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

Mon, 3 Oct

• Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA) opens entries for eighth annual Coffees Roasted at Origin competition. Samples must be submitted before 31 October 2022 and the awards ceremony will take place in December.

• Indian coffee exporters report concerns over declining imports to US and Europe. Some of India’s exporters are suggesting economic downturn in the two major coffee consuming markets have led to a recent decline in Indian coffee exports.

• This year’s Kent Coffee Festival to take place from 19 to 20 November 2022 in Margate. Alongside an exhibition, the event will feature the Roasters’ Zone, an Espresso Martini Bar, and the Latte Art Zone. Tickets are available now.

• Specialty Coffee Association announces speaker lineup and schedule for 2022 Green Coffee Summit. The free-to-attend virtual event will focus on North American, UK, and European coffee markets, and will include presentations from Director of Strategic Initiatives at Azahar Coffee Company, Vera Espíndola Rafael, and Executive Director at The Chain Collaborative, Nora Burkey. The summit will take place from 18 to 20 October 2022.

• Fairtrade America launches third annual Choose The World You Want campaign. As part of the initiative, local artists in three US cities – Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Portland, OR – designed street art murals to raise awareness of sustainability issues in the coffee supply chain.

• American physician publishes The Clinical Benefits of Coffee/Caffeine: A Latte to Review. Dr. Mark W DelBello’s book examines clinical studies conducted on coffee and caffeine consumption over a number of decades.

• International Coffee Organisation states August coffee exports down by 3.7%. In its September 2022 market report, the organisation says global exports of green coffee totalled 8.83 million 60kg bags in August – compared to 9.17 million bags in August 2021. The ICO estimates 167.2 million 60kg bags of coffee will be produced this year.

Tue, 4 Oct

• Bloomberg report says Brazil’s coffee plants will take years to recover from effects of frost and drought. Following a severe frost in July 2022 and several recent droughts, Brazil is expected to yield its lowest arabica crop since 2014. Farmers are reporting many signs of damage to their coffee plants, which could have adverse effects on next year’s harvest.

• Severe weather forecast across several of Brazil’s coffee-growing regions until at least 8 October 2022. Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology issued weather warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across parts of central, northern, and western Brazil, as well as strong wind gusts, lightning, and hailstorms. Industry experts predict the adverse weather could affect Brazil’s coffee flowering season.

• Nestlé commits US $1 billion to support sustainable coffee farming. The company says funding will be used to provide Nescafé suppliers with more training on climate-resilient farming techniques, as well as providing cash incentives to producers who adopt these practices. Nestlé is aiming to sustainably source 100% of its coffee by 2025.

• La Marzocco opens new hub in Singapore. The espresso machine manufacturer says the new office will serve as the company’s distribution hub for Southeast Asia.

• Project Café USA 2023 finds 80% of US branded senior coffee shop leaders are optimistic about future growth. Out of the 150 people surveyed, 67% don’t foresee a negative long-term impact as a result of Covid-19, largely thanks to increasing out-of-home coffee consumption in the country.

• Plant-based beverage market to be valued at US $71.83 billion by 2030. Grand View Research estimates the market (which includes barista-formulated plant milks) will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.7%.

Wed, 5 Oct

• Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) 2022 achieves record attendance. This year’s event – which hosted the 2022 World Barista Championships and World Brewers Cup – attracted a record number of 15,056 attendees from more than 70 countries.

• Colombia Land of Diversity 2022 auction achieves record average price of US $17.01/lb. A total of 19 coffees were submitted to the seventh annual auction. From international bidding, the highest price received was US $78/lb for an El Roble estate lot.

• Fellow launches two new versions of Stagg EKG electric kettle. The Stagg EKG Pro and Stagg EKG Pro Studio Edition both include several new updates, such as wifi compatibility and a preset Guide Mode for brewing different coffees. Pre-orders are available now.

• Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) says women are now heading 25% of coffee farms in the country. According to the latest survey by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistic (IBGE), nearly 89,000 female coffee producers are in positions of leadership in the country’s coffee sector.

• Whole bean capsule system xBloom raises more than US $180,000 on Kickstarter in under five minutes. xBloom’s all-in-one capsule machine includes a grinder with 20 preset grind settings and “bean recognition” technology.

• Mokha 1450 hosts 2022 United Arab Emirates AeroPress Championship in Dubai. Two regional competitions were also held from 3 to 4 October 2022. The winner of the event will represent the UAE at the World AeroPress Championship in Vancouver BC, Canada.

• Cafés de Colombia Expo 2022 honours women in the global coffee industry. Executive Director of the International Coffee Organisation, Vanusia Nogueira, Colombian Q Grader, Mildred Niebles, and Colombian producer, Magola Ramírez, were honoured at the event, which is being held until 8 October 2022.

• Starbucks and environmental charity Hubbub announce winners of Bring it Back Fund for sustainable packaging. Six pilot programmes were selected to share the £1.4 million (US $1.56 million) fund, which aims to reduce single-use food and beverage packaging. Some of the selected schemes include reusable cup trials and doorstep packaging collection.

Thu, 6 Oct

• Tenth edition of Triestespresso to be held from 27 to 29 October 2022. More than 13,000 people attended last year’s event, which is held every year in Trieste, Italy. The main themes of this year’s event will be sustainability and how coffee businesses can save energy.

• Colombian coffee production falls by 31% in September 2022. The National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FNC) reports that 834,000 60kg bags were produced last month – compared to 1.2 million bags in September 2021. The federation also states that total 2022 production so far has dropped by 10% to around 8.2 million 60kg bags.

• National Coffee Association elects Kathryn Lawson as new Chair of Science Leadership Council. Lawson is a registered dietician and currently serves as Senior Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Manager at Nestlé USA.

• Marco Beverage Systems to host SP9 Brew Master Challenge in Australia. Applicants should have experience in brewing coffee, ideally with Marco’s automated SP9 brewer. Applications are open until 18 October 2022, and 12 qualifying contestants will compete on 26 November 2022 in Melbourne for a chance to win AU $2,000 (US $1,284) and a SP9 Twin for their chosen coffee shop or roaster.

• Portugal’s 2022 AeroPress Championship scheduled for 15 October 2022 in Lisbon. Give It A Shot coffee shop will host the competition. The winner will receive a Mignon Filtro Silent coffee grinder, as well as a place in the world finals from 1 to 3 December 2022.

• Specialty Coffee Association to appoint task force to support cuppers and graders. The SCA says the new task force will “build a stronger, more accessible, and more transparent system for coffee cuppers and graders”, recognising that there is scope to improve the SCA Cupping and Grading Protocol.

Fri, 7 Oct

• New York Coffee Festival returns after 2021 postponement. This year’s event includes more than 110 exhibitors in attendance, alongside thousands of visitors. The festival, which will be held until 9 October 2022, features several competitions, including Roast Masters, Latte Art Live, and New York’s Best Barista.

• Baratza co-founder Kyra Kennedy retires after 23 years. Kennedy co-founded the coffee grinder manufacturer with Kyle Anderson in 1999, and went on to become an influential leader in the coffee industry at a time when women rarely held executive positions. “I am confident that the strong, talented team at Baratza is prepared to take the company into an exciting new future,” she says. “I am looking forward to my next chapter and I will always be a supporter and friend of Baratza and the specialty coffee market.”

• Joe’s Garage Coffee completes merger with Pod Pack International. Joe’s is a coffee supplier, roaster, and packager based in Seattle, WA, while Pod Pack specialises in manufacturing single-serve coffee and tea solutions. The merger between the roaster and the single-serve coffee solutions company will allow Joe’s Garage Coffee to expand its manufacturing capacity.

• More 2023 US Coffee Championship preliminaries take place in Indianapolis. Tinker Coffee Co. is hosting the 2023 Roasting Championship and Cup Tasters preliminary rounds.

• Swiss Coffee Festival 2022 takes place in Zurich. The event includes an exhibition, networking opportunities, and the 2023 Swiss Coffee Championships.

• Origin Coffee Roasters to host artist pop-up shop on 8 and 15 October 2022. Taiwanese artist WHOSMiNG will draw unique illustrations on customers’ takeaway coffee cups at the roaster’s Charlotte Road location in London.

• Tinker Coffee Co. to host tenth annual US AeroPress Championship on 8 October 2022. The Indianapolis roaster will host the competition for the second consecutive year. Eighteen competitors will take part in the event, with the winner representing the US in the 2022 World AeroPress Championship from 1 to 3 December 2022 in Vancouver BC, Canada.

• Gangneung Coffee Festival 2022 held in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea. The three-day event includes exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and interactive experiences.

• This year’s UK Coffee Week set to run from 10 to 16 October 2022. As part of UK Coffee Week, more than 400 independent UK coffee shops will raise funds for Project Waterfall, a charity dedicated to providing coffee-growing communities with access to clean drinking water. Events taking place across the UK will include latte art throwdowns and pop-up shops.

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

• Thu, 22 Sep – Louis Dreyfus Company reports strong 2022 half-year results bolstered by rising coffee sales. The company says its merchandising segment, which includes coffee, grew by 45% in the first six months of the year. Total net year-on-year sales increased by 79%.

• Tue, 27 Sep – China’s coffee consumption to grow by 8.4% by 2031. A new study using historical data suggests that China’s rapidly expanding coffee market will continue to experience strong growth over the next decade.

• Tue, 27 Sep – Nestlé announces largest-ever investment in Indian operations. The company pledged to invest US $613 million in building new facilities and expanding its product portfolio (including coffee capsules) by 2025. Nestlé has been present in India for more than 60 years.

• Tue, 27 Sep – Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority says exports to China are increasing. The authority stated that Ethiopian coffee is becoming increasingly popular among younger Chinese consumers. China imported more than 11,000 tonnes of Ethiopian coffee during the last fiscal year.

• Wed, 28 Sep – Tims China completes merger with Silver Crest and begins trading on NASDAQ stock exchange. The company has retained the Tim Hortons International name. Chairman of Tims China, Peter Yu, says the merger will allow the coffee chain to open up to 2,750 stores by 2026.

• Wed, 28 Sep – UC Davis Coffee Centre to begin construction soon. The new building will house office and teaching spaces, labs, and a roastery, and will offer two educational courses in the coming months.

• Thu, 29 Sep – Japanese coffee chain % Arabica opens seventh location in Abu Dhabi. The new store is located in the Al Seef Village, and is the coffee chain’s 15th location in the United Arab Emirates.

• Thu, 29 Sep – Dunkin’ pledges to achieve 100% responsibly sourced coffee by 2025. The coffee and doughnut chain launched its Drive-To Sustainability Programme, which the company says will focus on sustainability verification and improving coffee sourcing partnerships.

• Fri, 30 Sep – Nespresso launches new sustainability campaign with brand ambassador and actor George Clooney. The Empty Cup campaign features Clooney holding an empty coffee cup – signifying the ever-growing threat of climate change on the global coffee industry.

• Fri, 30 Sep – Starbucks opens first location in Verona, Italy. The new store was opened in partnership with Italian licensee Percassi. Starbucks operates 20 stores in Italy.

• Fri, 30 Sep – Fourth edition of the Coffee Guide celebrates one-year anniversary. The guide has been downloaded more than 10,000 times since its release last year and is available in French and Spanish, with a Portuguese version soon to be published.

• Fri, 30 Sep – Coffee Holdings Company enters definitive merger agreement with Delta Corp Holdings. The New York roaster and commodities and logistics holding company will become subsidiaries of newly formed holding company Pubco.

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