Coffee News Recap, 30 Aug: London robusta futures hit record high, tenth edition of PRF to be held in Honduras & other stories

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

Editor’s note

It seems as if both arabica and robusta futures will continue to increase for some time. London robusta futures reached a record US $4,971/tonne this week, while New York arabica futures hit US $2.49/lb – nearly their highest level in decades.

All in all, this means the perfect storm of high interest rates and coffee prices has no end in sight. It will be the traders who are squeezed the hardest by this, but the trickle down will affect roasters and coffee shops all the same: higher prices to supplement already-rising costs, less favourable payment terms, and ultimately, less freedom in one of their most crucial supplier relationships. In turn, we can expect to see more roasters adapting as others have over the last six to 12 months: sourcing cheaper coffee and moving their focus away from single origins to blends.

In other news, Producer & Roaster Forum announced that its tenth edition will take place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on 27 & 28 March 2025. As the balance of the coffee industry continues to shift, it seems more pertinent than ever to hold more challenging, disruptive conversations in a producing country – to understand how these changes affect everyone, rather than just consuming markets. More specifically, PRF Honduras will aim to support wider market growth in Central America’s biggest coffee-producing country, as its farmers grapple with rising cases of coffee rust and an ongoing labour shortage.

A Ugandan farmer harvests coffee cherries.

Industry news

Mon, 26 Aug – Pickup Coffee names former Jollibee executive as new CEO. Francis Flores will help boost the chain’s branding as it plans to expand and increase loyalty membership and app usage. Flores also has a background with Unilever and JFC, where he served as Global Brand Chief Marketing Officer until June 2022. (Manila, Philippines)

Mon, 26 Aug – Neuhaus Neotec appoints Ralf Torenz as new managing director. Torenz has over 23 years of experience at Neuhaus Neotec – overseeing sales, R&D, and project management. (Ganderkesse, Germany)

Tue, 27 Aug – GrowGrounds partners with Sting Bioeconomy to drive growth of sustainable coffee market. The initiative focuses on integrating sustainable techniques to enhance coffee production, capture CO2, and sell carbon credits. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Wed, 28 Aug – Colorado’s Switchback Coffee Roasters files for for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.Key claims include a US $400,000 SBA loan and over US $76,000 in unpaid sales taxes to Colorado Springs and the Colorado Department of Revenue. Attempts to contact Owner Brandon DelGrosso have been unsuccessful. (Colorado Springs, Colorado, US)

Wed, 28 Aug – Tchibo regains profitability as cost pressures begin to subside. The Germany coffee company reported €68 million EBIT in 2023, after a €167 million loss in 2022. The turnaround was driven by strong coffee sales across Europe and reduced costs in raw materials, energy, logistics, marketing, and sales – reflecting an easing of supply chain disruptions. (Hamburg, Germany)

Wed, 28 Aug – Breville Group achieves record revenues driven by double-digit growth in coffee machine sales. The company (known as Sage in Europe) reported a 3.5% sales growth to AU $1.5 billion for the year ending 30 June 2024. Growth was driven by strong coffee machine sales, particularly in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, which helped offset declines in the Cooking and Food Prep segments. (Alexandria, Australia)

Wed, 28 Aug – GRM Overseas acquires 44% stake in Indian retail coffee brand Rage Coffee. New Delhi’s Rage Coffee manufactures and distributes packaged coffee products through its online marketplaces and over 5,000 retail locations. The new investment will expand the brand’s presence in India and internationally, including planned launches in Saudi Arabia, Europe, and North America. (New Delhi, India)

Thu, 29 Aug – Strauss International Coffee reports first-half revenue of US $587.9 million. Operating profit was down by 10.3% while net profit rose by 10.6%. Higher raw material costs impacted profitability. (Petah Tikva, Israel)

Thu, 29 Aug – J.M. Smucker’s Q1 net sales reach US $2.1 billion, with US retail coffee at US $623.4 million. Volume improvements from brands like Uncrustables and Café Bustelo were partially offset by lower sales from divested pet food brands and Dunkin’. Net pricing changes had a neutral effect on sales. (Orrville, Ohio, US)

Fri, 30 Aug – Alsea to invest US $12 million to open 30 new Starbucks locations in Colombia. The company plans to scale its Greener Store programme, aimed at reducing carbon emissions, water use, and waste. Starbucks currently operates in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Bucaramanga, with 25 Greener Stores and its first drive-thru location opened in Cali in December 2022. (Mexico City, Mexico)

Fri, 30 Aug – Origins 1450 acquires The Gentlemen Baristas. Origins 1450 aims to become the UK’s first vertically integrated specialty coffee roastery. The acquisition of Gentlemen Baristas will enhance the group’s impact in the UK by providing direct sourcing and reinforcing a sustainable coffee value chain. (London, UK)

New launch

Mon, 26 Aug – Green Day and 7-Eleven team up to launch exclusive anniversary Punk Bunny Coffee blend. The new blend marks the convenience chain’s 60th anniversary of its to-go coffee products and the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album. (Irvine, Texas, US)

Tue, 27 Aug – Grumpy Mule unveils brand refresh. The UK roaster’s new packaging features bolder designs and clearer labelling. Now part of the B-Corp certified Cafédirect Group, Grumpy Mule is committed to 100% Fairtrade and largely organic coffee with recyclable packaging. (Huddersfield, UK)

Thu, 29 Aug – Schaerer introduces its two-step Coffee Soul configuration. The new system offers several automatic steam wands for foaming, allowing faster service, more flexibility with milk options, and lower costs. (Zuchwil, Switzerland)

Thu, 29 Aug – Nucleus Coffee Tools introduces industry’s first AI-powered virtual roast assistant.The LINK App’s Addis 4.1 update includes “Marv,” an AI virtual roast assistant that helps users optimise settings. (Canberra, Australia)

Fri, 30 Aug – KaldiMarket launches Harvest Liquidity Finance service to support SME exporters. The new product allows SME coffee exporters to grow their businesses and compete effectively in an increasingly consolidating global coffee market. KaldiMarket is also developing a micro-lending product designed for farmers to improve yield, income, and environmental practices. (London, UK)

Milestone

Tue, 27 Aug – Purity Coffee lands in Inc 5000 list for fourth consecutive year. The company says this reflects its commitment to delivering “healthy and pure” coffee products. Purity Coffee has also launched the Purity Partnership, a crowdfunding campaign inviting the community to join in its mission. (Greenville, South Carolina, US)

Wed, 28 Aug – Oxford marks a milestone by recycling over 2.3 million used coffee pods from local households. Used coffee pods are left out for collection by ODS, which works with Oxford City Council. These pods are then recycled by Podback. This month marks three years of their partnership, with nearly 3,500 households participating – eliminating almost 28 tonnes of waste from landfill. (Oxford, UK)

The owners of Hacienda La Esmeralda by a raised coffee bed.

Trade & production

Wed, 28 Aug – Expocacer campaigns to protect authenticity of Cerrado Mineiro origin. The initiative aims to address the misuse of Brazil’s first Designation of Origin stamp and to promote authentic, traceable coffee. (Patrocínio, Brazil)

Thu, 29 Aug – Hacienda La Esmeralda beats auction record with US $7,532/kg bid.George Howell Coffee purchased the Panamanian farm’s Nido San Jose Natural Gesha at its private auction. All 20 lots sold for over a weighted average price of US $1,611/kg – surpassing prices at the 2024 BoP auction.(Boquete, Panama)

Research

Wed, 28 Aug – New UBC tool can detect how much microplastic is found in a cup of coffee. The device, paired with an app, uses fluorescent labelling to detect plastic particles ranging from 50 nanometres to 10 microns in size, and delivers results in minutes. (Vancouver BC, Canada)

Events

Mon, 26 Aug – MICE2025 to include all-new The Playground feature. More than 10,800 attendees visited the 2024 event, with next year’s edition (taking place from 22 to 25 March) set to be even bigger. The new Playground feature is designed specifically for roasters, with more details to be announced soon. (Melbourne, Australia)
Mon, 26 Aug –Hardtank announces Cold Brew Masterclass webinar. The Polish cold brew equipment & RTD manufacturer will be holding the webinar at 11AM CEST on Wednesday, 11th September, with insights from co-founders Maciej Duszak and Krzysztof Barabosz, as well as Turkish distributor Zeynep Martinez. (Opole, Poland)

Tue, 27 Aug – Exhibitor registration and visitor pre-registration opens for Café Show Seoul 2024. The event, which brings together key players in the Asian and international coffee markets, will be held at Coex Seoul from 6 to 9 November. (Seoul, South Korea)

Competitions

Mon, 26 Aug – Dates announced for Danish and Dutch AeroPress championships. The Danish event will be held at Coffee Collective Roastery on 6 September, and the Dutch competition is set to take place on 31 August at the Vogelfrei in Utrecht. The winners will represent their countries at the World AeroPress Championship in Lisbon, Portugal from 19 to 21 September.

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

Thu, 22 Aug – SSP Group plans to debut in Bulgaria with Starbucks airport stores. SSP Group will launch its first food and beverage units at Sofia Airport in 2025. The contract includes 12 outlets, featuring Starbucks, Camden Food Co., Burger King, TGI Fridays, and proprietary brands like Upper Crust and Soul & Grain. (Sofia, Bulgaria)

Fri, 23 Aug – Vauxhall introduces the MOKKA COFFE-E EV concept. The new car model features integrated coffee machines, a milk steamer, a grinder, barista tools, and a pull-out table. (Luton, UK)

Photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum, Nucleus Coffee Tools, Hacienda La Esmeralda