Coffee News Recap, 28 Jun: WoC Copenhagen hosts four World Coffee Championships, USDA estimates 2024/25 global production at 176 million bags & 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 competitions.

Mon, 24 Jun

Vietnam’s coffee production steady despite drought, but price hikes may continue. The Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam expects a 10% to 16% drop in output following extreme heat in the Central Highlands growing region between March and May, says deputy head Nguyen Ngoc Quynh. (Pleiku, Vietnam)

Bellwether Coffee reduces roasting carbon emissions by 5.8 million lbs. The company’s 2023 impact report shows its roasters cut 1.8 million lbs of carbon emissions last year – reducing the footprint of roasting by 87% compared to traditional gas roasters. (Berkley, California, US)

New dates for national AeroPress Championships announced.
- The Italian competition will take place on 18 July at the Social Hub Florence Lavagnini, hosted by Oatly
- The Hellenic competition will take place on 9 September at the Plyfa Space in Votanikos, hosted by Kudu Coffee
- The German competition will take place on 13 July at Five Elephant in Berlin, hosted by Café Imports

UK’s Caravan achieves B Corp status. Founded by Laura Harper-Hinton, Chris Ammermann, and Miles Kirby from New Zealand, Caravan achieved a B Impact score of 83.3. (London, UK)

Israeli chain Cofix plans to re-enter Kazakhstan. The company plans to open 200 stores by the end of 2030. Cofix also operates locations in Poland, Russia, Belarus, Spain, and Armenia. (Tel Aviv, Israel)

Luckin Coffee reportedly planning debut in Malaysia. The Chinese coffee chain plans rapid expansion in Malaysia over the next five years, aiming to boost its international presence. (Beijing, China)

USDA projects 2024/25 global coffee production at 176 million 60kg bags. This represents a 4.2% increase, just below peak levels seen in 2020/21. Global consumption is also expected to grow by 1.8% to over 170 million 60kg bags. Coffee futures markets closed lower on the revised figures. (Washington DC, US)

Highest-scoring coffee receives US $109/lb bid at 2024 CoE Nicaragua auction. US roaster Angelino’s Coffee purchased over 198 lbs of the natural Gesha from Finca Los Alpes for more than US $21,626. Over 17,686 lbs of coffee were purchased for a total of US $298,987.

Tue, 25 Jun

Ediya Coffee signs master franchise agreement to launch in Malaysia. The South Korean chain has initial plans to open three outlets in Malaysia this year, with further expansion across the region anticipated. (Seoul, South Korea)

Uganda Coffee Development Authority plans to spend US $9 million to register coffee farmers for EUDR compliance. Managing Director Emmanuel Iyamulemye announced the National Coffee Register, mandated by the National Coffee Act 2021, will precede the development of a national traceability system, which will comply with the EUDR. (Kampala, Uganda)

Coffee glassware brand recalled in the US after more than 50 reported injuries. More than half a million JoyJolt glass coffee mugs (which are sold on Amazon) are being recalled after 56 reports of injuries. (New York City, New York, US)

SCA to launch second phase of the Coffee Value Assessment. The second CVA phase (expected to be rolled out in late 2024 and early 2025) will include new standards for coffee sample preparation and analysis and a beta version of the extrinsic assessment protocol for Early Adopter testing. There will also be updates to supporting documentation, including A System to Assess Coffee Value. (Irvine, California, US)

Arabica prices sees biggest jump in three weeks ahead of July delivery. The surge in prices prompted traders to cover short positions ahead of the expiration of July futures, despite a low number of outstanding contracts. (New York City, New York, US)

Wed, 26 Jun

First-ever SIGEP Asia begins in Singapore. The three-day expo – co-hosted with Restaurant Asia, Speciality Food & Drinks Asia, and Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia – is expected to attract 10,000 visitors and over 350 international exhibitors. The event is also hosting the 2024 Singapore Coffee Championships.

WMF launches MultiMilk system for its 5000 S+ speciality machine. The automated system can foam and dispense up to five different milks, including plant-based options. (Geislingen, Germany)

Colorado’s Ink! Coffee files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, founded in 1994, operates 16 retail locations. Filed in Colorado Bankruptcy Court, the petition lists Ink! Coffee’s estimated liabilities between US $1 to $10 million. (Denver, Colorado, US)

Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture says enforcement of new labelling law is “a challenge”. The Hawaiian Coffee Labeling Act 211 requires all coffee products with a Hawaii geographical reference to include where the coffee was grown and the percentage of Hawaiian-grown by weight. The law also requires that coffee labelled and advertised as “100% Hawaiian” must be grown and processed in the state. (Honolulu, Hawaii, US)

Franke Coffee Systems UK and British Triathlon celebrate new partnership. The collaboration will offer exclusive opportunities and giveaways to British Triathlon members, and Franke coffee machines will also be installed at different locations. (Nationwide, UK)

Caravela Coffee publishes 2023 impact report. The specialty coffee trader’s latest report outlines its sustainability milestones over the past year – including transparency, traceability, and fair practices. (London, UK)

Bruvi partners with Klatch Coffee to offer premium coffee pods. Award-winning Klatch Coffee is Bruvi’s latest roaster partner, with the company’s Crazy Goat blend available as pods. (Beverly Hills, California, US)

Thu, 27 Jun

World of Coffee Copenhagen hosts four 2024 World Coffee Championships. A total of 86 national champions will compete in the 2024 World Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Coffee Roasting, and Cezve/Ibrik Championships. The event will also host an extensive trade show, lectures, workshops, cuppings, and the 2024 Best New Product and Coffee Design awards. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

La Marzocco launches mobile coffee system in collaboration with Specialized. La Marzocco has partnered with Specialized’s premium bike manufacturing capabilities to offer unique, environmentally friendly coffee solutions. The mobile coffee solution includes two bespoke Turbo Porto model Specialized bikes equipped with a La Marzocco Linea Micra and a Pico Grinder. (Florence, Italy)

Slayer unveils Steam Single at WoC Copenhagen. The new one-group machine is designed for both professionals and home users with unique features, including an internal freshwater reservoir for easy countertop setup, an intuitive barista dashboard, manual dial-in, and a dedicated pre-infusion circuit. (Seattle, Washington, US)

Eversys expands Swiss production facility. The super automatic coffee machine manufacturer has increased total production space by 150% to 118,000 sq ft to boost logistici capabilities. (Sierre, Switzerland)

The 2025 World Coffee Championships to take place across three continents. The World Coffee Roasting Championship will take place at Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston, Texas, US. The World Brewers Cup will take place at World of Coffee Jakarta in Indonesia and the World Barista Championship will be held at HostMilano in Italy. The World Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cezve/Ibrik, and Cup Tasters Championships will take place at World of Coffee Geneva.

Aillio launches Bullet R2 and Bullet R2 Pro at WoC Copenhagen. The two new roasters feature a number of new advanced technologies, including FlowSense – which measures airflow in the drum and automatically adjusts fan speed accordingly. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Nicolas Mosco wins 2024 Italian Espresso Champion. Competing at Caffè Milani, Mosco won the competition (organised by the Italian Espresso Institute) using Rancilio’s Specialty RS1 espresso machine and KRYO65 grinder. (Lipomo, Italy)

DiFluid exhibits at WoC Copenhagen following Omix launch. The company will also host a raffle at its booth, where visitors will have the chance to win a number of prizes. (Shenzhen, China)

Fri, 28 Jun

Oatly expands Hey Barista app across Europe. The app has coffee shop guides for Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Sydney, and will also launch guides for Prague, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Lisbon, Rome, and Copenhagen, where Oatly will also be host launch parties. (Malmö, Sweden)

Victoria Arduino launches single-cup brewer Pure Brew+ at WoC Copenhagen. The new patented system includes a double-mesh conical filter, and can extract up to 500ml of filter coffee in two minutes. (Belforte del Chienti, Italy)

Hauck Tamper wins 2024 Best New Product award at WoC Copenhagen. The new Hauck Vibra is the world’s first forceless puck preparation tool that provides optimum distribution and compression of ground coffee in just one push. (Roßbach, Austria)

avercasso exhibits world-first AI green coffee sorter at WoC Copenhagen. The CS One can process 5 to 6kg of green coffee per hour with 99% accuracy using AI-powered 4K dual cameras to identify and sort beans. (Taipei, Taiwan)

SCA signs MoU with CoE and ACE to collaborate on Coffee Value Assessment. The initial focus of the MoU will be to integrate the descriptive and scoring categories of the CVA analysis protocol into the Cup of Excellence competition structure. CoE head judges and staff will work with the SCA’s technical team to jointly assess, refine, and adapt the CVA form to the competition. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Bellwether Shop Roaster wins 2024 Best New Product award at WoC Copenhagen. The ventless electric in-store roaster won in the Commercial Coffee Equipment category. This is the second Best New Product win in five years for Bellwether. (Berkley, California, US)

Bella Barista becomes UK’s first Regenerative Organic Certified company. The roaster and equipment retailer received the certification from the Regenerative Organic Alliance, which was created by Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s, and the Rodale Institute. (Wellingborough, UK)

SCA to host WoC Copenhagen Barista Party on 29 June. In partnership with Thermoplan and Club House, the event will take place from 21:00 to 2:00 local time at DR Koncerthuset. Tickets must be purchased in advance. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Mariam Erin at the 2023 World Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

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

Sat, 22 Jun – England football icon teams up with veteran-operated Combat2Coffee social enterprise. Terry Butcher, former England football player, has become a patron of Combat2Coffee, which supports veteran’s mental health. (Ipswich, UK)

Sun, 23 Jun – USDA estimates Uganda’s production and exports to rise in 2024/25. Reasons for the expected increase are favourable crop conditions, better pest and disease control efforts, and the maturation of young plants. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Service annual report also predicts increased coffee consumption, especially in Kampala and other cities, as coffee culture grows.

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association