Coffee News Recap, 12 Jul: Arabica prices near two-year high, EU resists calls to delay deforestation regulations & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week.

Here are this week’s stories – the word of the week is EUDR.

Mon, 8 Jul

EU resists calls to delay upcoming deforestation regulations. Despite recent requests from the US government and ongoing concerns from coffee industry supply chain actors and stakeholders, European Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius has given no indication of plans to postpone the EUDR. (Brussels, Belgium)

Robusta prices rise as traders evaluate rainfall in drought-stricken Vietnam. While some rainfall is expected to increase moisture levels in soil, some experts claim amounts have been overestimated. Continuous hot, dry weather in the country has damaged coffee plants, which has raised concerns about the upcoming harvest.

Caffitaly seeks debt deal with banks and owners. The Italian coffee machine manufacturer is seeking a debt restructuring deal with its lenders and shareholders. The company is also negotiating with banks and owners Alpha Group and Compagnie Nationale a Portefeuille as efforts to secure new capital have not yet been successful, according to sources. (Gaggio Montano, Italy)

Japan’s % Arabica expands into Latin America with new outlet in Mexico City. Designed by Mexican architectural studio Vertebral, this store marks % Arabica’s debut in Latin America, following its market entries into the US and Canada. (Mexico City, Mexico)

South Korea’s NadoNado launches new Olentia grinder. The Olentia features 63mm conical burrs, an adjustable grinding speed between 900 and1700 RPM, and an anti-static function. (Seoul, South Korea)

Swiss coffee trader arrested in Guatemala on tax charges. Guatemalan news agency Prensa Libre reported the arrest of 68-year-old Ulrich Gurtner Kappler on tax fraud charges in June. The Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) are in regular contact with Guatemalan authorities and are providing consular support.

Tue, 9 Jul

Doritos to trial new coffee flavour in Australia. Available only through a giveaway contest on Instagram, only 300 bags of the coffee-flavoured tortilla chips have been produced. The company will give away 25 bags every day until 17 July.

Nordic Coffee Fest announces finalists for 2025 Nordic Best Roaster competition. The finals will take place at the second Nordic Coffee Fest in Gothenburg, Sweden on 1 & 2 March 2025. The finalists are:
- Coffee Collective
- Kaffa Oslo
- Pala Coffee
- Austad Kaffibrenneri
- Standout Coffee
- ROAST Coffee
- Swerl Coffee Roasters
- Nordic Roasting Co.
- da Matteo
- Lehmus Roastery

Lavazza chairman warns coffee prices are likely to keep rising into 2025. In addition to poor weather conditions in Brazil and supply shortages in Vietnam, Giuseppe Lavazza emphasised how the upcoming EUDR is likely to push prices higher for consumers. In a recent interview, he stated some roasters have paid as much as US $1,000 over current futures prices for Vietnamese coffee. (Turin, Italy)

Fifth April Brewers Cup to take place in South Africa on 24 & 25 July. Hosted by local organiser The Coffee Magazine during its Creative Coffee Week, this will be the first time that the competition – which exclusively uses April Coffee’s pour over brewer – will take place in the country. (Cape Town, South Africa)

WMF espresso NEXT receives Red Dot Design Award. The coffee machine received the award in the Kitchen Appliances and Kitchen Accessories category for its unique automated technology. (Geislingen, Germany)

African Fine Coffees Association signs MoU with International Women’s Coffee Alliance. The partnership will include event collaboration at the African Fine Coffees Conference & Exhibition and IWCA Convention, co-funding projects, and exclusive training opportunities. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Wed, 10 Jul

Colombian deforestation fell to 23-year low in 2023. Deforestation levels decreased to 792 sq km last year following declining environmental destruction in the Amazon region, according to the country’s environment ministry. (Bogotá, Colombia)

Arabica prices near two-year high following supply concerns. Arabica futures have increased by nearly 30% this year as a result of Vietnam’s ongoing short robusta supply, as well as concerns about declines in Indonesia’s harvest.

Winners of 2024 Thailand Cup of Excellence announced. The top-scoring coffee was a honey processed Java lot from Coffee De Hmong Bio Farm, which received 91.80 points. The auction will take place on 20 August.

Kees van der Westen launches Spiritello single-group espresso machine. The manual lever machine includes an onboard reservoir, which removes the need for plumbing. The Spiritello is expected to be available in late 2024. (Waalre, Netherlands)

Brazil’s The Coffee expands into Middle East with first UAE store. The Coffee plans to open 1,500 outlets outside Brazil by 2028, starting with a second UAE store in Dubai Hills in August 2024, followed by expansions to Saudi Arabia and Egypt later in the year. (Dubai, UAE)

Partners Coffee offers first-of-its-kind wholesale service. The roaster’s new programme offers whole bean and instant coffee options exclusively to offices and workspaces. (New York City, New York, US)

Bacha Coffee available on Amazon in US. The iconic Moroccan brand sells over 200 coffee products, including single origin options. (Marrakech, Morroco)

Purple Planet Packaging to be official coffee cup sponsor at 2024 Caffѐ Culture. The company will showcase its compostable Planetware Responsible Cup at the event in London on 1 & 2 October. (London, UK)

Experiential coffee bar Day Trip to launch in London in July. Day Trip will feature a seated pour over bar, as well as a wine bar, restaurant, and artisanal ice cream shop. (London, UK)

Santos Coffee launches new I-Grind #67. The grinder – which debuted at WoC Copenhagen – features a brushless motor and a wide range of RPM variations. (France)

Thu, 11 Jul

Global cold brew coffee market projected to grow by US $519.2 million by 2028. North America will account for 60% of global market growth, according to data from the report. (Elmhurst, Illinois, US)

Brazilian coffee exports hit new record of 47.3 million 60kg bags in 2023/24. Coffee exports in June reached over 3.5 million 60kg bags, which represents a 35.7% increase on the same month in 2023. Green coffee exports also rose by 43.8%, including 2,479,934 bags of arabica and 817,832 bags of robusta – an increase of 254.5%. (São Paulo, Brazil)

Starbucks, Dunkin’, and Peet’s Coffee to participate in California reusable cup share scheme. Customers will be able to use more than 60 return points during the three-month initiative starting in August 2024, which aims to reduce the 50 billion single-use cups discarded annually in the US. (California, US)

Cup Pro introduces new barista tool for contact-free coffee service in reusable cups. Co-founded by Melbourne café veterans George and Chris Farah, the new beverage preparation vessel aims to improve health and safety practices in coffee shops when serving drinks in reusable cups. (Melbourne, Australia)

Vinci Housewares unveils new Express 2 cold brew maker. The compact machine features Circle Flow brewing technology that can prepare cold brew in minutes. (La Mirada, California, US)

Ongoing conflict in Red Sea impacts Ethiopian coffee shipments. US importer Royal Coffee reports that carrier MSC is likely to have discontinued shipments from Djibouti following a series of missile attacks along the shipping route, which is likely to impact the availability of Ethiopian coffee for the foreseeable future. (Oakland, California, US)

New study finds Maine is cheapest US state for coffee. CashNetUSA analysed prices from 21,965 menus across the US to calculate the average price of a cup of coffee by state and city:
- Maine is the cheapest state to buy a cup of coffee, with an average price of US $2.60
- South Dakota is the most expensive state for coffee at US $3.79 per cup
- Irving, Texas is the US city with the cheapest coffee, with the average price of US $2.13
- Eugene, Oregon is the most expensive city to buy coffee at US $4.39

Fri, 12 Jul

New dates announced for national AeroPress Championships:
- The Bolivian competition will take place on 3 August at ⁠Maimai Coffee Trading in La Paz
- The Guatemalan event will be part of the Ixkanul Coffee Festival on 27 July in Sololá
- The Hong Kong AeroPress Championship will run from 19 to 21 July, hosted by Roastwork at The Qube, PMQ
- The Hungarian championship will be hosted by Café Imports on 20 July at Röast Coffee in Budapest

Faema announces launch of single-group E61 Cult. The company is targeting its new version of the iconic espresso machine to boutique hotels, in-store coffee concepts, and home brewers. (Binasco, Italy)

The Barista League to begin US tour in Denver. The event – which will be the first time TBL has visited the city – will take place on 17 August at the Huckleberry Roasters. (Denver, Colorado, US)

Forest Coffee’s Huila Condor auction to take place from 23 to 27 July. The Huila Condor project is part of the Forest Academy and supports 96 independent female coffee producers through workshops to improve farming practices and quality. The auction will include washed, semi-washed, and natural categories, with all coffees receiving a minimum score of 86.5 points. (Bogotá, Colombia)

Second edition of Expo Cafeto will take place on 20 & 21 July 2024. Organised by Flick Producciones, the event will include a trade show exhibition featuring key players in the country’s specialty coffee market, public and private coffee tastings, and two competitions: Cafeto Brew Off and Cafeto Latte Art. (Córdoba, Argentina)

New AeroPress Clear Colours range available in UK. In collaboration with Pact Coffee, AeroPress will launch a Clear Colours and coffee giveaway on Instagram on 12 July.

Pact Coffee publishes fifth impact report. According to data from the report, the roaster paid its farmers an average US $2.64/lb, which is 46% more than the current Fairtrade base price. (London, UK)

Five Elephant to host German AeroPress Championship on 13 & 14 July. La Marzocco will also attend to showcase its new Strada X espresso machine and Swan grinder. (Berlin, Germany)

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

Mon, 17 Jun – Coffee Quality Institute reports fourfold increase in number of Q graders in Burundi. Following the CQI Intro to Cupping Series in late 2023, the organisation held two Q Cupping Essentials courses in Bujumbura at ODECA Lab, with 17 coffee professionals participating.

Fri, 5 July – Costa Coffee names Denila Kumar as Global Barista of the Year. The barista from Qatar has worked at Costa Coffee for over a year. Kumar placed first, with Shogo Abe from Japan taking second place, and Adbin Subedi from the UK securing third place. (London, UK)

Thu, 4 July – Löfberg Family Foundation partners with Help to Help to support working professionals in East Africa. Help to Help funds higher education for people in Tanzania and Uganda to qualify for professions such as agronomists, economists, engineers, and doctors.

Tue, 2 July – Dunkin’ hits 4,000 milestone with the opening of latest NextGen outlet in the US. Launched in January 2018, the NextGen model includes energy-efficient designs, digital order kiosks, and dedicated mobile order pick-up areas. (Jacksonville, Florida, US)