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

Mon, 27 Jun

• Specialty Coffee Association announces winners of several 2022 World Coffee Championships. The five competitions were held at World of Coffee Milan from 23 to 25 June, which had a record of more than 11,000 attendees.
  • Carmen Clemente from Italy won the Latte Art Championship.
  • Agnieszka Rojewska from Poland placed first in the Coffee in Good Spirits Championship.
  • Heongwan Moon from South Korea won the Cup Tasters Championship.
  • Felix Teiretzbacher from Austria placed first in the Roasting Championship.
  • Michaela Ruazol from UAE won the Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

• Bandung West Java Coffee & Tea Expo 2022 takes place in Indonesia. The event was held as part of the 2022 Bandung West Java Food & Beverage Expo. The four-day event attracted more than 10,000 visitors from 20 different countries.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces results of 2022 Cup of Excellence Nicaragua competition. All 26 coffees scored over 87 points, with the highest-scoring coffee (a natural Catuai Rojo from the Mario José González Rodríguez farm) receiving 90.74 points. The auction will take place on 4 August.

• Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to potentially acquire stake in Starbucks MENA. According to a Reuters report, the investment fund could acquire up to 30% of the MENA division of the coffee chain, which is currently operated by Alshaya Group.

• Grand Havana Coffee launches CBD-infused coffee line. In partnership with Can B Corp, the Cuban company will assist in manufacturing a CBD additive to be added to roasted coffee. Grand Havana will release a CBD-infused medium-dark roast blend as the first product in the new line.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces first-ever Los Rodriguez Private Collection Auction. The auction will include coffees from the Caranavi and Samaipata regions in Bolivia. The auction will be held on 19 January 2023.

Tue, 28 Jun

• USDA estimates 2022/23 coffee production will increase by 7.8 million 60kg bags. In its latest Coffee: World Markets and Trade report, the USDA predicts production will increase as a result of Brazil entering the on-year of its biennial production cycle. Global consumption during 2022/23 is expected to increase to 167 million 60kg bags.

• Winner of 2022 Brazilian Barista Championship announced. The competition was held at the 2022 São Paulo Coffee Festival. Boram Julio Um of Um Coffee Co. in São Paulo will represent Brazil at the 2022 World Barista Championship in Melbourne from 27 to 30 September 2022.

• New UKHospitality survey finds only 37% of UK HoReCa businesses are turning a profit. The biggest factors inhibiting profit growth are energy costs (74%), rising prices of good (55%), and labour costs (54%). The survey also found that around 45% of UK hospitality businesses (including coffee shops) have been forced to reduce opening hours.

• Council of the European Union agrees to limit consumption of products contributing to global deforestation. The Council agreed to set mandatory due diligence rules for businesses which trade and sell a number of products, including coffee. The Council also agreed to develop a benchmark system that monitors levels of deforestation in supply chains.

• Notorious Café opens Abu Dhabi’s first-ever SCA-accredited campus. The educational centre will offer several SCA-accredited courses, such as Barista Skills, Brewing, and Green Coffee.

• ofi invests in instant coffee production facility in Brazil. The new plant is being constructed in the state of Espírito Santo and is set to begin production by 2023. The facility will allow ofi to scale the manufacture and distribution of its soluble coffee products.

Wed, 29 Jun

• Global Coffee Platform hosts webinar on carbon footprint of coffee production. In partnership with USAID Green Invest Asia, the Establishing Carbon Footprint Baselines for Coffee Production is the fifth episode of the seven-part sustainability series. Speakers also included representatives of ECOM Trading, Enveritas, and Louis Dreyfus Company.

• New coffee education programme Masters of Coffee launches online. The Los Angeles-based organisation is offering online courses to become a Certified Coffee Specialist. Students attending the course in-person can pursue a Master of Coffee credential upon graduating.

• International Trade Centre hosts new webinar on youth in coffee. The Youth in coffee: Where are we? is the seventh episode of the series which addresses issues young coffee professionals face in the industry.

• Starbucks China resumes indoor dining across 800 Shanghai stores. Starbucks suspended operations in China in late March as a result of the country’s strict zero Covid-19 policy. Stores are permitted to operate at around 70% seating capacity.

• Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA to invest US $29.1 million in expansion of roasting and production facilities. The investment will also result in a new distribution centre in Suffolk, Virginia.

• International Trade Centre officially launches first Spanish edition of Coffee Guide. The guide was launched at the 24th National Convention of Coffee and Cocoa in Lima, Peru. The ITC’s Coffee Guide is designed to be a practical tool for producers, exporters, and other supply chain stakeholders.

Thu, 30 Jun

• PRF Colombia takes place at Plaza Mayor in Medellín. More than 5,000 people are attending the two-day event, which includes a series of panels, lectures, workshops, and cuppings.
  • The Origin Trip Experience was held from 26 to 29 June on several coffee farms, including Café Granja La Esperanza and Forest Coffee.
  • The Café Pergamino Barista Jam competition and Toddy Cold Brew Championship will be held at the event.
  • Diamond Sponsor Mayorga Coffee funded scholarship tickets for 500 producer attendees.
  • Around 60 coffee professionals are taking part in 44 lectures and seven panel discussions.

• Value of global milk frother and steamer market to grow 5.9% by 2032. According to market research firm Fact.MR, the HoReCa market segment is expected to grow to US $225.1 million by the end of the analysis period. North America is predicted to have the biggest share of the global market with 31% by 2032.

• Educational institution Zamorano to teach undergraduate class on coffee production. The class will be taught by El Salvador coffee professional Jorge Rivera, who graduated from Zamorano in 2013.

• Applications open for 2022 US Coffee Masters. The barista-style competition will be held at the 2022 New York Coffee Festival. Applications are open until 1 August 2022.

• Atomo Beanless Coffee closes US $40 million Series A funding round. The “bean-free” coffee brand will release its first products in July 2022, including an RTD coffee line.

Fri, 1 Jul

• UK roaster 92 Degrees secures £1.4 million (US $1.7 million) for national expansion. The roaster will use funding to open eight more sites in the UK, including in Scotland, Manchester, Liverpool, and London.

• Coffee Planet appoints James Brown as new Managing Director. Brown has served as the UAE roaster’s Business Development Director since March 2022, and has previously held high-level positions at Lavazza and Selecta.

• Fourth edition of Specialty & Fine Food Asia attracts more than 7,300 attendees. Visitors from more than 47 countries came to the event, which included the 2022 Specialty Coffee & Tea Asia festival. The next Specialty & Fine Food Asia event will take place from 26 to 28 September 2023.

• Beanstock Coffee Festival to return to Vancouver BC, Canada. After a three-year hiatus, the annual festival will be held at the Roundhouse Community Centre, and will include several local roasters and coffee shops. The festival will take place from 20 to 21 August 2022.

• FTA Coffee becomes first Australian trader to offer certified carbon-neutral coffee. The company’s green coffee is certified by the Australian government-backed Climate Active programme, which measures carbon emissions in supply chains and offers offsetting initiatives.

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

• Wed, 15 Jun – Coffee companies sign open letter to B Corp after Nespresso certification. Several B Corp coffee brands, including Peace Coffee and Cooperative Coffees, signed the letter addressed to B Lab Global calling for stricter certification standards after Nespresso became a certified B Corp.

• Mon, 20 Jun – Costa Coffee ends annual Book Awards. The awards programme first launched in 1971 to share and raise the profile of books and authors published throughout each year.

• Wed, 22 Jun – US convenience store chain 7-Eleven launches Peanut Butter & JAMS Cappuccino. The new beverage is peanut butter and jam-flavoured, and is available in participating stores across the country.

• Wed, 22 Jun – Brazilian Coffee Industry Association elects new President. Pavel Cardoso will serve as the association’s new President until 2025. Cardoso is the Managing Partner of Café Sobesa, which is the largest coffee company in the state of Bahia.

• Thu, 23 Jun – California brand Heirloom Coffee Roasters to launch organic and regenerative agriculture coffee. Heirloom’s Cooperativa Sacacli in Nicaragua will grow the coffee using regenerative agriculture farming techniques.

• Thu, 23 Jun – Algrano’s Customer Relationship Management tool wins the SCA Best New Product Award at WOC Milan. The CRM tool won in the Technology category. The digital coffee platform’s tool is designed for coffee producers, and allows them to manage direct sales with roasters.

• Thu, 23 Jun – Nespresso adds four new coffees to World Explorations range. The new coffees include Paris Espresso, the limited-edition Miami Espresso, Istanbul Espresso, and Rio de Janeiro Espresso. The range was first launched in 2021.

• Fri, 24 Jun – US drive-thru chain Scooter’s Coffee appoints Joe Thornton as new President. Thorton has more than 28 years’ experience in operations, marketing, franchising, and store expansion – including serving as Senior Vice President of Starbucks.

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