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

Mon, 19 Sep

• Nairobi Coffee Exchange reports 39% year-on-year increase in coffee earnings. Kenya’s national coffee auction platform says the country sold 52.58% more 60kg bags of coffee in the 11 months to August 2022, representing an increase in coffee earnings of US $81 million. The improved performance has been attributed to a global supply shortage and increased volumes.

• “Colombia, Land of Diversity” auction scheduled for 1 October in Neiva, Huila. A total of 41 finalist lots will be auctioned at the event, which is organised by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. It will form part of the second International Fair of Coffee, Cocoa and Agritourism, with the aim of promoting the sensory diversity of Colombian specialty coffee.

• International Women’s Coffee Alliance Australia to host Stronger Together Brekky in Melbourne. The IWCA’s local chapter is inviting coffee professionals to a safe space where women and other marginalised people in the industry will share their individual experiences. The panel discussion is set to be held at Axil Coffee Roasters on 28 September and will be accompanied by coffee, food, and a raffle.

• New xBloom coffee machine with patented extraction design launching soon on Kickstarter. The company has partnered with roasters like Intelligentsia, Onyx, and Kaveri Coffee to create specially-designed cups of roasted beans called “xPods”. The machine uses RFID technology to read a recommended recipe from each pod, promising to “unlock the full potential of craft specialty coffee at home”.

• illycaffè announces 2022 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award finalists. The annual award recognises exceptional batches from nine different origins. This year’s finalists come from Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua, and Rwanda, and will be assessed by an independent panel of experts on 17 November.

• SIGEP The Dolce World Expo to showcase Italian coffee, pastry, and gelato innovation in Rimini. The event, which has been around for more than four decades, aims to be “the point of reference for innovations in the whole dessert-and-coffee foodservices sector”. It’s scheduled to run from 21-25 January 2023 at the Rimini Expo Centre, Italy.

• Leadership Council elections get underway for Coffee Roasters Guild, Barista Guild, and Coffee Technicians Guild. All three of the Specialty Coffee Association’s trade guilds are seeking to fill leadership positions for the coming two years. Both the CRG and the CTG have five positions to fill, while the Barista Guild has three. Nominations close on 3 October.

• Survey finds three in four US coffee drinkers “need coffee every day”. OnePoll’s survey of 2,000 US coffee consumers also found that most US coffee drinkers refuse to pay more than US $3 for a cup, and that chocolate is the food most often paired with coffee.

Tue, 20 Sep

• Latest Filtru app update enables home consumers to brew better coffee using augmented reality and Bluetooth compatibility. Filtru 3 includes several improvements to the popular educational app and includes a total of 15 brew methods, ranging from AeroPress to espresso. The app is compatible with several brands of Bluetooth scales, including Acaia and Felicita.

• Nestlé to launch “animal-free dairy” products. The company plans to launch a limited run of non-dairy milks containing protein derived from fermentation. The process, developed by Perfect Day, is driven by fungi and produces protein which is identical to the whey found in cow’s milk.

• Coffee Expo Vietnam set to explore the country’s coffee culture and industry developments from 3 to 5 November. The event is being hosted at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and will connect producers, roasters, importers, and consumers.

• NielsenIQ says on-the-go coffee consumption is making a comeback. The retail data firm says ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee sales have increased by 11% year-on-year, matched by an average price increase of 7%. Coffee capsules remain the most popular way to consume coffee at home, while packaged espresso sales in the US went up by 20% despite a 15% price hike.

• International Coffee Tea Asia 2023 scheduled for 25 to 27 May in Singapore. The show aims to bring industry professionals together and act as the “perfect conduit” for networking and knowledge sharing, while exhibiting the latest innovations in coffee and tea technology. It will be held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre.

Wed, 21 Sep

• Royal Coffee and Aillio are giving away an Aillio Bullet R1 V2 roaster to raise funds for Grounds for Health. Tickets for the raffle cost US $10 each, with all proceeds going to Grounds for Health, a non-profit organisation that provides aid to women in coffee-growing regions. The competition closes on 1 October.

• Uganda’s coffee exports drop by 28.5% in August. The Uganda Coffee Development Authority says it shipped just 501,054 60kg bags of coffee in August, compared to 700,990 60kg bags in the same month last year. The authority attributes the decrease to severe droughts.

• Leaderboard: The Coffee Game, The Roasters Pack, and Bevy Space to host the Toronto AeroPress Championship in Regent Park. The regional event will take place on 29 September, with the winner going on to represent host nation Canada at the World AeroPress Championship finals in December.

• illycaffè opens second branch of the University of Coffee in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The company says the new division is dedicated to educating both hospitality professionals and coffee consumers. Courses will cover aspects of the supply chain from farm to cup, including sensory training and brewing techniques.

• International Coffee Day 2022 to explore the theme of “the circular coffee economy”. International Coffee Day is celebrated on 1 October. This year’s theme will promote coffee farmer prosperity, discuss how the industry can reduce its impact on the environment, and explore methods to mitigate the impact of climate change by reinventing the coffee value chain around a circular economy model.

• Colombian barista Ronaldo Hurtado launches crowdfunding campaign to rebuild his father’s coffee truck. Hurtado comes from a family of coffee producers and placed fourth at the Colombian National Brewers Cup in 2018. Don Elio’s truck is vital to the farm’s operations, and Hurtado has launched a Vaki campaign to raise funds for the rebuild effort.

• Vietnam’s Trung Nguyen Legend brand expands opens first location in mainland China. Vietnam’s top coffee brand has opened a Coffee World model store in Shanghai, signalling its intent to expand its physical presence abroad. The company already uses ecommerce channels to sell its products in China, with one report claiming Trung Nguyen accounts for nearly 6% of all cups of coffee sold in the country.

• Cosmopolitan releases its list of the 10 best coffee subscriptions in the US. The lifestyle and fashion magazine awarded top spot to Trade Coffee, a brand that sources its beans from roasters across the US. Second and third place went to Blue Bottle Coffee and Bean Box, respectively.

• Climate change expected to cause multiple issues for African coffee-producing countries. Analysis by African Business suggests origins like Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania will be hit hard by adverse weather conditions brought about by climate change. In addition to yields, quality is also likely to be affected by increasing temperatures.

Thu, 22 Sep

• Puerto Rico’s coffee harvest expected to return to pre-hurricane Irma and María levels. Nespresso and TechnoServe, two of the largest investors in the country’s coffee industry, say that after 80% of the island’s coffee trees were destroyed in 2017, recovery efforts have finally paid off. Last year’s harvest reached 90% of pre-hurricane figures, and this year’s crop is expected to meet or exceed 100%.

• Oatly opens applications for its Big Idea Grant for Coffee. For the second year running, the oat milk brand is calling on small, US-based coffee companies to submit their sustainability projects for consideration. Last year saw seven winners chosen from more than 200 applications.

• East Asian coffee market set for uncertain crop season. Reports suggest that Vietnam’s subdued coffee trading is set to continue as a result of low supplies. Traders in both Vietnam and Indonesia are uncertain ahead of the 2022/23 crop season, facing a strong US dollar, rising freight costs, and higher production costs.

• Gaggia launches new La Dea espresso machine for small, premium locations. The Milanese espresso machine manufacturer’s new offering features a minimalist retro design, a 1.5l boiler, pressure and temperature profiling, and a 1.54 inch colour display. It will be on show at Triestespresso from 27 to 29 October.

• Expocafé Peru 2022 to host Peru AeroPress Championship and other promotional events. The Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cocoa has launched the Lima Coffee Shop Contest, the Peru AeroPress Championship, and the Peru Latte Art Championship, all of which will take place at Expocafé Peru 2022 from 24 to 27 November in Lima. The events are intended to promote local consumption of Peruvian coffee.

• Coffee Technicians Guild Summit slated for 29 & 30 November in Florence, Italy. The industry event will be hosted by La Marzocco and Accademia del Caffè Espresso. It will include hands-on workshops, lectures, and other activities. Registration is open.

• Veteran-owned Fire Dept. Coffee launches sample pack of its ready-to-drink coffee offerings. The business, which is run by active and retired firefighters, supports first responders in need through its Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation. Its four nitro cold brew options are Nitro Irish Coffee, Nitro Vanilla Bean Bourbon Coffee, Nitro-Charged Latte, and Nitro-Charged Shellback Espresso.

• Trade Coffee customers can win a year’s worth of coffee this National Coffee Day. The popular coffee subscription company is calling on customers to share videos of the unique ways they’re celebrating National Coffee Day in the US on 29 September. To stand a chance to win US $500 credit, entrants must tag @tradecoffeeco on Instagram and use the hashtag #NationalCoffeeDay.

Fri, 23 Sep

• Disability-inclusive Dig It! Coffee Co. launches in downtown Las Vegas. The social enterprise company promotes inclusivity by striving to close the unemployment gap for people with disabilities. Based at the shareDOWNTOWN apartment complex, the space features “Instagrammable walls”, accessible seating, and a menu that includes locally-sourced light eats.

• Athens Coffee Festival gets underway at Technopolis City. The sixth edition of the festival features around 130 exhibitors, 187 coffee brands, and an array of activities, including lectures, seminars, and various coffee competitions.

• Houston Coffee Collective hosts US CoffeeChamps Cup Tasters prelims. The event serves as a lead-up to one of the official CoffeeChamps Qualifying Competitions and involves challenges that test competitors’ sensory skills through triangulation.

• Probat hosts open day at brand-new production facility. The roaster manufacturer has launched its latest facility in the German town of Emmerich at a cost of €40 million (US $40.02 million). The facility boasts the company’s headquarters, a museum, a research and development centre, and a factory. It’s being opened up to the public on 24 September, running concurrently with the company’s Connecting Markets symposium.

• World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup to take place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 27 to 30 September. MICE is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees, who can expect a range of exhibitions, networking opportunities, and the final stages of two of the world’s foremost coffee competitions.

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

• Mon, 15 Aug – Ecuador AeroPress Championship to take place 1 & 2 October. The event is being in Loja, and aims to celebrate Ecuador’s diverse coffee community.

• Mon, 5 Sep – Belgian AeroPress Championship to take place on 2 October. The event will take place at MOK Coffee in Vilvoorde and will include “heaps of food, drinks, and dancing”.

• Tue, 6 Sep – Indonesia’s Kopi Kenangan to expand into Malaysia under new name. The company says it will open up to 10 “Kenangan Coffee” stores in neighbouring Malaysia.

• Thu, 15 Sep – Planet Oat tops US oat milk category, reporting 60% increase in year-on-year retail sales. A report by HP food shows that oat milk is now the second most popular plant-based milk category in the US.

• Fri, 16 Sep – Costa Coffee trials 100% oat milk coffee machine in England. The company is experimenting with the machine at a self-serve location based at a Shell petrol station in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. It says the machine will give customers the opportunity to try out plant-based options.

• Fri, 16 Sep – Ally Coffee announces plans to open new office in Melbourne, Australia. The green coffee trader is expanding its sales network and logistics operations into Oceania and Asia, with the first shipments of Brazilian coffee set to arrive in November.

• Fri, 16 Sep – Miko Group says its adjusted turnover increased 169% in the first half of 2022. The owner of Miko Coffee says that despite increased raw material prices and inflation, results were bolstered by the reduced impact of Covid-19 in 2022.

• Fri, 16 Sep – Genio Roasters hosts existing and aspiring South African coffee professionals at workshop in Johannesburg. The event included cupping sessions and roasting education and was assisted by Shaun Aupiais, co-founder of Red Band Barista Academy. Aupiais says the workshop was created to “add value to the roasting market in South Africa”.

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