Coffee News Recap, 5 Apr: Hosts announced for 2024 WAC season, robusta futures hit all-time high & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. 

Here are this week’s stories – the word of the week is events.

Mon, 1 Apr

• TORR Industries announces merger with Brew Bomb. TORR Industries has acquired a majority stake in Brew Bomb – a cold coffee brewing solution manufacturer. The acquisition will merge TORR Industries’ HIVE BREW system with Brew Bomb’s IoT capabilities. Raymond Buerger will lead TORR’s coffee division, aiming to advance its coffee extraction technology.

• Oatly introduces Malmö Oat Milkers as Minor League Baseball’s newest team. Representing Oatly‘s hometown in Sweden, each of MiLB’s 120 teams will play one game in the 2024 season wearing the Malmö Oat Milkers kit. MiLB games will also feature interactive Oatly events like trivia and first pitch oat milk carton throws.

• Applications open for 2024/25 intake of Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence. The online programme – developed by researchers at ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence Center and supported by Sanremo Coffee Machines, Sucafina, BWT, and Probat – includes three academic modules: green coffee, transformation and composition of the bean, and extraction and sensory. Registration is open until 15 September 2024 with a start date of 30 September 2024.

• Gregorys Coffee announces Jake Leonti as new Director of Coffee. Leonti, who has experience in barista work, roasting, and green grading and importing, aims to elevate the brand’s coffee programme and industry advocacy efforts.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Cup of Excellence to celebrate 25th anniversary at Specialty Coffee Expo Chicago. The two organisations will host a series of presentations at the 2024 Expo, which will be held from 12 to 14 April. Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of CoE, will speak about the non-profit’s influence on coffee-producing countries and roasters’ success in selling premium coffees.

• Hosts announced for World AeroPress Championship 2024 season. Officially confirmed national championship hosts includes MOK Coffee in Belgium, Hangzhou Liuzhang Brand Management Co. in China, Sheffield Coffee Festival in England, Otten Coffee in Indonesia, Cophi Solutions in Poland, Sister and Brother Coffee&Cacao Company in Turkey, Onyx Coffee Lab in the US, and more.

Tue, 2 Apr

• The Barista League & Rancilio to co-host Welcome to Chicago Party on 11 April before this year’s Specialty Coffee Expo. The one-time event will take place at Solemn Oath Brewery Still Life from 18:00 to midnight local time – featuring Chicago-style food and drinks, Chicago-themed 1990s movies, games, and limited-edition giveaways. Space is limited, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early.

• Brazilian producers in Minas Gerais recognised by illycaffè for quality and sustainability efforts. The 33rd Prêmio Ernesto Illy de Qualidade Sustentável do Café para Espresso awarded three Brazilian growers from the region, who were selected from over 670 coffee samples. Each received R $10,000 and will represent Brazil at the 9th Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards.

• Italy-Kenya partnership announces the inauguration of new coffee laboratory. The lab, equipped with roasters and coffee brewing equipment, aims to enhance the quality and market competitiveness of Kenyan coffee. This initiative is a milestone in the Kenya-Italy Sustainable Development Partnership, reinforcing co-operation between the two countries.

• New AI-powered Nunc. espresso machine and grinder launches. The German start-up’s “Portafilter Machine” and grinder leverages AI technology to streamline the extraction and grinding processes – and includes a dedicated app to track brewing data.

• WatchHouse opens first international location in New York City. The store is located on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan – spanning 1,500 sq ft with seating for up to 20 people.

Wed, 3 Apr

• Robusta futures hit all-time high following ongoing supply shortages in Vietnam. May delivery peaked at US $3,663/tonne, with July contracts reaching US $3,590/tonne. Despite high export figures, Vietnam anticipates a 20% production drop in the current crop year, which will impact future exports.

• Green coffee inventories decrease in major European ports. The European Coffee Federation (ECF) recently released updated data on green coffee stocks in major European ports. Overall, stocks showed a significant 41% decrease on the previous year – totalling 401,787 tonnes (or 6,696,450 60-kg bags).

• Atomic Coffee Roasters teams up with New England Mountain Bike Association for Singletrack blend. The medium-roast blend includes coffee from Ethiopia, Honduras, and Guatemala, with flavour notes of brown butter, caramelised sugar, and walnuts. For every sale of this blend, Atomic Coffee Roasters will donate US $2 to NEMBA – whose mission is to promote mountain biking, steward and manage trails, and ensure access to open space.

• Hans Olav Raen appointed CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia. Raen, who has extensive fertiliser industry experience, has been selected to advance the clean ammonia business – which sources to the coffee industry. Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, EVP Corporate Development at Yara International, continues as Chairman of the Yara Clean Ammonia Board.

• UK food price inflation in hospitality sector falls, but remains double that of retail sector. In March 2023, the level of food inflation in hospitality and retail briefly converged at 19%. Since then, the level of inflation in retail has dropped to 5%, while wholesale price inflation for hospitality operators has only fallen to 12%.

• Expat Roasters opens first drive-thru location in Surabaya, Indonesia. The new location is the roaster’s largest store outside of Bali, spanning five floors.

Thu, 4 Apr

• The 2024 Amsterdam Coffee Festival begins. The Benelux’s largest coffee event returns to Westergas until 6 April 2024, featuring the Roast Masters, Latte Art Live, and the first-ever Matcha Latte Art battle.

• Owen Horn is the new VP of operations at Swiss Water. Horn, a McGill University engineering graduate, brings expertise in chemical engineering and production management to the decaf process company.

• Blue Bottle Coffee workers in Boston seek unionisation. Workers from five Boston-area Blue Bottle locations have launched a union campaign, requesting voluntary recognition. If not recognised by 8 April, the employees plan to petition to the National Labor Relations Board. The effort is backed by around 50 workers from five stores.

• UK’s Grind achieves B Corp certification. After a two-year evaluation process, the roaster scored 82.5 on its B Impact Assessment – acknowledging its sustainable practices like compostable coffee pods, recyclable packaging, and ocean cleanup initiatives.

• New study identifies limonene synthase as key to “characteristic” aroma of specialty arabica. Researchers found that coffee genotypic specificities may influence ripe cherry chemotype and the final coffee aroma. For the Gesha Especial variety in particular, there was a greater expression of terpene biosynthetic genes, including CaTPS10-like (a limonene synthase), which resulted in more limonene in green and roasted coffee – creating a unique citrus flavour.

Fri, 5 Apr

• Lavazza to host competition panel discussion at 2024 London Coffee Festival. This year’s LCF will take place from 11 to 14 April 2024. Lavazza will host The Lab, which will include a series of discussions, interactive demos, and workshops.

• Volcafe joins ILO Child Labour Platform. Volcafe joins the CLP with industry peers such as Tchibo and Nestlé to eliminate child labour practices in coffee supply chains in Honduras, Uganda, and Vietnam. The initiative aims to address root causes and foster collaboration among stakeholders to eradicate child labor, and will leverage Volcafe’s local expertise in these regions.

• President of Colombia proposes a “coffee constituent” for government to have more control over the National Coffee Fund. President Gustavo Petro says the proposal will support smallholders and ensure proper resource use. He advocates for the industrialisation of the coffee exports sector, and also calls current fund allocation into question.

• UK’s high street coffee prices rise by a third. Between 2021 and early 2024, prices in the UK’s branded high street coffee shops surged by 30% – with a medium latte at popular chains such as Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, and Caffè Nero experiencing significant increases.

• Sucafina signs agreement with Kunshan authorities to establish the region’s first multinational coffee trading bonded warehouse. The new warehouse will be able to process over 10,000 tonnes of coffee, and will include precise climate controls to maintain coffee quality. Sucafina says its clients in Asia will benefit from faster delivery, superior quality control, flexible container handling, and improved service.

• Australia’s Richest Barista announces 2024 competitors. This year’s event will include 26 competitors, such as Harry Lin, Hung Yu Chen, and Keenan Stepanicic. The Australia’s Richest Barista competition will take place at MICE2024 – with a AU $40,000 prize pool available.

• Quattro R acquires 50% stake in Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group. The private equity fund has acquired half of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, aiming to boost growth. Founded by Massimo Zanetti, the company is a global coffee industry leader operating in 110 countries. Pierluigi Tosato, who has vast F&B experience, has been appointed as the CEO.

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

• Mon, 25 Mar – ROR Coffee Solutions celebrates International Women’s Day with Rwandan farmer. The UAE roaster partnered with Esther Mukangango, a resilient female farmer from Rwanda’s Nyaruguru province. Esther shared her story with visitors, detailing how she helped form a co-operative in her region.

• Mon, 25 Mar – Europe’s branded coffee chains maintain growth despite tough economy. The European branded coffee shop market grew by 3.3% to reach over 45,000 stores over the last 12 months. Major markets like the UK, Russia, France, and Turkey showed the highest levels of growth, while Germany and Greece experienced declines. Rising costs and consumer income constraints continue to create challenges for operators.

• Wed, 27 Mar – Global specialty coffee market projected to grow over 12% by 2030. The value of the global specialty coffee sector is expected to reach US $152.69 billion by 2030. The North American market is anticipated to grow by 20% annually, making it the fastest-growing market in the world.

Photo credits: Shane Gallagher

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest stories in the sector, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.

Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence piece on how Keurig is innovating with new products to maintain market share.