Coffee News Recap, 21 Nov: Global Coffee Awards announces best roasters in Europe, Brazilian coffee exempted from US tariffs & other stories

2025.11.23

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

Editor’s note

On 14 November, the Trump administration announced that over 200 agricultural products, including coffee, were exempt from reciprocal tariffs. Brazilian coffee, however, was still subject to a 40% duty at the time. The steep tariff was imposed following Brazil’s prosecution of its former president, Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.

But on 20 November, Trump signed an executive order removing the 40% punitive tax on a range of Brazilian food products, including coffee. The new order is backdated to 13 November and may lead to refunds of duties collected.

This decision will bring huge relief to US roasters, as well as Brazilian exporters and producers. Brazil supplies over a third of the US’ coffee by value; 40% tariffs had caused retail coffee prices to skyrocket in American grocery stores, prompting consumer and political backlash.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the third edition of the Global Coffee Awards recognised excellence among roasters across the continent. The UK’s Origin Coffee was the overall winner. Latvia’s Rocket Bean and Spain’s Ombú Bcn Tostadores also received top honours, showcasing how emerging and late-blooming specialty coffee markets are driving innovation.

In March 2026, these roasters will go head-to-head with the US & Canada and Origin GCA winners to vie for the title of world’s best roaster.

Industry news

Mon, 17 Nov – Jollibee expects double-digit growth in 2025/26. The Jollibee Group projects steady double-digit increases in revenue and profit over the next two years, driven by strong system-wide sales, global expansion, and rapid growth in its coffee and tea brands, such as Compose Coffee. (Manila, Philippines)

Tue, 18 Nov – Data reveals the highest-rated women-owned cafés in the US. OnDeck’s state-by-state ranking names Frisky Business cat café in Palm Springs as the top women-owned café. Entries range from specialty coffeehouses to community bakeries, showing regional diversity and strong customer ratings. (Palm Springs, California, US)

Tue, 18 Nov – Heine Brothers’ Coffee names Jessica Lord as CEO. Jessica Lord, who joined Heine Brothers’ in 2010, takes over as CEO. The Louisville chain hopes to boost digital offerings and expand drive-thru and retail reach under her leadership. (Louisville, Kentucky, US)

Wed, 19 Nov – New York Mayor Mamdani supports Starbucks boycott to stand with unionised workers. Zohran Mamdani backed striking baristas in a walkout involving about 1,000 workers across dozens of stores. The union says the action could expand while Starbucks reports limited disruption during peak promotions. (New York City, New York, US)

Wed, 19 Nov – Panera targets US$7bn sales in turnaround plan. The strategy includes a menu overhaul, store modernisation, loyalty and digital upgrades, and investments in kitchen efficiency and staff training to reverse sluggish sales and lift same-store growth across its 2,200 outlets by 2028. (St. Louis, Missouri, US)

Thu, 20 Nov – Japanese coffee chains target India and Southeast Asia. Full-service Japanese cafés adopt waiter service and premium menus to capture rising middle-class spending. Coffee-Kan plans first India outlet by 2027 and 60 stores by 2030, C-United projects JPY2,000 average spend, and Doutor will open Kanno Coffee in Taiwan by March 2026. (New Delhi, India)

Thu, 20 Nov – Westrock raises US$30mn amid rising coffee costs. Management reported a US$19.1mn third-quarter net loss as rising green coffee and operating costs outpaced demand, widening losses. The company is expanding roast-to-RTD capacity in Arkansas to improve margins. (Little Rock, Arkansas, US)

Thu, 20 Nov – Nestlé invests £28mn in Dalston Nescafé plant. The upgrade includes a £17.5mn mixing plant and £10.7mn for two packing lines, one capable of 60,000 sachets/hour. The new lines use MONO PP recyclable packaging, reducing manual heavy lifting by 80% and boosting efficiency and sustainability, according to Nestlé. (Dalston, UK)

Thu, 20 Nov – World Coffee Research adds robusta to Innovea Global Breeding Network. Vietnam and Ghana join, expanding the network to 11 countries that produce 40% of global supply and accelerating the development of climate-resilient, high-performing arabica and robusta varieties for farmers worldwide. Innovea was recently named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025. (Manizales, Colombia)

Fri, 21 Nov – Lavazza boosts retail growth in China. Yum China JV reports double-digit same-store sales, optimises store models, and plans to scale roasting and retail channels, targeting 1,000 cafés and US$60mn in retail sales by 2029 to capture China’s growing coffee market. (Shanghai, China)

Fri, 21 Nov – Coffee demand rises in South Africa despite price surge. Despite instant coffee prices climbing by more than 22% year-on-year, a MAPS survey shows nearly 22.7 million South Africans (about half of adults) drink coffee daily, with ground coffee consumption up 58%, while instant coffee daily drinkers fell 12%. (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Fri, 21 Nov – NCA commends Trump administration’s decision to exempt Brazilian coffee. “Two-thirds of American adults drink coffee each day, and every cup will cost less thanks to President Trump’s decision to remove tariffs on coffee imports from Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer,” said NCA President and CEO Bill Murray. “Tariff-free trade of America’s favourite beverage will ease cost-of-living pressures, keep a healthy diet choice affordable, and strengthen coffee’s enormous contributions to the US economy.” (New York City, New York, US)

Fri, 21 Nov – Lardera Coffee Roasters opens new facility and invests in bigger capacity IMF machine. The roaster has opened a new 80,000 sq ft facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey, adding a 60kg IMF roaster, large-scale silos, and automated packaging lines. The expansion supports growing demand across its retail and wholesale coffee operations. (East Rutherford, New Jersey, US)

The outside of a Manner Coffee café in China.

Businesses for sale

Wed, 19 Nov – Manner Coffee eyes an IPO in Hong Kong. The ByteDance-backed chain is in talks about listing in 2026, targeting several hundred million dollars in funding and a valuation near US$3 billion, after rapid expansion from a street stall. (Shanghai, China)

New launch

Mon, 17 Nov – Balzac Brothers expands distribution channels to US West Coast. The green coffee importer has partnered with the Costa Oro warehouse in the Seattle/Tacoma, Washington area to help make some of its offerings more accessible to roasters in the region. (Charleston, South Carolina, US)

Mon, 17 Nov – Rapha opens Shanghai clubhouse with café concept. The integrated café serves specialty coffee and light bites, alongside a retail area featuring Rapha gear, creating a community hub for rides, talks, and cycling events that blends café culture with the cycling lifestyle. (Shanghai, China)

Mon, 17 Nov – Faema launches Faemina for home and small spaces. Designed by ItalDesign and hand-built in Italy, the compact dual boiler machine features intelligent temperature control, optional autosteam and an internal water tank. (New York City, New York, US)

Tue, 18 Nov – Order Up cookbook highlights London cafés. The new book includes adapted recipes from 20 venues across north, east, south and west London, with café favourites such as Brickwood’s banana bread with espresso butter and Bread Ahead’s Chelsea bun. The book will officially launch on 1 December at an event at Honey & Co Studios, featuring a panel discussion. (London, UK)

Tue, 18 Nov – South Korea’s The Venti signs franchise deal for 2026 US launch. A multi-unit agreement will commence with an outlet in Las Vegas, expanding the value-focused chain following its international debut in Canada eight months earlier. Plans target further US cities through franchise partnerships and a standardised, low-cost model. (Las Vegas, Nevada, US)

Wed, 19 Nov – Unity Coffee launches self-serve concept in the UK. The mobile-first self-serve machine targets value-conscious consumers. Founder Scott Martin emphasises quality, fair pricing and digital UX, with initial rollouts planned for kiosks, workplaces, and transport hubs. (London, UK)

Thu, 20 Nov – Le Pain Quotidien plans Hungary launch in 2026. The chain signed a franchise deal with Budapest’s Central European Group for a 2026 opening, expanding after recent debuts in Azerbaijan, India, and Kazakhstan, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its European footprint. (Budapest, Hungary)

Thu, 20 Nov – Macap unveils gravimetric Supra G grinder series. The range brings grind-by-weight dosing to the flagship platform, targeting high-volume cafés and signalling a wider roll-out of G technology across domestic lines in 2026. (Martellago, Italy)

Milestone

Mon, 17 Nov – Biggby Coffee enters Franchise Times Top 200. The brand climbed more than 100 places in four years, reflecting rapid franchising and system expansion that boosted outlet growth and operational maturity, improving its standing among leading US coffee franchise brands. (East Lansing, Michigan, US)

Tue, 18 Nov – Luckin nears 30,000 stores in Q3. Quarterly revenue grew 50% year over year as the Beijing chain opened 3,000 outlets, offsetting rising costs. Management is exploring a US relisting and further international expansion. (Beijing, China)

Wed, 19 Nov – PTG Energy nears 2,000 PunThai Coffee outlets in Q3 push. The petrol-station operator is opening PunThai Coffee stores at a rate of around two per day, bringing it closer to its goal of 2,000 locations by the end of 2025. (Bangkok, Thailand)

Thu, 20 Nov – Urban Baristas secures multi-site development deal. The UK Australian-inspired chain partnered with Anytime Fitness franchisee Aary Walia to open a Bermondsey Street outlet in January 2026 and accelerate franchise roll-out across London. (London, UK)

Trade & production

Mon, 17 Nov – Vietnam coffee exports on course to pass US$8bn in 2025. Vietnam shipped 1.3 million tonnes of coffee by October, earning US$7.41 billion, a 61.8% increase year-over-year. The growth is driven by higher-quality, more value-added processing, and an expanded market reach, says Vicofa. (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Tue, 18 Nov – Brazil’s Santos & Dia and Ruiz Coffee secure US$187mn investment for large-scale coffee farm development. The funding will establish a significant new farm, which both companies claim would be the largest in the world, boosting production capacity in Brazil. The project aims to enhance sustainable output and supply chain resilience. (João Pinheiro, Brazil)

Wed, 19 Nov – Peru says US tariff exemption includes coffee exports. Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru Teresa Mera said the exemption covers more than 100 agricultural products worth about US$1.2 billion in 2024, equal to 24% of Peruvian shipments to the US. (Lima, Peru)

Thu, 20 Nov – India’s Coffee Board targets 700,000 tonnes by 2047. India’s current output stands at 350,000 tonnes. The Board plans a five-year action plan from 2026-27, will release new high-yield, pest-resistant varieties at CCRI’s centenary, aims for 15% specialty share of the market, and to expand cultivation into Odisha and the northeast region. (Bengaluru, India)

Thu, 20 Nov – Global Coffee Platform recognises three more companies aiming to promote sustainability in coffee. CROP by COFCO, VSS Midori Protocol by MITSUI, and Responsibillyty by illycaffé are now recognised by GCP as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code, 2nd party assurance. Recognition raises the total number of GCP-recognised schemes to 32 and makes them eligible for the Sustainable Coffee Purchases 2026 report. Assessments were conducted via the Equivalence Mechanism 2.0 with the International Trade Centre to verify governance, assurance, and claims integrity. (Bonn, Germany)

Thu, 20 Nov – Kenyan Court suspends direct settlement system for coffee farmers. Kerugoya High Court ordered a stay on the Direct Settlement System until 20 May 2026 after farmers challenged the programme, citing inadequate county-level public participation and lack of parliamentary approval. The scheme valued deliveries at KSh40/kg with 80% routed to farmer accounts. (Kerugoya, Kenya)

Fri, 21 Nov – Ghana coffee federation aims to revitalise the sector for broader benefit. The Coffee Federation Ghana launched a strategic plan during Ghana Coffee Week to boost production, improve infrastructure, support farmers with seedlings and training, and expand both domestic and export markets, calling on government and financial institutions to invest. (Accra, Ghana)

Research

Mon, 17 Nov – Review links coffee to mixed effects on digestive tumours. The study summarises evidence suggesting that coffee’s antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some digestive cancers, although findings vary by tumour type and intake level. The authors emphasise the need for more accurate data on safe and beneficial consumption. (Beijing, China)

Thu, 20 Nov – New study links coffee to neurocognitive benefits. The paper reports that regular coffee and caffeine intake may support alertness, mood, and some memory functions, while excessive use can cause sleep disruption or anxiety. The authors highlight that overall, moderate consumption is safe for most adults. (San Diego, California, US)

Daniel Vaz, Eduardo Olímpio, and Leonardo Oliva at the 2026 Brazil Coffee Championships.

Events & competitions

Mon, 17 Nov – World AeroPress Championship 2025 set for 5 & 6 December. The event will feature national and regional winners from over 60 countries. Side programmes include a roasters’ village and a bakers’ lane showcasing local and international vendors. (Seoul, South Korea)

Tue, 18 Nov – Brazil crowns 2026 national Barista, Latte Art and CIGS champions. Daniel Vaz took the Barista title for a second time, Eduardo Olímpio won a third Latte Art crown, and Leonardo Oliva claimed his second Coffee in Good Spirits title. Competitions ran at SIC 2025, qualifying winners for the 2026 World Coffee Championships. (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

Wed, 19 Nov – HOTELEX Shenzhen to showcase latest innovation in coffee and food sectors. The expo runs from 16 to 18 December 2025 at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Centre, featuring a coffee and food festival, a coffee bazaar, barista competitions and hundreds of exhibitors serving South China’s hospitality market. (Shenzhen, China)

Thu, 20 Nov – Mexico wins 2025 LAC Barista Championship. Edson Rodríguez from Mexico took the top spot at the competition, organised by Starbucks. A total of 18 Starbucks baristas from across Latin America and the Caribbean took part. (San José, Costa Rica)

Fri, 20 Nov – New rules and regulations for 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship. Competitors must clearly call “time” to ensure accurate recording, and only the time officially documented by the timekeeper and/or head judge will be used for scoring. The 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship will be held from 7 to 9 May 2026 at World of Coffee Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand. (Irvine, California, US)

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

Wed, 12 Nov – Brazil coffee exports fall 20% in October. October exports totalled 4.141 million 60kg bags, and revenue rose 12.6% to US$1.654 bn. Cecafé cites port bottlenecks, lower crop potential, and a 50% US tariff that cut US imports by 51.5%. (São Paulo, Brazil)

Thu, 13 Nov – Canada’s Blenz Coffee enters India through a master franchise deal. Blenz Coffee, with over 60 stores in Canada, has signed a Master Franchise Agreement with Franchise India to launch in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune. It will adapt its menu to include local flavours, such as saffron, cardamom, and rose syrup options. (Mumbai, India)

Fri, 14 Nov – Octane Coffee seeks investors for automated café expansion. The coffee chain plans to roll out automated locations offering coffee, pastries, and cold-pressed juices via kiosks. It aims to expand regionally with funding to build more self-serve cafés. (Indianapolis, Indiana, US)

Photo credits: Gustavo Baxter/NITRO