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

Mon, 31 Oct

• UKHospitality survey finds more than a third of UK hospitality businesses at risk of closure due to rising costs. The survey found that that 35% of respondents were expecting to be operating at a loss or face closure by the end of the year, with 96% of businesses also experiencing higher energy costs and 93% facing food price inflation.

• Saudi Coffee Company aims to increase coffee production by 700% by 2028. The organisation, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), currently grows around 300 tonnes of coffee every year. Saudi Coffee Company’s CEO also stated that the organisation plans to open 25 international coffee shops in the coming years as part of its strategic growth plan.

• Go Get Em Tiger launches new weekly beverage subscription. The Unlimited subscription costs US $13 per week and allows customers to order unlimited coffee and tea beverages at seven of the roaster’s locations.

• Fairtrade launches Living Income Reference Price for Ugandan arabica. The non-profit organisation established a farmgate price of 11,640 Ugandan shillings/kg (US $1.39/lb) of parchment coffee to provide a living income for arabica farmers in Uganda. Fairtrade also established a proxy reference price of 7,150 Ugandan shillings/kg (US 85.3 cents/lb) for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) robusta coffee. This is Fairtrade’s third major Living Income Reference Price, following Colombia and Indonesia.

• National Coffee Association to host webinar on new Generational Report. The virtual event will cover notable trends from the association’s new 2022 NCA Generational Report: Coffee Through the Ages, and will be held on 9 November 2022.

• UK boutique coffee shop and bakery chain Gail’s opens 100th location. The design of the new East Sheen, London location is part of the chain’s new store format, which includes more limited seating options.

• Dairy company FrieslandCampina Professional signs 10-year sponsorship deal with ASEAN Coffee Federation. Friesland Campina will become the exclusive milk supplier to the federation, which represents ten coffee associations across Southeast Asia, and its events.

Tue, 1 Nov

• This year’s Nyeri International Coffee Expo to be held on 11 and 12 November. Partners of Kenya’s flagship coffee event, which will take place at Whispers Park, include Yara and Fairtrade Africa.

• Sucafina launches new sustainable IMPACT sourcing programme. The green coffee trader’s new programme includes the IMPACT Sustainability Standard, which ensures all supply chain actors comply with ten mandatory Critical Indicators, as well as the required number of Improvement Indicators, which all cover a number of sustainable practices. Sucafina will offer IMPACT-verified shipments in early 2023, and plans to verify all of its direct supply chains by 2025.

• PRF to return to Colombia on 6 and 7 July 2023. Following on from the success of this year’s event in Medellín, the two-day forum will return to Plaza Mayor. Mayorga Coffee will be the Diamond Sponsor for the next six PRF events (two per year), including PRF El Salvador, which will be held on 16 and 17 March 2023.

• Minus Coffee to soft launch “beanless” Cold Brew. The company’s first product is made with ingredients such as ground and roasted chicory, date seeds, and lentils, which Minus says replicates flavours found in coffee. Minus will officially launch its cold brew in 2023.

• Coffee Technician’s Guild announces candidates for its 2022 Leadership Council. The guild’s Elections Committee has put forward five candidates, and the election results will be announced on 9 December 2022.

• Election protests in Brazil block road shipments of fertiliser which could affect coffee exports. According to Bloomberg, the non-violent blockades may “cripple the ability…to move soybeans, corn, and coffee to ports”.

• Yum China opens 20 Lavazza stores across the country. The restaurant group, which is also the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut in China, now operates 78 Lavazza stores nationwide.

Wed, 2 Nov

• Melbourne International Coffee Expo to celebrate tenth anniversary in 2023. Next year’s event will take place from 17 to 19 August, coinciding with the annual Melbourne Coffee Week.

• Pret A Manger to launch self-serve Pret Express machines at 50 locations in UK by end of 2022. The coffee and food-to-go chain currently operates 40 self-serve machines across the UK, largely in convenience shops and petrol stations.

• This year’s Triestespresso event attracts 10,000 visitors from 43 countries. An estimated 160 exhibitors took part in the event. Triestespresso also awarded Ucimac Vice President Maurizio Giuli the “coffee personality” of the year.

• Sustainable Harvest to host 2023 Let’s Talk Coffee event in Honduras. The event, which returns after a two-year hiatus, will be held in Copán Ruinas, Honduras from 20 to 25 February 2023. Let’s Talk Coffee includes a three-day conference, cupping and networking sessions, and an awards ceremony.

• Coffee grinder manufacturer Hemro Group launches new rebranding. The manufacturer of Mahlkönig, Ditting, Anfim, and HeyCafé grinders has a new logo, colour scheme, and typography on its company website.

• Greek roaster Coffee Island partners with NISOS on new cold brew beer. The beer contains cold brew made with a blend of Brazilian and Colombian coffees.

• SCA Czech Republic Chapter announces newly-elected committee. New members include National Coordinator Kristián Kříž, Events Coordinator Filip Sturz, Judges Coordinator Tomáš Čech, Community Coordinator Lukáš Podbehly, and Marketing & Communications Coordinator Petr Holata.

• Westrock Coffee Company appoints two industry veterans to senior leadership team. Nicolas Lorenz, who has previously worked for PACCOR Packaging Systems in Germany, will serve as the company’s Executive Vice President of Manufacturing. Cedric Smith, who previously held the position of former assistant plant manager at Dairy Farmers of America, will now manage Westrock’s new production facility in Conway, Arkansas.

• illycaffè reports 15% increase in 2022 revenue despite rising costs. The Italian coffee company says its costs rose by 20% during the first nine months of the year, but attributes significant growth of its out-of-home coffee category (particularly in the US) to the increase in revenue. illycaffè plans to launch an IPO in 2026.

• World Coffee Events announces sixth season of World Coffee Championships AllStars Online. Each week of the virtual series focuses on a different WCC competitor, and will include 2022 World Barista Champion Anthony Douglas.

Thu, 3 Nov

• The 2023 Paris Café Festival to be held from 13 to 15 May. The event is expecting to attract more than 8,000 visitors and 100 exhibitors.

• All tickets categories available for 2022 World AeroPress Championship. Attendees can choose from three ticket options, all with limited availability. Prices start at US $50, and the competition will take place from 1 to 3 December in Vancouver BC, Canada.

• I’M NOT A BARISTA launches Kickstarter for new 101 Coffee Stories book. The book documents the stories of 101 people working across the coffee supply chain, and is currently available to purchase starting at US $28.

• Australian specialty roaster Toby’s Estate celebrates 25th anniversary. The New South Wales company was founded by lawyer Toby Smith in 1997, and has since become a pioneer of specialty coffee culture in Australia.

• Nespresso launches first Nano Boutique in the UAE. The boutique store concept includes an immersive sustainability-focused retail experience, as well as a Nespresso Experience Table and a dedicated recycling corner. The new store is located in Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi.

• Cup of Excellence Brazil announces 2022 competition winners. Five of the total 33 coffees scored more than 90 points, with a natural Catuaí 144 from Fazenda Tijuco receiving the highest score of 91.41 points. The auction will be held on 12 January 2023.

• Starbucks reports record US $8.4 billion in 2022 Q4 revenue. The coffee chain says rising demand for higher-priced drinks, such as the Pumpkin Spice Latte, in the US resulted in a 7% increase in global comparable sales – despite a 16% drop in comparable sales in China during the same period.

• Scooter’s Coffee opens new headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. The US coffee chain says its new headquarters will accommodate its “unprecedented growth”, and will include workspaces and a conference centre.

Fri, 4 Nov

• German Coffee Association to host 2022 International Virtual Congress on Coffee Capsules on 16 and 17 November. The event will feature several industry experts speaking on a number of topics related to coffee capsules, including emerging trends and legal issues, as well as new data on German coffee consumption.

• London Coffee Festival to return from 20 to 23 April 2023. The event will be held at the Truman Brewery in Spitafields, and will include an extensive tradeshow, workshops, and live presentations.

• Hospitality business WSH Group acquires Notes Coffee brand. Notes’ 11 London coffee shops will now be operated by WSH Group, which also owns café chain Benugo and foodservice supplier BaxterStorey. Notes’ founders will retain leadership positions following the acquisition.

• Colombian production drops 12% in October 2022. The National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FNC) says the country produced 888,000 60kg bags of green coffee last month, compared to 1 million bags produced in October 2021. The FNC attributes the drop in production to higher levels of rainfall.

• Korean company Rainmaker launches Drobi One brewer. The stainless steel brewer includes a three-layer filter, which the company says can remove fine coffee particles without using a paper filter.

• EL&N to host five-day Saudi-inspired coffee and food tasting event. The international luxury coffee shop concept will host the event in partnership with Spotlight on Saudi at its Lowndes Street, London location – which will include Saudi-grown coffee tasting sessions.

• The second 2022 Egyptian AeroPress Championship takes place at Cairo Coffee Collective. The winner will represent Egypt at the World AeroPress Championship in Vancouver BC, Canada later this year.

• Specialty Coffee Association Austrian chapter to host four National Coffee Championships from 5 to 8 November 2022. The 2023 Brewers Cup, Latte Art Championship, Barista Championship, Coffee in Good Spirits Championship will be held at Alles für den Gast in Salzburg.

• Equator Coffees partners with Mūr by Ayca to support International Women’s Coffee Alliance. The roaster’s new light roast Holiday Blend includes packaging designed by San Francisco illustrator Ayca Kilicoglu. Equator will donate 5% of sales from the collaborative project to the IWCA.

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

• Wed, 19 Oct – Flight Coffee wins 2022 New Zealand Artisan Award for specialty instant coffee. The roaster’s Bomber and Timor-Leste specialty instant coffees placed first in the non-alcoholic category of the country’s largest food awards programme.

• Mon, 24 Oct – Food and ingredients trader Touton releases 2021-22 sustainability report. The company reported several achievements in the report, including collaborating with local youth to create new economic opportunities and provide formal farming training – including in the company’s coffee supply chains.

• Tue, 25 Oct – Lip balm manufacturer files second lawsuit against Starbucks over claims of misuse of confidential information. According to the lawsuit, Starbucks stole confidential information about Balmuccino’s coffee-flavoured lip balm after former CEO Howard Schultz met with current Pennsylvania US Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, whose sister-in-law is one of Balmuccino’s managing members. Starbucks stated that believe the claims are “to be without merit”.

• Tue, 25 Oct – Biggby Coffee aims to open total of 1,000 US locations by end of 2028. The coffee chain currently operates in 13 US states, and opened its newest location in Georgia.

• Tue, 25 Oct – Riyadh Season festival announces COFE App as official partner. The city-wide festival celebrates the Saudi capital and its culture. COFE App will host seven booths at the event, with each one representing a different local roaster.

• Wed, 26 Oct – German coffee marketplace 60beans launches to offer more than 300 different coffees. The online platform includes coffee from several prominent European specialty roasters, such as 19grams, Five Elephant, and Bonanza Coffee.

• Thu, 27 Oct – Starbucks Korea appoints Son Jung-hyun as new CEO after outgoing CEO Song Ho-seop faces number of criticisms for product giveaway scandals. The company’s gift giveaways were found to contain Class 1 carcinogen formaldehyde, which partly led to the dismissal of Ho-seop. Jung-hyun says his top priority as the new CEO is to regain consumer trust.

• Fri, 28 Oct – UCC Coffee Europe launches its first out-of-home coffee bar in UK. The new coffee bar is in Japan Centre’s Ichiba London location, and serves a range of UCC’s coffee beverages, such as pour overs and seasonal drinks, including the Cherry Blossom Latte.

• Sun, 30 Oct – Coffee and food manufacturer Strauss Group appoints Shai Babad as new CEO. Babad has previously served as Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

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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 the new EU green deal could impact the coffee industry.

PLEASE NOTE: As of 27 January, 2023, PRF Colombia will take place on 14 and 15 September 2023.