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

Mon, 12 Dec

• Colombian chain Café Quindío opens first Saudi Arabian store. The company, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, recently opened its new coffee shop in Al Khobar – which marks Café Quindío’s 26th international location.

• Starbucks launches its NFT Community and Web3 loyalty programme to beta testers in the US. The Starbucks Odyssey platform features coffee-themed NFTs, which allow customers to receive a number of rewards, including free drinks. The coffee chain is yet to announce whether the loyalty programme will be publicly available.

• Seattle company Decafino launches self-decaffeinating Decaf Pouch. The company says its pouches, which can be used up to three times within a 24-hour period, can be placed in brewed coffee to remove up to 80% of its caffeine content. Decafino compostable pouches are made from plant-based polylactic acid plastic, and include food-grade seaweed extract and natural minerals.

• International Coffee Organisation lowers growth forecast of global coffee consumption to 1% to 2% until 2030. Executive Director Vanusia Nogueira says earlier forecasts for consumption growth, which averaged 3.3%, were “too optimistic”. Nogueira adds that a further 25 million 60kg bags of green coffee will be needed to meet global demand until the end of the decade.

• Costa Coffee to open first Austrian store at Vienna Airport in early 2023. The store will be operated by franchise partner Legardére Travel Retail, which already manages around 200 Costa Coffee stores in the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Poland.

• Dublin roaster 3fe launches reusable whole bean and ground coffee bag. The Póca bag is made from food-safe silicone and aluminium. Customers who use the bag at any 3fe store are eligible for a 10% discount on retail beans.

• Workers at two Chicago La Colombe locations pursue unionisation. The La Colombe Workers Union says the majority of employees at the Gold Coast and West Loop locations have agreed to hold a union election through the National Labor Relations Board. In late November, workers at two La Colombe locations in Washington DC also voted to unionise.

Tue, 13 Dec

• Brazil’s CEPEA research institute says more rainfall is needed for successful 2023/24 coffee harvest. Although the state of Espírito Santo experienced higher rainfall levels in November, experts claim they were below the required levels for optimal development of coffee plants. In the state of Rondônia, coffee farmers are concerned about high temperatures and reduced rainfall.

• Specialty Coffee Expo 2023 to take place in Portland, OR from 21 to 23 April. The event, hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association, will be held at the Oregon Convention Centre. For the first time at the event, the Roaster Village will be featured as part of the Expo show floor in the main exhibitor hall.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence to host Los Rodriguez Collection No.1 auction to highlight Bolivian specialty coffees. The Private Collection Auction, which will be held on 19 January 2023, features three different categories of coffee: exotic, natural Gesha, and washed & honey Gesha. The highest-scoring coffee is a natural lactic fermented SL34/Batian/SL28 hybrid variety, which received 91.50 points.

• Japanese specialty coffee chain % Arabica opens its first Canadian store. The new location opened at the Yorkdale Mall in Toronto. The specialty coffee chain plans to open more stores in Canada in the coming months.

• Fairtrade America announces five key trends expected to drive coffee consumer choices and brand action in 2023. The trends include a shift in consumer diets to reduce their environmental impact, an increasing focus on reducing global deforestation levels, rising demand for more due diligence requirements, a growth in more sustainably-marketed products, and increasing prioritisation of regenerative agricultural practices – including in the coffee industry.

Wed, 14 Dec

• Dalla Corte hosts Throwdown Before Christmas in Milan. Judges at the latte art competition included industry expert Chiara Bergonzi. Contestants used the Dalla Corte Icon espresso machine.

• Workers at NYC Starbucks Reserve Roastery end 46-day strike over poor working conditions. Reports suggest that Starbucks is willing to comply with workers’ demands “in good faith” following alleged concerns about black mould and bed bug infestations – which culminated in a staff walk-out on 25 October 2022.

• New study finds higher levels of coffee consumption can reduce womens’ likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that women with a history of gestational diabetes are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. New research from the American Society for Nutrition suggests “greater consumption of caffeinated coffee” can lower this risk – most likely a result of bioactive compounds in coffee, such as polyphenols.

• ASEAN Coffee Federation and International Coffee Organisation sign joint declaration to affirm co-operation in working towards a sustainable coffee sector in Southeast Asia. As part of the agreement, the two organisations will build an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Knowledge Hub, as well as developing regional and international branding.

• Volcafe appoints Tim Scharrer as COO and Regional Director for Europe & East Africa. Scharrer will work with the Senior Leadership Team to “enhance and deliver operational excellence across all Volcafe entities”, with a specific focus on developing Volcafe’s presence in Europe and East Africa. Scharrer has previously served as Managing Director of Starbucks Coffee Trading Company.

• Washed Sidra from Hacienda Lugmapata sells for highest bid of US $105.10/lb at 2022 Cup of Excellence Ecuador auction. The highest total amount of money paid at the auction was US $46,865.60 for 220.65kg of an anaerobic Sidra-Typica mejorada blend.

• Workers at NYC Starbucks-Amazon Go store push for unionisation. According to Bloomberg, 30 workers at the Times Square experimental store will vote on whether to join the Starbucks Workers United union. Employees claim the partnership between Starbucks and Amazon Go doubled their workload with no additional pay.

Thu, 15 Dec

• More than 350 people attend first-ever Barista League Mexico City. The Barista League says 94% of attendees were from Mexico, with others coming from the US, Colombia, Sweden, and Canada. Out of 24 competitors, team Endia-Bladoz placed first – winning tickets to a five-day origin trip to Colombia in February 2023.

• Registration opens for US Coffee Championships first qualifying round in Baltimore, MD. A total of 60 competitors will be selected to take part in the first qualifier, with another 60 people eligible for the second round later in the year. The first qualifying round will take place from 27 to 29 January 2023 at the Baltimore Convention Centre.

• Swedish coffee roaster Löfbergs becomes official coffee partner of Lithuania’s Zalgirio Arena. As per the agreement, the roaster will supply Lithuania’s largest indoor sport and entertainment venue with its range of coffee products. Löfbergs says the Baltic region accounts for some 17% of the company’s total sales, adding that it will seek to expand in the area.

• Brazil’s National Supply Company says country’s 2022 production volumes will increase by 6.7%. Conab says Brazil’s 2022 coffee production is expected to reach 50.92 million 60kg bags this year, which reflects record production levels in certain regions in the state of Minas Gerais.

• Almacafé opens Colombian laboratory for the control of agrochemicals and ochratoxins (ALAO) in coffee. The logistics arm of the National Federation of Coffee Growers says its new facility is the first in the coffee sector to identify traces of pesticides and fungal toxins in green, roasted, or soluble coffee.

Fri, 16 Dec

• Caffelito Coffee to host second Open National Cup Tasting Championship in Uzbekistan. The competition will include 24 coffee professionals, and will be held at Caffelito’s training centre in the capital city of Tashkent.

• Alpro launches new organic Barista plant milk range at Pret A Manger stores. Alpro’s new organic Barista range includes oat, soy, and rice-coconut milks, and is currently being rolled out at UK Pret A Manger stores.

• New academic article claims Coffea liberica could be potential solution to mitigating effects of climate change on coffee industry. The researchers claim that “in a warming world, and in an era beset with supply chain disruption, liberica could re-emerge as a major crop plant”. Liberica currently accounts for less than 1% of global coffee production.

• International Women’s Coffee Alliance Brasil celebrates tenth anniversary. The Brazilian chapter of the non-profit organisation celebrated the milestone at the 2022 International Coffee Week, which was held in Belo Horizonte in November. IWCA Brasil also hosted the first-ever women-only latte art competition at the event, with Isabor Silva announced as the winner.

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

• Wed, 16 Nov – The Barista Guild announces candidates for 2022 Leadership Council Election. This year’s nominees (who are up for three council seats) are Zoey Thorson, Lukasz Galecki, Renato Sumania, Salman Ilyas Khan, Miroslav Ocenas, Olivia Morris, and Luisa Fernanda Santos Rivera.

• Thu, 1 Dec – Starbucks opens first signing store in Indonesia. Staff at the new location are from the local hearing-impaired and sign language-using community – making the store a more inclusive and accessible space for hearing-impaired customers.

• Tue, 6 Dec – Chamberlain Coffee launches commercial-compostable coffee pods. Social media influencer Emma Chamberlain’s coffee brand’s pods are available as the Original Family Blend, and are compatible with all Keurig brewers.

• Wed, 7 Dec – The International Trade Centre releases its Coffee Guide in Portuguese. The fourth edition of the guide has been translated into Portuguese, and is available free of charge.

• Thu, 8 Dec – Krispy Kreme announces Jeremiah Ashukian as new Global Chief Financial Officer. Ashukian was previously CFO of Mars Wrigley North America, and will replace Josh Charlesworth, who has served as Krispy Kreme CFO since April 2017.

• Thu, 8 Dec – Starbucks Korea reports iced drinks account for 76% of total beverage sales over past 12 months. During November 2021 and February 2022, iced beverages accounted for 60% of total sales – with sales of the Vanilla Cream Cold Brew drink increasing by 40% over the analysis period.

• Sat, 10 Dec – Taiwanese coffee exporters express concerns over export bans in China. China recently implemented a ban on Taiwanese seafood products, beer, and other beverages – leading Taiwanese exporters concerned that restrictions on coffee imports could follow. The report claims that several green coffee exporters have already been removed from an approved Chinese customs products list.

• Sat, 10 Dec – Prolonged rainfall raises quality concerns during Vietnam’s 2022/23 coffee harvest. According to a report from Bloomberg, around 40% of the country’s total 2022/23 coffee crop has already been harvested – with industry experts anticipating a 10% drop in annual production volumes.

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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 EU’s deforestation regulations could affect smallholder farmers.