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

Mon, 17 Apr

• Colombian chain Juan Valdez to open flagship store in Madrid in May 2023. The company’s new location will open in the Torre Caleido skyscraper, with plans to open more outlets across Spain in the coming months.

• Pu’er set to become China’s main coffee trading hub. The region is now home to around 45,266ha of coffee-growing land. Moreover, the development of a coffee processing plant and the new China-Laos Railway aims to make Pu’er a major trade hub for coffee in Southeast Asia.

• Chronova Engineering to launch Kickstarter campaign for manual modular Epoch espresso machines. The Epoch Fulcrum is a lever-operated espresso machine, while the Epoch Helix uses a screw thread to build up to nine bars of pressure. The handles and bases of both models are also customisable.

• Caribou Coffee drops plant milk surcharges for loyalty members. From 4 May, Caribou Perks members will be able to order any plant milk for free.

• La Marzocco opens temporary store at 2023 Design Week Milan. The company will showcase its GS3, Linea Mini, and Linea Micra espresso machines from 17 to 23 April at the event. The new pop-up location will also host coffee and ice cream tastings, as well as workshops.

• Starbucks certifies more than 3,500 Greener Stores in the US and Canada. Greener Stores must meet 25 criteria across eight environmental categories, such as water stewardship and energy efficiency. In March 2023, the company certified another 88 Greener Stores in 18 additional markets, including in the UK.

• Container shipping spot rates begin to recover after nine months of decline. The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index rose for the third week in a row in April, following nine months of continuous decline. However, experts remain unsure of the effect this may have on annual contract prices, including for coffee.

• Expo Café Uruguay 2023 to be held on 12 and 13 August. After a successful first edition in 2022, Expo Café Uruguay will once again take place in Montevideo. Last year, the inaugural event attracted more than 10,500 visitors and over 30 exhibitors.

Tue, 18 Apr

• Two Bonavita brewers receive SCA Certified Home Brewer mark. The Enthusiast with Stainless Steel Carafe and the 5-Cup Drip Coffee Brewer with Thermal Carafe have both received the certification, which ensures brewers meet the SCA’s quality standards for preparing specialty coffee at home.

• Arabica futures contract hits over US $2 and robusta futures reach 11-year high. Arabica futures have reached a six-month high, most likely because of lower export volumes from countries like Colombia. Dry weather conditions in Vietnam are also driving robusta futures higher, as well as excessive rainfall in Indonesia.

• International Coffee Organisation releases 2023 Coffee Report and Outlook. The new report outlines global production and consumption statistics for the upcoming year, and predicts that global production volumes will increase by 1.7% to 171.3 60kg million bags in 2022/23 – although this is still be a deficit of coffee. The ICO is set to release these reports twice every year.

• British Coffee Association appoints Dr. Krisztina Szalai as new Chair. Dr. Szalai, who is currently the Head of Sales at Caravela Coffee, says she will use her new role to support the UK coffee industry “at a critical time”, mentioning rising inflation and costs.

• Tata Coffee reports 10.2% increase in 2022 revenue. The Indian coffee company cited rising demand for hot coffee beverages at restaurants, cafés, and offices as the main reason for revenue growth.

• Nescafé launches Ice Roast soluble coffee. Ice Roast is the brand’s first-ever soluble coffee product designed specifically to be prepared with cold water or milk. The instant coffee product launches in China this month, as well as in Mexico in the coming weeks.

• Simonelli Group appoints Marco Feliziani as new CEO. Outgoing CEO Fabio Ceccarani leaves the company after 14 years. Feliziani has worked at Simonelli for eight years, having previously held the roles of Sales Director and Deputy Chairman of the company’s US branch.

Wed, 19 Apr

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces winning coffees up for Los Favoritos Vol VI Honduras & Nicaragua Private Collection Auction. A total of 15 coffees (six from Honduras and nine from Nicaragua) will be up for auction on 1 June 2023. There were six varieties represented in the competition, including Gesha, Yellow Pacamara, and Laurina, as well as six different processing methods.

• Re:co Specialty Coffee Symposium 2023 takes place in Portland, Oregon. The two-day event features sensory experiences, networking opportunities, and expert speakers including Professor Christopher Hendon of University of Oregon, founder of the Coffee Sensorium Dr. Fabiana Carvalho, and JNP Coffee founder Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian.

• Luckin Coffee opens more than 9,000 stores in China. The Chinese coffee chain says it experienced rapid expansion in the first quarter of 2023, averaging 13 stores a day – boosted by its recently-implemented franchising programme.

• SCA Greece opens nominations for volunteer committee elections. Nominations are open until 26 April, and voting will take place from 10 to 24 May. The roles open for election are Community Coordinator and Marketing & Communications Coordinator.

• Eversys appoints Andre Eiermann as new Global Marketing Director. Eiermann has extensive experience working in the coffee industry, including in green coffee trading, roasting, education, and competitions. Eiermann will seek to drive Eversys’ brand growth and expansion.

• Coffee shop software developer Odeko raises US $53 million in funding round. Odeko’s software allows coffee shops to manage supply chains and operations more effectively. The company will use the capital to continue expansion in new international markets.

• Reborn Coffee appoints new advisory board to provide strategic guidance for growth. The new board includes Bill Koschak, who currently serves as CFO at Calyxt, a plant-based synthetic biotechnology company. The company says the newly formed advisory board will help to grow and expand the brand in new markets.

Thu, 20 Apr

• SCA releases beta version of the Coffee Value Assessment at Re:co Symposium. As a result of a project first launched in 2020, the organisation’s revised cupping protocol and form will allow industry professionals to record data according to four different assessment categories – “physical”, “extrinsic”, “affective”, and “descriptive” – which the SCA says is more in line with its new definition of specialty coffee.

• This year’s London Coffee Festival takes place at the Truman Brewery. The event includes a trade show, the Roasters Village, a series of talks, and the 2023 Coffee Masters competition. Several prominent companies and brands will launch new products at the festival, including Cimbali’s new M200 espresso machine.

• IKAWA launches new Pro100x sample roaster. The new countertop roaster includes a Moisture Release Graph, which allows users to track roast profiles more effectively. The Pro100x can detect when first crack occurs based on the release of moisture. Pre-orders are expected to ship in June 2023.

• Green coffee processing equipment manufacturer Cimbria expands operations in South America. Cimbria says South America will be one of its most promising and important markets.

• Australian chain Coffee Hit rolls out new branding. The company’s new branding and marketing campaign includes the slogan “Coffee that goes places”, as well as new blend names and packaging.

• Cropster launches new BrewBeacon volumetric espresso machine connector. The IoT-powered BrewBeacon can be connected to up to four espresso machine groupheads to record and store real time brew data on Cropster Café software.

• Weber Workshops launches MOONRAKER WDT tool. The company’s new product uses geared and spirographic movement to evenly distribute ground coffee in portafilter baskets. The MOONRAKER is available to pre-order now.

• Coney Island Coffee invests more than US $621,345 in rebranding. The company – formerly known as Cinema Coffee Project – will now sell products online and through subscriptions, as well as in more stores in Ireland.

Fri, 21 Apr

• UK government signs 2022 International Coffee Agreement. The signing took place at the International Coffee Organisation headquarters in London in the presence of ICO Executive Director Vanúsia Nogueira. The ICA aims to strengthen partnerships and co-operation between the ICO and signatory governments, as well as with the private sector.

• Specialty Coffee Expo 2023 takes place in Portland, Oregon. This year’s event is being held at the Oregon Convention Centre until 23 April. The expo includes several show features, such as the Roasters Village, the Green Coffee Buyers & Sellers Programme, the Cupping Exchange, and this year’s US Coffee Championships.

• TONE Kaffeemaschinen launches new TONE TOUCH 04 batch brewer at Specialty Coffee Expo. TONE says its latest automated brewer uses ten times less energy than a traditional brewer, and allows the user to control agitation, flow rates, and pulse pouring.

• Acaia debuts new Ion Beam anti-static grinder tool at Specialty Coffee Expo. The Ion Beam includes an industrial-grade ion generator which helps to minimise static and clumping. Acaia also launched its Orion Nano coffee doser at the event.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence open applications for new Executive Director. Following the departure of Darrin Daniel in March, the non-profit organisation is looking to hire a new executive director to lead both ACE and the Cup of Excellence prorgramme.

• SCA Market event to take place in Busan, South Korea on 23 April. The three-day event will include the Coffee Village, Cupping Room, and SCA Education Programme, as well as hosting the 2023 Korean Barista Championships.

• Bazzara’s Trieste Coffee Experts event to return in November 2023. The annual prelude event to the Triestespresso Expo will return for a sixth time this year, hosted by local family-operated roaster Bazzara. The theme of this year’s event is “Innovation & Sustainability”.

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

• Thu, 13 Apr – Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority reports coffee exporters have defaulted on at least 394 contracts since October 2022. Following a period of low international coffee prices, Ethiopian exporters have been withholding coffee to sell for higher prices on the local market. As such, the ECTA may struggle to meet its $2 billion income target.

• Thu, 13 Apr – Nespresso expands Australian logistics partnership with DHL. DHL Supply Chain will now provide storage, warehousing, and order packing services for Nespresso in Brisbane and Sydney, adding to existing partnerships in Italy, Brazil, and elsewhere.

• Fri, 14 Apr – Philippine start-up Pickup Coffee raises US $40 million in latest funding round. The quick service coffee brand’s funding round was led by Indonesian tech company GoTo. Pickup Coffee operates several locations in the country, and serves a number of signature drinks such as Nutellatte, Ube Latte, and Avo Latte.

• Fri, 14 Apr – US Department of Agriculture to fund new coffee productivity and resilience project. The Developing Field-Based High-Throughput Phenotyping for Coffee Yield, Physiological Performance, and Disease Resistance project, which will be run by Ohio State University, World Coffee Research, and two USDA research centres, will focus on making coffee breeding more efficient and cost-effective.

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest 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 stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia’s new leader.