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

• Mon, 13 Sep – 2021 US National AeroPress Championships to be hosted by Tinker Coffee Co. on 17 September. The 9th annual US National AeroPress Championships will be hosted by the Indianapolis roaster at 16:00 EDT at the Amp Food Hall. Thirty-six participants will compete for a place in the 2022 World AeroPress Championships in Melbourne.

• Mon, 13 Sep – Starbucks US to donate to US Red Cross Disaster Relief. The Starbucks Foundation will donate US $400,000 as part of its US $1 million commitment to the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Programme. Donations will be used to support communities affected by wildfires and Hurricane Ida.

• Mon, 13 Sep – La Marzocco Home releases new Florentine Linea Mini espresso machine. The prosumer espresso machine’s design includes wooden panels and brass logos, inspired by Florentine architecture and Tuscany landscapes. La Marzocco will debut the machine at 2021 HostMilano, which runs from 22 to 26 October.

• Mon, 13 Sep – London chain Black Sheep Coffee to open 30 new locations by March 2022. The chain has more than 40 locations, including two in the Philippines and one in France. Expansion is planned for UK cities, including London, Edinburgh, and Manchester.

• Mon, 13 Sep – Bentwood Vertical 63 grinder set for release on US market. The grinder contains vertically-aligned 63mm burrs, meaning beans travel through the grinder vertically. The spout vibrates to minimise grind retention, while the grind settings show the peak of particle distribution curves in micron measurements, rather than numbers. The Bentwood Vertical 63 grinder is set to debut at the Specialty Expo, which runs from 30 September to 3 October.

• Mon, 13 Sep – Lavazza partners with augmented reality platform SightCall for remote assistance. The video cloud platform enables technicians to connect with customers and remotely point to or highlight elements of machines that require fixing. Lavazza plans to hire over 130 support agents in 7 countries over the following 3 years.

• Mon, 13 Sep – Costa Coffee UK to increase staff wages. Hourly worker pay will increase by 5% from 1 October 2021. Employees will receive an hourly pay rise of at least £0.45 (US $0.62), increasing hourly minimum pay to £9.36 (US $12.96).

• Mon, 13 Sep – The Coffee Watch launches on Kickstarter. Lilienthal Berlin and Kaffeeform partnered on the Coffee Watch’s design for 3 years. The casing is made from recycled coffee grounds collected from coffee shops and roasters in Berlin. Designs include the “Espresso”, “Latte”, “Americano”, and “Macchiato”.

• Mon, 13 Sep – World Coffee Events updates rules and regulations for 2021 World Coffee Championships. The new rules apply to Covid-19-safe drink evaluation to ensure social distancing. The 2021 World Barista Championship, 2021 World Brewers Cup, and 2021 World Cup Tasters Championship are set to be held at HostMilano, which runs from 22 to 26 October.

• Tue, 14 Sep – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Company appoints three new executive members to senior leadership team. Paul Diver is Vice President of Marketing, Gregg Benvenuto is Vice President of Development & Franchising, and Michael Chachula is Head of Digital. Diver, Benvenuto, and Chachula will serve to strengthen the company’s strategic growth plans.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Marco Beverage Systems named one of Ireland’s 2021 top 25 Best Managed Companies. The Best Managed Companies award scheme is based on four categories: Strategy, Culture and Commitment, Capabilities and Innovation, and Governance and Financials. The water and coffee systems company says its strategic planning is key to success across each category.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Farmers Bros shows sign of Covid-19 recovery in fourth-quarter financial results. The US roaster, wholesaler, and distributor saw net sales decrease by some 20% to US $397.8 million in 2020. This year, sales have increased by 26.9% to US $102.9 million.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Pret A Manger reports sales growth as workers return to central London. The coffee and food-to-go chain reported weekly sales increases of 15%, mainly due to increased footfall from commuters in the UK capital. Pret A Manger was severely affected by Covid-19, with a large number of store closures and staff reductions.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2021 awards female Guatemalan coffee producer with “Soul of Rurality” award. Elvia Monzón has helped to promote gender equity and inclusion of women in the Guatemalan coffee industry. She is also the President of the Rancho Viejo Coffee Growers Association (AIDEC) in Guatemala.

• Tue, 14 Sep – Starbucks requests expansion on Buffalo, NY unionisation petition. After 50 Starbucks workers in the city filed to form a union, the company requested the National Labour Relations Board to allow all 450 workers in Buffalo to vote.

• Wed, 15 Sep – The Barn opens first international location in Dubai. The Al Khazzan Park café includes features such as Japanese architecture and a view of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. The Barn Dubai will open on 15 October.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Dutch Bros raises US $500 million in IPO. The drive-thru chain’s shares closed at US $36.92 on its first day of trading – 61% higher than the opening price of US $23. Dutch Bros raised US $100 million more than estimated.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Paris to host 7th annual AVPA International Contest of Coffees Roasted at Origin. Roasters from over 30 producing countries are set to participate in the contest, including Brazil, Rwanda, and Colombia. Registration and samples will be accepted until 31 October and the award ceremony will take place in December.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Monin US releases new recipes with seasonal flavoured syrups. The seasonal syrups include Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Spice. Monin’s Innovation Coordinator Chelsea Albright crafted the new recipes, including Dalgona Pumpkin Spice Latte and Thai Coconut Iced Coffee.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Solo Coffee releases RTD Espresso Shot. Each shot is made from the London company’s coffee concentrate and comes in a 60ml (2.2oz) bottle. A single Espresso Shot contains 127mg of caffeine.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Banco de Brasil to offer R $2 billion (US $384 million) to farmers affected by frost. The majority of these funds will be sourced from Funcafé. Coffee experts have provided recorded videos and webinars on how to reduce crop damage from frost. Cecafé and Brazilian analysis company also launched a platform to secure coffee contracts for farmers.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Melitta Professional unveils new branding. The German company has launched a new corporate design and brand logo to increase its presence in the OOH market. The previous logo will be reincorporated into the new design.

• Wed, 15 Sep – UK supermarket Sainsburys partners with Dualit for recycling instructions on packaging. The On-Pack Recycling Label indicates to consumers that aluminium capsules are recyclable once emptied and cleaned of coffee grounds. As of November, Sainsburys will sell the Dualit EcoPress capsule machine, which separates packaging from coffee grounds.

• Wed, 15 Sep – Louis Dreyfus Company creates dedicated Carbon Solutions team and platform. Carbon Solutions will lead a number of emissions reduction projects, including carbon sequestration and renewable energies. Nyame de Groot will lead the team, Natalia Gorina will be Commercial Director, and Meinrad Bürer will serve as Technical Director.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Flash Coffee appoints Grace Surya as Head of Marketing Indonesia. Surya has held previous marketing roles at Uber and Coca-Cola. The Singapore coffee chain intends to open 10 new stores per week, reaching over 300 additional stores by end of 2021.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Compound Foods raises US $4.5 million to develop synthetic coffee products. The US company first launched in 2020 and produces coffee through molecular extraction without using beans. Compound Foods says it will use funding to scale product development and branding.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Chobani donates 300,000 products to Hurricane Ida victims and Afghan refugees. The US company will donate 200,000 of its products (including oat milk) to those affected by Hurricane Ida in New York, New Jersey, and Louisiana. A further 100,000 products will be sent to Afghan refugees in Virginia and New Jersey.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Caravela Coffee Talks releases women-focused podcast series. Its 12 episodes will include 12 female coffee professionals working at various levels of the supply chain. The first episode, featuring guest Amaris Gutierrez (Director of Roasting at Joe Coffee Company and founder of the Women in Coffee Project), will air on 29 September.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Results of 2021 Laos Coffee Competition announced. Funded through the USDA’s CLEAN Project to improve the Laotian agriculture sector, the event was the first of its kind in the country. The highest scoring coffee was a natural process from the Jing Jhai Coffee Coop, which reached 85.35 points.

• Thu, 16 Sep – Robusta prices reach 4-year high due to Vietnam export issues. Vietnam’s General Department of Customs stated prices reached US $2,107 per tonne. Price increases are attributed to Covid-19 lockdowns in exporting cities.

• Fri, 17 Sep – Finnish researchers create coffee-like substance from arabica cells. The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland was able to establish coffee cell cultures in its laboratory. Scientists then added physical coffee material and roasted the mixture. They noted that further research is necessary to make improvements.

• Fri, 17 Sep – BeanBurds uses augmented reality for online customer experience. The UAE start-up’s online customers can now view products in their immediate surroundings using mobile phones. BeanBurds also have a virtual “barista” to help match customers with products from local roasters.

• Fri, 17 Sep – CBD coffee company Flower Power Coffee raises US $2 million in Series A funding round. The company claims that its capsules ensure that 25mg of CBD are extracted into every cup. Funding will be used to scale sales operations, marketing, and channel support.

• Fri, 17 Sep – Royal Coffee to host “Calibrate Good Times!” cupping event on 24 September. The formal cupping session will use SCA standard cupping forms for three different coffees. Attendance to the in-person event is free, but spaces are limited for Covid-19 safety. It will be the first of a three-event series, with two to follow in October and November.

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

• Mon, 6 Sep – Dutch Bros launches new seasonal beverages. The Caramel Pumpkin Brûlée and Cinnamon Swirl Oat Milk Latte will be available until the end of October.

• Thu, 9 Sep – Rancilio Group opens headquarters in Shanghai. The new branch will support and promote Rancilio’s expansion strategy in the Chinese market. Rancilio Group China will oversee commercial relations with local distributors, coffee roasters, and local and international coffee chains.

• Thu, 9 Sep – New research estimates global coffee pod market will be worth US $49.1 billion by 2026. The US market is estimated at US $11.2 billion in 2021, while China is forecast to reach US $8.7 billion by 2026. The new report makes a distinction between “soft coffee pods” and “hard coffee pods”, indicating different CAGRs for both segments.

• Fri, 10 Sep – Over 70% of MICE 2022 tickets booked. The 2021 event was postponed to 2022 after rising Covid-19 cases. The 2022 event will be held from 27 to 30 September and will host the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup.

• Fri, 10 Sep – Oatly announces winners of Big Idea Grant for Coffee. Almost 200 applications were submitted to the company’s call for funding admissions. Seven US coffee companies will receive between US $500 and $100,000 for their individual sustainability projects.

• Fri, 10 Sep – SCA to postpone 2021 US Coffee Championships. The Specialty Expo will still be held in New Orleans from 30 September to 3 October. The SCA will donate 50% of all attendance revenue to local coffee businesses to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Ida.

• Fri, 10 Sep – ICO holds 130th session virtually. Over 40 members of the organisation, representing importing and exporting countries, discussed the budget for 2021/22 and commenced revisions of the current 2007 International Coffee Agreement. Members also reviewed candidacy for the Executive Director role, who will be taking office on 1 May 2022.

• Fri, 10 Sep – Global industrial coffee grinder market to reach US $86.1 million by 2026. The CAGR is anticipated to be 4.8% over the period. The Chinese market is expected to grow the most, reaching US $17.6 million in 2026.

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Photo credits: @brunogouvea