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

Mon, 30 May

• Registration opens for 2022 Caffè Culture. The B2B event will take place at the Business Design Centre in London from 1 to 2 September.

• Applications open for October 2022 intake for Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence. The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) is accepting applications for the programme, which is organised in partnership with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). The 21-week course is open to those with at least two years’ experience in the coffee industry.

• Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cacao hosts 24th annual 2022 National Convention of Coffee and Cocoa. The two-day in-person event included more than 250 industry representatives and more than 5,000 attendees.

• New study finds coffee consumed with or without sugar can lower risk of early death. A Chinese study found people who consumed between 2.5 and 4.5 cups of coffee without sugar per day were up to 29% less likely to die at an earlier age. Those who consumed between 1.5 and 3.5 cups of coffee with sugar per day also had a lower risk of early death, although the amount of sugar was dependent on the participant.

• Romania’s 5 coffee brand to enter Hungarian market. Hungary is the fourth international market for the coffee to-go chain. The first location will open in Budapest in June 2022.

• African leaders sign declaration to include coffee in strategic agricultural commodities. The Nairobi Declaration was signed at the first-ever G-25 African Coffee Summit, held from 25 to 28 May. The declaration seeks to ensure that Africa’s coffee sectors receive more adequate funding.

• Dutch Bros raises more than US $2.3 million in one day for ALS charity. As part of the drive-thru chain’s annual Drink One for Dane Day, customers raised the record-breaking total to be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Tue, 31 May

• SCA German chapter announces 2022 Roasting Championships winner. André Kirberg will represent Germany at the 2022 World Roasting Championships at WOC Milan from 23 to 25 June.

• VEA Ventures invests in at-home coffee solutions company Ratio. As well as overseeing a number of premium coffee equipment brands, VEA is further investing in home brewing solutions. US brand Ratio manufactures a number of automated brewers, such as the Ratio Six and the Ratio Eight.

• Global coffee creamer market to grow by US $2.51 billion by 2025. The biggest drivers of the market are online sales and demand for plant-based creamers. North America is predicted to have the biggest market share during the analysis period.

• Rave Coffee launches new coffee bean refill station at Cirencester location. The refill station includes Rave’s Signature Blend No. 1, Colombia El Carmen Sugarcane Decaf No. 77, and a rotating guest coffee. Customers receive discounted prices when using the refill station.

• Employees at five Intelligentsia coffee shops file to unionise. Workers at the US specialty coffee chain requested to schedule a vote to be represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The union also represents Colectivo Coffee, which officially unionised in March 2022.

• Two more regional 2022 Turkish AeroPress Championships dates announced. The İzmir competition was held from 27 to 29 May. The Ankara regional round will take place from 24 to 25 September, and the final round will be held at the Istanbul Coffee Festival from 6 to 9 October. The winner will represent Turkey at the 2022 World AeroPress Championships from 1 to 3 December in Vancouver BC, Canada.

• Scholarship recipients announced for coffee school in Honduras. Ten producers (seven of which are women) will receive scholarships, funded by Perfect Daily Grind, to attend La Escuela de Catadores in Honduras. The school was founded by the Honduran Institute of Coffee (IHCAFÉ).

Wed, 1 Jun

• Applications open for 2023 US Coffee Championships Preliminary Hosts. There will be six to twelve preliminary rounds between July and October 2022. Successful applicants will receive an email by 27 June 2022. Applications close 15 June.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces competition results for 2022 Taiwan Private Collection. All 15 lots received over 86 points. The highest scoring coffee was a washed Gesha from Royal Bean Geisha Estate in the Chiayi region, which received 89.59 points. The auction will be held on 30 June.

• European Coffee Symposium 2022 to be held in London. The 13th annual B2B event will take place from 17 to 19 October at the Langham Hotel.

• Blue Tokai Coffee to launch beans from six first-time Indian specialty coffee producers. The first coffee in the Debut series is a light roast from Anai Kadu Estate. Each month up until August, Blue Tokai will launch coffees from two new estates.

• Cup of Excellence El Salvador 2022 announces competition results. All 27 coffees scored over 87.40 points. The highest-scoring coffee was a natural Gesha from El Conacaste in the Alotepec-Metapan region, which received 91.82 points. The auction will take place on 21 July 2022.

• Starbucks China to reopen stores in Shanghai. After two months of the country’s strict zero-policy Covid-19 lockdowns, Starbucks will reopen locations for in-store dining in 15 of Shanghai’s districts.

• Chicago roaster Metropolis Coffee Company to open second location at O’Hare International Airport. The family-owned business will open the new location in terminal five later this year.

• World Coffee Events announces Qualified Sponsors and Provided Equipment & Ingredients for 2022 World Coffee Championships. Qualified Sponsors for the the World Latte Art Championships, World Coffee In Good Spirits Championships, World Cup Tasters Championships, World Coffee Roasting Championships, and World Cezve/Ibrik Championships include San Remo espresso machines, Pentair water filtration systems, and Anfim grinders. Provided Equipment & Ingredients include Oatly, Stronghold Roasters, and Cropster. The competitions will take place at WOC Milan from 23 to 25 June.

Thu, 2 Jun

• International Trade Centre publishes French edition of the Coffee Guide in Togo. The guide is designed to be a practical tool for producers, exporters, and other stakeholders in the coffee supply chain. The French publication is a first in the history of the Coffee Guide.

• German Brewers Cup 2022 takes place in Nürnberg. The winner will represent Germany at the 2022 World Brewers Cup in Melbourne from 27 to 30 September.

• Dubai roaster Coffee Planet to expand in Saudi Arabia. The roaster is aiming to open several locations in Saudi Arabia in late 2022, as well as outlets in Egypt and the UK.

• Chernyi Cooperative to host Ukraine fundraiser. The Moscow roaster will serve its coffee at the event, which will be held at Probador Colectiva in Istanbul on 4 June. All proceeds will be donated to volunteer organisation Kyiv Angels and Kyiv wine bar and bistro Pure & Naive.

• UK brand Drink Me Chai launches new powder blend. The Drink Me Chai Artisan Blend Chai Latte was developed to be used by baristas, and can be added to iced drinks.

• Digital Coffee Future hosts second webinar of three-part series. Concrete examples: showcasing specific case studies of digitalised logistics discussed how coffee professionals can overcome logistical issues in the supply chain. The final webinar will be held on 16 June at 18:00 BST.

• Swiss brand Idroprep launches new gel pad tamper. The polyurethane gel pad “hydroforms” the coffee puck, which the company says applies more even pressure than metal or plastic tampers. Idroprep will exhibit at WOC Milan.

Fri, 3 Jun

• Certification body 4C to host gender equity webinar. The virtual panel will include speakers from the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and Vietnamese coffee exporter Simexco Daklak. The webinar will be held on 8 June at 13:30 CEST.

• COFE App launches new Siri feature for faster ordering. The new feature is available on iPhone and Apple watch devices. Customers can use Siri’s voice command to place orders.

• Cup of Excellence Guatemala 2022 announces competition results. All 30 coffees scored over 87.20 points. The highest-scoring coffee was a washed Gesha from El El Morito in the Jalapa region, which received 91.75 points. The auction will take place on 19 July 2022.

• Nepal Tea Collective to include QR codes on packaging. Customers can scan the QR codes to learn more about the farm where the tea leaves were grown, as well as when the tea was plucked, packaged, and shipped.

• Starbucks to install electric vehicle charging stations at 15 US locations. In a pilot programme with Volvo and ChargePoint, around 60 charging stations will be installed at locations along popular routes from the state of Colorado to Seattle, Washington.

• Second round of 2022 Canadian Barista Championships to be held from 4 to 5 June. The second qualifying round will be held in Calgary. The winners will go on to compete in the final national competition round, with dates to be announced soon.

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

• Tue, 24 May – Tim Hortons to open first location in Pakistan. The first store will open in the country’s second largest city of Lahore in 2022. The coffee chain plans to open hundreds of locations in Pakistan over the next few years.

• Wed, 25 May – Scooter’s Coffee appoints new Chief Development Officer. Patrick Coelho, who previously worked for Restaurant Brands International and Burger King, will support the US drive-thru chain with brand growth and expansion.

• Wed, 25 May – Coffee sales drive revenue growth for Strauss Group. The company reported a steep 79.2% decline in net income during the first quarter of 2022, but coffee sales increased around 32.6% following higher sales in the international and Israel coffee market categories.

• Wed, 25 May – McCafé Australia launches limited-edition “Australiano” coffee. The americano-style coffee contains native Australian wattleseed, chai, and McCafé roasted coffee.

• Thu, 26 May – FAT Brands to acquire Nestlé Toll House Café franchise network in US. FAT Brands will rebrand the chain as Great American Cookies, the quick-service brand it acquired in early 2021.

• Thu, 26 May – Lavazza renews partnership with major tennis tournament. Lavazza has been the official coffee sponsor for the French Open since 2015. The new agreement will be in place until 2025.

• Thu, 26 May – McCafé becomes third-largest branded coffee chain in France. Research from Project Café France 2022 found McCafé achieved more than 50% outlet growth over the past 12 months – making it one of the fastest-growing branded coffee chains in the country.

• Fri, 27 May – Registration opens for second 2022 Sensory Summit. Following on from the first coffee science and research forum at UC Davis, the second installment will take place at ZHAW. Tickets are available for purchase.

• Fri, 27 May – USAID announces winners of MujerProspera Challenge. The project awards funding to initiatives which advance women’s economic security, employment, and entrepreneurship in Central America – including in coffee-growing communities. The nine winning organisations were collectively awarded US $5 million to support their respective programmes.

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