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

Mon, 28 Mar

• UK roaster 200 Degrees releases Women Farmers Gift Box. The set includes coffees from Mexico, Colombia, and Honduras and will be available until the end of March.

• Specialty Expo to host 2022 US Coffee Championships from 8 to 10 April. The remaining 2020 US Cup Tasters Championships, US Coffee in Good Spirits, and US Roaster Championships will be held alongside the 2022 US Barista Championships, US Brewers Cup, and US Latte Art Championships at the event in Boston.

• Co-founder of Costa Coffee passes away. Sergio Costa, who co-founded the chain with his brother Bruno, passed away in Monaco. The Costa brothers set up their first coffee roastery in London in 1971.

• Coffee leaf rust (CLR) research project begins in Hawaii. The partnership – led by the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council – is receiving funding from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s (FFAR) Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research programme. Research from FFAR has identified the strain of CLR affecting Hawaii’s coffee plants. Under the FFAR grant, the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture is creating and distributing management materials to help coffee farmers identify CLR.

• Haitian government and World Food Programme support climate resilience initiatives for coffee farmers. Unpredictable rainfall patterns have been affecting farmers in the north of Haiti. The projects are helping producers to build flood prevention systems and irrigation channels, which can mitigate the negative effects of floods and droughts on coffee crops.

• Studies from American College of Cardiology find coffee consumption can increase life expectancy. Researchers found that consuming between 2 and 3 cups of coffee per day lowered the risk of developing heart conditions, as well as death by any cause, by 10% to 15%. Lower death rates were found across all types of coffee consumption, including decaf and instant.

Tue, 29 Mar

• Accademia del Caffè Espresso opens in Florence, Italy. The coffee research and cultural centre opened in the old La Marzocco factory in the city. The Accademia del Caffè Espresso aims to educate visitors about the history of espresso, as well as the wider coffee supply chain.

• Direct trade platform Typica organises “blind” coffee auction. Roasters from 9 countries placed 49 bids on the coffees up for auction, with prices up to 2.5 times higher than usual for the most popular coffees on the platform.

• Ugandan Coffee Development Authority distributes coffee wilt disease-resistant variety to farmers. The new variety was provided to producers in the Kitgum and Lamwo districts. The UCDA has appointed Community Coffee Development Advisors to initially plant the new variety and provide farming guidance to coffee farmers in both districts.

• Fire Department Coffee to raise US $40,000 to support Ukraine. The roaster’s charitable foundation is working with Project Joint Guardian to fly volunteer first responders to Poland. The volunteers will travel to Ukraine and distribute donated goods and provide humanitarian assistance.

• Global instant coffee market estimated to be US $98.7 billion by 2028. The compound annual growth rate is predicted to be over 6% during the analysis period, according to a new report from Million Insights. The Asia Pacific instant coffee market is expected to experience the most growth.

• Italy’s bid for UNESCO protected status for espresso rejected again. Italy initially submitted an application in 2021, but this was denied as two different agencies filed simultaneously. The 2022 bid has also been rejected by Italy’s UNESCO Commission, as it instead approved the candidacy for the “Italian art of opera”.

Wed, 30 Mar

• International Coffee Organisation partners with IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative on living wage programme for producers. IDH will provide support to build on commitments established in ICO’s Coffee Public Private Task Force in 2018. The two organisations will work with companies, governments, and other stakeholders in the coffee supply chain to close living income gaps for farmers. The ICO and IDH will also jointly organise the fourth CEO and Global Coffee Leaders Forum, with dates to be announced soon.

• Cropster announces Andrew Driscoll as new Café Sales Manager. Driscoll has worked across the coffee supply chain for over 20 years and has extensive experience in café management.

• Colectivo Coffee’s request to review unionisation denied by National Labour Relations Board. The vote in April 2021 resulted in a 99-99 tie, but after an initial review from the NLRB, the vote was declared 106-99 in favour of unionising. In January 2022, Colectivo requested the vote to be reviewed by the NLRB, but this request has been denied. Colectivo Coffee has now officially unionised.

• coffee&climate hosts Missed Wake-Up Call: The Coffee Industry and the Impacts of Climate Change webinar. The virtual session included climate scientist Dr. Peter Baker and Programme Manager Climate at Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Stefan Ruge. The webinar is available to watch on YouTube.

• Re:co Symposium 2022 to take place from 6 to 7 April. The event will be held online and in-person in Boston, with speakers including Executive Director of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance Dr. Sarada Krishnan.

• Starbucks EMEA reports 41% revenue increase on 2020. Total revenues for fiscal year ending October 2021 reached US $237 million. Starbucks EMEA says drive-thru sales helped improve financial performance, including reversing a US $74 million fall in sales from 2020.

Thu, 31 Mar

• London Coffee Festival takes place at the Truman Brewery. The event will be held until 3 April and will feature the 2022 Coffee Masters barista competition.

• KeepCup releases reusable bottle. The KeepCup Bottle unscrews in the middle and can be used for a range of beverages, including coffee. The new reusable bottle is available in ten different colours.

• Scottish roaster Cairngorm Coffee appoints new operations director. Harris Grant, founder of vegan fashion brand Treen, is now also a co-owner of Cairngorm Coffee. The company experienced significant financial loss during the pandemic, but has since seen 1,100% growth in online sales. Cairngorm recently rebranded its packaging and launched a subscription service.

• Sucafina invests in climate-smart agriculture start-up. Agrosmart’s data network includes more than 100,000 farmers across nine countries in Latin America. The start-up uses data and analytics to help farmers increase yields, as well conserving water and energy use.

• Olam Specialty Coffee launches European ecommerce B2B platform. Olam has been trading green coffee for more than ten years in the US. Roasters can now purchase green coffee in GBP and Euro from Olam’s UK and Hamburg warehouses.

• African direct trade platform hosts NFT auction. Afrovalley’s BunaKoo Dancing Goats Collection auction took place online, selling six pieces of digital art to raise money for coffee quality and productivity initiatives in Ethiopia.

• Amsterdam Coffee Festival and Dutch National Coffee Championships take place. The Dutch Brewers Cup, Latte Art Championships, Barista Championships, and Cup Tasters Championships are being held at the festival, which runs until 2 April.

Fri, 1 Apr

• Finnish brand Rens produces hoodies made using recycled coffee grounds. Each hoodie is produced using 43 cups of used coffee grounds, as well as recycled plastic and bamboo. For every hoodie purchased, Rens customers will receive a limited-edition NFT.

• World Coffee Research appoints new Director of Research & Development. Dr. Tania Humphrey will oversee WCR’s global research portfolio and partnerships. Prior to joining WCR, Dr. Humphrey was Vice President of R&D at horticultural research organisation Vineland Research & Innovation Centre.

• Certification body 4C publishes first Approach & Impact report. The report covers the development of 4C’s impact since its establishment in 2018, including how it has helped prevent deforestation and promote climate-friendly coffee production.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Anacafé launches second One of a Kind Guatemala auction. This marks the auction’s first Private Collection instalment, with the aim of increasing market access for lesser-known producers. The auction will be held on 28 July 2022.

• Planetary Design joins Conservation Alliance. The coffee brewing equipment manufacturer, which includes brands such as BruTrek and Airscape, joined the alliance, which supports grassroots conservation groups across North America.

• Dubai roaster Coffee Planet launches 90+ coffee line. Coffee Planet’s 90+ coffees include the Panamanian Paché variety from the Ruiz farm and a fermented Colombian coffee from Finca Las Margaritas. The exclusive coffees are available while stocks last.

• Coffee Quality Institute announces second Laos green coffee competition and auction. The event is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded CLEAN Project, which is working to develop the agricultural sector in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The competition and auction will take place in April, with the winners announced in May.

• Pret A Manger joins coffee capsule recycling scheme. The Podback scheme was created by Nestlé and Jacob Douwe Egberts as the UK’s first nationwide recycling initiative for coffee capsules. Pret customers can order Podback recycling bags, which can be deposited at more than 6,500 collection points in the UK.

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

• Mon, 21 Mar – UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Cuba launch coffee project. The Agroforestry Cooperative Development Project (PRODECAFE) aims to increase coffee production in eastern Cuba, as well as improving smallholder farmer resiliency to climate change. PRODECAFE will work with 300 co-ops, totalling some 68,250 farmers.

• Tue, 22 Mar – Employees at Seattle Starbucks location unanimously vote to unionise. The number of unionised company-owned stores in the US now totals seven, but more than 100 stores have filed to unionise in the country.

• Wed, 23 Mar – Keurig Dr Pepper joins Water Resilience Coalition. The company, which manufactures Keurig coffee capsules, hopes to achieve net positive water impact by 2050. By 2025, Keurig aims to improve its operational water use efficiency by 20%.

• Wed, 23 Mar – Kofra Coffee Roasters launches reusable tin for retail coffees. The tin can be used for both whole bean and ground. Customers receive 10% off their first retail coffee purchase when using the refillable tin.

• Wed, 23 Mar – Nestlé provides updates on operations in Russia. The company stated it will continue to only provide essential food and beverage items in the country as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. Production for brands such as Nespresso have been suspended in Russia.

• Thu, 24 Mar – JAB Holding Company commits to reducing carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2025. The company – which owns brands such as Pret A Manger and Peet’s Coffee – will increase emissions reduction initiatives up to 95% by 2030.

• Thu, 24 Mar – Lavazza partners with roaster manufacturer to expand roasting facility. Brambati will provide the company with three of its newest roasters, and will assist Lavazza to increase its storage capacity and install new conveyor lines at the roasting plant.

• Fri, 25 Mar – Nurture Brands closes £2.5 million (US $3.3 million) funding round for Myracle Kitchen. Money raised will be used to support the North American expansion of the plant-based milk brand.

• Fri, 25 Mar – Monaco’s Conti launches prosumer espresso machine. The single-group Ace machine includes a dual boiler and will be available in late 2022.

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Photo credits: Juan Ricardo