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

Mon, 31 Jul

• PRF Colombia to host three coffee championships on 14 & 15 September 2023. PRF will return to Medellín, Colombia on 14 & 15 September, and will include an extensive trade show, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and cupping sessions. It will also host the third Cold Brew Championship, the second edition of the Global Coffee Roasting Contest, and the third Olla Coffee Championship. You can apply to all three competitions on the PRF Colombia website, and application deadlines close on 15 August 2023.

• Sensible Coffee to host four private auctions in August and September. Upcoming auctions include:
  • El Salvador – SiCafe Tephra Legacy Private Auction on 10 August, which includes 20 lots all scoring 87.11 points or above
  • Panama – Lamastus Family Estate Private Auction on 18 August, which includes 24 lots and a starting bid of US $50/lb
  • Panama – Best of Panama Private Auction on 30 August, which includes 50 lots all scoring 89.13 points or above
  • Colombia – Wala Coffee Gesha and Wush Wush Micro Lot Auction on 5 September, with 20 lots starting at US $8/lb

• Joe Coffee Company becomes first roaster to launch BKON’s ready-to-drink Coldstretto. Made using patented RAIN brewing technology, BKON says Coldstretto is the first shelf-stable RTD espresso concentrate available on the market. Joe Coffee Company plans to roll out Coldstretto across all locations later this year.

• Slow Coffee Festival 2023 to take place in Bucharest, Romania from 29 September to 1 October. The event will be held at the Galeria SENAT centre, and will include exhibitions, the Roaster’s Village, networking opportunities. This year’s Slow Coffee Festival will also host the 2023 Romanian AeroPress Championship.

• Equator Coffee partners with dairy company Emmi AG on new RTD cold brew range. The new beverage line includes four flavours: Pure Black, Vanilla, Velvet Mocha, and Milk & Sugar.

Tue, 1 Aug

• Specialty Coffee & Tea Asia 2023 to host several Singapore Coffee Championships. In partnership with the Singapore Coffee Association, the event will host the Singapore Barista, Latte Art, Cup Tasters, and Brewers Cup Championships. The 2023 Specialty Coffee & Tea Asia event will take place from 26 to 28 September.

• Fairtrade International implements new minimum coffee prices. The new minimum arabica price has increased by 29%, while the minimum price for robusta is now 19% higher. Fair Trade USA, however, has announced a minimum price freeze until at least 2024 due to concerns about price increases and falling consumer demand.

• Luckin Coffee reports 88% increase in 2023 Q2 net revenue. The Chinese coffee chain says it opened 1,485 new stores in the 2023 second quarter – which helped to boost revenue from self-operated stores to US $619.9 million.

• This year’s Czech AeroPress Championship to take place on 24 August in Prague. The SCA Czech chapter will host the competition at Zrno Zrnko in the country’s capital. The winner will represent the Czech Republic at the World AeroPress Championship in Australia from 1 to 3 December 2023.

• Israeli countertop roaster start-up ansā secures US $9 million in funding. The company says money will be used to launch in the US. ansā’s countertop roasting solution uses AI to roast coffee without emitting heat or unwanted byproducts.

• Blue Bottle Coffee and New Balance launch new Fresh Foam sneakers. The Fresh Foam X 1080v12 Blue Bottle Coffee sneakers contain around 3% “bio-based content” in the midsole, helping to reduce the shoe’s carbon footprint. The sneakers also include the Blue Bottle logo, and are available for US $179.99.

Wed, 2 Aug

• JDE Peet’s reports 3.5% increase in first half of 2023. The company’s gross profits also rose by 0.9%, but adjusted EBIT fell by 3% as JDE Peet’s expects volatile economic conditions to continue throughout the year. The company is also transitioning to a local portfolio of brands in Russia.

• Cold beverages now account for 75% of Starbucks’ US sales. In its 2023 Q3 sales report, the company states sales of cold espresso-based drinks in the US increased 13% year-on-year, with the chain set to launch cold-pressed cold brew in select stores later this year. Starbucks also reported that 60% of beverages in 2023 Q3 were customised – a 9% increase on 2018. However, overall sales growth in the US was lower compared to China, where sales rose by 46%.

• Hario launches new Pegasus pour over brewer. The new flat bottom brewer includes 24 spiral-shaped ridges and two small holes at the base, which helps to slow down the rate of extraction.

• Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. merges with Dancing Goats Coffee. Under the new partnership, Kaldi’s will use Dancing Goats’ roastery to distribute its products, but roasting, café, and wholesale operations will continue as normal. Dancing Goats, meanwhile, will continue operating under its original branding. The two companies had previously partnered in the late 2000s on co-branded retail coffee products.

• Tim Hortons raises US $12.7 million for disadvantaged youth through Camp Day campaign. The funds will be donated to Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which support thousands of underserved youth between the ages of 12 and 16.

• DXB Live to organise 2024 World of Coffee Dubai. The third annual event, which will take place from 21 to 23 January 2024, will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Thu, 3 Aug

• ASEAN Barista Team Championship 2023 takes place in Manila, Philippines. The third edition of the competition, hosted by the 2023 World Food Expo in Manila, tests baristas’ speed, accuracy, and skills. Each participant will compete for the chance to win part of a total cash pool of US $11,000.

• La Marzocco to launch Grind For Good charity auction for Tanzanian coffee producers on 5 August. Participants can bid on a customised La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine and a one-of-a-kind Specialized Diverge gravel bike worth US $10,000. All proceeds will go to the Hands for Songwa Coffee Farming project in Tanzania and Outride, an NGO that provides bicycles to underprivileged youth.

• Wide Awake Coffee Roastery to host 2023 Belgian AeroPress Championship on 16 September. Along with the regional competition in Brussels, there will be two other regional championships in Flanders and Walloni. Registration for all three events opens on 11 August.

• Buyers from US, South Korea, China, Japan, Guatemala, and Greece take part in 2023 One of a Kind Guatemalan Private Coffee Auction. Companies including the US’ Onyx Coffee Lab, Cloudpink Center Coffee Korea, and China’s Private Reserve purchased coffee at the auction, which included 20 lots.

• International Coffee Organisation Composite Indicator Price fell by 7.2% from June to July. Average prices for all group indicators fell in July, while certified global arabica and robusta stocks decreased by 2.9% and 29.4%, respectively. The ICO expects a global coffee deficit of 7.3 million 60kg bags in 2022/23

• Oatly extends partnership with Amazon to expand distribution in Europe. Under the extended agreement, Amazon will sell Oatly’s most popular products on its European marketplaces, including in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium.

Fri, 4 Aug

• Pact Coffee wins six 2023 Great Taste Awards. The UK roaster was recognised in several categories, with winning products including Fazenda Reis, Bourbon Cream Espresso, and Christmas Blend coffees.

• MTPak Coffee announces Calgary Heritage Roasting Company as the winner of the Circular Economy Grant. Founded by Wildland firefighters, CHRC is the first and only Canadian coffee roaster to be 2% For Conservation certified. The company aims to plant one million trees in North America by 2030, and will now receive either US $5,000 in cash or US $15,000 in credit to spend on MTPak Coffee’s sustainable packaging and takeaway cups.

• Fellow Drops releases first limited-edition BIGFACE Ethiopian coffee as part of new collaboration. The first coffee to be launched is Worka Sakara from Gedeb, Ethiopia, which has notes of strawberry, kiwi, and raw sugar. The coffee is available until stocks last.

• This year’s Oman AeroPress Championship to take place in Muscat on 5 August. Youth Centre will host the competition at the Muscat Grand Mall. The winner will represent Oman at the World AeroPress Championship in Melbourne, Australia.

• The Barista League to return to Los Angeles on 5 August. The multi-disciplinary competition will take place at MoonGoat Coffee in Costa Mesa. Guest judges will include Frank La of Be Bright Coffee, Shanita Nicholas of Sip & Sonder, and Mimo the Mom of Juno Coffee and Cora Coffee.

• Sojitz Royal Café aims to open three Costa Coffee stores in Japan by end of 2023. In partnership with Sojitz Corporation and Royal Holdings, the first Japanese Costa Coffee location opened in Shibuya, Tokyo earlier this year. More stores are expected to open in Otemachi in September and Ginza in October.

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

• Tue, 25 Jul – Sucafina joins the International Labour Organisation’s Child Labour Platform. The green coffee importer says the membership is an important step towards strengthening its efforts to identify child labour risks in its supply chain.

• Wed, 26 Jul – Voting to open for SCA Poland Chapter elections from 16 to 23 August. The roles open for election are National Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Community Coordinator, and Judges Coordinator. The results will be announced on 1 September.

• Thu, 27 Jul – illycaffè announces finalists of 2023 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award. A total of 27 finalists are included in the eighth edition of the event, which will take place on 16 November in NYC. Finalists include producers from Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua, and Rwanda.

• Thu, 27 Jul – Café de Venezuela hosts second annual competition and auction. Buyers included Café Imports, which purchased a washed Tabi variety scoring 89.05 points, as well as an anerobic fermented lot.

• Fri, 28 Jul – De’Longhi reports strong 2023 profit margin recovery despite 10% revenue decrease. The company says despite falling revenue, its adjusted EBITDA, net profit, and free cash flow all improved in the first half of 2023.

Photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on RTD coffee company acquisitions.