Coffee News Recap, 7 Jun: Oatly shelves plans for UK factory, Sucafina to acquire Mercafe Vietnam & 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 acquisitions.

Mon, 3 Jun

Whataburger aims to become a “go-to coffee shop” in the US. The 24-hour fast food chain recently launched vanilla, caramel, and mocha-flavoured iced lattes to target younger consumers. All drinks include a 100% arabica blend with coffees from Colombia, Honduras, and Nicaragua. (Regional, United States)

Nespresso to launch in India by end of 2024. The first Nespresso boutique store will open in Delhi, with plans to expand to other key cities. Additionally, the brand will be available online through e-commerce platforms, aiming to bolster its market presence. (Nationwide, India)

Robusta futures hit highest levels since late April. In late May, the July ICE robusta contract closed at US $4,131/tonne, while ICE arabica contracts rose 355 points to US 233 cents/lb. Price spikes are still attributed to limited supply from Vietnam.

USDA estimates Vietnam’s 2024-25 coffee production to remain stable at 29 million 60kg bags. Robusta production could rise to 27.85 million 60kg bags, while arabica production will increase to 1.15 million 60kg bags.

Oatly scraps plans to open UK factory. The Swedish oat milk company has cancelled plans to build its first UK production facility, which was expected to create 200 jobs. The decision was made to explore other options for serving the UK market by utilising existing facilities across Europe. (Peterborough, UK)

This year’s Singapore Coffee Championship will return to Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia. The Barista, Brewers Cup, Latte Art, and Cup Tasters Championships will be hosted at the inaugural SIGEP Asia from 26 to 28 June. The event will be co-hosted with Restaurant Asia and IEG Asia’s recently acquired series of food and beverage trade shows, including Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia and Food2Go. (Marina Bay, Singapore)

Geshas dominate the 2024 Honduras Cup of Excellence competition. The highest-scoring coffee – a washed Gesha from Benjamin Paz Muñoz – received 91.21 points. This year’s competition celebrates the 20th anniversary of CoE Honduras, with the auction to be held on 11 July.

Tue, 4 Jun

Swiss trader Sucafina to acquire Mercon assets in Vietnam. The sale of Mercafe Vietnam Ltd. follows Mercon’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in New York, driven by price volatility and increased borrowing costs. The acquisition is being carried out by Sucafina’s local subsidiary according to court filings. (Đồng Nai, Vietnam)

Global specialty coffee shop market projected to grow by US $57.41 billion by 2028. A new Technavio report highlights consumer focus on sustainability as a key driver of growth, as well as convenience and online ordering. The US market is expected to grow the most with a 32% CAGR.

Accademia del Caffè Espresso advances coffee research in partnership with CDR Lab. CDR, a partner of Accademia del Caffè Espresso, manufactures systems to analyse chemical parameters in food and beverages through its CDR FoodLab division. (Florence, Italy)

AeroPress launches Go Plus Coffee Travel System. The AeroPress Go Plus includes three-in-one brewing technology with an AeroPress Clear that fits into a stainless-steel tumbler with a leak-resistant lid. The brewer also comes with a custom scoop, stirrer, and filter holder. (Palo Alto, California, United States)

Actress Sofía Vergara launches ¡Díos Mío! coffee brand. Inspired by Colombian coffee culture, the company partners with the country’s National Federation of Coffee Growers to source coffee from female producers. (Los Angeles, California, United States)

Sovda releases new blender. The Sovda Blend can combine 85kg (or 100kg for lighter roasts) of coffee in as little as nine minutes to improve roasters’ operational efficiency when developing and creating their blends. (Portland, Oregon, United States)

Kamana debuts 100% caffeine-free coffee alternative. The new functional product is made with roasted mesquite pods sourced from Peru, and has tasting notes of cacao, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (California, United States)

Wed, 5 Jun

USDA forecasts Brazil’s 2024-25 coffee production to reach 69.9 million 60kg bags. Production is expected to increase for the third consecutive year. Arabica output will grow by 7.3% to 48.2 million 60kg bags, while robusta production will see a modest 1.4% increase to 21.7 million 60kg bags.

Juan Valdez partners with InnoVision Marketing Group to expand US presence. InnoVision will create digital marketing campaigns for Juan Valdez, highlighting its Colombian origins and refreshed brand. The focus will be on signature red coffee cups with the tagline: “Because great things come in red cups”. (Nationwide, United States)

UK retailers and hospitality venues see sales boost with in-store premium coffee offerings. World Coffee Portal’s latest report shows a growing number of UK hospitality and retail businesses have introduced premium in-store coffee concepts to boost sales, foster brand loyalty, and elevate their value proposition. (Nationwide, UK)

Sixth edition of Coffex Istanbul to open doors on from 27 to 30 June. Coffex is the biggest international trade show for coffee companies in the Middle East. The event will take place at the Haliç Congress Centre, where roasters, traders, business operators, and equipment manufacturers will exhibit their products and network with industry professionals. (Istanbul, Turkey)

Morocco’s Bacha Coffee to open store in the US. Known as the “Hermès of Coffee”, the iconic Moroccan brand was established in 1910 and offers more than 200 single origin, blends, and other coffee products. (Marrakech, Morocco)

Thu, 6 Jun

Cup of Excellence El Salvador sets new record. Ten coffees scored over 90 points, which has set a new record for the competition. The highest-scoring coffee across all three categories was a 92-point honey processed Pacamara from Finca La Bendicion. The auction will take place on 18 July.

Latest ICO report reveals significant rise in international coffee exports. Global green bean exports in April 2024 totaled 10.77 million 60kg bags, marking a 15.3% increase compared to the same month last year. Exports of Brazilian naturals and robustas were the primary drivers of growth, with exports rising by 44.9% and 13.4%, respectively.

EasyJet to serve Costa Coffee on flights. The airline will offer Costa Coffee cappuccinos, lattes, and salted caramel lattes on flights as part of its EAT.DRINK.SHOP service. This partnership replaces the previous coffee service supplied by Segafredo. (Luton, UK)

Karali Group acquires UK premium doughnut and coffee chain Crosstown. The acquisition includes Crosstown’s 27 locations, which encompasses stores, trucks, market stalls, and retail concessions. Crosstown staff will remain at the company, including CEO Howard Ebison. UK-based Karali Group, which operates various fast-casual concepts, will manage Crosstown through its Karali Snacks Limited subsidiary. (London, UK)

International Coffee Partners members call for further delays to EUDR. In an open letter, members including Lavazza, Tchibo, Löfbergs, and Neumann Kaffee Gruppe stated smallholder farmers could lose access to the EU coffee market because they lack the support and resources to provide data to comply with EUDR. (Hamburg, Germany)

Ueshima Coffee Company introduces new canned coffees in the UK for first time. Created by Tadao Ueshima in 1969, the brand holds the Guinness World Record for producing the longest-selling canned coffee brand. New products include iced lattes and iced matcha lattes. (Nationwide, UK)

Forest Coffee’s Huila Condor and Black Condor auctions scheduled for July and August 2024. Forest Academy’s Black Condor project supports over 100 families in Tolima, Colombia affected by conflict, while the Huila Condor Project provides female producers with resources and tools to improve coffee quality. The two auctions will sell the highest-quality coffees from both projects, with all price premiums sent directly to the producers. (Bogotá, Colombia)

Eversys to launch “Achieving Coffee Excellence” concept at World of Coffee Copenhagen. The campaign will include Latte Art Challenges, an Espresso Lab, a focus on IoT-driven telemetry, and offer interactive experiences with World Barista Champion Dale Harris. WoC Copenhagen will take place from 27 to 29 June 2024. (Sierre, Switzerland)

Cecafé and Abics condemn Brazilian government’s edition of MP No. 1,227. Both associations have stated they strongly oppose the government’s changes to tax offsets in Provisional Measure No. 1,227, and demand their immediate revocation.

Jacu Cascara launches innovative upcycled cascara beverage. Made from upcycled coffee fruit waste, the new line of canned functional beverages has notes of summer berries and rooibos. (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)

Fri, 07 Jun

Haruka Nango and Chris So announced as 2024 UK Latte Art & Coffee in Good Spirits Champions. Both will represent the UK in their respective competitions at the World Coffee Championships in Copenhagen from 27 to 29 June. (Chelmsford, UK)

This year’s Cafeex Wuhan brings together tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of exhibitors. The 2024 event – which was held from 31 May to 2 June at the Wuhan International Expo Centre – also hosted the first-ever Fine Chocolate Tasting. The next Cafeex trade show will take place in Shenzhen from 16 to 18 August 2024. (Wuhan, China)

The Barista League to take place in Warsaw for the first time. The event will take place at HAYB Speciality Coffee on 8 June, with guest judges including Dominika Gafka of Caffe Grano and Lukasz Galecki of European Coffee Trip. (Warsaw, Poland)

Birmingham Coffee Festival to return from 5 to 7 July with all-new Wellbeing Zone. This year’s event will start with an industry-only session on 5 July at The New Bingley Hall, followed by public days on 6 & 7 July. In addition to over 60 exhibitors, the Extracted Development competition, talks, and a demo space, the Wellbeing Zone will offer a one-of-a-kind zen coffee experience. (Birmingham, UK)

Second edition of Expo Cafeto will take place on 20 & 21 July 2024. Organised by Flick Producciones, the event will include a trade show exhibition featuring key players in the country’s specialty coffee market, public and private coffee tastings, and two competitions: Cafeto Brew Off and Cafeto Latte Art. (Córdoba, Argentina)

A Vietnamese coffee producers places coffee cherries in sacks.

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

Wed, 29 May – Starbucks customers and workers express frustration over 40-minute wait times due to staff shortages. Starbucks baristas say they are dealing with a growing number of drink orders and fewer staff to handle them. Some stores that had five employees making drinks now operate with only three or four, as reported by anonymous workers and managers. (Nationwide, United States)

Thu, 30 May – SCA Turkey Chapter announces new elected committee. With six professionals nominated for the positions, and five accepting, no election was held. The new committee members are:
- National Coordinator: Elif Unal
- Events Coordinator: Mertcan Karaagac
- Judges Coordinator: Deniz Tasdemir
- Marketing & Community Coordinator: Ugur Asilsoy
- Education Coordinator: Cem Tolga Izmiroglu