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

Mon, 6 Jun

• Peet’s Coffee achieves 100% responsibly sourced coffee certification. The certification was verified by third-party non-profit Enveritas. The US chain currently operates 39 social and environmental initiatives in 24 coffee-growing regions.

• Google Doodle honours inventor of the espresso machine. The search engine’s temporary logo celebrated what would be Angelo Moriondo’s 171st birthday. Moriondo was credited for creating the earliest known patent for the espresso machine in 1884.

• IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative publishes Coffee Farmer Income Resilience Baseline Report. The report is part of IDH’s Coffee Farmer Income Resilience Programme, which runs until 2025. The report concludes crop diversification and intensification of sustainable farming practices are required to improve the socioeconomic livelihoods of producers.

• First-ever International School on Climate Migration launches online. The school was co-created by SOAS University of London and legal think tank Earth Refuge. The five-week course explores how climate-induced displacement is affecting vulnerable communities in agriculture-dependent countries – including those growing coffee.

• Howard Schultz to remain as interim Starbucks CEO until March 2023. Schultz returned to the company this year for a third time to replace Kevin Johnson. The next permanent Starbucks CEO will be announced this autumn.

• Robusta prices drop as Brazil continues 2022/23 harvest. Between 29 April and 31 May, robusta prices dropped by 10.57% to BRL 708.25 per 60kg bag (US 149.07 cents). According to CEPEA, up to 50% of robusta trees have already been harvested in the Rondônia state alone.

• Caffè Culture Show 2022 to host two UK National Coffee Championships. The B2B event, which will take place from 1 to 2 September in London, will also include the annual Roaster’s Forum, which will be curated by Sucafina and Libertas.

Tue, 7 Jun

• Arabica prices hit three-month high following on from Brazil’s drought concerns. Brazilian weather forecast service Climatempo predicted a limited chance of rain across Brazil over the next ten days. July contracts for arabica coffee increased 3.5% to an intra-day high of US 240.65 cents – the highest levels since February 2022.

• Indian roaster Blue Tokai Coffee opens first location in Japan. The pop-up store opened in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. The location will be open until 26 June.

• Heifer International forms strategic partnership with Ecological Foundation of El Salvador to improve agricultural productivity. The international development organisation will work with SalvaNATURA to develop and implement a number of sustainable and restorative projects to benefit smallholder farmers – including coffee producers.

• Westrock Coffee announces 20% net sales increase on 2021 first quarter. The US company reported its 2022 first quarter net sales as US $186.4 million. Westrock’s first international facility in Malaysia is set to export its first products in June 2022.

• Starbucks employees at Memphis store vote to unionise. At the Memphis location, seven union activist workers were fired, with some claiming the vote to unionise is a result of this. Employees at the location voted 11 to 3 in favour of unionising.

• J.M. Smucker reports 11% net sales increase in retail coffee category. In its 2022 fiscal year results, the company reported retail coffee net sales of US $647.2 million. Total international sales increased 12% on 2021, largely driven by rising demand for coffee products.

• Digital Coffee Future to host last of three-part webinar series. The future of coffee logistics: expectations and challenges will highlight upcoming sustainability and market trends in the coffee industry. The webinar will be held on 16 June at 18:00 CEST. Speakers will be announced soon.

• Korean National Barista Championships and Coffee in Good Spirits Championships held in Goyang. The competitions took place at the three-day 2022 Seoul Food expo, and were livestreamed via the SCA Korea chapter’s YouTube channel.

Wed, 8 Jun

• Certification body 4C hosts gender equity in coffee webinar. The virtual event included Blanca Castro of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and Nguyen Dai Duong from Vietnamese coffee exporter Simexco.

• PRF Colombia to host Barista Jam competition in partnership with Café Pergamino. Competitors will go head to head to test their latte art, brewing, and service skills. The elimination round will take place on 30 June and the final round will be held on 1 July at the Café Pergamino stand. Registration is open for 32 participants. PRF Colombia will be held at Plaza Mayor in Medellín.

• UK roaster Do Good Coffee launches ongoing donation scheme to cancer foundation. A percentage of the roaster’s wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales will be donated to the UK’s Head & Neck Cancer Foundation.

• Applications open to join The Barista League advisory board. Applicants need to have worked in the specialty coffee industry for the previous six months at any level of the supply chain. Applications are open until 22 June.

• Krispy Kreme promotes Josh Charlesworth to Global President. Charlesworth has previously served as the chain’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. As Global President, Charlesworth will oversee expansion in international markets.

• International Trade Centre to launch Spanish edition of Coffee Guide. In partnership with the International Coffee Organisation and Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC), the agency will publish a Spanish version of the guide in Peru on 30 June.

• Rainforest Alliance launches new partnership to reduce deforestation. In collaboration with CDP, Clarmondial, Conservation International, and USAID, the five-year partnership will pilot several projects in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Indonesia. The initiatives will work with indigenous communities to mitigate deforestation, including in the coffee supply chain.

Thu, 9 Jun

• Indonesia Food Exhibition held in Surabaya. The four-day event is set to attract more than 28,200 visitors and over 220 exhibitors – including international coffee businesses. A virtual expo will be held from 12 to 16 July.

• Plant-based reusable Kreis Cup launches on Kickstarter. The thermal-insulated cups are made from recycled coffee grounds and plant-based materials. The Kreis Cup is available in Travel and Latte Cup sizes.

• Faema raises donations to World Bicycle Relief. Through a partnership with the annual Giro d’Italia cycling championship, Faema created a virtual cycling challenge to raise funds for the charity. Donations will support disadvantaged communities in developing countries.

• New study finds coffee consumption can reduce risk of acute kidney injury. Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine school found those who consumed any volume of coffee had a 15% lower risk of acute kidney injury compared to participants who consumed no coffee.

• International Coffee Organisation announces the 2022 International Coffee Agreement. This is the first major update to the 60-year old agreement in 15 years. The new agreement aims to provide more efficient assistance to the private sector and governments when addressing challenges in the global coffee industry.

• Wholesaler Freshbrew Group to invest US $10 million in end-to-end coffee solutions. The investment will be used to develop the company’s production facilities, including roasting, extraction, bottling, and canning. FreshBrew’s facility expansion is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.

• Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency reports coffee, tea, and cocoa exports to UK increased 89% in 2022 first quarter. According to ApexBrasil, the rise in the UK’s Brazilian coffee exports is largely attributed to higher coffee prices and increased interest in Brazilian products.

• Athens Coffee Festival 2022 to be held from 24 to 26 September at Technopolis City of Athens, Greece. More than 130 international coffee companies will exhibit at the event, as well as over 25,000 visitors expected to attend. The 2022 Hellenic Latte Art Championships, Cezve/Ibrik Championships, and Roasting Championships will also be held at the festival.

Fri, 10 Jun

• Fairtrade Germany and Fairtrade Austria release new study on farmer economic resiliency. According to the report, farmers who are Fairtrade-certified (including coffee producers) are generally more economically-resilient – including higher earnings and increased savings.

• Agrivitae launches world-first graviola fruit-infused coffee bars. The company says the superfood contains a number of vitamins and antioxidants. The bars are available in Espresso and Latte flavours.

• Grocery delivery platform Gorillas launches private label coffee products. The Hot Damn brand will launch in Germany, France, the UK, and the Netherlands. The product range will include whole bean and roast & ground coffee, recyclable capsules, and oat milk.

• Colombia’s 2022 coffee production down 4% on 2021. So far this year, production has reached 4.5 million 60kg bags. In the last 12 months, coffee production totalled 12.4 million 60kg bags – down 10% on the same period between 2020 and 2021.

• Equal Origins to host producer-focused gender equity webinar. The non-profit will host the Roasters + Farmers = Better Together for Gender Equity virtual session on 14 June at 11:00 EST. The webinar will explore how Equal Origins’ farmer partners have implemented gender equity programmes at farm level.

• Minneapolis roaster Peace Coffee votes to unionise. The final vote tally has not been released, but a “strong majority” voted to unionise. Workers at Peace Coffee will soon begin bargaining a new employment contract.

• Grounds for Health to hold annual green coffee auction on 15 and 16 June. The non-profit provides cervical cancer screening services for women in coffee-growing communities. Last year’s auction raised US $22,534, and money raised this year will fund Grounds for Health’s self-sampling programme.

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

• Tue, 31 May – illycaffè reports 17.4% increase on 2020 revenue. The company’s 2021 revenue totaled €500 million (US $533 million). The US market grew 38.7% on 2020 – the highest growth rate of any of illy’s global markets.

• Tue, 31 May – Starbucks Japan opens circular coffee store in Togane City. The new drive-thru location is the second store to be certified under the Greener Stores Framework, which aims to reduce carbon emissions, water usage, and landfill waste. Used coffee grounds from the store will be recycled into cattle feed.

• Wed, 1 Jun – Tim Hortons Canada found to have violated privacy rules. A Canadian government investigation concluded that the coffee chain’s mobile app tracked customer locations while the app wasn’t in use. Tim Hortons stated it will delete any remaining location data and direct third-party providers to do the same.

• Wed, 1 Jun – New US $4.5 million design and renovation contract signed for UC Davis Coffee Centre. The new design and renovation will include a roastery, a brewing laboratory, sensory descriptive facilities, chemical and analytical laboratories, and classroom and innovation spaces. UC Davis says the renovation will enable it to carry out more in-depth coffee sensory research.

• Thu, 2 Jun – Registration opens for 2022 annual Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat. The four-day international roasting education event will be held in Delavan, Wisconsin from 25 to 28 August. The 2022 CRG Retreat will host a US Roasting Championship preparation workshop.

• Fri, 3 Jun – Global functional coffee market to grow over US $2.3 billion by 2025. According to Technavio, 33% of growth during the analysis period will originate from Asia Pacific.

• Sat, 4 Jun – Dutch AeroPress Championships 2022 take place in Utrecht. As part of the promotion for the event, the competition organiser partnered with microbrewery De Kromme Haring to release a limited-edition coffee IPA.

• Sat, 4 Jun – Starbucks’ workers union claims chain is illegally closing New York location. The Workers United union accuses Starbucks of violating US labour law after it permanently closed a recently unionised Ithaca store. The union claims it is an act of retaliation, whereas Starbucks says the closure is a result of staffing issues.

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Photo credits: Pergamino