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

Mon, 7 Nov

• Fairtrade International publishes open letter to member states at COP27 to honour promises on climate crisis to safeguard coffee production. Fairtrade says the climate crisis “directly and disproportionately” affects people in the Global South, including coffee producers. It asserts that smallholder farmers “cannot be left alone to shoulder the costs of a climate change they did not cause”.

• Research from Coffee Science Foundation finds that “cold brew is more floral and less bitter, sour, and rubbery than hot brew”. The Sensory Analysis of Full Immersion Coffee study found that these four sensory attributes can vary significantly depending on brew temperature. The researchers found that although cold brew tastes less acidic than hot brewed coffee, it may contain a similar amount of acids.

• Rwanda to host 2023 African Fine Coffee Conference. The 19th edition of the conference will be held at the Kigali Convention Centre in the country’s capital from 15 to 17 February 2023. The event is expected to attract more than 2,000 roasters, as well as other exhibitors from across the supply chain.

• The 2022 Pacific Rim Coffee Summit to take place on 16 and 17 November 2022. This year’s events aims to provide a platform for producers and industry experts in the Pacific Rim region to share their insight and experience in dealing with existing and upcoming challenges in coffee production. The summit will be livestreamed in English.

• Automated brewer manufacturer Ratio partners with Coffee Manufactory to create bespoke coffees. The House Blend and Ethiopian Geta Bora pre-ground coffees are compatible with the Ratio Six and Eight machines. Each pack brews around four cups of coffee and is packaged in biodegradable material.

• Coffee prices drop in October 2022 but remain 18.1% higher than on previous year. The International Coffee Organisation says its Composite Indicator Price decreased 10.6% between September and October this year, with a median price of US 177.22 cents/lb. Coffee production for 2021/22 remains at 167.2 million 60kg bags, which represents a 2.1% year-on-year decrease.

• Suedhang Coffee publishes open letter to Specialty Coffee Association German Chapter to end compulsory use of cow’s milk in national Barista and Latte Art Championships. The German roaster says current rules are discriminatory and unsustainable. Suedhang proposes that SCA Germany “publicly promises it will refrain from the compulsory use of cow’s milk at all upcoming competitions”, as well as defining a new adapted set of rules to include plant milks – with or without the participation of SCA Global. The open letter requests a response from SCA Germany by 21 November 2022.

Tue, 8 Nov

• Olam Specialty Coffee rebrands as Covoya Specialty Coffee. The company says its new name is in homage to the “collaborative voyage behind every cup of coffee”. Covoya sources specialty coffee from over 30 producing countries.

• Camber Coffee collaborates with rock band Death Cab for Cutie on limited-edition coffee. The Washington state roaster’s new natural processed Ethiopian Sidamo coffee was launched to coincide with the release of Death Cab for Cutie’s new album Asphalt Meadows.

• New book asserts that smallholder farmer participation is key to “climate-smart” coffee production. Climate-smart Production of Coffee explores the environmental impact of coffee production and includes insight from various industry experts on how to improve sustainability in the supply chain.

• International Coffee Council hosts 11th Coffee Public-Private Task Force Open Session. The task force, which includes 16 private sector stakeholders and 16 public sector representatives of International Coffee Organisation member countries, discussed the implementation of its 2020-30 roadmap.

• Brazilian coffee farmers default on contracts for second year in a row which raises concern among traders. Coffee Geography reports that some Brazilian farmers are attempting to sell coffee on the spot market in an effort to receive higher prices, with some green coffee traders considering legal action.

• Coffee cocktails and ready-to-drink beverages among biggest coffee trends in 2022. In its latest blog post, coffee equipment manufacturer Marco Beverage Systems also says that seasonal flavours and an increasing focus on water quality are some of the biggest coffee shop trends this year.

Wed, 9 Nov

• Pachamama Coffee Co-operative secures loan from Heifer International to expand US retail footprint. Pachamama is owned by five co-operatives in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Ethiopia, which collectively represent more than 37,000 smallholder farmers. Pachamama currently roasts and sells its members’ coffee at five locations in Sacramento, California, but is planning to expand its presence in the country.

• Sintercafé International Coffee Week takes place in Costa Rica. The event, which aims to promote trade and consumption of Costa Rican coffee, is expected to attract more than 500 visitors and exhibitors.

• National Coffee Association calls for applications for 2023 NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award. The application process is now fully online, with a deadline of 16 December 2022. The award scheme forms part of the NCA’s Coffee Gives Back Programme, which aims to celebrate and promote charities working to support coffee-growing communities.

• Digital Coffee Future to host The Future of Coffee Logistics Summit on 17 and 18 November 2022. The two-day online event will discuss solutions to logistical issues in the coffee supply chain, and will include a number of panels and workshops.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Long Miles Coffee to host first-ever Burundi Private Collection Auction. Long Miles Coffee’s micro lots are sourced from its Bukeye, Heza, and Ninga washing stations in the Kayanza and Muramvya provinces. A total of 16 lots – which include natural, washed, anaerobic honey, and anaerobic natural processed coffees – will be auctioned on 8 December 2022.

• Dutch Bros reports 53% year-on-year revenue increase in 2022 Q3 report. The US drive-thru coffee chain also reported that a record 38 new locations were opened across 11 states in Q3.

Thu, 10 Nov

• La Marzocco launches new Linea Micra home espresso machine. The new machine includes dual stainless steel boilers and a “first-of-its-kind” convertible portafilter which can be used with or without a spout.

• Probat launches new P05 hydrogen-powered roaster. The roaster manufacturer says hydrogen burner retrofits will also be available for existing P05 models.

• Value of global oat milk market estimated to be US $500 million by 2026. In 2020 alone, UK consumers spent £400 million (US $462 million) on various kinds of plant milks – representing a 32% increase on the year before.

• KS Coffee launches crowdfunding campaign to open mobile brew bar. Owner Karen Sauther says funding will be used for a number of purposes, including to purchase equipment and signage. KS’ Tiny Coffee House plans to serve beverages at wedding venues, festivals, farmer’s markers, among other locations.

• SCA’s new Carbon and Coffee: GHG Emission Reductions Progress and Strategies Across the Value Chain report outlines key strategies, tools, and practices to reduce emissions across supply chain. The SCA says the purpose of the report is to generate more discussions on mitigating climate change, as well as examining its effects on coffee production.

• Twenty two Gesha varieties win in 2022 Cup of Excellence Peru. A washed Gesha from La Bola in the Cajamarca region received the highest score of 90.39 points, with two other Geshas receiving 90 points or more. The auction will take place on 6 December 2022.

• Nescafé Dolce Gusto launches new Neo coffee capsules. Nestlé says the paper-based capsules are home-compostable and use 70% less packaging than its previous capsules. Neo machines can also be controlled using a smartphone app, which is able to customise extraction according to thetype of capsule used.

Fri, 11 Nov

• The Barista League to take place in Manchester, UK on 12 November 2022. Twelve teams will take part in several rounds of barista-style challenges at HOST Social in Salford.

• Hawaiian coffee farmers potentially facing “one of their worst years for production”. The Kona Coffee Farmers Association says it expects the 2022/23 harvest to drop by as much as 40% compared to the previous season. Issues are largely related to a coffee borer beetle epidemic, increasing cases of coffee leaf rust, the impact of climate change, and rising production costs.

• San Francisco Coffee Festival to be held on 12 and 13 November 2022. The sixth annual festival will be held at the Fort Mason Centre for Arts and Culture, and will include an extensive tradeshow, workshops, and seminars.

• Milan Coffee Festival expected to attract 6,000 visitors from 12 to 14 November 2022. The annual event will include a tradeshow exhibition, coffee tastings, workshops, live brewing demonstrations, and several competitions.

• Manchester Coffee Festival to host 2023 UK Cup Tasters Championship from 12 to 14 November. The two-day event will also feature a tradeshow, seminars, panel discussions, workshops, and coffee tastings.

• Equal Origins to host two Better Together virtual events on 17 November and 8 December. Both webinars will discuss gender equity in coffee production, with a specific focus on the non-profit’s Gender Equity Index. The virtual events will be held in both English and Spanish.

• World Coffee Research launches new Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network. The organisation says the project aims to drive collaboration to “transform global coffee breeding and accelerate the pace of genetic improvement”. The Innovea network includes nine global partners based in Costa Rica, the US, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda, and Uganda.

• World AeroPress Championship announces schedule for 2022 finals to take place in Vancouver BC, Canada. For the first time, the event will include a number of activities alongside the competition, such as a training and conditioning day which will host several workshops and seminars. The 2022 World AeroPress Championship will be held from 1 to 3 December.

• Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters partners with Greener sustainability platform to reduce its environmental impact. The Australian roaster is the first in the country to be a Climate Active-certified carbon neutral organisation. Following the partnership with Greener, Pablo & Rusty’s has recycled some 2,250kg of spent coffee grounds to be used as soil fertiliser, among other sustainable practices.

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

• Wed, 2 Nov – Starbucks opens first store in Laos. Starbucks says its first store in the country’s capital Vientiane “reaffirms the company’s long-term commitment to continued growth across Southeast Asia”. Regional license partner Coffee Concepts Limited plans to open more stores in Laos in the near future.

• Wed, 2 Nov – Aston University researchers produce biodiesel from used coffee grounds and microalgae. The researchers “fed” spent coffee grounds to the algae, which allowed them to extract biodiesel. The researchers say that the biodiesel produces minimal emissions and meets both US and European specifications.

• Wed, 2 Nov – Starbucks celebrates 25th anniversary of holiday takeaway cups. The coffee chain introduced its first holiday-themed takeaway cups in 1997, and has created new designs every year since. This holiday season, Starbucks will launch four new designs.

• Thu, 3 Nov – Research from Jacobs University finds compound in coffee could inhibit Covid-19 infection. Scientists at the German university concluded that the chemical compound 5-caffeoylquinic acid can inhibit interaction between Covid-19 spike proteins and ACE-2 human cell receptors, which could prevent infection.

• Thu, 3 Nov – Global Coffee Platform revises its Equivalence Mechanism framework. The EM framework can be used to assess social, economic, and environmental sustainability in coffee supply chains. Following revisions, GCP states that it can better “assure the integrity of the recognition process”.

• Thu, 3 Nov – Tim Hortons expands global footprint despite closing 41 Canadian stores in 2022. The Canadian coffee chain reported 14% overall sales growth in 2022 Q3.

• Thu, 3 Nov – Costa Coffee reports 134% year-on-year growth in India. The UK coffee chain’s Indian franchise partner, Devyani International, opened 19 new Costa locations in Q2 this year.

• Fri, 4 Nov – Specialty Coffee Association French Chapter announces new committee. The five new committee members include National Coordinator Franks Bosselmann, Events Coordinator Nicolas Dubois, Judges Coordinator Michael McCauley, Community Coordinator Florence Ibanez, and Marketing & Communications Coordinator Adrien Georges.

• Fri, 4 Nov – Brazil’s domestic arabica and robusta prices drop steeply in October. Domestic arabica prices fell below BRL 1,000 (US $193.91) per 60kg bag for the first time since August 2021, mainly attributed to favourable weather conditions. Robusta prices also fell by 20.4% last month.

• Sat, 5 Nov – Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in talks to form strategic rainforest alliance. According to The Guardian, all three countries are home to more than half of the world’s rainforests, many of which are under threat of deforestation and climate change. The alliance could see all three coffee-producing countries form joint proposals on carbon markets in an effort to encourage middle-to-high income countries to fund collective conservation efforts.

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence news piece on how to apply to become a speaker at PRF El Salvador.