported a 5.3% increase in revenue early this year – exceeding pre-pandemic sales.

• Thu, 6 Jan – RTD coffee brand Daysmith Coffee+ launches new functional beverage line. The Focus Vanilla Oat Milk Latte, Immunity Mocha Oat Milk Latte, and Multi Straight Black Coffee Brew are infused with multivitamins. All of the company’s products are plant-based.

• Fri, 7 Jan – Indonesian Embassy promotes coffee trade in Egypt. A transaction signing event was held at the Cairo embassy to boost Indonesian coffee exports to the country.

• Fri, 7 Jan – Dunkin’ launches new seasonal drinks. The Brown Sugar Oat Iced Latte is available nationwide. The Winter Blend Coffee features beans from Brazil and Sumatra.

• Sat, 8 Jan – Starbucks Arizona store granted union election vote. The US National Labour Relations Board stated employees at the Mesa, Arizona location will have until 28 January to cast their votes. Since a store in Buffalo, New York voted to unionise last month, Starbucks employees at locations in Boston, Chicago, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Seattle have also filed to unionise.

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Photo credits: @575cafe