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

Here are this week’s coffee news stories.

Mon, 9 Oct

• Reef Bessette wins 2023 Coffee Masters NYC at New York Coffee Festival. Bessette, the co-founder of the Coffee Movement, competed against 11 other contenders in the multi-disciplinary competition – winning the grand prize of US $5,000.

• The 2024 Swiss Barista, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasters Championships winners announced at Swiss Coffee Festival. Cup Tasters Champion Bettina Hanimann and Brewers Cup Champion Masiu Yeung will compete at the 2024 World Cup Tasters and Brewers Cup Championships from 12 to 14 April in Chicago, US. Barista Champion Mathieu Theis will compete at the 2024 World Barista Championship in Busan, South Korea from 1 to 4 May.

• Spectator tickets now available for 2023 World AeroPress Championship finals. This year’s finals mark the competition’s 15th anniversary. The 2023 World AeroPress Championship will take place in Melbourne, Australia from 1 to 3 December 2023. Tickets can be purchased as one or two-day passes.

• Judge rules that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz illegally threatened a union supporter. Schulz allegedly told a pro-union Starbucks barista to “go work for another company”. A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled that the comments discouraged pro-union speech, which amounts to an illegal threat.

• Ratio Coffee launches crowdfunding investment campaign through WeFunder. Potential funders can invest as little as US $100 in Ratio Coffee as it plans to launch its single-cup brewer in 2024.

• La Marzocco and Marco Beverage Systems surrender intellectual property rights to integrated scale technology. La Marzocco and Marco co-developed the technology, but in an effort to “raise the general quality of the sector”, they have made the IP rights public – meaning other companies can utilise the technology to develop their own products.

• Technivorm Moccamaster announces Selfridges & Co as latest retail partner. Various Moccamaster brewers will be available through Selfridges’ Smartech brand from 9 October 2023 to 9 February 2024.

Tue, 10 Oct

• Café Business Expo 2023 takes place in London, England. The expo ran from 10 to 11 October at ExCel. The event featured more than 100 speakers, a product innovation exhibition, and an industry awards ceremony.

• Bonanza Coffee develops specialist ceramic cups to help baristas pour better latte art. In partnership with ACME, the specially-designed Unnecessarily Large cup includes an inner curve to better direct milk flow when pouring, as well as a wider surface area and shallower depth to create a larger canvas for pouring latte art.

• Kenya plans to sell coffee to Starbucks and other foreign buyers through direct trade channels. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua says the move will help Kenyan farmers secure better returns for their coffee. The government will meet with Starbucks officials to establish a deal that will see Kenya sell directly to the coffee chain.

• Robusta prices remain at near-record high. The latest ICO report shows the I-CIP for robusta averaged US 120 cents/lb in September, despite exports increasing by 7.3% year-on-year in August.

• Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select becomes the latest SCA Certified Home Brewer. The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select is the only European Coffee Brewing Centre-approved machine to prepare batches as low as 400ml.

• African Fine Coffees Association and Coffee Quality Institute sign Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement will see the two organisations support producers in eleven African countries – including Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

• Team Sip ‘n Smile Squad wins first-ever Barista League Madrid event. The multi-disciplinary barista competition took place on 7 October, with winners Kaspar Grossfeldt and Georg Lepik securing their spots at the 2024 Mystery Vacation. Guest judges included Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab and Dara Santana of Dart Caffeine.

• Cecafé says Brazilian coffee exports fell by 5.5% in September despite surge in robusta shipments. The Brazilian coffee export organisation adds that revenue fell by 23.2%, despite the fact the country exported 317% higher volumes of robusta during the same period.

Wed, 11 Oct

• World AeroPress Championship announces brand new format for Australian competition. WAC has partnered with several Australian roasters to introduce a multi-round, points-based format at this year’s national Australian competition. The event will take place on 1 December in Melbourne – one day prior to the 2023 World AeroPress Championship.

• Caravela Coffee publishes 2022 impact report. The company will present its latest report via a live webinar on 7 November, and is encouraging other industry stakeholders to join discussions around “reshaping the value of specialty coffee”.

• Stumptown partners with Alaskan Airlines to launch “altitude immune” blend. The roaster says the medium roast blend has been developed to avoid sensory perception issues related to changes in altitude, such as increased bitterness and weaker flavours. Alaska will serve the blend on all of its flights, signaling the end of its partnership with Starbucks.

• BIGFACE launches Dripkit single-serve products. NBA star Jimmy Butler’s lifestyle coffee brand now offers its DOUBLESTAR Ethiopian blend as Dripkit coffee bags. Each sachet contains 17g of ground coffee and brews around 295ml.

• Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association partners with Oritain to improve green coffee traceability. Oritain specialises in forensic origin tracing. The company will help the BSCA to improve traceability and transparency in the Brazilian coffee supply chain.

• ONA Coffee to host Carnival Party on 2 November to celebrate 15th anniversary. The Australian specialty coffee roaster will host the free event at its Melbourne shop, which will include food, drinks, and a live DJ.

• National Coffee Association calls for applications for the 2024 NCA Charity Showcase and Origin Charity of the Year Award. The NCA’s Coffee Gives Back Programme highlights charities dedicated to supporting coffee communities at origin. Submissions close on 1 December and the winners will be announced at next year’s NCA Convention on 7 to 9 March.

• Women-Powered Coffee Summit scheduled for 2 & 3 November in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The two-day summit returns for another dynamic and inclusive gathering, aiming to discuss a more equitable future for the coffee industry. Tickets are available now.

Thu, 12 Oct

• SCA announces new updated rules and regulations for 2024 World Brewers Cup and World Cup Tasters Championships. Updates to the World Brewers Cup rules include changes to how judges can assess aroma, as well as how judges score technical and customer service skills. Rules changes for the World Cup Tasters Championship focus on impartiality and competition procedures. SCA also announced the location for the 2024 World Cezve/Ibrik Championship, which will take place at World of Coffee Copenhagen in June next year.

• Covoya Coffee to host free webinar on 19 October. Special guest Catalina Gonzales – the specialty co-ordinator for Covoya in Colombia – will discuss topics such as crop surveys, the challenges farmers and exporters face, and the future of Colombian coffee.

• UK specialty coffee roaster Caravan to make retail debut at Waitrose stores on 16 October. Several of the company’s home compostable capsules will be available at Waitrose stores, marking its first foray into the supermarket space.

• Intelligentsia launches new range of plant-based lattes. The flash-chilled oat milk RTD lattes are available in Latte, Vanilla Latte, and Spiced Oat Latte editions.

• New study suggests global coffee production is under threat from loss of natural pollinators. Researchers say the combination of climate change and land use change has serious implications for insect pollinator biodiversity. Subsequently, coffee, cocoa, watermelon, and mango production are likely to be impacted.

• Reborn Coffee appoints Jennifer Tan to Board of Directors. Tan has over 30 years’ experience as a global entrepreneur, and will help the company’s expansion into new markets.

• UAE AeroPress Championship 2023 to take place on 25 to 27 October in Dubai. Competitors from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and elsewhere in the UAE will compete for a spot in the world final. The event will be hosed at the Almas Conference Centre.

• BWT water+more announces 2023 World Barista Champion Boram Um as global ambassador. Following on from his success at the 2023 WBC, Um – who is also the co-founder of Um Coffee Co. and Fazenda Um in Brazil – will help promote and showcase the company’s water filtration solutions around the world.

Fri, 13 Oct

• HostMilano begins in Milan, Italy with over 2,000 exhibitors. The 43rd edition of the HoReCa expo is taking place at the Fiera Milano exhibition centre until 17 October, featuring the latest innovations in product development from companies like Carimali and Flo-Smart. Over 800 events will take place at the trade show, including the 2023 Latte Art Grading System World Championship and the Smart Label Host Innovation Awards.

• Barista Attitude showcases new espresso machines at HostMilano. The coffee equipment manufacturer will host live demonstrations of several new products at its booth, including the single boiler Pilot espresso machine and the Tempesta GARA three-group – the official machine of the World Barista Championships. Brand ambassadors and WBC finalists Emi Fukahori and Michalis Michalis Dimitrakopoulos will assist with live demos.

• Sample evaluation begins for the 2023 Coffee of the Year competition. A record number of 518 samples were received for this year’s competition. The winner will be announced during the 2023 Brazil International Coffee Week in Belo Horizonte, set to take place from 8 to 10 November.

• Bazzara to host seventh Trieste Coffee Experts on 25 & 26 November 2023. The event returns to Trieste, Italy with a renewed focus on sustainability and the future of the coffee industry. This year’s Trieste Coffee Experts event will take place at the Savoia Excelsior Palace.

• Flash Coffee closes all Singapore stores after employees strike over late payments. The company says it will focus on “more promising” markets, but insisted it will help employees find new job opportunities with other coffee chains.

• Malkönig launches EK Omnia grinder at HostMilano. The new flagship grinder includes three grinding modes: Classic, Time, and Library modes. The latter allows baristas to save up to ten different recipes, and the EK Omnia can automatically adjust and pre-dose the correct weight of ground coffee.

• Cup of Excellence to host Sensory Education Training course in Hefei, China from 3 to 6 November. The course will be held at Beantimer Coffee Academy, and will include in-depth lectures and discussions about the Cup of Excellence programme.

• TONE launches boiler-less two-group espresso machine at HostMilano. The TOUCH E modular espresso machine includes temperature and flow control technology.

• International Women in Coffee Convention 2023 to take place from 16 to 22 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This year’s convention will be held at the Skylight Hotel, and will feature industry-leading speakers such as ICO Executive Director Vanusia Nogueira and IWCA Global President Sharon Riechers.

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

• Mon, 2 Oct – Incapto secures US $6.3 million to expand its specialty coffee subscription service. The Spanish start-up says it currently sells to around 20,000 customers.

• Fri, 6 Oct – Accademia del Caffè Espresso launches E-learning Espresso course. La Marzocco’s education centre says the 15-module course will teach participants how to extract exceptional espresso, among other topics.

• Fri, 6 Oct – Mahlkönig and La Marzocco launch new Sync System. Through the LM Pro app, users can link the Mahlkönig E80W Grind-by-Sync grinder with a La Marzocco espresso machine – which the companies say can help to improve extraction consistency and replicability.

• Fri, 6 Oct – Greece’s Vaso Papastamatiou wins 2023 EMEA Starbucks Barista Championship. Over 15,000 Starbucks baristas participated in the competition over several months, culminating in the finals which were held in London, UK.

• Sun, 8 Oct – Drinking unsweetened coffee may aid weight loss. A review of three separate studies found that consuming unsweetened coffee was associated with some weight loss among participants. However, adding just one teaspoon of sugar per day was associated with 0.09kg of weight gain over four years.

Coffee news photo credits: World Coffee Events

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on Nespresso and Blue Bottle’s capsule collaboration.