Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week.
Here are this week’s coffee news stories.
Mon, 28 Aug
- PRF Colombia announces final event schedule for 14 & 15 September 2023, including three competitions.The coffee industry’s largest producer-focused event returns to the Plaza Mayor venue in Medellín, Colombia for a second time. The two-day forum will feature lectures, panels (including the new No Filter Panel series), workshops, and cupping sessions led by international industry professionals. PRF Colombia will also host three coffee competitions: the Global Roasting Contest, Cold Brew Championship, and Olla Coffee Championship.
- DiFluid launches set of precision electronic coffee analysis tools.The Brew Control System retails for US $300 and includes a Microbalance brewing scale, R2 Extract refractometer, and the DiFluid Café app. The Omni roast and particle analyser is also available at an additional cost.
- Click Coffee opens first app-based stores in the UAE. Customers can place orders through a dedicated app, and have their drinks prepared with no barista involvement.
- San Francisco Bay Coffee earns Zero Waste certification for second year in a row.The company sends 94% of its waste to compost fields or recycling centres, and aims to reduce the remaining 6% of waste produced at its facilities.
- CropConex launches digital green coffee marketplace.The platform allows green coffee buyers to source contract coffee from producers via an online marketplace. CropConex aims to integrate the entire supply chain in one platform, and thereby increase efficiency and scale.
- illycaffè partners with Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority on new Coffee Training Centre.The Addis Ababa centre is hailed as the first of its kind in Africa, and will host workshops and specialist training courses to improve coffee quality from seed to cup.
- Fortnum & Mason to host Panama coffee tasting on 6 September in London.The cupping will take place at the Embassy of Panama. Producers from Hacienda La Esmeralda and La Huella will attend.
Tue, 29 Aug
- Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters launches fourth edition of Producer Series lots.The series includes some of India’s highest-scoring and rarest coffee lots, including experimentally processed coffees. The lots are available until stocks last.
- Liam Lam wins second April Brewers Cup in Singapore.The competition, created by April Coffee Roasters, is designed to help coffee professionals train for national Brewers Cup Championships.
- Conscious Coffee Fest to take place on 10 September in Portland, Oregon, US.The event aims to celebrate the complexities of ethical and sustainable coffee, and will feature tasting sessions from six local roasters, discussion panels, and a tour of the Buckman Coffee Factory roastery.
- Fair Trade USA partners with IDEO.org on new Innovation for Impact Initiative.The project aims to develop a more scalable, higher-impact Fair Trade Certified coffee programme. In collaboration with design consulting firm IDEO.org, the organisation will engage with producers and other industry stakeholders to assess the scope of its impact.
- J.M. Smucker’s retail coffee sales increased by 49% in first quarter of fiscal 2024.The company’s coffee portfolio, which includes Dunkin’, Café Bustelo, and Folgers brands, helped to drive sales during the analysis period.
- Cotti Coffee now operates more than 5,000 stores in five countries.The Chinese coffee chain says it’s now the fifth-largest coffee brand worldwide, operating stores in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, and Canada. It plans to continue expansion in coming months.
- This year’s Korean Coffee Roasting Championship takes place in Seoul.The winner of the competition, which is taking place at the Stronghold Technology headquarters in Geumcheon-gu until 2 September, will go on to represent South Korea at the 2023 World Coffee Roasting Championship in Taiwan from 17 to 23 November.
Wed, 30 Aug
- Washed Gesha receives US $10,005/kg bid at 2023 Best of Panama auction. The coffee, produced by Carmen Estates, received the highest score of 96.5 points. Several buyers purchased from the 25kg lot, including Japan’s Saza Coffee and New Zealand’s Coffee Tech Limited – with a total value of US $250,125 for the entire lot.
- Bancolombia signs two-year sponsorship deal to support PRF Colombia. Colombia’s national bank will sponsor the next two PRF Colombia events in 2023 and 2024, aiming to further support the country’s coffee farmers.
- British Coffee Association to host EU deforestation legislation webinar on 7 September.The webinar, which will include representatives from the International Coffee Exchange and Oritain, will explore how coffee businesses can meet new EU anti-deforestation requirements.
- New research from Third Wave Water suggests better water quality leads to better prices for coffee farmers. The company’s latest white paper emphasises the importance of water quality for cupping at origin, which can allow farmers to boost cupping scores and potentially secure better prices.
- Coffee prices settle following weather concerns and fluctuating US dollar.The arabica and robusta contracts for December delivery closed 0.55% and 0.28% lower, respectively, on Wednesday as a result of a resurgent US dollar. Earlier this week, rising temperatures and dry conditions in Brazil and Colombia, as well as a weaker US dollar and record low ICE-monitored robusta supplies, contributed to price increases.
- JNP Coffee to host public cupping at Communal Coffee in Berlin on 5 September. JNP Coffee founder Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian will hold the cupping at 5pm local time, which will include natural, fully washed, and anaerobic fermented lots.
- Steel Oak Coffee opens cutting-edge roastery and training lab in Florida.The Ormond Beach facility will host a grand opening on 22 September, featuring cupping sessions, equipment demonstrations, and a tour of the roastery itself.
Thu, 31 Aug
- This year’s Austrian AeroPress Championship takes place in Vienna.The competition took place at Foresight Cobenzl Events, with the winner going on to represent Austria at the World AeroPress Championship in Melbourne, Australia later this year.
- NotMilk launches barista-formulated plant milk. The plant milk blend is made with oats, chickpea protein, chicory fibre, pineapple juice, and various other additives. NotMilk says the blend produces high-quality cold and hot microfoam.
- Artem Kryuchenkov wins 2023 Australian Coffee Roasting Championship.Kryuchenkov, a roaster at Bench Coffee in Melbourne, will go on to represent Australia at the World Coffee Roasting Championship in Taiwan later this year.
- Tims China reports record revenue in 2023 Q2.The operator of Tim Hortons and Popeyes in China says revenue grew by 129.7% year-on-year, resulting in an adjusted EBIDTA of US $2.5 million – compared to a US $6 million loss in 2022.
- Roaster applications open for new Extracted Development competition to take place at 2023 Manchester Coffee Festival.Eight teams, which must include a barista and a roaster, have 18 minutes to prepare and serve an espresso, a plant-based milk drink, and a filter coffee to a panel of three judges. This year’s Manchester Coffee Festival will take place on 18 & 19 November.
- Saudi Arabia plans to establish new city to support local coffee production.The city in Al Bahah will cultivate around 500,000 coffee trees and will include a factory and logistical services.
- SCA announces candidates for 2024-2025 Board of Directors Elections.Candidates include Giovanni Fucili of Simonelli Group S.p.A., Jiyoon Han of Bean and Bean Coffee Roasters, Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian of JNP Coffee, and Rob Stephen of Covoya Specialty Coffee. The SCA has also appointed Andrew Tolley, Director of Tolley Coffee & Tea, as its new 2nd Vice President.
Fri, 1 Sep
- ExpoEjeCafé 2023 begins in Montenegro, Colombia.The event, which is taking place at Parque del Café until 3 September, features a trade show, lectures, workshops, coffee auctions, and the 2023/24 Colombian Coffee Championships.
- CaféShow China 2023 takes place in Beijing.The annual Chinese coffee expo will run until 3 September, and will include numerous exhibitions and networking opportunities.
- Thirteen national AeroPress Championships to take place in September.Winners of all competitions will go on to represent their respective countries at the World AeroPress Championship final:
- Laos AeroPress Championship from 1 Sep, hosted by Dam Dam in Vientiane
- Colombian AeroPress Championship on 2 Sep, hosted by Amor Perfecto at Parque del Café, Montenegro
- Czech AeroPress Championship on 2 Sep, hosted at Zrno Zrnko in Prague
- Iranian AeroPress Championship on 7 Sep, hosted by Hayk Coffee Roasters at Tehran International Fairground
- German AeroPress Championship on 9 Sep, hosted at Five Elephant Roastery in Berlin
- Finnish AeroPress Championship on 11 Sep, hosted by Kahiwa Coffee Roasters in Lahti
- Belgian AeroPress Championship on 16 Sep, hosted by Wide Awake Coffee in Brussels
- Dutch AeroPress Championship on 16 Sep, hosted by Keen Coffee at LE:EN in Utrecht
- Thai AeroPress Championship on 17 Sep, hosted by The Coffee Calling at Q Stadium in Bangkok
- Slovak AeroPress Championship on 23 Sep, hosted by The Fleck Coffee in Banska Bystrica
- Swiss AeroPress Championship on 23 Sep, hosted Académie du Café – Suisse at Swiss Coffee Connection in Lausanne
- Indian AeroPress Championship on 28 Sep, hosted by Bangalore Palace Ground in Karnataka
- Bulgarian AeroPress Championshipon 30 Sep, hosted by DREKKA at Resonator in Sofia
- CAFEEX Shanghai 2023 scheduled for 29 to 31 December. Following successful COFFEEX events in Wuhan and Shenzhen, the show moves to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, featuring exhibitions, forums, cupping sessions, and various competitions.
Here are a few coffee news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look.
- Fri, 18 Aug – Nestlé extends support to communities affected by Maui wildfires.Nestlé USA donated US $175,000 to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, which provides shelter, food, and financial assistance to those impacted by the fires.
- Fri, 18 Aug – Juan Valdez uses ChatGPT to develop new drinks.The Colombian coffee chain used AI to design two limited-edition coffee drinks: the Snowy Drink of Mocha and the Latte of Lavender and Blackberry.
- Thu, 24 Aug – Starbucks celebrates 20th anniversary of pumpkin spice latte.The seasonal drink is now available across the US and Canada. In the year ending 29 July 2023, US sales of pumpkin spice-flavoured products reached US $802.5 million – representing a 42% increase on 2019.
- Sun, 27 Aug – Papua New Guinea government opens new footbridge for coffee farmers in Gumine.The bridge, which forms part of the Coffee Industry Corporation’s Coffee Access Road Project, means farmers can more easily transport their green coffee to roadside markets in Kundiawa and other areas.
Coffee news photo credits: Producer Roaster Forum
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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on PRF Colombia 2023.
The post Coffee News Recap, 1 Sep: PRF Colombia announces final event schedule, washed Gesha receives $10,005 bid at 2023 Best of Panama auction & other stories appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.
