Coffee News Recap, 3 Mar: World AeroPress Championship opens 2023 host applications, Australia to hold national Barista Championship and Brewers Cup in May & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s stories.

Mon, 27 Feb

• ofi reports 15.3% revenue growth in 2022. Despite rising energy costs and uncertain macroeconomic factors, the food and beverage ingredient company (which also sells coffee products) reported total 2022 revenue at US $553.1 million.

• Dutch Bros raises more than US $900,000 through annual fundraiser. All of the drive-thru chain’s 700 locations donated US $1 from every drink sold on 17 February, as well as receiving donations from customers. Local charities across 14 different US states will receive all money raised.

• AI solution ProfilePrint signs agreements with three of Brazil’s biggest food and beverage companies. ProfilePrint, which uses AI technology to assess and verify the quality and profile of food and beverage ingredients (including coffee) will now work with Louis Dreyfus Company Brasil, Olam Agrícola Ltda (Brazil), and Sucafina Brasil.

• Super Coffee partners with Athletic Brewing Company on pre-workout coffee. The new non-alcoholic beer, which contains 130 calories and 5g of protein per 12oz (354ml) can, is made with brewed coffee.

• Roaster manufacturer IMF achieves UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 certification. The certification programme demonstrates that businesses are dedicated to meeting the needs and expectations of customers and business partners

• Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority reports US $702 million in coffee export earnings over past seven months. The authority says the country exported 126,649 tonnes of coffee in the last seven months. The ECTA aims to increase annual earnings from coffee exports up to US $1.4 billion over the next 15 years.

• GoFundBean launches 2023 Bean for Bean mentorship programme. The initiative helps to connect more experienced coffee professionals with those who are new to the industry to improve skills and knowledge. Successful applicants will receive updates on 13 March 2023.

Tue, 28 Feb

• Certification body 4C announces first successful certification under Gender Equality Add-On. Green coffee trader Sucden Colombia is the first company to receive the certification, which ensures companies are meeting internal gender equity goals. Sucden says women own or operate 60% of its farms.

• Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons to open locations in Singapore. In partnership with Tim Hortons’ parent company Restaurant Brands International, Marubeni Growth Capital Asia will open the first locations later this year. There are also plans to expand to hundreds of locations across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the next decade.

• World Coffee Championships to host Judge Certification sessions in Athens and Taipei. Judges with the required level of experience can take part in the upcoming sessions in Greece and Taiwan. The sessions will be held on 14 & 15 June 2023 and 11 & 12 November 2023, respectively.

• Steeped Coffee partners with black-owned BLK & Bold single-serve bags. Three of the roaster’s coffee are available as Steeped bags: Rise & GRND, La Guadalupe Honduras, and Limu, Ethiopia. BLK & Bold donates 5% of all profits to its For Our Youth programme, which supports 13 charities across the US.

• Portland Coffee Roasters partners with National Basketball Association player Jusuf Nurkić on Bosnian Beans coffee. For every bag sold, Portland Coffee Roasters will donate US $3 to the Jusuf Nurkić Foundation, which supports youth, women, and vulnerable communities in Bosnia.

• Submininal to launch NanoFoamer Pro on Kickstarter on 7 March 2023. The brand’s latest product will be a fully automated milk foamer, which produces microfoam to pour latte art.

• World AeroPress Championship opens 2023 host applications. Applicants should check to see if their country already has a registered host, with some countries already confirmed. All applicants must pay a AUD $150 fee, which if successful will be credited towards a license fee.

Wed, 1 Mar

• Westrock Coffee acquires Bixby Roasting Co. in Los Angeles, California. Westrock says the acquisition of the LA roaster will enhance the expansion of its omnichannel product marketing and development facilities. The co-founders of Bixby will join Westrock’s senior management team.

• Australian Barista Championship and Brewers Cup to take place in first week of May 2023. Earlier this year, the Australian Specialty Coffee Association stated it wouldn’t host the two 2023 national competitions because of a number of restrictions. The organisation now aims to hold the two events in time for the 2023 World Coffee Championships in June.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence announces postponement of 2023 Cup of Excellence Ethiopia competition and auction. In a press release, the organisation states the Ethiopian Tea and Coffee Authority made the decision to suspend and postpone all operations for the 2023 CoE Ethiopia competition and auction “due to numerous issues within Ethiopia”. ACE says it is focusing on 2024 CoE Ethiopia events in the meantime.

• US Senator Bernie Sanders leads vote to subpoena Starbucks’ interim CEO Howard Schultz to testify at committee hearing. Schulz declined to appear before the committee last week to respond to the company’s alleged “lack of compliance with labour laws”. The vote to subpoena Schultz will be held next week.

• SCA Austria chapter announces new committee members. New members are National Coordinator, Michael Manhart, Competitions Coordinator, Oliver Goetz, Community Coordinator, Matthias Zenger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Stefan Grillmar, and Education Coordinator, Angelika Galas.

• Trailer for upcoming film Coffee Wars available on YouTube. The film follows a fictional plant-based coffee shop owner training for and competing at the World Barista Championship. Coffee Wars will be available to watch on streaming platforms later this month.

• De’Longhi launches new TryBrew automated filter coffee machine in advert with US actor Brad Pitt. Pitt previously appeared in a De’Longhi ad campaign in 2021. The new ad features the actor brewing coffee with the machine at home, which includes a built-in conical burr grinder and ice coffee mode.

Thu, 2 Mar

• Around 63% of Gen Z don’t drink coffee, but those who do “prioritise sustainability and ethical sourcing”. Gen Z consumers also prefer to buy RTD coffee beverages and iced coffees as they are healthier alternatives to sugary drinks, and they are also willing to spend more on coffee than other generations.

• Several 2023 Egyptian and Qatari national Coffee Championships take place in Cairo and Doha. Winners of the 2023 Egyptian Barista and Latte Art Championships, as well as the 2023 Qatar Brewers Cup and Latte Art Championship, will represent their respective countries in Greece and Taiwan later this year.

• Pret A Manger set to raise staff pay for third time in a year. Reuters reports that the food and coffee-to-go chain will instate a 3% pay increase for its employees in the UK. Pret previously implemented a 5% pay increase in December 2022.

• New York judge rules Starbucks guilty of repeatedly violating labour laws in response to unionisation efforts. Judge Michael A. Rosas stated the company was at fault for “egregious and widespread misconduct demonstrating a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights”. Rosas’ ruling states Starbucks conducted illegal incidences of monitoring, penalising, and firing employees who were engaged in unionisation efforts. Starbucks will most likely appeal the decision.

• Elas no Café Coocacer to host International Women’s Day celebration in Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil. As part of its 2023-24 strategic plans, the co-op will host a series of events, with the theme as “the unique legacy of women: knowledge that renews, passion that inspires, and dedication that trails the present and the future”.

• Luckin Coffee reports net revenue increase of 67% in 2022. In its full year 2022 financial results, the Chinese coffee chain stated it had turned its first full-year profit since the company launched in 2017. Luckin ended the fourth quarter with a total of 8,214 stores.

Fri, 3 Mar

• Natural processed Ateng and P-88 hybrid variety sells for US $40.20/lb at 2022 Cup of Excellence Indonesia. The entire lot, which was produced by Bahagia Ginting at the Koperasi Ribang Gayo Musara farm and scored 90.59 points, was purchased by Sulalat Coffee Trading for US $17,281.98. Total earnings from the auction were US $242,409.61.

• Technivorm Moccamaster launches its first burr coffee grinder. The new Moccamaster KM5 grinder includes 50mm flat steel burrs, stepless grind adjustment, and a static-reducing dispensing spout. The KM5 will be available to purchase from 6 April.

• Grind Coffee launches Better Coffee Foundation. For every one of its capsules sold, the UK roaster says its new foundation will help to remove two coffee pods’ worth of plastic from the ocean. In partnership with CleanHub, Grind aims to remove more than 40 million pods’ worth of plastic from the ocean by the end of 2023.

• US Coffee Championships 2023 hosts second qualifying round in Denver, Colorado. The top ranking competitors will go on to take part in the US National Coffee Championships in Portland, Oregon from 21 to 23 April.

• Coffee Fest New York to take place from 5 to 7 March 2023. The B2B event will be held at the Javits Centre, and will include a tradeshow exhibition, networking opportunities, and educational workshops.

• Hellenic 2023 Latte Art and Cezve/Ibrik Championships take place at Artoza exhibition. The winners will represent Greece at the World Coffee Championships in Taipei later this year.

• La Marzocco and Artpresso Design collaborate on coffee equipment collection. The La Marzocco-branded equipment which was designed by Steven Monti, include the Solo Tamper and tamper holder, distribution tool, knock box, tamping mat, and several other barista accessories. The new products are available from select retailers.

• Brazil’s CEPEA research institute says average price of arabica in February was highest since October 2022. The average monthly price increased by 11.9% between January and February this year. CEPEA cites excessive rainfall, subsequent increases in incidences of diseases, and problems with controlling plant nutrition.

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

• Mon, 20 Feb – Costa Coffee names Samuel Duffy as its UK Barista of the Year 2023. Duffy, who has worked at the company for five years, competed against seven other finalists from across the UK and Ireland.

• Wed, 22 Feb – Birch Bark Coffee Co. partners with Chapman’s Ice Cream on new cold brew flavour. The collaboration, which is part of Chapman’s premium product range, is the ice cream brand’s first since its establishment in 1973. A portion of sales proceeds will go to Birch Bark’s initiatives which help to improve the quality of drinking water for indigenous communities in Canada.

• Thu, 23 Feb – UKHospitality says a third of UK hospitality businesses are at risk of closure including coffee shops. The organisation reports that despite the UK hospitality sector experiencing a collective 4.2% revenue increase in 2022, 32% of businesses could close this year. UKHospitality adds that when taking into rising inflation into account, total revenue fell by some 13% last year.

• Thu, 23 Feb – Danone announces two-year US $65 million investment in Jacksonville, Florida facility to increase production of RTD cold brew. The investment will include a new bottle production line, which will help to boost production of SToK cold brew.

• Thu, 23 Feb – Reuters reports female-owned farms and companies are helping to grow Ghana’s coffee sector. Roasters such as Bean Masters in Accra are working to boost the country’s coffee sector, which is still a male-dominated industry.

• Thu, 23 Feb – SCA Canada opens election voting for Competitions Coordinator role. Voting is open until 3 March, and the results will be announced on 10 March.

Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories.

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Photo credits: World AeroPress Championship

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