Coffee News Recap, 1 Mar: PRF Guatemala announces final event schedule, five champions crowned at 2024 Australian Coffee Championships & other stories

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

Here are this week’s coffee news stories.

The word of the week is competitions.

Mon, 26 Feb

• Five champions crowned at 2024 Australian Coffee Championships.Jack Simpson is the back-to-back Australian Barista Champion, while Thomas Hutchins is the back-to-back Australian Brewers Cup Champion. Victor Vu is the Australian Latte Art Champion, Frankie Shi is the Australian Cup Tasters Champion, and Mitchell Lee is the Australian Coffee Roasting Champion.

• MILKLAB announces first-ever Roaster Royale Competition.Competitors stand a chance to win an origin trip to Papua New Guinea, US $10,000, and a MILKLAB Roaster Partnership. Roasters will use green coffee supplied by InterAmerican Coffee and will have to pair it with MILKLAB oat milk. Roasted entries must be submitted by 4 April 2024.

• BIGGBY COFFEE listed in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 Franchise 500.The US coffee franchise climbed 29 spots from its 2023 ranking. It currently operates 385 stores nationwide and is aiming to reach 500 in the next few years. The company adds that a third of its new franchise agreements came from existing franchise owners, representing a strong indicator of system health.

• Colombian coffee producers champion Andean bear conservation.Café oso Andino, or Andean Bear Coffee, is a group of coffee growers in Valle del Cauca. Initially established in 2016, the initiative aims to blend conservation with coffee cultivation to help protect the Andean bear, an iconic local animal that plays a crucial role in enriching floral biodiversity.

• Director Quentin Tarantino opens coffee shop in Los Angeles, US.Pam’s Coffee is located in Tarantino’s Vista Theater in Los Angeles and pays homage to the 1973 Jack Hill film, Coffy. The café offers a selection of blends, including one curated by the Hollywood director himself.

• Tim Hortons UK & Ireland appoints Chris Pennington as COO.Pennington previously served as Director of Operations at Burgerizzr, a Saudi Arabian company, after more than 27 years at McDonald’s UK. He will help drive the company’s recently-launched UK franchise model.

Tue, 27 Feb

• National Coffee Association announces winners of 2024 NCA Coffee Gives Back Awards.Food 4 Farmers received the 2024 NCA Origin Charity of the Year, John Boyle received the 2024 NCA Distinguished Leadership Award, and Kathryn Lawson was named 2024 Volunteer of the Year. All three will be recognised at the awards ceremony on 8 March at the annual NCA Convention.

• Metropolis Coffee Company secures SQF Level 2 certification for food safety. The Chicago specialty coffee roaster says the certification means it can now sell its products – and those of its private label and co-packing clients – “into the nation’s largest retailers and hospitality brands, particularly those that require the highest level in food safety certification”.

• Kenyan coffee exports totalled 47,861 tonnes in 2023. Government officials say this represents 98.38 of the country’s total crop for 2023, earning it US $251.86 million. Coffee remains one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners.

• Franke Mytico receives 2023 Good Design Award.The machine earned a Good Design Award in the Retail Fittings category for its combination of unique design with cutting-edge espresso machine technology. It also received a MICE2023 Product Innovation Award, HostMilano SMART Label Award, and the iF Design Gold Award 2024.

• Löfbergs secures 100% fossil fuel-free sea transport in bid to reduce carbon footprint.The Swedish coffee company has partnered with Scanlog to secure 100% fossil fuel-free sea transport, adding that it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 tonnes. The Scanlog vessels are fuelled with biogas, paid for by Löfbergs.

Wed, 28 Feb

• London Coffee Festival announces final contenders for London Coffee Masters 2024.The competition’s Top 16 features baristas from across the UK. They will compete head-to-head at the London Coffee Masters 2024 competition, set to take place from 11 to 14 April at the Truman Brewery in London.

• Origin Coffee set to open new café in Edinburgh, Scotland.The award-winning UK specialty coffee roaster is set to open a location on South College Street in Edinburgh’s old town, marking its first café in Scotland. It will also launch a pop-up activation with Finisterre on 11 March.

• Coffee Trading Academy and Artis Trading launch Elite Insights: Vietnam Coffee Crop Report.The report provides “the most comprehensive and complete overview of Vietnamese coffee production” and highlights the “probable ramifications” of the data.

• Dutch Bros. announces pricing of secondary public offering stock.The company says its secondary public offering of Class A Common Stock was been priced at US $29.05 per share, with the offering closing on 1 March 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

• Oatly launches line of oat milk creamers in the US.The company has launched four Oatmilk Creamers in the US: Sweet & Creamy, Vanilla, Caramel, and Mocha. They can be added directly to brewed coffee to add sweetness and creaminess.

• Nestlé UK & Ireland and First Milk recognised with Collaboration and Partnership Award.The 20-year partnership between the two companies continues to work towards improving the social and environmental impact of UK dairy farmers. It was recognised at the recent Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.

• Alsea says it opened 116 net new Starbucks stores in Latin America and Europe in 2023.The hospitality group and Starbucks franchisee now operates 1,777 outlets across 12 markets in Latin America and Europe. It also reported double-digit sales growth in five markets in 2023.

Thu, 29 Feb

• PRF Guatemala announces final schedule for 7 & 8 March 2024.The eighth edition of Producer and Roaster Forum will return to Guatemala on 7 & 8 March 2024. In addition to PRF Voices, PRF Workshops, and PRF Coffee Cuppings, the event will host three competitions, the second Global Coffee Awards, and will launch the first-ever PRF Seed scholarship programme.

• Cup of Excellence to celebrate 25th anniversary throughout 2024.The organisation will mark 25 years of uncovering exceptional coffees through various activities throughout the year. Founder Susie Spindler says that since its establishment, the competition has “motivated the specialty coffee industry to focus on farmer-identified, hand-crafted coffees”.

• La Marzocco and Hemro partner to launch Hands for Songwa Foundation.The initiative builds on the Songwa Estates non-profit project, aiming to uplift the quality of life for the community residing near the Songwa farm in the Mbeya region of Tanzania. Its first project, the Hisuimbe Project, will “place women in the lead” and champion sustainable agro-economic development.

• Nordic Approach announces completion of merger with Tropiq.The former sister companies will now operate as a single entity, helping to unify the team, consolidate operations, enhance service offerings, and provide more diverse options to customers.

• Probat acquires AC Horn Manufacturing.The roaster manufacturer says it has accelerated its strategic development with the acquisition of AC Horn, a producer of premium food processing equipment based in Texas, USA.

• Keurig Dr Pepper announces pricing of up to 100 million shares of Common Stock by JAB and repurchase of 35 million shares by KDP. The 86,956,522 shares have been priced at US $29.10 per share. Holding company JAB also granting an option to the underwriter to purchase additional shares. KDP has indicated its intent to repurchase an aggregate of 35 million shares in this offering.

Fri, 1 Mar

• National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia launches Cafix online export platform.The FNC says the new platform will help 548,000 coffee-growing families market and export their coffee, potentially saving producers “between 70 to 80% in shipping costs”. Markets include the entire EU excluding Spain, as well as several Asian countries.

• Team Über Milk? Über Team! wins The Barista League Gothenburg 2024.The duo of Mette Stald and Jonas from La Cabra took top spot at the event, securing their places at the next Barista League Mystery Vacation. Guest judges included Kaisa Kokkonen of Kaffa Roastery and Simone Hendrickson of Coffee Collective.

• Glasgow Coffee Festival scheduled for 11 & 12 May at The Briggait.The annual coffee festival is set to feature exhibitions, cupping sessions, educational talks, and live demonstrations. Profits from the festival will help establish a coffee scholarship in partnership with Hub International.

• Three US Coffee Championships set to take place in Rancho Cucamonga, California from 15 to 17 March.The 2024 US Barista, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters Championships will be held at Klatch Coffee in Rancho Cucamonga. Meanwhile, the 2024 US Latte Art and US Roaster Championship will be held at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Chicago from 11 to 14 April.

• VIVA el CAFÉ Festival takes place on 2 & 3 March in San José, Costa Rica.The festival features over 70 stands showcasing the country’s best coffee, as well as design, art, and culture exhibitions “linked to the world of coffee”. It will also host the 2024 Costa Rica Barista Championship.

• The Human Bean celebrates drive-through workers on National Barista Day.The drive-through chain says the baristas behinds its windows “the heartbeat of operations, ensuring every cup is a perfect blend of art and science”. Franchise partners were invited to nominate standout baristas, with five finalists selected.

• Melitta #4 Bamboo Cone Coffee Filters recognised with Good Housekeeping 2024 Sustainable Innovation Award.The annual awards recognise brands that are “working to help the planet”. The filters were awarded for their “unique” material makeup compared with traditional filters and for their 100% recycled material packaging.

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

• Fri, 16 Feb – Pact Coffee launches in UK Whole Foods locations.The company’s whole beans, ground coffee, and coffee capsules are now available at Whole Foods stores in the UK, marking its first retail expansion since launching in Waitrose stores in October 2023.

• Tue, 20 Feb – Saudi Arabia signs the International Coffee Agreement.The country has become the latest signatory to the International Coffee Organisation’s ICA 2022, with the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, calling it “key to achieving [Saudi’s] hopes and ambitions for the coffee industry locally and globally”.

• Tue, 20 Feb – Califia Farms launches new Barista Blends and limited-edition Chocolate Strawberry Almond Creamer. The company says the new products address the needs of consumers looking for plant-based, café-quality drinks at home. Its Oat Barista milk is now available in an organic option.

• Wed, 21 Feb – Groupe SEB begins acquisition of Groupe Sofilac.The French company says the acquisition represents a “new culinary excellence chapter” and includes Sofilac’s iconic Lacanche and Charvet brands.

• Thu, 22 Feb – Bean-free coffee startup Prefer secures US $2 million in seed funding.The Singaporean startup manufactures bean-free coffee by fermenting bread, soy pulp, and spent grain, creating a drink that mimics the taste and aroma of conventional coffee. The investment round was led by Forge Ventures.

• Thu, 22 Feb – Around 70 research studies on best practices shared at Conference on Temperate and Tropical Agroforestry. The 18th North American Agroforestry Conference (NAAC) took place at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica from 20 to 22 February, bringing together 200 experts and participants from around the world.

• Sat, 24 Feb – Vietnam’s Đắk Lắk province aims to turn Buôn Ma Thuột into global hub for speciality coffees. Vietnam News reports that the annual Vietnam Amazing Cup coffee competition is central to the province’s efforts to establish the city of Buôn Ma Thuột as a “global hub” for specialty coffees. Buôn Ma Thuột aims to become “the world’s coffee city” by 2050.

Coffee news photo credits: Australian Specialty Coffee Association

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