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

Here are this week’s coffee news stories.

Mon, 4 Sep

• Thousands set to attend PRF Colombia next week. The coffee industry’s largest producer-focused event returns to the Plaza Mayor venue in Medellín on 14 & 15 September, featuring talks, panels, workshops, and cupping sessions hosted by international coffee professionals.

• Registration opens for 2023 Manchester Coffee Festival. This year’s event will take place at the Bowler’s Exhibition Centre on 18 & 19 November. Alongside an exhibition and tasting sessions, the 2023 MCF will host the 2024 UK Cup Tasters Championship and the new Extracted Development competition.

• German Coffee Association launches joint grievance reporting mechanism for coffee industry. The Ear4U platform allows coffee professionals to report workplace grievances, such as occupational health and safety hazards, environmental pollution, or forced labour.

• Luckin Coffee sells more than five million Kweichow Moutai hard lattes in one day. The “sauce flavoured latte”, which contains the Chinese alcoholic spirit baijiu, smells and tastes similar to soy sauce. Luckin Coffee hopes to attract more younger customers with the launch. Sales on day one surpassed US $13.72 million.

• Nestlé to retrench 210 staff at New Jersey instant coffee plant. Following months of deliberation, the company has decided to close the Freehold factory, which has been open since 1948. The company will outsource production to Mexico and Brazil.

• Crowdfunding campaign aims to raise US $100,000 to support Salvadoran Barista Champion through leukaemia treatment. Víctor Flores Menéndez, a well-known figure in the Salvadoran specialty coffee community, sadly relapsed in May 2023. Donations will be used to support Víctor’s ongoing cancer treatment while awaiting a bone marrow donor.

• Clooney, Dujardin, and Cottin for new ad launching Nespresso’s Paper Collection. Following the trio’s appearance in a Nespresso ad last year, they’ve returned to launch the company’s new line of home-compostable paper-based coffee capsules.

Tue, 5 Sep

• Neumann Gruppe appoints Michael Bode to its executive board. Bode joins as the Director of Group IT and Digitalisation and will lead Neumann Kaffee Gruppe’s digital transformation programme.

• Brazil’s Expocacer celebrates 30th anniversary with rebranding campaign. The Cooperative of Cerrado Coffee Growers has unveiled its new visual identity, representing a renewed commitment to coffee producers. It also anticipates double-digit growth in specialty and regenerative coffees.

• Saudi Coffee Company launches JAZEAN coffee brand. The brand sources arabica coffee from the south of the country and aims to highlight the work being done by local farmers, many of whom have sustained local producing areas for generations.

• McDonald’s Hong Kong suspends ground and premium roast coffee sales. The company’s 250 stores will instead now serve “upgraded coffee offerings”, including americanos, white coffee, and lattes.

• Death Wish Coffee sues Australian brand over trademark infringement. The American coffee brand cites trademark infringement and unfair competition on the part of Australia’s Death Before Decaf. It alleges that Death Before Decaf intends to market its products in the US and take advantage of Death Wish Coffee’s positive reputation.

• Uganda Coffee Consortium accused of lack of accountability and direction. Founding member Jacklene Arinda of Jada Coffee says the consortium has lost direction and “members don’t know what’s going on”. She and other former members have raised concerns that the US $9.9 million consortium’s leader, Nelson Tugume, is not accountable and no longer holds regular update meetings.

• Decades-long trial concludes that mineral fertiliser supports sustainable agriculture. The 65-year-long project took place at Yara International’s Hanninghof research centre in Dülmen, Germany and studied the long-term effects of nutrient management in farming. It concludes that balanced application of mineral fertiliser is part of sustainable crop production, with minimal environmental impact.

Wed, 6 Sep

• Booth registration opens for 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo in Chicago, Illinois. The annual expo, which will take place at McCormick Place from 12 to 14 April, will feature numerous industry exhibitors, networking opportunities, and various lectures and hands-on learning activities.

• Specialty Coffee Association of Poland elects three new members to its Chapter Committee. Marta Niwinska is the new Education Coordinator, Marcin Rzonca is the new Marketing Coordinator, and Katarzyna Zyzało-Moczydłowska is the new National Coordinator.

• Nespresso launches limited edition Nº20 coffee capsules. The capsules contain coffee sourced from 59 Colombian coffee farmers, which the company says encapsulates its 20-year culmination of expertise. It claims that the coffee boasts more than 900 aromas and notes of Seville orange and dried jasmine.

• Early bird tickets still available for World Coffee Summit London. The summit takes place on 13 September at the QEII Centre, featuring a high-level business conference and various talks. Early bird ticket sales close on 10 September.

• Nestlé and Starbucks celebrate five years of global coffee alliance. The companies established the partnership in 2018 to accelerate and expand the Starbucks brand’s consumer packaged goods and foodservice channels. In 2022, the Starbucks business generated US $1.6 billion in incremental sales for Nestlé.

• China’s Hainan grows coffee business through free port and Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative links the southern province to Indonesia, helping to expand China’s coffee industry to new markets. Earlier this year, Hainan State Farms Tropical Products Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Indonesia’s Kapal Api Global signed a cooperation agreement, aiming to achieve “common development through cooperation and exchange”.

Thu, 7 Sep

• New study suggests paper coffee cups are as toxic as plastic cups. Researchers at the University of Gothenberg found that paper cups leach various chemicals during decomposition. They suggest that because of polylactic acid lining, paper cups are “as toxic to aquatic midge larvae as plastic cups”.

• International Women’s Coffee Alliance appoints Blanca Castro as new Executive Director. Castro has over 16 years of experience in the coffee sector and has worked with the IWCA for several years. She will work to identify the needs of various stakeholders and find innovative solutions to industry challenges.

• JNP Coffee launches in Europe. The green coffee company has begun operating in Berlin, Germany, offering European customers direct access to its 2023/2024 East African coffee harvest. Customers can request samples and reserve lots now.

• Applications open for Roast Masters at the Milan Coffee Festival 2023. The competition returns to Superstudio Milan from 2 to 4 December, featuring a brand-new format that includes live roasting and seven different disciplines.

• Coffee Roasters Guild announces 2023 Diedrich Roasters Scholarship recipients for the CGR Retreat. Alisher Kamalov, Ashley Williams, Kevin Mejia, Alanna Halliday, and DJ Thomas will take part in the CGR Retreat in Bellingham, Washington, USA from 28 September to 1 October 2023.

• Coffee futures prices settle lower as US dollar weakens. The arabica and robusta contracts for December delivery closed 2.60% and 2% lower, respectively, on Thursday, following news of a weak dollar, concerns over excessive rain in Brazil’s coffee-growing areas, and low coffee inventories.

• Bellwether Coffee announces international expansion with Japanese retailer MUJI. The coffee roaster manufacturer will expand into the Japanese market, beginning with a new roaster installation at MUJI’s flagship store in Osaka.

Fri, 8 Sep

• MTPak Coffee announces rebrand. The specialist coffee packaging manufacturer has revamped its visual identity. It offers design services, digital printing, and industry expertise in sustainable packaging technology.

• Robusta prices near record high in August 2023. The latest ICO Coffee Market Report showed that the value of robustas averaged US 124.62c/lb in August. The organisation anticipates a shortfall of 7.3 million 60kg bags of green coffee in 2022/2023.

• SCA Coffee Evaluation System event takes place in Mexico. The event outlines the SCA’s new cupping and quality evaluation protocols to local coffee professionals.

• The Barista League returns to Bristol, UK on 9 September. The multidisciplinary coffee competition features three rounds of team-based challenges. This year’s event takes place at Extract Coffee Roasters and guest judges include Casey Lalonde of Girls Who Grind Coffee and Josh Tarlo of Headstand.

• Danish AeroPress Championship gets underway in Frederiksberg. The national competition is hosted by Coffee Collective. The winner will go on to represent Denmark at the 2023 World AeroPress Championship in Melbourne, Australia.

• Colonna & Small’s opens new café in Leather Lane, London. Founder Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood was on-site to brew coffee and chat with customers. The store also stocks Colonna Coffee beans, capsules, and limited releases and will host a 2023 Best of Panama cupping on 26th September.

• Yunnan Coffee Flavour Map and Coffee Fest 2023 scheduled for 14 to 17 September in Shanghai, China. The event aims to produce a comprehensive and definitive body of data on Yunnan coffee through blind cuppings of over 400 coffee samples.

• Gruppo Cimbali to showcase Faema and Slayer espresso machines at the Paris Coffee Show 2023. New machines include the Faema E71E Vivaio 2GR, Slayer EP 2GR, and Slayer Espresso SG. The Paris Coffee Show takes place at Parc Floral de Paris from 9 to 11 September.

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

• Thu, 24 Aug – Black Rifle Coffee Company secures US $56 million credit facility from WhiteHawk Capital Partners. The company says the funds will be used to develop its long-term capital structure.

• Tue, 29 Aug – Starbucks launches new merchandise collection honouring Latin American culture. The new range, which includes a stainless steel tumbler and two cups, features designs by Latinx artist Manuela Guillén.

• Wed, 30 Aug – World Coffee Research prepares for largest breeding project in over 50 years. The Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network will distribute 5,000 genetically unique coffee seeds bred by WCR partners in 2022. Seeds have already been shipped to seven out of nine network partners around the world.

• Wed, 30 Aug – Global Coffee Platform 2022 Snapshot report reveals highest increase in sustainable coffee purchases since 2018. The new report outlines sustainable practices of JDE Peet’s, Julius Meinl, Keurig Dr Pepper, Melitta Group, Nestlé, SUPRACAFÉ, Tesco, and Westrock Coffee Company, which shared a combined total of 70% sustainable coffee purchases.

• Thu, 31 Aug – International Coffee Organisation and International Labour Organisation team up to celebrate International Coffee Day 2023. On 1 October, both organisations will launch the #CoffeePeople social media campaign, aiming to promote the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the coffee supply chain.

• Thu, 31 Aug – PJ’s Coffee opens three new locations in a single day. The New Orleans coffee chain now boasts a 100% growth rate in under six years and operates 175 locations around the world.

• Sat, 2 Sep – EL&N to open first German café in Düsseldorf on 14 September. The London café chain now operates stores in 12 countries, including South Africa, Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Coffee news photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and be sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence news story on the dispute between Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, and the country’s Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC).