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

Mon, 18 Apr

• PRF Colombia announces new Host Sponsor. Forest Coffee will host up to 15 Origin Trip Experience visitors on one of its farm in Bogotá. Forest Coffee focuses on koji fermentation, among a number of other processing techniques. The PRF Colombia Origin Trip Experience will take place from 26 to 29 June, while the PRF Colombia Forum will be held from 30 June to 1 July in Medellín.

• Anker Research Institute provides living income model for Peruvian coffee farmers. Building on the goals set out by the National Coffee Action Plan, researchers calculated the living costs in Peru’s coffee-producing regions. The living income benchmark project will be implemented throughout 2022.

• Coffee cup and packaging company Hutamaki to divest operations in Russia. Hutamaki stated it is looking for buyers for the Russian division of the company following the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. The company operates four manufacturing facilities in Russia which collectively employ around 700 people.

• Ditta Artigianale releases four-processing method espresso blend. The “One – Espresso Process Blend” includes the Catuai variety sourced from Finca El Puente in Honduras. The blend includes a mix of washed, natural, semi-anaerobic, and anaerobic processing methods.

• Italian coffee equipment manufacturer Wega to unveil new espresso machine at cycling event. The new WMini will be launched at the Nova Eroica Prosecco Hills international cycling race on 1 May. The prosumer WMini is Wega’s smallest espresso machine.

• Second edition of Ethiopia Kombe la Dhahabu Fairtrade Coffee Quality Contest announces winners. As part of Fairtrade International’s Golden Cup competitions, the annual Kombe la Dhahabu event aims to support Ethiopian Fairtrade producers to improve coffee quality. The Kata Muduga Multipurpose Farmers’ Cooperative Union placed first and second, receiving 90.83 and 90 points for its natural and washed arabicas, respectively. The Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union placed third with a score of 89.67 points for its natural arabica.

Tue, 19 Apr

• Cup of Excellence opens applications for new Sensory Education Training Virtual Calibration session. The virtual event will be led by CoE head judge Scott Conary on 3 June. Applications close on 20 May.

• Online grocery platform Misfits Markets launches private label coffee. The Odds & Ends coffee blend will be available exclusively on the US platform.

• World Coffee Research to host annual Think + Drink Virtual 2022 event. The webinar will include CEO Vern Long, newly appointed Director of Research & Development Tania Humphrey, and Strategy & Communications Director Hanna Neuschwander. The event will be held at 16:00 BST.

• High levels of coffee leaf rust found in Vietnam. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Ibaraki University have found that the disease is widespread across many of the main coffee-growing regions in the country. There have also been reports of CLR outbreaks in areas growing rust-resistant varieties.

• Single-serve brewer company Bruvi appoints new board advisor. CEO of single-serve coffee brand Caffitaly Andrea Clementini will assist Bruvi with product diversification and scaling operations.

• New York roaster Oren’s Coffee celebrates 36th anniversary. Oren released its limited edition Anniversary Blend, which contains a natural Ethiopian Sidamo, a washed Papua New Guinea, and a dark roast Colombian. The blend is available until stocks last.

• Single-serve coffee packaging company NuZee launches instant coffee format. In partnership with conservation-focused Wild Society Coffee, NuZee will offer single-serve instant coffee products, which can be purchased online.

Wed, 20 Apr

• Fresh Cup Magazine relaunches as digital publication. The B2B coffee and tea magazine closed in 2020, but will now operate as an online publication. Fresh Cup is now owned by coffee professional Garrett Oden, with Ashley Rodriguez as Managing Editor.

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters serves first annual Earth Day Latte. The “Rose Gold flavoured” latte is made with Stumptown’s new Supernature blend and Oatly oat milk. For every purchase of the Earth Day Latte, Stumptown will donate US $1 to the Zero Foodprint foundation.

• Starbucks and Colombian Coffee Growers Federation to expand coffee tree planting programme. In 2020, Starbucks provided the FNC with US $3 million to distribute 23 million coffee seedlings by 2023. Starbucks will donate a total of US $7.2 million to distribute more than 45 million seedlings.

• Voting opens for Specialty Coffee Association Italy Chapter. Voting is open until 27 April for a number of roles, including National Coordinator and Community Coordinator. Election results will be announced on 4 May.

• Westrock Coffee receives Coffee Quality Institute certification. The company’s new CQI-certified lab facility in Arkansas will support its staff in achieving Q Grader certifications, alongside currently employing 30 Q Graders. The CQI-certified facility is one of five Q Venues in the US.

• Applications open for 2022 World Coffee Championship judges panel. Coffee professionals with national judging experience can apply to WCC Judge Certification events. The 2022 World Coffee Championships will be held in Athens, Milan, and Melbourne.

Thu, 21 Apr

• Panera Bread launches Unlimited Sip Club subscription. For US $10.99 per month, users can receive unlimited self-serve beverages, including filter and iced coffees.

• Automated siphon brewing system Siphonysta launches Kickstarter campaign. The Siphonysta includes settings to adjust extraction levels, as well as integrated self-cleaning technology.

• UK roaster Origin Coffee wins 2022 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. The award is presented to UK businesses for four different categories, including innovation and promoting opportunity through social mobility.

• Roasting equipment company Aillio launches 2kg-capacity AiO roaster. The AiO was debuted at the Specialty Expo in Boston. The electric, induction-heated roaster uses infrared sensors to monitor bean temperature.

• Guinness launches coffee-flavoured stout in UK. The new beverage is made with cold brew coffee, with each 440ml (15.5oz) can containing 2mg of caffeine.

• Conflict in Ukraine slows down Nestlé’s coffee category growth. The company’s 2022 first quarter report states there was high single-digit growth for Nescafé, Starbucks, and Nespresso products in the first three months of the year, but growth slowed in most markets – especially in Europe.

Fri, 22 Apr

• Nescafé launches instant iced coffee in Canada. The all-in-one Nescafé Sweet & Creamy Iced Original soluble coffee is available in grocery stores across the country.

• US roaster Bluestone Lane launches compostable coffee capsules. The Nespresso-compatible capsules are available in the chain’s four signature blends: Maverick, Bayside, Riptide, and Decaf.

• Coffee Roasters Guild launches Sustainability Toolkit. The four-part toolkit was designed to assist roasters and other coffee professionals in assessing and improving sustainability in their systems and supply chains. Coffee Roasters Guild will host the Introducing the Sustainability Toolkit webinar at 14:00 CEST.

• Brazil’s domestic robusta prices rose in early April. Reasons for the price increase are attributed to the depreciation of the US dollar against the Brazilian Real and the offseason in other major robusta-producing country Vietnam.

• Green coffee trader Raw Material launches Rwanda variety tasting set. The set includes Red Bourbon, Typica, and Nzinza varieties from the Nyabihu District. Proceeds of sales will go towards fertiliser and seedling programmes in the Nyamasheke and Nyabihu districts.

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

• Mon, 11 Apr – Weber Workshops releases “naked” Unifilter portafilter. The 58mm basket is built into the portafilter, which Weber claims helps to minimise regular cleaning. The coffee equipment manufacturer is also launching the Espresso Paper Filter in collaboration with filter maker Cafec, which can be used in most portafilters.

• Mon, 11 Apr – American Airlines adds espresso beverages to first class menu. The US airline historically served espresso-based drinks on several of its international aircraft, but removed the service during the pandemic.

• Tue, 12 Apr – Canadian Barista Institute opens new campus in Montréal. Alongside the campuses in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, topics covered at the school include extraction, latte art, and roasting.

• Wed, 13 Apr – Project Café Europe 2022 finds total branded coffee chain market grew over 3% in last 12 months. The report found that around 75% of the 40 largest branded coffee chain markets opened new outlets in the same time period. However, the report also states that rising energy costs and the conflict in Ukraine are posing challenges to the short-term growth of the European coffee market.

• Wed, 13 Apr – Australia’s Padre Coffee acquired by private equity firm Liverpool Partners. Through the acquisition, Padre Coffee will join fellow Australian company Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, which Liverpool Partners acquired a majority stake in September 2021. However, Padre Coffee and Seven Miles will operate as separate businesses.

• Thu, 14 Apr – theCaféDAO to open pop-up pourover bar at Seattle NFT Museum. From 30 April to 1 May, the company organisers will serve coffee at the museum. The company is aiming to create the world’s first brick-and-mortar Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) coffee shop – a collective with no centralised leadership.

• Fri, 15 Apr – Starbucks employees at Virginia store vote against unionisation. The loss follows on from four consecutive votes to unionise in the same week. Around 25 Starbucks stores in the US are now unionised, with over 220 locations filing for union elections.

• Fri, 15 Apr – Go Get Em Tiger and hip hop artist Freddie Gibbs collaborate on limited edition roast. The Big Rabbit Roasters Kit includes a Peruvian espresso blend and merchandise.

• Sat, 16 Apr – Starbucks CEO claims unionised workers may not receive employee benefits. In a recent statement, Howard Schultz said company benefits “legally can’t go to the growing number of stores that have voted to unionise”. Schultz reiterated that this is because, according to US labour law, company benefits for unionised workers require separate negotiations.

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Photo credits: Julio Guevara