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

• Monday, 26 Apr – PDG Brasil hires its first editor. This announcement has come in the wake of increased traffic to the Brazilian publication. PDG’s Relationship Manager Nicholas Yamada says: “Brazil has never had a publication dedicated to delivering high-quality educational content from farm to cup. In our first year, we saw rapid growth in pageviews from all over the country.” PDG Brasil is welcoming Giuliana Bastos as the publication’s editor in chief, and will leverage her experience to support the publication in providing Brazilians with higher-quality coffee content.

• Monday, 26 Apr – World AeroPress Championship to return in 2021. After a year-long hiatus, the competition is set to host its 13th season later this year. From May to September, 30 nations will host local competitions, with the finals set to be judged virtually from Melbourne.

• Monday, 26 Apr – Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. survey finds UK independent coffee shop consumption increased by 32% over past 12 months. Independent brands were most popular between 18 to 24-year-olds. Taste, price, and sustainability were named as the three most important factors when selecting coffee.

• Monday, 26 Apr – Hario launches W60 Dripper. In collaboration with 2013 World Barista Champion, Pete Licata, the equipment manufacturer has released a dripper that is compatible with both flat-bottom and cone-shaped filters. Brewers can use regular V60 paper filters, a custom-designed mesh filter, or both at the same time. The W60 is currently only sold in Taiwan and Korea.

• Monday, 26 Apr – B Corp coffee farm Daterra pledges to increase carbon sequestration by 50% by 2030. The Brazilian farm is already carbon-negative, and 53% of its land area is exclusively used for environmental protection. Currently, 11.7 million trees capture and store carbon on the farm.

• Monday, 26 Apr – TechnoServe programmes helped 298,000 farmers throughout 2020. For every dollar the non-profit spent on their programming, farmers received an average income increase of US $3.64, with some earning up to 87% more – including coffee farmers.

• Monday, 26 Apr – International Women’s Coffee Alliance signs Memorandum of Understanding with Mutombo Coffee. The MOU establishes a partnership between Cajary Majlis – the distributor of Mutombo Coffee – and IWCA chapters in east and southern Africa. The non-profit will work with the Cajary Majlis to improve market access for local coffee farmers.

• Monday, 26 Apr – Dunkin’ releases two coconut milk-based beverages. The Coconut Refreshers and Coconutmilk Iced Latte will join the both the almond and oat milk drinks on the menu.

• Monday 26 Apr – Pret A Manger secures £185 million from shareholders to expand into new sales channels. The coffee and food-to-go chain was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, closing 14 stores and axing 2,800 staff. To recover from these losses, the company is looking to create eight new sales channels, including their “YourPret Barista” and “Dinner by Pret” services.

• Monday, 26 Apr – Barry Callebaut announces Peter Boone as new CEO. Starting September 2021, Peter will succeed Antoine de Saint-Affrique, who served as CEO since 2015. Peter has acted as President Americas of Barry Callebaut since September 2017, and first joined the company in 2012 as CIO.

• Monday, 26 Apr – FCB Coffee will open new outlet at Paddington Station in west London. The UK-based on-the-go coffee company partnered with Network Rail last year to launch one of the first independent coffee shops in train stations. The new store is set to open by the end of spring 2021.

• Monday, 26 Apr – MyFriendsCoffee’s study finds average price of roasted coffee to be US $16.90. The online publication studied the prices of 481 US roasters between Feb 1 and Mar 30 last year. They found roasters offer an average of 12 coffees, while 76.3% of those studied provide subscription services.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Rancilio’s Egro Next Touch super-automatic espresso machine wins 2021 iF Design Award. The espresso machine won in the Product category for its touchscreen interface and beverage customisation options.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – University of South Australia discovers genetic link between cardiovascular health and coffee consumption. The study of 390,435 people found that those with increased blood pressure and heart problems, such as heart arrhythmia, were less likely to drink more coffee or drink more decaf.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Global dairy alternatives market estimated to be worth US $52.58 billion by 2028. Plant milks had the largest market share in 2020, with 67% of the market. Soy milk alone took a 35% share thanks to its more “traditional” popularity. The Asia-Pacific region captured 44% of the global market share last year.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Barry Callebaut announces global sales volume decline of 2.9%. However, volumes sold in the Asia-Pacific increased by 6.9% as the demand for high-quality chocolate increases.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – NatureWorks and IMA Coffee announce partnership to create compostable coffee capsules for US market. The strategic partnership will see the two companies designing K-Cup compatible single-serve coffee pods to meet the growing demand for sustainable capsules.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Black-owned Javae Coffee partners with black-owned businesses to promote Haitian coffee. The Nashville-based importer and roaster focuses primarily on Haitian-grown coffee, reinvesting 10% of profits into local projects benefiting Haitian communities. Javae partnered with Guidance Whiskey earlier this year on a coffee-infused whiskey, and is set to partner with a black-owned winery and a black-owned restaurant in the coming months.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Starbucks releases fiscal second-quarter earnings for 2021. International store sales increased by 35%, while the Chinese market alone saw sales increase by 91%. The company now expects its 2021 revenue to reach at least US $28.5 billion.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Bakery and coffee-to-go outlet Greggs to open more stores with indoor seating. The UK chain was negatively affected by Covid-19 restrictions, announcing earlier last month that sales had fallen by 30.5% over the past 12 months. Greggs plans to open 100 new outlets this year.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Oatly is one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies. With global demand for the company’s range of oat-based products continuing to increase – along an IPO on the cards and plans to open one of the world’s biggest plant-based factories in the UK – TIME names Oatly as one of the most influential companies in 2021.

• Tuesday, 27 Apr – Bottleshot Cold Brew Coffee launches in UK market. Hailing from Louisiana, the founders relocated to the UK to launch New Orleans-style cold brew. Cold Brew Coffee Black and Cold Brew Coffee Oat Milk both contain ethically sourced coffee and come in pre-recycled aluminium cans.

• Wednesday, 28 Apr – Acme and Coffee Collective announce collaboration on new cup range. The Danish roaster is already using the cups, which include rounded bases that allow espresso and milk to mix more evenly. The cups are available in three sizes, with the espresso cup slightly larger than previous Acme models to “enhance aroma”.

• Wednesday, 28 Apr – MUMAC Coffee Academy launches “Hands On” project for super-automatic espresso machines. The Milan coffee training academy is focusing on its LaCimbali S60 and Faema X60 machines, providing insight into the development and performance of super-automatic machines.

• Wednesday, 28 Apr – Tricolate Brewer enters global market. The Australian brewer is designed like a French press, with an 80mm screen that allows for more even water dispersion. Early units are sold out, but pre-orders are available from May.

• Wednesday, 28 Apr – Roasted Bean Box launches data-driven coffee subscription service. The Montréal coffee subscription start-up allows customers to access an online personalised account, where they can rate purchases and alter their preferred cup profiles. Roasted Bean Box then uses this data to understand what consumers may look for in future products.

• Wednesday, 28 Apr – BeanCurious subscription service launches in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong service sources coffee from international roasters and delivers directly to consumers in the country, providing coffees that are otherwise not available locally. Weekly subscriptions cost between HKD 88 and HKD 292 (US $11.34 to 37.61).

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Lalcafé to host webinar on yeast inoculation during fermentation. The coffee processing and yeast fermentation tech company will conduct the webinar in Portuguese and English. It will take place on May 6 at 10am BST.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Singapore Specialty Coffee Auction to take place on June 3. In conjunction with the Singapore International Coffee Convention, the Singapore Coffee Association will hold a micro lot auction. It will allow both in-person and online bids.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Coffee Knowledge Hub announces partnership with Cup of Excellence. The online learning platform will deliver CoE Sensory Education Training courses that explore award-winning coffees from farmers, roasters, and importers. The first course is set to take place on August 13, but another date may be set in July to meet demand.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Victoria Arduino releases “Time Express” barista comic book. The story is set in 1901, with an inventor time-travelling to compete in the modern day World Barista Championships. The comic was created to celebrate the six-year partnership between Victoria Arduino and the WBC.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Olam acquires US private label spices and seasonings manufacturer Olde Thompson. The acquisition will allow Olam to provide sustainable and innovative sourcing programmes across all of their product lines, including coffee.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Pact Coffee partners with Mail Train Media to target at-home consumers. The roaster is set to launch a series of advertising campaigns, hoping to reach coffee drinkers who are working from home.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – The Partnership for Gender Equity’s webinar entitled Advancing Gender Equity in Coffee in the Democratic Republic of Congo will take place on May 5. The webinar will discuss projects looking to improve gender equity in the country’s coffee sector, and will begin at 8am PT. A survey for buyers, roasters, and importers is available in both French and English to identify shared strengths and challenges along the supply chain. English and French surveys are also available to cooperatives, exporters, and government members in the DRC.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Trabocca launches Ethiopian Flavour Profile project. After cupping hundreds of Ethiopian coffees, the importer has created general flavour profiles for every popular coffee-growing region in the country. The first profile focuses on natural processed Guji coffee.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Higher Grounds launches limited range of bourbon barrel-aged coffee with Iron Fish Distillery. Only 150 bags were produced, using Kawa Kanzaruru coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The coffee is available until stocks last.

• Thursday, 29 Apr – Costa Coffee offers all at-home coffee products for 50p per item. In keeping with the chain’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Costa allowed all registered Costa Coffee Club members to purchase from their canned, R&G, and capsules ranges. Customers were granted a maximum of three purchases per transaction.

• Friday, 30 Apr – Weber Workshops launches HG-2 countertop manual grinder. The coffee equipment manufacturers included 83mm titanium-coated conical burrs in the new model. A magnet built into the base centres the grinding vessel, while an integrated stirring rod evenly distributes grounds to minimise clumping.

• Friday, 30 Apr – Asahi Beverages acquires Allpress Espresso. The Australian and New Zealand arm of the Japanese brewery acquired the roaster, which operates in the UK, Japan, Singapore, and New Zealand.

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

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Coffee was biggest contributor to Nestlé’s 2021 first quarter growth. The company reported sales growth of 7.7%, with at-home coffee products contributing the most to this increase. Sales of Nespresso products have increased by 15.6% alone.

• Thursday, 22 Apr – Colectivo Coffee launches new Blue Moon Tea Latte. The beverage includes butterfly pea flower tea, raspberry syrup, milk, and marshmallows. The Wisconsin and Illinois coffee chain designed the drink with inspiration from Blue Moon Ice Cream.

• Friday, 23 Apr – Chobani plants community garden in Idaho for Earth Day. Harvested produce will be donated to local food-insecure families and residents via food banks. This is Chobani’s third community garden in the US.

• Friday, 23 Apr – Sensible Development to host Exclusive Coffees Private Auction from Costa Rica on June 24. Sensible Development provide specialty auction platforms to coffee producers, and will host the event for Costa Rican direct traders, Exclusive Coffees. On May 18 & 19, ACE will help to analyse the 40 samples selected for the “Costa Rica: Exclusive & Exotic Varietal Collection 2021” auction. Based on previous samples, all coffees scored 88+ points.

• Friday, 23 Apr – La Colombe releases three new RTD beverages. The Extra Bold 42 oz. Cold Brew uses fully washed and dark roasted Brazilian beans, while the Nitro Cold Brew With Lemon is made from Colombian coffee and Sicilian lemon extract. The Philadelphia has also launched the Hazelnut Draft Latte, the latest flavour in their Draft Latte range.

• Saturday, 24 Apr – Sales of Bialetti Moka pots increase due to Covid-19 pandemic. In 2018, Bialetti was more than €70 million in debt as sales fell thanks to capsule and RTD growth. However, sales over the past 12 months have increased by 225% and are set to reach a two-year high.

• Sunday, 25 Apr – DMCC to launch Cocoa Centre in mid-2021. The DMCC Coffee Centre will initially launch a limited range of cacao products and services, with the foundation for longer-term expansion. The free trade company already has connections to cacao stakeholders in west Africa and South America.