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

Mon, 6 Mar

• PRF El Salvador announces final speaker and panel lineup. The two-day forum will take place at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador on 16 and 17 March 2023. Newly confirmed speakers include Gabriel Flores of Belco El Salvador, Sarra Corrales of Finca Los Pinos in Nicaragua, and Victor Flores of Biscuit Factory in Honduras.

• Costa Coffee announces third staff pay rise in a year. The announcement follows similar moves made by rival UK chains, notably Pret A Manger. The pay increase will be between 6.1% and 7.3%, and will be implemented from 1 April 2023 to an estimated 16,000 employees. Staff will also receive pay bonuses based on store performance.

• More than 255 people attend The Barista League’s Olso event. The winners of the event, which took place on 18 February 2023, were Ingar Benonisen and Emma Amalie Rosendahl Jensen of Fuglen Coffee Roasters. The Barista League reported that 46 different coffee companies were present at the event, including Solberg & Hansen and Tim Wendelboe.

• Colombian coffee production volumes grew by 10% in February 2023 while exports decreased by 6%. The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia says the country produced some 1.25 million 60kg bags of coffee in February. However, in the same month, exports decreased to 928,000 60kg bags of green coffee.

• SCA announces winners of 2023 US Coffee Championships second qualifying round in Denver, Colorado. Eighteen Regional Barista Championship competitors will go on to take part in the US National Barista Championships. The top-scoring competitors from the Regional Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters, Coffee in Good Spirits, Latte Art, and Roaster Championships will also compete in the National Championships in Portland, Oregon from 21 to 23 April 2023.

• Westrock Coffee moves to new headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas. The US company says the new 50,000 square foot (4,645 sq m) office was selected because of its proximity to other Westrock facilities in the Pulaski and Faulkner County areas.

Tue, 7 Mar

• Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz agrees to testify at US Senate hearing. Schultz previously declined to attend the hearing, before Senator Bernie Sanders led a vote to issue a subpoena against Schultz. Starbucks’ CEO will now appear on 29 March to respond to questions about the company’s alleged anti-union activities.

• Allegra World Coffee Portal announces Costa Coffee as UK’s favourite coffee shop for 13th consecutive year. Out of a survey of 5,000 UK consumers, some 51% of respondents voted Costa Coffee as their favourite UK coffee chain. The company says it’s “thrilled” with the result and plans to launch new food and drink items this year.

• Starbucks plans to open 100 new stores across UK with a focus on drive-thru and small format locations. The company says rising store sales in the UK has motivated the move to open more locations in key cities. Starbucks also plans to open 300 new locations across Europe and the MENA region in the coming years.

• Peet’s Coffee dedicates annual Anniversary Blend to micro-financing programme for women coffee farmers. In honour of International Women’s Day, the US chain will donate a portion of sales of its Anniversary Blend to Mujeres to Market, an inaugural micro-financing programme which supports women producers in Huila, Colombia.

• Music artist Snoop Dogg launches premium coffee brand INDOxyz. The US rapper has partnered with Indonesian entrepreneur Michael Riady to create a line of RTD drinks and whole bean coffee products. INDOxyz’s coffee is sourced from Indonesian farmers and is roasted, brewed, and packaged in Los Angeles, California.

• Glasgow Coffee Festival to return on 13 and 14 May 2023. The event will take place at the Briggait in Glasgow, and will feature cupping sessions and a series of talks. Last year, Glasgow Coffee Festival raised over £8,000 (US $9,581.64) to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Wed, 8 Mar

• Equal Origins launches #EmbraceEquity campaign for International Women’s Day. The non-profit is calling on supply chain stakeholders to supports its mission to improve gender equity in the coffee industry. The organisation will also host the Advancing gender equity for the hidden workforce in coffee and cocoa webinar on 29 March at 11:00 EST.

• International Women’s Coffee Alliance welcomes Venezuela as newest chapter. Venezuela is the organisation’s 33rd chapter. IWCA will now work to determine how many of the country’s estimated 50,128 coffee producers are women, as well as what role they play in the industry and how many women own land.

• ArtPresso Design launches new line of espresso machine cleaning tools. The US brand’s new range, which is designed with sustainability in mind, includes a 58mm grouphead cleaning tool, steam wand cleaning tool, and drip tray cleaning tool.

• Subminimal launches Kickstarter campaign for NanoFoamer PRO. The automated milk foaming solution includes a number of different programme settings which are compatible with a variety of different milks. The NanoFoamer PRO can also produce cold foam.

• Dalla Corte partners with Carlo Porta Institute to launch NextGen Barista project. The espresso machine and grinder manufacturer’s new programme will allow its trainers to study at the hospitality school. Students will be able to receive SCA accreditations, and Dalla Corte will host a barista competition at the end of programme later this year.

• Nespresso signs UN Women’s Empowerment Principles as part of International Women’s Day efforts. The company says the UN principles, which include to “measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality”, align with its commitment to improve gender equity and women’s empowerment.

• Probat to present hydrogen-powered Px 120 roaster at interpack event from 4 to 10 May. The new roaster will be showcased alongside Probat’s range of electric shop roasters and the Pilot 2020 Suite – a “living” software programme that adapts to individual customer needs.

Thu, 9 Mar

• National Coffee Association hosts 2023 Convention. The theme of this year’s three-day event – which is taking place in Tampa, Florida – is resilience and reinvention. Confirmed speakers at the 2023 NCA Convention include NCA President, Bill Murray, Starbucks’ Executive Vice President of Global Coffee Social Impact & Sustainability, Michelle Burns, and RGC Coffee’s, Stephanie Alcala.

• SCA announces Cupping Exchange schedule for 2023 Specialty Coffee Expo. Several companies will hold cupping sessions at the event, including Ally Coffee, Guatemalan Coffees, JNP Coffee, Fairtrade International, and Mercon Specialty. The Specialty Expo will take place in Portland, Oregon from 21 to 23 April 2023.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Fincas Mierisch to host Los Favoritos Vol. VI Private Collection Auction on 18 May 2023. The latest edition of the Private Collection Auction will feature coffees from Nicaragua and Honduras. Samples are available to purchase now.

• International Coffee Organisation says coffee prices rose sharply in February 2023. In its latest report, the organisation states its ICO Composite Indicator Price rose by 11.4% from January to February, with the price of the Brazilian natural category gaining 14.8% alone. However, the organisation says global exports in January 2023 dropped by 15% compared to the same month last year.

• Thailand Coffee, Tea & Drinks and Thailand Bakery & Ice Cream events rebrand to ASEAN Café Show. This year’s event will take place from 26 to 29 October at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre. Last year’s event attracted more than 20,130 visitors and 100 exhibitors.

• Nucleus Coffee Tools to launch Link sample roaster at PRF El Salvador. Sam Corra, Director of Coffee at ONA Coffee, will present the new countertop sample roaster at the event, which will take place from 16 to 17 March 2023. The new 50g sample roaster was developed in partnership with Kaffelogic.

• The Gentlemen Baristas opens new roastery in London. The UK roaster’s new Stratford location is six times larger than any of its other locations, and features a 35kg Loring roaster. It also includes an events space, cupping room, SCA-approved education facility, and a UK Barista Championship practice area.

• Four World Coffee Championships to take place at World of Coffee in Athens from 21 to 24 June 2023. The SCA expects some 140 competitors to take part in the 2023 World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, World Cup Tasters Championship, and World Cezve/Ibrik Championship, which will all be held at WoC Athens.

Fri, 10 Mar

• Brazil Specialty Coffee Association hosts national 2023 Barista Championship. The competition will take place over three days and will include eighteen competitors. The winner will go on to represent Brazil at the 2023 World Barista Championship.

• Blue Bottle Coffee launches two single origin Filipino coffees. The US specialty roaster has partnered with Kalsada Coffee, which supports Filipino coffee producers, to add two coffees to its Horizon Series: Philippines Sitio San Roque Typica Sweet and Philippines Sitio San Roque Anaerobic Natural.

• British music artist Leona Lewis to open second Coffee and Plants café in Pasadena, California. The second fully plant-based coffee shop will open on 12 March. The National Forest Foundation says it will plant one tree for every 100 cups of coffee sold.

• New social enterprise Honest Grind Coffee launches in UK. The programme allows local underprivileged youth opportunities to roast, package, and sell coffee, with the long term aim of providing more secure employment in the industry. The coffee is available to purchase online.

• Wega to showcase new Nova espresso machine at Internorga 2023. The new machine features a larger work surface area and touch screen controls. The Nova espresso machine will be showcased at Internorga from 10 to 14 March 2023.

• Cecafé says Brazil’s February coffee exports fell by 33.3% because of low international prices. The association says the country’s coffee producers were reluctant to sell to international buyers last month as a result of lower market prices. Cecafé’s President Marcio Ferreira says he expects low export volumes to persist until at least June or July 2023.

• Café de Costa Rica hosts 2023 national Barista and Cup Tasters Championships. The two competitions will take place over three days, with the winners representing Costa Rica at the 2023 World Barista and Cup Tasters Championships from 22 to 24 June.

• World AeroPress Championship announces 17 approved and confirmed national competition hosts. Confirmed hosts include Fieldwork Coffee in Austria, Green Coast Coffee in China, and Yardstick Coffee in Philippines. Dates of the competitions will be announced in the coming weeks.

• New book We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Women Coffee Farmers available to pre-order online. Photographer and author Lucia Bawot’s book documents the stories of 25 female coffee farmers in Colombia. Bawot says it took 18 months to complete the book.

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

• Mon, 20 Feb – DRWakefield launches Carbon Conscious Coffee scheme with Daterra. In partnership with the Brazilian farm, customers can request Sequestration Declarations data to learn more about the carbon footprint of their coffee.

• Wed, 22 Feb – Swedish roaster Löfbergs launches 100% recyclable coffee packaging. The new packaging is part of Löfbergs’ goal to only use packaging with recycled or renewable material. The roaster plans to implement a 100% circular economy model by 2030.

• Wed, 1 Mar – International Franchise Association names Bad Ass Coffee as 2023 Franchisee of the Year. The award recognises leading franchise owners which help to protect, enhance, and promote franchise business models. The Hawaiian coffee brand signed 45 franchise agreements in 2022, and opened eight new stores.

• Fairtrade America appoints Amanda Archila as new Executive DirectorWed, 1 Mar – Fairtrade America appoints Amanda Archila as new Executive Director. Archila has more than 15 years’ experience in natural food, e-commerce, and consumer electronic industries. Fairtrade America says Archila will support “an exciting chapter of growth” for the non-profit.

• Thu, 2 Mar – Lavazza secures US $637 million with several banks to meet sustainability goals. The Italian coffee brand says the five-year term loan credit line and revolving credit line will allow it to meet its environmental, social, and governance goals.

• Thu, 2 Mar – Finnish brand K Group launches gardening soil and fertiliser made from used coffee grounds. The two Pirka Kaffe products are made using spent coffee grounds which are collected from Nestlé K service stations.

• Thu, 2 Mar – Chinese chain Cotti Coffee says it opened 80 locations in three days last year. The coffee chain, which was co-founded by Luckin Coffee founder Lu Zhengyao, says it operates around 1,300 stores across 181 Chinese cities.

Photo credits: Paulina Pérez

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 former Luckin CEO’s new Cotti Coffee chain.