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, 13 Nov

• Australia’s Richest Barista set to return at MICE 2024. The competition will take place at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 12 to 14 May 2024. Competitors will stand to win their share of a prize pool worth AU $40,000 (US $26,000).

• Choose Hospitality Pledge encourages young UK professionals to consider hospitality industry jobs. The initiative, founded by Nestlé Professional, Choose Hospitality, and CareerScope, says more than 40% of UK hospitality businesses are experiencing skilled worker shortages. It’s seeking motivated ambassadors who want to inspire future generations to work in hospitality.

• General Atlantic acquires majority stake in Joe & the Juice. The company says its new investment will help accelerate the café chain’s international expansion plans.

• Brazilian coffee exports increased by 24.5% year-on-year in October. Cecafe says both robusta and arabica recorded strong performances in October, adding that the month was especially positive given recent shipping challenges.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence hosts CoE Colombia 2023 cupping sessions in USA, Taiwan, and South Korea. Specialty coffee roasters, buyers, and café owners are encouraged to attend to sample some of this year’s CoE Colombia Lots.
  • Taichung City: 13 Nov at Blossom Valley
  • USA: 17 November at Caravela Coffee in Houston, Texas
  • Taipei: 18 Nov at the Pebble Coffee booth, Taiwan International Coffee Show
  • South Korea: 21 Nov at MGPC in Busan

• Over 60 competitors applied to take part in the Barista League Milwaukee. The competing baristas represented 14 different local coffee shops, including Backlot Coffee, Soulgood Coffee, and Crescendo Espresso Bar. Team Fleetwood Macchiato took the top spot, with the next Barista League event to take place in Atlanta, Georgia on 1 December.

• Coffee of the Year 2023 winners announced at Brazil International Coffee Week. Deneval Miranda Vieira Júnior of Sítio Cordilheiras Do Caparaó in Caparaó is this year’s arabica category champion, while Wagner Gomes Lopes of Sítio 3 Marias in Espírito Santo is the robusta category champion. A total of 65 finalists took part in the competition.

• The 27th annual Asia International Coffee Conference to take place on 5 & 6 December. More than 200 leading industry experts are expected to attend, including experts in sustainability, the Vietnamese market, robusta production, and more. The theme of this year’s Asia International Coffee Conference is “From Bean to Brew: The Economics of Coffee”.

Tue, 14 Nov

• Warner Bros. Discovery opens first permanent Central Perk café in Boston, USA. The company has already featured several pop-up versions of the Friends-inspired store in New York and Los Angeles. The new store honoured late actor Matthew Perry at its launch.

• Quench acquires US office coffee supplier Neighbors Coffee. The company says the acquisition highlights the growing role of coffee in its portfolio, adding that it aims to provide commercial customers with the broadest array of premium point-of-use offerings.

• Fellow products recognised in Oprah’s Favorite Things, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, and more. The Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle was included in the 2023 Oprah’s Favorite Things holiday gifts list, the Tally Pro Scale was included in the Good Housekeeping 2023 Best Kitchen Gear, Coffee, and Tea Awards, and the Carter Move Mug was named “Best Travel Coffee Mug / Tumbler 2023” by USA Today.

• Study finds compostable capsules are the most sustainable option for single-serve coffee. Researchers at Wageningen University assessed the environmental impacts and circularity of various single-serve coffee capsule materials. It found that when material circularity and greenhouse gas emissions are considered, compostable capsules are the most sustainable option.

• Coffee Planet appoints new COO and CFO to leadership team. The Emirati company has named founder Matthew Yorke Smith as Chief Operating Officer, while non-executive director Rob Saunders will take over as Chief Financial officer.

• Jacobs Douwe Egberts announces plans to close processing facility at UK factory. According to the BBC, the company intends to replace the Banbury, Oxfordshire processing facility with a packing facility. The Unite union says the change will put 280 workers at risk of redundancy.

• Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii announces two multi-unit development agreements in Phoenix, Arizona, US. The company has partnered with several local entrepreneurs to expand its presence in the greater Phoenix area. It has signed agreements for eight new stores in total.

• Löfbergs launches GrowGrounds in an attempt to reverse coffee’s negative climate and environmental impact. The new company is lead by Lars Aaen Thøgersen, Christina Singh, and Poul David Videbæk, three coffee professionals with extensive industry experience. It aims to “eliminate coffee’s negative CO2 impact and restore nature”.

• Coffee Circle Foundation opens submissions for its Coffee Vision Fund I. Every year, the German roaster invests some €4 million (US $4.3 million) in coffee-producing communities around the world. The €500,000 (US $543,072) initiative is open to international applicants who want to run projects related to water, sanitation, and hygiene, education, sustainability, fair supply chains, and climate resilience.

• Reborn Coffee reports 81% increase in revenue year-on-year in Q3 2023. The US coffee company says it recorded US $1.5 million in revenue in Q3 2023. It now operates 14 locations, with one more currently in development.

Wed, 15 Nov

• World Coffee Research releases new video series on robusta clonal nursery management. The five videos, created in support of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority’s Clonal Robusta Coffee Nursery Manual, cover topics ranging from propagation of clonal plantlets to management of nursery pests and diseases.

• European Coffee Awards 2023 announces shortlist. Candidates in various categories include Costa Coffee, Espresso House, Coffee Lab, Blank Street Coffee, Five Elephant, Origin Coffee Roasters, and WatchHouse. The awards ceremony will take place at the European Coffee Symposium on 28 November.

• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters announces partnership with actor Kevin Costner. The company’s new Horizon Blend by Kevin Costner is described as a “bold and smoky” dark roast inspired by the American West. The Academy Award winner currently stars in Yellowstone, a neo-Western drama TV series.

• Fairtrade America certifies 16 new brand partners in 2023. New partners include Metropolis Coffee Company and Twiga Coffee – bringing the number of Fairtrade-certified products to 84 this year.

• Study finds coffee consumption reduces the risk of developing IBS. The study, published in Nature, found that individuals who consumed coffee – regardless of the quantity or frequency – had a reduced risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome compared to those who abstained from coffee.

• Cotti Coffee opens first Hong Kong store. The Chinese coffee chain operates more than 6,200 outlets, but the Sheung Wan store is its first in Hong Kong. At launch, it offered customers limited-time discounts and says this will become a regular Monday offering.

• Caravela Coffee unveils new sourcing strategy. The company’s new “One Caravela” strategy aims to transform operations at its seven export and four import offices to facilitate greater collaboration and co-creation. It’s also investing in the upskilling of its global teams to enable greater autonomy, imagination, and self-management.

• Tims China reports another record-breaking quarter. The official operator of Tim Hortons stores in China reported a 42% increase in revenue year-on-year in Q3 2023, backed by 63 net new store openings and a 90.3% increase in loyalty club membership.

Thu, 16 Nov

• High Density 2023 takes place online. The theme of this year’s conference was “Not Just Origin”, highlighting how the coffee industry needs to recognise the differences between producing countries. It featured a full-day speaker programme including Mikael Jasin, Morgan Eckroth, Mario Fernández, Lucia Solis, and Karl Wienhold.

• MTPak Coffee launches 2023 Packaging Design Awards. The awards aim to celebrate the artistry of specialty coffee packaging. Specialty coffee roasters of all sizes are encouraged to submit their designs, with the winning design receiving US $5,000 cash or US $15,000 in MTPak Coffee packaging credit.

• Equator Coffees launches new Holiday Blend range. The Certified Organic blend contains coffees from Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia. The company will donate 5% of sales from the blend and related merchandise to Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo de Concepción Huista in Guatemala.

• Thousands of Starbucks workers hold strike across the US. Nationwide walkouts took place on the company’s annual Red Cup Day, when the chain hands out free limited-edition reusable red cups to promote the holiday season. As part of the strikes, workers are calling on the company to turn off mobile ordering on high-volume promotion days, improve staffing and scheduling issues, and take part in more reasonable bargaining with the union.

• New Washington, DC café, Tonari, promises fusion of Italian and Japanese coffee cultures. The café follows on from the success of the Tonari restaurant and offers customers all-day breakfast, various coffee-based drinks, and “Italian onigiri”.

• Catalyst Trade announces closure. The Portland, Oregon coffee company says lack of financing, interest rate hikes, and steep Ethiopian coffee price hikes are some of the factors that have forced it to cease trading. It will host a liquidation sale in coming weeks.

• Last chance to back crowdfunding campaign for The Coffee Deck. The deadline for pledges for the illustrated deck of cards, which features various coffee facts, is 22 November.

• Certification scheme 4C offers solution to support EU coffee companies to comply with anti-deforestation measures. In partnership with Global Risk Assessment Services, 4C is providing EU importing operators (including for coffee) and their suppliers with customised solutions in response to EU anti-deforestation measures – including adopting deforestation-free practices, operational legitimacy, and supply chain traceability.

• Big Guns Coffee and Isothermal Community College announce first-ever indoor hydroponic coffee farm. The joint venture aims to achieve proof-of-concept for indoor hydroponic coffee farming, hoping to attract investment for a large-scale coffee farm in Tennessee.

• Cumulus Coffee unveils cold brew machine and specialised coffee capsules. The startup, backed by investors including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, says its machine offers premium cold brew coffee for at-home consumption. The aluminium capsules are recyclable and brew cold-pressed espresso in under 45 seconds.

Fri, 17 Nov

• Bellwether Coffee and Heirloom Coffee Roasters open the Heirloom Regenerative Coffee Lab. The two companies say the lab will reduce the carbon footprint of roasting by up to 92%. The opening was supported by the California Energy Commission’s Food Production Investment Program grant.

• Manchester Coffee Festival takes place on 18 & 19 November. The annual festival features an exhibition, various talks and panels, workshops, tasting sessions, and two competitions: the second edition of Extracted Development and the 2024 UK Cup Tasters Championship.

• Three 2023 World Coffee Championships held in Taipei, Taiwan. The 2023 World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, and World Coffee Roasting Championships take place from 17 to 20 November at the Taiwan International Coffee Show 2023 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre.

• Mahlkönig to host EK Omnia coffee grinder launch events in three Australian cities in December. The company has partnered with its local distribution partners, Brewtech and AMC, to host launch parties in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane on 6, 8, and 14 December, respectively.

• Combat2Coffee offers UK veterans rehabilitation, outreach, and training through coffee. Founded by army veteran Nigel Seaman, the organisation uses a mobile platform to offer coffee training to armed forces veterans. Participants have the chance to earn their National Level 2 Barista qualification and are taken out into the community to practise their skills at public events.

• Pret A Manger opens first store in Spain. The UK café chain says the Barcelona store is the first of 70 Spanish and Portuguese cafés in development by Ibersol Group, its local franchise partner. The company currently operates more than 660 stores globally.

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

• Fri, 10 Nov – Kona coffee producers accuse Kroger of not following through with settlement agreement. According to Cincinnati Business Courier, the Hawaiian farmers allege that Kroger breached the US $13.5 million settlement, which came about after they sued Kroger, Walmart, Costco, Albertsons, Safety, and other retailers in 2019 for mislabeling coffee as Kona coffee.

Coffee news photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, World Coffee Events

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest coffee news stories in the sector, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.

Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on David Beckham’s Nespresso brand ambassador role.