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

Mon, 9 Jan

• Origin Coffee releases four Asian coffees in celebration of upcoming Lunar New Year. The UK roaster’s new coffees include Wa Choo from China, Rotutu from Timor-Leste, The Lady from Myanmar, and Barokah from Indonesia.

• Oatly appoints Bryan Carroll as UK General Manager. Carroll has 25 years’ experience working in the retail, foodservice, and out-of-home sectors, and will initially focus on expanding Oatly’s foodservice and OOH partnerships.

• Sigep 2023 to host seven Italian National Coffee Championships from 21 to 25 January. The 44th international tradeshow will take place at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy. Last year’s event included more than 1,000 exhibitors.

• Dutch Bros projects total 2023 revenue to be US $1 billion. The drive-thru coffee chain plans to open 150 new shops this year, with the goal of operating 800 stores in the US over the next five years.

• Heylo Coffee launches Less Guilty Coffee Map. The new interactive platform allows users to search for coffee shops, roasters, and other initiatives which are working to improve sustainability in the coffee sector.

• Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day celebrates fifth anniversary. The theme of this year’s celebration, which coincides with the first direct shipment of JBM coffee to Japan, is “Live the Luxury Lifestyle”.

• Dubai Multi Commodities Centre processed over 4,000 tonnes of green and roasted coffee in 2022. The DMCC says its Coffee Centre handled record-breaking shipments from Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. The Centre also hosted several prominent coffee competitions last year, including the 2022 UAE AeroPress Championship.

Tue, 10 Jan

• COFE App and Kuwait Telecommunications Company sign strategic partnership to host events and online interactive activities. As part of the agreement, the e-commerce coffee platform will also host the first-ever COFE Festival in Kuwait.

• Blue Bottle releases Robusta Blend No.1. The new blend includes honey processed Vietnamese robusta, as well as coffees from Africa and Latin America.

• Specialty Coffee Association announces new Guild Leadership Council members. Lukasz Galecki, Luisa Fernanda Santos Rivera, and Zoey Thornton joined the Barista Guild Leadership Council. New members of the Coffee Roasters Guild Council are Davide Cobelli, Tonny Butera, Emily Smith, Sara Gibson, and Baylee Engberg. Shad Baiz, Philipp Mayr, Nate Hull, Brady Butler, and Anastasia Chovan now form the Coffee Technicians Guild Leadership Council.

• Chapman University partners with the CA Dairy Innovation Centre on Coffee, Tea, and Creamers: The Science and Art of Milk in Beverages course. The short course discussed trending tea and coffee products, how roasting affects coffee flavour, how to use different types of milk in ready-to-drink products, and more.

• US roaster Nossa Familia opens roasting facility in Brazil. The new roastery will sell coffee domestically to consumers and wholesale customers, with plans to open a barista training centre in the near future.

• Food and ingredients company ofi secures two-year US $600 million loan facility. BNP Paribas, DBS, HSBC, Mizuho, MUFG, and Standard Chartered Bank were the Senior Mandated Lead Arrangers of the facility, with HSBC appointed as the facility agent. ofi says the loan facility will be used to refinance its existing loans, as well as for general corporate purposes.

• Japanese coffee chain % Arabica to relaunch in the Philippines. A year after ending its previous franchise agreement in the Philippines, % Arabica will open several stores in Taguig City.

• PETA honours Stumptown Coffee with Compassionate Chain Award after using oat milk as default milk option in coffee shops. The specialty coffee roaster made the decision after it found that more than 50% of customers were requesting oat milk.

Wed, 11 Jan

• The Barista League to host 12 events in 2023 with additional event announced for January 2024. The first event will take place at Fuglen Coffee Roasters in Oslo, Norway on 18 February. Sponsors of the events include Rancilio, BWT Water+ More, Toddy, and more.

• Nguyen Coffee Supply launches two new RTD cold brew products. The Condensed Milk and Coconut 100% robusta cold brews will be available on Nguyen’s website and in select US Whole Food stores.

• World of Coffee Dubai 2023 takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre. The second event of its kind attracted more than 300 exhibitors, and also featured the Roaster Village, live demonstrations, workshops, several awards programmes, and the 2023 UAE National Coffee Championships.

• Green coffee importer Osito Coffee to launch operations in Brazil and Australia. The Connecticut company will open a Brazil export company and an Australian office in 2023. The Brazilian exporter will source both high-scoring microlots and larger volumes of coffee.

• UCC Coffee Europe appoints Elaine Swift as new OOH Director. Swift, who previously served as Managing Director at UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, will handle strategic management of the European division, as well as development and expansion plans in the region.

• High protein RTD latte brand Slate closes US $10.5 million funding round. The company says funding will be used to improve distribution channels and to develop new products.

• UK roaster Lincoln & York predicts 2023 coffee industry trends. The roaster estimates that affordable sustainable coffee, consumer indulgence, and customising offerings to local customers will become more important considerations for roasters this year.

• Aimia Foods becomes exclusive OOH partner of coconut milk brand Koko. The new partnership will see Aimia Foods distribute Koko products through its OOH, wholesale, and vending channels.

Thu, 12 Jan

• Neumann Kaffee Gruppe Germany announces changes to management. The green coffee trader states personnel changes have been made at both of its German trading companies, Bernhard Rothfos (BR) and InterAmerican Coffee (IAC), as well as in its Board of Management. Christian Bothe is the new CEO at BR, while Inacio Teixeira is the new CEO at IAC. NKG COO and member of the Board of Management, Pablo Garcia C., has also retired from the company.

• US chain Reborn Coffee to open new stores in southern California and South Korea. Alongside new locations in Pasadena and Irvine, the company will also open its first international location in Daejeon, South Korea – which will include a roastery and R&D facility.

• Intercontinental Exchange arabica futures fall to lowest levels since May 2021. ICE says improved production estimates for Brazil and rising ICE arabica inventories led to March delivery contracts dropping by 700 points to around US $1.44/lb on Wednesday.

• Cupping Brewer launches rebranding and new website. Previously branded as the Rattleware Cupping Brewer, the brewing device is designed to mimic the sensory experience of cupping. Founder of the company Josh Taves, who is also a former US Barista Champion, says the brewer is now manufactured using higher-quality materials.

• Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters showcases some of India’s high-scoring specialty coffees at WOC Dubai. The company’s booth at the Roasters Village allowed attendees to taste some of the highest-quality coffees from India. The company is also celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

• International Trade Centre to host first 2023 digital plenary session on 7 February. The webinar will focus on the ITC’s three key initiatives for its Coffee Guide in 2023, including better coffee data aggregation, sustainability initiatives in landscape mapping, and developing a circular economy in the coffee industry.

• Natural Catuaí 144 sells for US $43/lb at 2022 Cup of Excellence Brazil auction. Some 462.97lbs of the coffee, which received 91.41 points, were purchased by an Italian roaster for more than US $19,907. Total earnings at the auction were over US $238,746.

• Workers at Sunergos Coffee’s Louisville, Kentucky locations vote in favour to unionise. Workers at five of the company’s coffee shops voted to join the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, which is the same union that currently represents workers at Heine Brothers Coffee. Better salaries and improved working conditions were the main reasons stated for the decision to unionise.

• Steeped Coffee partners with Major League Baseball All-Star Ian Happ’s Connect Roasters to launch single-serve coffee bags. Two of Connect’s bestselling coffees, the Guatemala Santa Clara and the Columbia Decaf, are now available as Steeped single-serve bags.

Fri, 13 Jan

• First US National Coffee Championships qualifier round to take place in Baltimore, Maryland from 27 to 29 January 2023. Winners of the event, which will be held at the Baltimore Convention Centre, will go on to compete at the 2023 US National Coffee Championships in Portland, Oregon from 21 to 23 April.

• World Coffee Championships Judge Certification to be held in Dubai on 14 and 15 January. The Specialty Coffee Association and World Coffee Events are calling for eligible applicants to join the event, which will certify skills and competencies required to evaluate World Coffee Championship competitors.

• US Women in Coffee Association to host Producing Lasting Equity for Producers event on 18 January. The event is part of the organisation’s Coffee Women’s Colloquium and will focus on how long-term equity can be improved through education, investment in community programmes, and closing the gender gap.

• New study by University of Coimbra suggests coffee consumption may protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Researchers found that a higher intake of both caffeinated and non-caffeinated coffee was associated with less severe NAFLD among people who have type 2 diabetes.

• UK chain 200 Degrees Coffee promotes Stephen Fern to Managing Director. Fern will take over the role from co-owner and CEO Rob Darby.

• Specialty coffee equipment manufacturer GOAT STORY launches new Turkish coffee pot on Kickstarter. The Otto Turkish coffee pot can brews up to five cups of Turkish coffee at one time, and is designed to “create a unique flow of coffee and water”.

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

• Fri, 30 Dec – US National Labor Relations Board claims Starbucks illegally terminated Starbucks Unite union leader in response to union activism. The NLRB says the union leader, Jaz Brisack, was forced to resign after she alleged the company used amended scheduling policies to discriminate against her. In response, Starbucks says “the facts do not support the claims”.

• Tue, 3 Jan – Pret A Manger to expand into Israel. The coffee and food-to-go chain will open 40 stores in Israel over the next 10 years, and will partner with local franchisees Fox Group and Yarzin Sella Group.

• Fri, 6 Jan – Mahlkönig launches limited-edition Icon EK43 S grinder. The limited run of fewer than 1,000 individually-numbered grinders includes gold accents, as well as a gold plate on the side of each grinder which displays its specific edition number.

• Fri, 6 Jan – Starbucks targets 100 total stores in Vietnam in 2023. The company plans to open a total of 13 new stores in the country this year, which marks its tenth anniversary of operating in Vietnam.

• Fri, 6 Jan – Animo launches OptiBean X superautomatic coffee machine. The machine features the new X-press brewer, which can brew two cups of coffee at once. The OptiBean X also includes adjustable tamping pressure.

Photo credits: The Barista League

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence news & opinion piece on how China’s “great reopening” will affect its coffee sector.