March 18, 2022

Coffee News Recap, 18 Mar: Coffee prices rise for 17 consecutive months, US coffee consumption hits two-decade high & other stories

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

Mon, 14 Mar

  • Green coffee marketplace Fantine launches online. The B2B platform directly connects producers to green coffee buyers. Alongside the launch of the marketplace, Fantine is releasing a non-fungible token (NFT) to support the Fundación Germinar coffee training school in Colombia. The NFT was created by children involved in the Coffee For Peace project.

Tue, 15 Mar

  • Specialty Coffee Association announces World Coffee Championships qualified sponsors. Cafetto is the Qualified Cleaning sponsor for the World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, and World Cup Tasters Championship. BRITA is the Qualified Water Filtration sponsor for the World Brewers Cup and World Cup Tasters Championship. Sage is the Qualified Brewer sponsor for the World Cup Tasters Championship. Breville is the Exclusive Coffee Brewer sponsor for the World Brewers Cup.

Wed, 16 Mar

  • Starbucks announces Howard Schultz will be CEO for third time. At the 2022 annual shareholder meeting, the company announced that Schultz will replace Kevin Johnson as the interim CEO. Johnson will leave his position on 4 April and step down into an advisory role. Starbucks also announced it will relaunch the automatic single-serve Clover brewing system in its US stores. The coffee chain plans to install the Clover Vertica to all company-owned US locations by 2025.
  • Brazilian coffee farmers expected to use less fertiliser in 2022. This is a result of the frost in July, as producers uprooted and pruned more trees. Following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the volume of fertilisers purchased in Brazil over a two-day period was the equivalent of levels bought throughout all of January. However, most fertiliser was purchased by soybean, corn, and wheat producers.
  • Peet’s Coffee launches plant-based seasonal drinks. The coffee chain’s spring drinks range includes the Hazelnut Oat Latte, Vanilla Almond Latte, and Cold Brew with Vanilla Oat Foam. Peetnik Rewards members can also purchase the Hazelnut Cold Brew Oat Latte through the mobile app.
  • Robusta prices rise in Brazil as a result of decreasing arabica production. Per bag, robusta received R$540 (US $106) at the beginning of 2021, but is now being sold for R$820 (US $162). The cost of production has also increased, with the Cooabriel co-operative claiming costs have jumped from R$222 (US $44) to R$517 (US $102), mainly attributed to rising fertiliser costs.
  • Winners of 2022 Italian Coffee Championships announced. The Italian Barista, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasters championships were held at SIGEP from 12 to 16 March. Matteo Pavoni is the 2022 Italian Barista champion, Giacomo Vannelli is the 2022 Italian Brewers Cup champion, and Fabio Dotti is the 2022 Cup Tasters champion.
  • Starbucks pledges to phase out single-use cups. The chain is piloting reusable cup programmes in six international markets (including the US, UK, and Japan) to reach its goal of halving waste levels by 2030. The company will encourage customers to bring their own reusable cups. Starbucks is also installing electric vehicle chargers in 15 US stores by the end of 2022.

Thu, 17 Mar

  • Dubai’s DMCC signs trade agreements with Turkey. The UAE trade authority held several exhibitions and discussions in Istanbul to boost bilateral trade relations. DMCC signed 13 trade agreements to partner with over 400 Turkish businesses – including coffee companies.
  • coffee&climate to host webinar on 30 March. Missed Wake-Up Call: The Coffee Industry and the Impacts of Climate Change will feature climate scientist Dr. Peter Baker providing insights on how smallholder producers might be affected by climate change. The webinar will be held at 15:00 CEST.

Fri, 18 Mar

  • SCA US announces 2022-24 National Committee members. The 2022-24 committee appointed 9 positions via a lottery selection. The new National Coordinator position was elected through a voting system, while 14 committee members are returning to their positions.

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

  • Wed, 9 Mar – Nestlé to build new US production facility in Arizona. The company will invest US $675 million in the new facility, which will produce Coffee Mate creamers and Starbucks-branded products. The facility is set to open in 2024 and will use 100% renewable energy by 2025.
  • Thu, 10 Mar – World Coffee Research seeks funding from US government. WCR’s advocacy activities are looking to increase Congressional support for legislation benefitting the coffee industry, namely the Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act (CPHIAA) and the Global Food Security Act. So far, 13 members of Congress are cosponsoring the legislation.
  • Sat, 12 Mar – First Starbucks in South Florida files to unionise. Around 70% of employees at the Hialeah location have registered with the National Labour Relations Board. Four other Starbucks locations in Miami-Dade County are reportedly set to file for unionisation.

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories.

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