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

Mon, 29 Aug

• Ethiopian government reports US $1.4 billion in earnings from 2021/22 coffee exports. For a second consecutive year, coffee was the country’s highest export earner. The government estimates that revenue from coffee exports could increase further in 2022/23 as coffee prices remain high.

• Coffee Fest Los Angeles takes place from 28 to 30 August 2022. The event includes seminars and workshops, as well as the Latte Art World Championship and the US Cold Brew Championship.

• International Coffee Organisation to sign new International Coffee Agreement at the 4th CEO & Global Leaders Forum. The event will be part of the 134th Session of the International Coffee Council, and will take place on 5 October 2022 in Bogotá, Colombia.

• Franke Coffee Systems opens new showroom and training facility in Japan. The Swiss coffee machine manufacturer opened the location in Tokyo. Franke aims to expand in the Asia-Pacific market.

• Lavazza to return as official coffee sponsor of 2022 US Open Tennis Championship. The renewed partnership will last until 2025, with the Italian company’s RTD cold brew products available at the tournament grounds. The US Open will take place until 11 September 2022.

• Westrock Coffee goes public on Nasdaq stock market. Following the closure of its business combination with Riverview Acquisition Corporation, the company raised around US $300 million in equity capital and entered into a new credit agreement for US $350 million.

Tue, 30 Aug

• National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC) expresses concern over new income tax reforms. The FNC says smallholder farmers will be the most affected by certain aspects of the country’s new tax legislation, such as a higher tax on “ultra-processed beverages” – including instant coffee products. The federation is calling for the Colombian government to reconsider some of the proposed tax reforms, including implementing differentiated tax percentages for rural workers.

• UAE roaster Coffee Planet plans to enter UK market. The company says it aims to open ten stores in the UK as part of its international expansion plans.

• English AeroPress Championship to be held on 24 September 2022 in London. This year’s competition will be hosted by Caravan Coffee Roasters. The winner will represent England at the 2022 World AeroPress Championship from 1 to 3 December 2022.

• First Regenerative Organic Certified coffee products launched in the US. Four producer groups in Nicaragua and Sierra Leone have received the certification, which is certified by the Regenerative Organic Alliance. The coffees are currently being sold at Equator Coffees, Heirloom Coffee Roasters, Canyon Coffee, and Groundwork Coffee.

• ofi secures US $1.975 billion sustainability-linked loan. The three-year loan, which also includes a two and three-year revolving credit facility, will be used to achieve the food and beverage supplier’s sustainability targets – including in its coffee supply chains.

• Global Coffee Platform’s 2021 Snapshot report shows 55% of green coffee purchased by eight coffee multinationals meets some sustainability standards. The report includes data from JDE Peet’s, Melitta Group, Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestlé, Strauss Coffee, SUPRACAFÉ, Tesco, and Westrock Coffee. According to the report, the volumes of sustainably-sourced green coffee increased by 29% on 2021. However, the organisation emphasises that larger coffee companies still need to improve their sustainability efforts.

Wed, 31 Aug

• Marco Beverage Systems to partner with Beyond the Bean at 2022 Caffè Culture. The beverage dispense solutions company will provide Beyond the Bean with its POUR’D dispense system at the event, which takes place from 1 to 2 September 2022. The POUR’D dispense systems will be used to prepare several beverages, including cold brew and cocktails.

• Qima Coffee and RD2 Vision publish report to clarify names of Yemeni coffee varieties. The study explores the relationship between the genetic identity of local coffee varieties and variety names used by Yemeni farmers. Researchers studied 148 farms in Yemen’s major coffee-growing regions and found that local names used by farmers do not accurately represent the varieties. Qima Coffee hopes the report will improve traceability and market value in Yemeni coffee supply chains.

• Cup of Excellence Brazil 2022 open for sample submissions. The Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association estimates around 800 samples will be received for this year’s competition. Pre-selection begins 22 September 2022 and the final auction will take place on 1 December 2022.

• Coffee Masters NYC announces 12 competitors ahead of October finals. Competitors from the US, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Italy, Slovakia, and the UK will take part in the final round from 7 to 9 October 2022 at the New York Coffee Festival.

• Costa Coffee opens first “uplift design” location in the Middle East. Zayani Foods, the region’s Costa franchisee, opened its 15th branch in Bahrain, which is the the first in the region to incorporate the brand’s new “feel-good” design concept.

• Specialty Coffee Association announces candidates for 2023-24 Board of Directors elections. The eight candidates include Managing Director of Drop Coffee, Joanna Alm, President of Toddy, Julia Leach, and Global Coffee Lead at Nestlé, Wendy Christensen. Voting will open on 1 November 2022.

• Torque Coffee to donate 20% of September coffee sales to Heifer International. In collaboration with several donor partners, the roaster will triple match all coffee sales throughout the month to a total of US $2 million. All donations will be sent to Heifer International, an organisation working to alleviate poverty in 21 countries.

Thu, 1 Sept

• Jacob Douwe Egberts launches new L’Or Barista coffee capsule machines in the UK. The new machines are compatible with the brand’s XXL capsules, which contain around twice as much ground coffee as regular capsules.

• Cafe Imports’ Colombia Best Cup competition to take place from 18 to 25 September 2022. Trip participants will have the opportunity to taste and score 15 microlots from several of Colombia’s coffee-growing regions, including Cauca and Huila.

• Danish dairy company Arla Foods records positive 2022 half-year results driven by sales of Starbucks products. Arla reported 17% revenue growth for the first half of the year, highlighting how out-of-home coffee consumption increased sales of Starbucks-branded RTD products.

• Starbucks to appoint Laxman Narasimhan as new CEO. Bloomberg reports that the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc will join Starbucks on 1 October 2022, and will replace interim CEO Howard Schultz in April 2023. Narasimhan has previously worked for PepsiCo. Schultz will remain with the company as an advisor.

• Neumann Kaffee Gruppe releases 2022 Sustainability Report. The report includes data on the company’s sustainability efforts from across 25 countries, including its Responsible Business Programme, as well as carbon footprint assessments across its supply chains.

• MICE 2022 announces finalists for the 2022 Product Innovation Awards. Finalists include the Heylo Coffee Module in the Coffee Preparation Equipment category, Eureka’s Prometheus grinder in the Ancillary Electrical Equipment category, and Weber Workshops’ Unifilter in the Coffee Accessories category. MICE attendees can submit their votes at the event, which takes place from 27 to 30 September 2022.

Fri, 2 Sept

• Expo Café Uruguay to be held from 3 to 4 September 2022 in Montevideo. The event will include more than 30 exhibitors and the 2022 Uruguay Latte Art Championship.

• Kahwa Coffee Roasters to franchise in the US. The roaster says it will initially focus on franchise expansion in Florida before opening more locations nationwide. It currently operates 15 corporate locations in the US.

• Tallinn Coffee Festival 2022 takes place in Estonia. The two-day event will include the 2022 Estonian Cup Tasters Championship, as well as an exhibition and panel discussions.

• Fluid Coffee hosts 2023 US Barista Championship preliminaries in San Francisco. The preliminary rounds will determine which competitors will take part in the national 2023 US Barista Championships.

• No Filter Coffee Fest to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina on 25 September 2022. The event – formerly known as the POUR Coffee Festival – will feature more than 30 coffee businesses, including roasters and equipment retailers.

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

• Sat, 20 Aug – Quietly Coffee announced as official roaster of 2022 World AeroPress Championship. The Ontario company will roast coffee supplied to competitors taking part in the final round, which will be held in Vancouver BC, Canada.

• Tue, 23 Aug – Moccamaster collaborates with streetwear brand Supreme. The limited-edition automatic brewers are included in the 2022 Fall/Winter Supreme Lookbook.

• Wed, 24 Aug – Taiwanese Barista Coffee chain executives found guilty of mislabelling claims. The Shilin District Court says the company misrepresented its coffee blends after adding robusta beans to products labelled as 100% arabica.

• Thu, 25 Aug – US National Labour Relations Board accuses Starbucks of withholding union workers’ raises. The board alleges unionised workers have been denied raises and other job benefits since May 2022, which is a violation of the National Labour Relations Act. A hearing for the case is scheduled for 25 October 2022.

• Thu, 25 Aug – UK Starbucks franchisee 23.5 Degrees aims to operate 300 stores by 2027. The company plans to open another 20 locations this year – totalling more than 100 stores by the end of 2027.

• Fri, 26 Aug – Presta Coffee Roasters hosts 2023 US Coffee Championship preliminary rounds in Arizona. The Tuscon roaster held the preliminary rounds for the US Barista, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasters Championships.

• Fri, 26 Aug – Dutch Bros appoints former Nike executive to board of directors. Ann Miller will leave her role as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Nike to head the Audit and Risk Committee for the drive-thru coffee chain.

• Sat, 27 Aug – Coffee machines worth £300,000 stolen from Birmingham warehouse. Burglars raided a warehouse storing grinders and coffee machines which were to be shipped to Dubai, Australia, South Africa, and other countries. Police are currently investigating the case.

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