Coffee News Recap, 2 Oct: Speaker applications open for PRF Mexico, 2026 Best of Panama auction results announced & other stories

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

Editor’s note

Central and North America lead the coffee news this week. The 2026 Best of Panama auction drew nearly 25,000 bids and generated total sales of more than US$3m. Elida Geisha Torre, grown by Lamastus Family Estates, was the most expensive coffee at the auction. The 15kg lot sold for US$270,060, or US$18,004/kg.

Although this price falls short of the record US$30,204/kg set at last year’s auction, it still shows how strongly international specialty coffee buyers value Gesha.

Attention now turns to Mexico, where the Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) will take place on 18 and 19 March 2027 at Polyforum Chiapas in Tuxtla. This will be the first PRF event held in the country. Organisers expect more than 4,500 coffee professionals to attend, including roasters from over 45 countries.

Speaker applications are now open through the PRF Voices programme. The coffee industry faces price volatility, climate pressures, market consolidation, and rising consumption, and PRF Mexico will give producers, roasters, and traders a place to discuss practical responses to each of these challenges.

Top stories of the week

• Mon, 28 Sep – Faysel Abdosh Signature auction sets new record for Ethiopian coffee. The second annual private auction, organised by Testi Specialty Coffee and M-Cultivo, included 16 microlots from the Guji region. Lot 13 commanded a record-breaking price of US$2,376/kg, creating a new global benchmark price for the Ethiopian coffee industry. (London, UK)

• Mon, 28 Sep – Best of Panama 2026 auction attracts 25,000 bids and more than US$3m in sales. Lamastus Family Estates’ Elida Geisha Torre, scoring 96.25, received the highest bid at the auction and sold for US$18,004/kg. Finca Lérida’s Lérida Waterfall Gesha Natural, scoring 95.63, sold for US$13,505/kg. Hacienda La Esmeralda had the most expensive coffee in the Varietals category with a Laurina that scored 93.63, which sold for US$4,216/kg. (Panama City, Panama)

• Tue, 29 Sep – Luckin Coffee opens 100th store in Singapore; mulls Middle East launch after US$1bn Mubadala stake. Luckin first entered Singapore in 2023, and now operates over 38,000 stores globally. The chain previously considered expanding into the Middle East and India in 2019, but became embroiled in an accounting scandal in 2020. (Beijing, China)

• Wed, 30 Sep – Vale Matcha plans to grow matcha in the US. The company has established Vale Farms and planted its first 12,000 tea plants as part of a significant investment in Pacific Northwest tea production. According to Vale, this marks the first effort to build an integrated, commercial-scale matcha-growing and production operation in the US. (Seattle, Washington, US)

• Wed, 30 Sep – International Coffee Organisation says “Coffee is Part of the Solution” on International Coffee Day 2026. The campaign reinforces the coffee sector’s role in addressing some of today’s most pressing global challenges, including inequality, sustainability, climate resilience, and inclusive development. This is the first International Coffee Day recognised by the United Nations, although the US voted against the decision. (London, UK)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Australia’s ban on card surcharges hits small business owners. The ban means businesses, including cafés, can no longer pass the cost of processing transactions directly to customers. Many are likely to raise their menu prices instead. About 16% of Australian businesses currently surcharge, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, with consumers paying about A$1.6bn annually in the fees.

• Thu, 1 Oct – PRF Mexico opens speaker applications. Every PRF event hosts the PRF Voices programme: a specially curated lineup of lectures and panels led by some of the industry’s foremost and well-known experts. Over the last decade, speakers from 36 countries have participated, discussing various topics across the coffee supply chain. English and Spanish speakers are invited to apply for PRF Voices. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in the coffee industry, over five years of experience in their topic of interest, previous PRF participation, public speaking skills, and fresh insight into key trends and challenges in today’s coffee sector. (Chiapas, Mexico)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Keurig Dr Pepper appoints Russ Torres as CEO of Global Coffee Co. Torres brings three decades of consumer products leadership, managing multi-billion-dollar global businesses. He will join KDP on 3 November 2026, and serve as CEO of the company’s Coffee Operating Unit prior to separation, during which time he will lead the integration of KDP’s and JDE Peet’s coffee operations. (Burlington, Vermont, US)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Belfast Coffee Festival to be held on 3 and 4 October at the Carlisle Memorial. Northern Ireland’s biggest coffee festival will be held on 3 and 4 October. The event will host a trade show, cuppings, coffee tastings, competitions, live music, and more. (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Industry news

• Mon, 28 Sep – Cotierra raises US$3 million to take its technology from successful pilots to multi-year deployments. The funds will support Cotierra’s transition from successful pilots to field deployments and repeatable commercial scale. The investment brings Cotierra’s total funding raised since inception to approximately US$ 4.75 million. (Zurich, Switzerland)

• Tue, 29 Sep – Ryoma partners with BibeCoffee to offer a more connected coffee experience. The Ryoma Group enters strategic partnership with BibeCoffee for over 25,000 machines located across more than 25 countries, marking a decisive step towards transforming espresso machines from being simple hardware to intelligent, connected, and data-driven assets, while adding value that goes beyond technical supply. (Milan, Italy)

• Tue, 29 Sep –Wildbean cafe rolls out new coffee and recipes across UK. bp is transforming its Wildbean cafe coffee offering across the UK, launching new specialty coffee beans and a new recipe. The rollout coincides with National Coffee Day on 29 September. The new beans and recipe will be available across all Wildbean cafe sites in the UK, while 46 locations across the bp estate will receive the additional upgraded elements. (London, UK)

• Tue, 29 Sep – WWF enrolls retail agency, Blackdog, to launch sustainable premium coffee, Earthbrew. Earthbrew, WWF’s first branded product in the coffee category, launches with the motto “Every cup funds the future”. To take the product to market and promote the coffee, WWF has enlisted retail agency Blackdog after a three-way competitive pitch. The agency will engage retail/grocery trade via experiential/events/sampling activity, and build a route towards premium retail distribution as well as growing brand awareness. (Gland, Switzerland)

• Wed, 30 Sep – Northgate González Market collaborates with Casa Libre Mexican Coffee to expand its mix of food, retail, and cultural experiences. Mercado González, the renowned Mexican retailer in Southern California, is known to bring together makers, food concepts, and experiences that share a space rooted in Mexican food, culture, and community. The retailer has now partnered with Casa Libre, a specialty coffee concept dedicated to coffee grown exclusively in Mexico. The collaboration brings together the González and Taormina/Creighton families, whose shared vision for Casa Libre is rooted in family, hospitality, and a desire to create a modern coffee experience centered on Mexican origin and craft. (California, US)

• Wed, 30 Sep – Sustainable nutrition brand Kerry opens its first coffee extraction facility in Pennsylvania. Kerry has opened its state-of-the-art coffee extraction facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, its first in Pennsylvania. The site is dedicated to developing natural coffee taste and flavor profiles using advanced extraction and concentration technologies to create premium coffee solutions tailored to each customer’s formulation, from RTD beverages to alcoholic beverages, ice cream, and savory sauces. (Bethlehem, US)

• Wed, 30 Sep – Cafezal making international debut with first store in Lisbon, Portugal. Award-winning Italian specialty coffee and cafe chain, Cafezal is opening its long-awaited first international store in Lisbon, Portugal, while also scaling up its presence on home ground, in Milan. (Milan, Italy)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Beginning February 2027, SAS will serve coffee produced by Lykke Farms across the entire network. Travelers across the SAS network will be able to have coffee developed specifically for the experience of enjoying it at 35,000 feet, with two Scandinavian companies, Lykke Coffee Farms and SAS, collaborating to showcase not just their strong Scandinavian roots but also facilitating delivery of quality, responsibility, and great experiences for travelers. (Stockholm, Scandinavia)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Cotti Coffee preparing for regional expansion in the UK. China’s second-largest coffee chain, with more than 18,000 global outlets, is preparing to open stores at three new locations in London. The brand is also looking to open new stores in Birmingham and Manchester. (Beijing, China)

• Thu, 1 Oct – DFI Retail Group takes full control of more than 1,100 Starbucks stores in seven East Asian markets. Singapore-based DFI Retail Group is set to take over Starbucks-licensed businesses across Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The development is an outcome of the end of DFI’s long-standing joint ownership of Maxim’s Caterers with Hong Kong Caterers, and DFI will give up its 50% stake in Maxim’s, while receiving about US$340m in cash, besides the stores. (Singapore)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Luckin Coffee appoints Philip Yifei Bao, the Director of Private Equity at Mubadala Investment Company, to its Board of Directors. Luckin Coffee expands its board of directors to ten members, with the appointment of Philip Yifei Bao as the new member. Bao serves as the Director of Private Equity at Mubadala Investment Company. The appointment will deepen governance ties with the UAE’s sovereign wealth fund. (Xiamen, China)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Caffè Nero appoints former Starbucks exec as Head of New Channels Development in the UK. Boyd brings more than 15 years of experience in channel development across hospitality and beverage businesses. His previous experience includes roles at Starbucks and PepsiCo. He will focus on developing partnerships with retailers to increase Caffè Nero’s reach beyond stores. (London, UK)

Businesses for sale

• Thu, 1 Oct – 7 Brew completes acquisition of Salad and Go following bidding war with Dutch Bros. Dutch Bros was originally in line with a US$105m bid before 7 Brew offered more than US$123m for 63 locations. 7 Brew’s original bid was US$143m for 73 sites, but some landlords reportedly didn’t approve of their leases being turned over.(Springdale, US)

New launch

• Mon, 28 Sep – AeroPress launches new Walnut collection. The launch includes an AeroPress Premium Walnut Brewer and an AeroPress Walnut Manual Grinder. The collection brings a premium, rich, natural finish to its existing lineup of high-performance coffee makers and accessories. (California, US)

• Mon, 28 Sep – Blue Bottle to release first-ever compilation Jazz album, celebrating the brand’s long-standing connection to Jazz music. Featuring 10 original contemporary jazz compositions from artists across North America and Asia, including Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Angel Bat Dawid, and the Kyoto Jazz Sextet, Blue Bottle Coffee is launching a first-ever compilation album. The tracks are woven together with ambient recordings captured in Blue Bottle cafes across nine cities. The brand’s founder, James Freeman, used to be a working clarinetist before founding Blue Bottle. Only 1,500 vinyls will be produced, and sales will open on 6 October. (California, US)

• Mon, 28 Sep – Bazzara launches Italian Blend collection as a tribute to the Italian espresso culture. Trieste-based coffee roastery, Bazzara, is launching the Italian Blend Collection, revisiting five historic blends with a new visual identity and turning each blend into a tribute to the Italian espresso culture. Each blend contains different proportions of Arabica and Canephora, carefully developed to bring out the best of both species and define a distinctive sensory profile. (Trieste, Italy)

• Mon, 28 Sep – Coulee Coffee Co. enters physical retail SWIRL Mini™ at Target stores. Coulee Coffee Co., known for their sustainable, automated, pod-free, cafe-quality brewing, is launching their zero-plastic automated pour-over brewer, SWIRL Mini™, at select Target stores in the US and online. Priced at US$99.99, the brewer uses a full 14-gram coffee dose and offers brew sizes from 4 to 16 ounces. (Wisconsin, US)

• Tue, 29 Sep – Adsolute Communications in Ethiopia launches “Addis Ababa: The World’s Coffee Capital” campaign. Ethiopian communications firm, Adsolute Communications launched a new campaign highlighting Addis Ababa as a go-to destination for experiencing Ethiopia’s coffee culture. The campaign is titled “Addis Ababa: The World’s Coffee Capital” and was presented at the Oromia Tourism Week. (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

• Tue, 29 Sep – Atomic Coffee Roasters launches the first-ever cold brew made with electricity. Atomic Coffee Roasters has opened pre-orders for their new launch – POTENTIAL, which is the first of its kind single-origin cold brew run through an in-line electrochemical step developed by Overpotential, a company founded by Dr. Christopher Hendon. It is also the first commercial product for Overpotential’s technology. (Boston, US)

• Tue, 29 Sep – Blackbird Bakery to open next bakery in Clapham. Blackbird Bakery to open their 11th site, furthering their footprint in their 20th anniversary year at Clapham. The bakery will offer the same all-day menu as Blackbird’s other branches. (Clapham, UK)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Löfbergs and Strawberry collaborate to further regenerative agriculture initiatives. Sweden-based Löfbergs takes the next step in its sustainability initiatives, introducing Löfbergs Honduras, a Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) coffee, part of Löfbergs’ specialty coffee range. It is grown by the Cafico Cooperative in Honduras. Löfbergs has also partnered with the hotel group, Strawberry, to introduce ROC-certified coffee at Strawberry hotels in the Nordic region throughout autumn. Further, the two are launching a joint project together with the Peruvian coffee cooperative, La Prosperidad de Chirinos. (Karlstad, Sweden)

• Thu, 1 Oct – ICO launches new Coffee Market Intelligence Platform. The ICO has unveiled a new interactive data platform at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 142nd session of the International Coffee Council. The platform is free-to-view and combines daily market indicators as well as data on monthly trade, annual production, and consumption. The platform offers access to information about the key elements of the global coffee market, with relevant statistics all available in one place. (Geneva, Switzerland)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Origin Coffee launches limited edition ceramic collaboration with SRIRATMAKES. B-Corp certified brand Origin Coffee has collaborated with London-based artist and designer, SRIRATMAKES, the creative practice of the Thai-British artist Srirat Jongsanguandi, for a limited-edition ceramic set. The set features two hand-thrown, stackable ceramic cups, each tailored specifically to the proportions of the classic flat white and displaying subtle variations in form and finish. Conceived as tactile objects to be used, held, and lived with, the pieces explore the meeting point between artistic individuality and functional design. (London, UK)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Prague-based specialty coffee group, The Miners, preparing to launch in Portugal. One of Europe’s fastest-growing specialty coffee groups, The Miners are preparing to launch in their eighth European market – Portugal. The brand will soon be opening stores in Santos and in Valbom in Lisboa. Plans are also on to launch a store in Paphos, Cyprus soon. (Prague, Czechoslovakia)

Trade & production

• Wed, 30 Sep – Coffee prices settle mixed, pressured by a strong dollar. The Dollar Index ($DXY) has risen to a 1.5-year high, pushing liquidation in coffee futures. Concerns about El Niño’s impact on Brazil’s 2026/27 harvest, with forecasts of dry conditions in the country right now, pushed prices up mid-week, but the strengthening dollar put greater pressure on prices. (New York, US)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Rwanda pushes advanced climate-resilient coffee varieties into advanced trials. With over 350,000 households depending on coffee for their livelihoods in Rwanda, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) is advancing top-performing, climate-resilient coffee varieties, including a Gesha, into a formal commercial trial and release process, based on nearly a decade of performance data from a global variety trial. (Kigali, Rwanda)

• Fri, 2 Oct – Guatemalan Coffees, supported by Anacafé, opens registrations for Beyond the Origin 2027. Roasters, green coffee buyers, and coffee enthusiasts from around the world are invited to experience Guatemala’s coffee regions firsthand in February 2027. Participants will walk the farms during harvest, cup some of the country’s most celebrated lots, and build direct, lasting relationships with the producers behind them. Places are limited. To secure a spot, get in touch with the team directly or register on the Guatemalan Coffees website. (Guatemala City, Guatemala)

Events & competitions

• Mon, 28 Sep – Kenya Coffee Flavor and Origin Expo to be held from 14 to 16 November. The Kenya Coffee Flavor & Origin Expo 2026 will bring together producers, cooperatives, traders, roasters, researchers, cuppers and policymakers to document and showcase the diversity of Kenyan coffee across the country’s coffee-growing counties. The three-day event, being held at Shamba Events Center, will generate data to support the development of a National Coffee Flavor Map and strengthen market opportunities for farmers, improve transparency within the coffee value chain, and promote greater appreciation of Kenyan coffee both domestically and internationally. (Nairobi, Kenya)

• Tue, 29 Sep – World AeroPress Championship to be held in a producer country for the first time in its history. In the 18 years of the World AeroPress Championship, for the very first time it is set to be held in a producer country – Mexico, on 6 December. As part of the celebration, the Championship is also bringing together Mexico’s best roasters in a special Roasters Village. Across the festival, visitors will cast their votes for the coffees they loved most from all the roasters in the Roasters Village, with every roaster brewing an AeroPress-only coffee for voting. The winners will be crowned 2026 Best of the Village and will receive their own trophy. (Mexico City, Mexico)

• Wed, 30 Sep – Morgan Eckroth announces book tour across the US. Ahead of the late October release of her book, 2022 World Barista Champion Runner-up, Morgan Eckroth has announced an eight-stop book tour across the US. The tour will have two main stints: West Coast at the end of October and South & East at the beginning of December. Tickets are now available on Eckroth’s website. (US)

• Thu, 1 Oct – Hario V60 and Allpress Espresso have announced the 2026 edition of Allpress x Hario V60 Championship. The Allpress x HARIO V60 Championship returns in 2026, bigger than ever before. Spread across seven events and four countries, the global celebration of brewing will see home brewers and coffee professionals go head-to-head in a celebration of precision, craftsmanship, and exceptional coffee. Winners get the title of 2026 V60 Champion and a once-in-a-lifetime Hario experience in Tokyo, Japan. (Tokyo, Japan)

Photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum, AeroPress, Adsolute Communications Plc, Guatemalan Coffees

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