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

Mon, 23 Jan

• Australian beverage retailer BWS launches Double Shot drive-thru coffee shop in Devonport, Tasmania. The drive-thru concept store was opened in partnership with owner of Oasis Coffee, Oasis Griffiths Group, DHUWA, Coffee Lab, and Griffiths Bros. BWS plans to open more Double Shot locations across Australia later this year.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces 2023 auction dates. The 2023 auction line up includes 13 Cup of Excellence auctions, four Private Collection auctions, and one Pilot Project. The next event will be Cup of Excellence Indonesia, which will take place on 16 February.

• London coffee shop concept EL&N opens seventh store in Saudi Arabia. The new café is located in Jeddah, with another store set to open in the city later this year. EL&N also operates six locations in Riyadh.

• Growing Coffee in the Face of Climate Change to air on YouTube on 8 February 2023. The keynote speech delivered by Michael Opitz, Managing Director of Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung, focuses on how coffee farmers can adapt to – and potentially overcome – the challenges posed by climate change. The speech will premiere at 15:30 GMT on 8 February.

• Commodities statistics agency Conab predicts Brazil’s 2023/24 coffee harvest will increase by 7.9%. Conab estimates that the country’s 2023 harvest will reach 28.9 million 60kg bags – up 4.4% on 2022. The agency also expects the 2023/24 harvest season to hit 54.9 million 60kg bags, with Minas Gerais’ production volume to increase by more than 25%.

• Uganda Coffee Development Authority distributes wet processing equipment to 35 local farmers and co-operatives. According to Coffee Geography, the UCDA says farmers in selected areas of the country will be able to process arabica at the wet mills – potentially helping them to receive higher prices.

• Frank Buna’s Latte Art Factory wins second consecutive Best New Product Award at 2023 World of Coffee Dubai. The automated milk foaming solution also won the Best New Product Award at World of Coffee in Milan last year.

Tue, 24 Jan

• Proud Mary Coffee to sell Panamanian Black Jaguar Gesha for US $150 per cup. A total of 22 cups of the 2022 Best of Panama competition winner from Hartmann Estate will be available at the roaster’s Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas coffee shops. Proud Mary says it spent US $2,000 on 1lb of the Black Jaguar Gesha, which the roaster also says is the highest price it has ever paid for coffee.

• Eversys opens new office in Singapore. The Swiss superautomatic coffee machine manufacturer reported 150% sales growth in the Asia-Pacific region in recent months, and says the new office will allow the company to work more closely with regional partners.

• Alt Dairy association launches new campaign to encourage more coffee shops to use plant milks. Roasters and coffee shops can sign up to the Hospitality Heroes initiative. Once a member, coffee businesses can use the Alt Dairy logo in window fronts, and can also benefit from social media and press release campaigns to promote their use of plant milks.

• Indian chain Coffee Day Enterprises fined US $3.2 million for failure to recover funds. According to Reuters, the Securities and Exchange Board of India found that the company “failed to recover dues from a sister concern” and other connected entities, resulting in losses for shareholders. Coffee Day Enterprises has 45 days to pay the fine.

• Schaerer to debut new ProCare coffee machine cleaning system at Internorga in Hamburg from 10 to 14 March 2023. The add-on ProCare system supplies cleaning agents for up to 100 cycles, and automatically cleans coffee brewing and milk dispensing systems.

• JDE Peet’s to launch fully compostable coffee capsule in 2023. The company made the announcement as part of its preliminary 2022 financial results – also reporting that total sales increased by 16.4% last year.

• US drag racing’s National Hot Rod Association announces Fire Department Coffee as Official Coffee Sponsor. The multi-year partnership will see the veteran-owned coffee roaster serve its products at NHRA events nationwide.

Wed, 25 Jan

• Anfim launches new Luna grinder. Hemro Group’s new grinder includes 65mm hardened steel flat burrs, a 2kg hopper, and stepless grind size adjustment – which the company says can be done using one hand.

• Ecotact launches new Penta Pak green coffee storage solution. The resealable Penta Pak, which is recyclable and reusable, has a five-panel design, which the company says provides more stability. Penta Paks can also hold up to 7.5kg of green coffee.

• Sintercafé to take place in Costa Rica from 8 to 10 November 2023. The theme of this year’s event is “Connecting the Coffee World”, with more details to be announced soon.

• Certification body 4C launches Gender Equality Add-On. The organisation says its new add-on certification feature and diagnostic tool can help to improve farm management practices and increase profitability.

• Specialty Coffee Association announces 2023 Italian Coffee Champions at Sigep. The number of attendees at this year’s Sigep came close to the record number of visitors at the 2020 event, with people from over 155 countries present. Winners of the 2023 Italian Coffee Championships include:
  • Coffee in Good Spirits Champion, Marco Poidomani;
  • Barista Champion, Daniele Carvalho Ricci;
  • Brewers Cup Champion, Giacomo Vannelli;
  • Roasting Champion, Roberto Breno;
  • Latte Art Champion, Stefano Nodari.

• Espresso House says it will invest US $8 million to increase staff salaries in 2023. The Swedish coffee chain recently faced criticism from former employees over working conditions and workplace culture. The company says pay increases will “ensure our employees feel appreciated”.

• Fairtrade launches new map to identify risk of human rights and environmental abuses in global supply chains. The new interactive map helps to identify root causes of human rights and environmental abuses in supply chains, such as coffee, in countries where the organisation operates. Fairtade also says the map helps to understand how these risks are linked to their root causes, including poverty and exploitation.

Thu, 26 Jan

• Biggby Coffee appoints former Starbucks executive Michele Waits as new Chief Marketing Officer. Waits, who also held an executive role at illycaffè, will assist the US coffee chain to streamline and modernise its operations.

• African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition 2023 to be held in Kigali, Rwanda from 15 to 17 February. The event, which is Africa’s largest coffee trade platform, is set to attract more than 2,000 coffee professionals – and will include lectures, workshops, cuppings, and farm visits.

• PRF El Salvador to host 2023 Salvadoran Barista Championship and Brewers Cup. In partnership with Café de El Salvador, PRF will host the two national Coffee Championships. The 2023 Cold Brew Championship, which is sponsored by Toddy, will also take place at the two-day forum. PRF El Salvador will be held on 16 and 17 March 2023 at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador.

• WatchHouse Coffee appoints Caroline Ottoy as new Managing Director. The specialty roaster says Ottoy, who previously held an executive role at Planet Organic, will help to expand the company’s presence in the UK and abroad.

• Kalita partners with Espresso Parts to relaunch Kalita USA. Espresso Parts has been distributing Kalita products since 2016. As part of the Kalita USA relaunch, customers will be able to purchase products from the US ecommerce site.

• International Coffee Organisation launches new logo for 60th anniversary. The new logo was created by Italian designer Giulio Vinaccia. ICO members are encouraged to include the new logo in general communications and event invitations.

• De’Longhi reports 2022 revenue loss from falling European demand. The Italian coffee equipment manufacturer says the 2% drop in 2022 revenue, which totalled €3.16 billion (US $3.4 billion) is a result of “the complex geopolitical situation and unfavourable inflationary dynamics”.

• Vuna Coffee School’s Coffee Champions League to be held on 15 February 2023. The school currently has more than 800 international students, and teaches in six different languages. The Coffee Champions League focuses on areas such as green coffee trading and sustainability, and will take place in Kigali, Rwanda.

Fri, 27 Jan

• Abalona Coffee to open first location on Venice Boardwalk in southern California. The roaster’s flagship coffee shop will serve three of its signature blends, with the new store set to open in Spring 2023.

• European Coffee Symposium 2023 to take place in Barcelona, Spain from 27 to 29 November. The event, which will be held at the W Hotel, will include a number of industry speakers – such as CEO of Coffee Island, Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, and CEO and founder of Allegra Group, Jeffrey Young.

• First qualifying round of 2023 US Coffee Championships takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. The first of two 2023 qualifying rounds includes the US Brewers Cup, Barista, Coffee in Good Spirits, and Roasting Championships. Winners will go on to compete at the US National Coffee Championships in Portland, Oregon from 21 to 23 April.

• Applications open for London Coffee Festival’s Coffee Masters competition. The contest will see 16 coffee professionals face off in a number of barista-style challenges, with the winner receiving a £5,000 (US $6,184) cash prize. Applications close on 1 March, and the London Coffee Festival will take place from 20 to 23 April 2023.

• World AeroPress Championship releases limited-edition 2022 season Merch Mega-Pack. The merchandise pack includes a customised denim jacket with pin set, a cupping bowl, a Brewista electric gooseneck kettle, and a Brewista Smart Scale II.

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

• Mon, 16 Jan – Nespresso and Italian fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni launch range of limited-edition capsules. The Ispirazione Italiana coffee capsule range includes the Milano Intenso, as well the limited-edition Nespresso CitiZ machine.

• Tue, 17 Jan – Mexican retail company FEMSA launches coffee drive-thru concept andatti Drive. New locations opened in the northeast state of Nuevo León. Customers are able to place orders using an app at the two-lane coffee drive-thru concept.

• Wed, 18 Jan – Black Sheep Coffee plans to double sales during 2023. The UK coffee chain aims to open 131 stores by the end of the year.

• Wed, 18 Jan – Minor Figures and PlantX open pop-up shop in California, US. The Venice Beach pop-up store is serving a gingersnap oat milk latte in partnership with Olympia Coffee Roaster, as well as a rotating roaster menu for the next three months.

• Thu, 19 Jan – Nestlé Germany and UK & Ireland announce executive leadership changes. Alexander von Maillot will serve as Nestlé Germany CEO as of March 2023, while Alessandro Piccinini has been appointed as Managing Director of Nespresso Germany. Richard Watson will replace Stefano Agostini as CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland.

• Thu, 19 Jan – Reborn Coffee to expand into Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. The US coffee chain says its new partnership with Malaysian specialty coffee distributor COLLECTIVE will allow for rapid expansion.

• Thu, 19 Jan – Kona Sun launches “spreadable” coffee. The coffee spread is made with 100% Kona beans, and is available to buy online and in select stores across the US.

• Fri, 20 Jan – São Paulo Biological Institute’s urban coffee farm launches roasted coffee beans. The farm – which is the largest urban coffee farm in the world – also holds a harvest event every year.

• Fri, 20 Jan – Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association reports US $57 million in sales from 2023 World of Coffee Dubai. The BSCA states this represents a 143% increase in sales generated from the 2022 event.

• Fri, 20 Jan – Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo finds Brazil’s earnings per ha of coffee plants increased by 38% between 2018 and 2021. The federation also found that yields per ha increased by 42.5% during the same period.

• Fri, 20 Jan – La Marzocco launches new office and showroom in Paris. The Italian coffee equipment manufacturer’s new office in Montmartre office will host exclusive events, such as coffee competitions and product demonstrations.

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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 a new wave of investments in India’s specialty coffee sector.