Coffee News Recap, 10 May: Mikael Jasin is the 2024 World Barista Champion, this year’s WAC to take place on 21 Sep in Lisbon & 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 championships.

Mon, 6 May

Indonesia’s Mikael Jasin wins 2024 World Barista Championship. This year’s competition was held at the first-ever World of Coffee Asia trade show in Busan, South Korea. Mikael Jasin placed first, using both an Ethiopian landrace variety from Colombia and a Panamanian Gesha, with a focus on mindfulness throughout his routine. Australia’s Jack Simpson placed second and Japan’s Takayuki Ishitani came third. Other finalists included Honoka Kawashima from New Zealand, South Korea’s Junghwan Lim, Ian Kissick from the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherland’s Zjevaun Lemar Janga – marking the first time the competition has included seven finalists.

The Barista League to host first-ever event in Warsaw on 8 June. The fast-paced, multidisciplinary competition will be held at HAYB Specialty Coffee, and will feature ten teams and several guest judges – including Cophi’s Uri Willner and Caffe Grano’s Dominika Gafka.

Hawaii passes landmark legislation for Kona coffee labelling. Hawaii’s House Bill 2298 CD1 mandates that blends labelled as Kona must contain at least 51% of coffee grown from that region – marking a significant increase from the current 10% minimum. The updated legislation will be enforced from 1 July 2027.

Robusta prices hit 45-year high following drought concerns in Vietnam. The International Coffee Organisation reported a 17% surge in wholesale prices in April, which are the highest since 1979. Vietnam – the world’s largest robusta producer – is currently facing a number of challenges, including poor harvests and excessively dry weather.

Howard Schultz urges Starbucks to not make excuses after significant drop in sales in key markets. The chain’s former CEO emphasised the need for accountability and operational improvement after significant sales misses in the US and China. In a LinkedIn post, Schultz acknowledged his owning shortcomings while at Starbucks, and stressed the importance of establishing a new core focus to move forward.

China’s Cotti Coffee debuts in the US. Founded by former Luckin Coffee executives, the first US location opened in the Pearl Highlands Shopping Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Co-founder of The Gentlemen Baristas launches All Things Bloom. The brand has launched with ten coffees, and is supplying several Michelin-starred restaurants, delis, and bakeries in the UK. All Things Bloom has also partnered with Home Kitchen – a social enterprise that supports people who have experienced homelessness to work in the hospitality sector.

Sproud remains only European food brand to have ISO 26000 status. The certification (accredited by VERIFY) recognises Sproud’s ongoing sustainability efforts, including social impact initiatives, plant-based packaging, and efficient distribution hubs.

Tue, 7 May

Bellwether Coffee partners with Kijeong International to bolster micro roastery movement in South Korea. Following Bellwether’s expansion into Japan in September 2023, the Bellwether Shop roaster is the South Korea’s first compact, ventless commercial roaster.

Arabica futures hit one-month low. Arabica futures dipped below US $2/lb on the New York market, which the International Coffee Organisation says is attributed to a 10.4% increase in global coffee exports. ICO certified arabica stocks also rose to a one-year-high.

Domestic prices in Vietnam sharply decline. Vietnam’s central highlands experienced increased rainfall in early May after a dry April. Forecasts indicate below-average rainfall for the rest of May, which raises concerns about upcoming harvests.

Nescafé launches espresso-style concentrate in Australia. Tapping into the cold coffee market, Nescafé has released the Espresso Concentrate Coffee, which can be added to milk, water, or even juice and lemonade. The new coffee concentrate is available in Sweet Vanilla and Espresso Black.

Wed, 8 May

Biggby Coffee “building momentum” with strong pipeline of new stores. The company’s franchise expansion continued in 2024 Q1 with ten new stores – reaching a total of 392 sites in the US. With 15 new leases and 12 franchise deals, Biggby is on track to operate 1,000 stores in the country by 2028.

Researchers use ultrasound technology to extract cold brew in minutes. Engineers at the University of New South Wales used a repurposed Breville espresso machine and a patented sound transmission system to create “acoustic cavitation”, which helped speed up the cold brew process to just three minutes. The sonicated cold brew was analysed and found to have similar flavour attributes to samples of traditional 24-hour cold brew.

Dutch Bros maintains robust sales and outlet growth in “exceptional” first quarter. The coffee chain posted record Q1 sales of US $275.1 million, driven by 39% year-on-year growth and a 10% rise in sales. Protein coffee and bubble tea menu additions were key contributors to the surge in sales.

The 2024 World AeroPress Championship to take place on 21 September in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s world final will include a welcome party on 19 Sep, a coffee presentation and AeroPress invitational on 20 Sep, and the main competition on 21 Sep. All events will be held at the multi-level and multi-room Suspenso event space in Lisbon’s old town district. Tickets will be available in June.

Matthew Algie’s Smokin’ Bean launches new coffee in celebration of next generation of farmers. The UK roaster’s new blend honours Peru’s Ubiriki cooperative, and is inspired by Miriam Anais Ramos Ibañez, who is top-scoring student at Matthew Algie’s Next Gen training programme.

coffee&climate presents 2024-28 roadmap. The initiative says it will expand its focus on climate-smart coffee production, sustainable land-use systems such as agroforestry and regenerative agriculture, carbon reduction and sequestration schemes, and improving food security for smallholder coffee farming households.

Coolx launches collaborative software to help coffee companies combat deforestation. The tech company successfully launched the industry’s first anti-deforestation software built in partnership with other supply chain stakeholders. The platform will help global exporters and importers to eradicate deforestation in their supply chains.

Thu, 9 May

World Coffee Research co-hosts arabica training workshop in Uganda to improve economic opportunities for producers. WCR co-hosted a three-day training session with the Ugandan Coffee Development Authority in Mbale targeted specifically towards nursery operators. The main focuses of the training session were how to successfully propagate arabica seedlings, as well as how to certify genetic traceability of plants.

Reborn Coffee secures master franchise agreement to launch in Chin a. The specialty roaster aims to replicate its international success in the Chinese market. The first store will open in Guangzhou, with further expansion planned for major cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Applications open for tenth coffees roasted at origin international AVPA contest. Samples can be submitted until 30 June, and also between 30 August and 20 September. The competition encourages producers and companies in origin countries to add more value to their coffee.

Franke Coffee Systems celebrates new showroom opening in St. Albans, UK. Following new showrooms in Tennessee, Shanghai, and Vienna, the new St. Albans space showcases Franke’s full range of automatic and semi-automatic machines. World Barista Championship finalist and Franke brand ambassador Wojciech Tysler attended the event, and prepared beverages using the new Mytico machine.

Blue Bottle workers in Boston vote to unionise. After five Blue Bottle locations in Boston announced their decision to unionise as part of the Blue Bottle Independent Union last month, workers recently held an official National Labor Relations Board election. With a majority vote of 38-4, staff at the five stores voted in favour of unionising – claiming low wages and poor working conditions as reasons for their decision.

Faema announced as partner of Giro d’Italia for third consecutive year. The theme of this year’s annual multiple-stage bicycle race is #TheWayAhead – Brewing new paths. As an event partner, Faema has launched a new Strava challenge to once again support the World Bicycle Relief.

Fri, 10 May

Flair Espresso reintroduces Neo Flex and launches Power Tower for manual grinders. The Neo Flex features two portafilters, a custom pressure gauge, and a no-preheat brew cylinder. Meanwhile, the Power Tower is designed for users to easily switch between manual and electric grinding, and is compatible with 1Zpresso hand grinders.

Natural Gesha receives highest score of 91.10 points at 2024 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence competition. Other varieties at the competition included Paraneima, Pacamara, and Maragogipe. The auction will take place on 20 June 2024.

MICE 2024 to begin on 12 May. This year’s three-day trade show will feature the second Australia’s Richest Barista competition (with a total cash prize pool of AU $40,000), Australia’s Favourite Coffee Awards, the Café Owners Education Series, the GCR Leaders Symposium, and the MICE Product Innovation Awards.

Tenth annual Glasgow Coffee Festival to start on 11 May. The two-day event will return to the Briggait this weekend. The festival will include a trade show, cuppings, coffee tastings, and a series of lectures and panels.

The 2024 World Barista Championship finalists.

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

Mon, 29 Apr – Yum China aims for continued KCOFFEE outlet expansion following robust 2024 Q1 performance. Originally launched as in-store KFC coffee offerings, KCOFFEE now includes standalone locations. The brand aims to open 300 outlets by 2024, with a focus on lower-tier cities.

Fri, 3 May – Luckin Coffee’s Sumatra Gayo Single Origin Espresso endorsed by World Barista Champion. Available in all Luckin Coffee locations in Singapore, the new single origin espresso range was designed in collaboration with 2023 World Barista Champion Boram Um.

Fri, 3 May – International Labour Organisation, Ministry of Labour, ICO, and Government of Huila collaborate to promote decent working conditions in the coffee sector with #Familiascafeteras campaign. The initiative aims to bring visibility to the 2.5 million people working in the Colombian coffee sector and recognise the importance of promoting the occupational safety and health of coffee workers.

Fri, 3 May – Dunn Brothers Coffee plans 250 new stores across the US by 2029. Established in 1987, the roaster operates 50 outlets in the Midwest. Plans for expansion include smaller format stores and drive-thru locations.

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, Shane Gallagher