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

Mon, 19 Jun

• Researchers at Instituto Agronomico de Campinas to begin regional field trials of low-caff varieties. Using the IAC’s germplasm bank, researchers have been developing these varieties – which are naturally low in caffeine – for years. The IAC expects to see results in two to three years.

• Simonelli opens new headquarters in Dubai. The new facility will act as a key support and sales hub in the UAE market. Simonelli also appointed former Eversys Regional Business Development Director Federico Ortile to oversee its operations in the Middle East.

• Weber Workshops launches BUCK naked portafilter and three new Unibasket sizes. The 58mm BUCK portafilter sits flat against countertops, while the Unibasket is now available in 28g capacity – which the company says is an industry first.

• Kenya signs duty-free EU trade deal to safeguard coffee exports. Reuters reports that the EU accounts for some 21% of Kenya’s exports, which include coffee and other agricultural commodities. It took seven months to negotiate the deal, and Kenya is currently negotiating another trade and investment deal with the US.

• Japanese automatic brewer BALMUDA The Brew now available in North America. The brewer uses bypass brewing by preparing a concentrate and then adding specific measurements of water through a dedicated bypass tube.

• Anaerobic natural Red Bourbon sells for US $29/lb at Best of Ka’ū Private Collection Auction. The coffee, which was produced by Leo Norberte at JN Farms, scored 87.23 points in the competition. Decameron Coffee in China purchased 40lbs of the coffee – totalling US $1,160.

Tue, 20 Jun

• Kiss the Hippo opens fifth location in London. The new store is the roaster’s second location in Fitzrovia, central London.

• Robusta futures reach record highs on tight supplies and impact of El Niño. Robusta futures hit a record high of US $2,783/tonne, while arabica futures fell to US 180.75 cents/lb. Price increases are attributed to depleting robusta stocks following high demand, as well as potential dry conditions in Southeast Asia due to El Niño.

• Loring Smart Roast appoints Abbie Walther as President. Walther, who is a long-time marine industry expert, joins Loring as the company plans to develop new products.

• M-Cultivo to co-host private auction series starting 5 July. Upcoming auctions include Finca La Hermosa’s Gesha Forest, A Taste of Los Pirineos, Catalyst Trade, and Paramount by El Conacaste.

• Fellow launches new Tally Pro Precision scale. Available to pre-order at US $185, the scale has three “Thoughtful” modes: Brew Assist, Timer, and Weight. The scale also includes an OLED display.

• Coffee Association of Canada launches annual awards programme. The awards will honour coffee professionals for their lifetime achievements and volunteer efforts, and companies will also be recognised for their levels of impact and innovation. Nominations close on 9 October 2023.

• Japanese company H Concept launches new ceramic Cerapotta brewer. The porous ceramic brewer is made using Hasami porcelain manufacturing techniques, and will be available to buy online in the US in the coming weeks.

Wed, 21 Jun

• Biggby Coffee partners with Cincinnati Bengals for upcoming National Football League season. The US coffee chain will offer a variety of Bengals-themed drinks to promote the NFL sports team, as well as exclusive promotions at participating stores.

• This year’s World Barista Championship, World Brewers Cup, World Cup Tasters Championship, and World Cezve/Ibrik Championship begin in Athens. Some 140 competitors across all four competitions are expected to take part. All four winners will be announced on Saturday 24 June at WoC Athens.

• Schaerer’s Supersteam automatic steam wand now available on Coffee Skye automatic machines. The company says its Supersteam wand automates the milk foaming process and is compatible with several types of milk, including plant milks and lactose-free cow’s milk.

• Kicking Horse Coffee appoints Cédric Malaga as new CEO. Malaga previously served as Global Revenue Growth Director at Lavazza, which purchased an 80% stake in Kicking Horse Coffee. Malaga will oversee the company’s growth plans.

• Pilot project successfully recultivates stenophylla in Sierra Leone. As part of the project, which was partially funded by Sucafina, over 1,400 stenophylla seedlings were planted – with another 6,000 seedlings to be grown in a nursery during the country’s rainy season. However, more grafting expertise and funding is needed to scale the project.

• Tims China and Oatly launch new RTD oat milk latte product line. The exclusive operator of Tim Hortons stores in China’s new RTD line includes a cold brew latte and an osmanthus latte.

• Starbucks to open coffee sustainability education and innovation lab in Costa Rica. The company says the lab will open at its global headquarters for agronomy R&D at Hacienda Alsacia. The lab will offer hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for employees, students, researchers, and industry leaders.

Thu, 22 Jun

• World of Coffee Athens begins at Athens Metropolitan Expo. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the trade show, which includes two Roasters Villages, lectures and workshops, cupping sessions, and the 2023 Best New Product and Coffee Design Awards.

• New article explores how specialty coffee is adapting to the airport market. Speaking to New Ground, Taf Coffee CEO Yiannis Taloumis says airports are an ideal platform to “communicate the new coffee culture and spread knowledge about superior quality coffee”.

• The 2023 Singapore AeroPress Championship takes place at Lowercase. Co-hosted by Common Man Coffee Roasters, 36 people took part in the competition.

• Barista Attitude launches its first single-boiler espresso machine at WoC Athens. The company says the Pilot machine is designed to be used by baristas in training. The machine includes touch screen controls with programmable parameters, as well as Barista Attitude’s anti-shock steam wand.

• Guatemalan Coffees opens World of Coffee Athens. The organisation, which represents around 125,000 coffee-producing families in the country, cut the ribbon to officially open the event. Guatemala is also this year’s Portrait Country. Anacafé also has two competitors taking part in the 2023 World Barista Championship and World Cup Tasters Championship.

• Crown Digital secures more funding for its ELLA robot barista concept. RealTech Holdings was the lead investor in the latest funding round, with the total remaining undisclosed. The ELLA robot barista combines AI-technology and an app-based interface with Eversys’ Cameo superautomatic machine, which Crown Digital says can prepare up to 200 beverages per hour.

• Peet’s Coffee to recruit its first-ever Chief Cold Brew Officer as part of new promotion. Customers can apply online to become the US coffee chain’s cold brew ambassador, which includes unlimited cold brew for the summer period.

• Pact Coffee announces donation campaign for Colombian LGBTQIA+ organisation for Pride Month. For every bag of its El Triunfo coffee sold between 19 & 26 June, the UK roaster will donate £1 (US $1.27) to Colombia Diversa – a leading defender of LGBTQIA+ rights in Colombia.

• International Coffee Organisation funds new Anker Living Income Benchmark studies in four producing countries. The studies will take place in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam, and will aim to assess the costs of a decent standard of living for smallholder coffee farmers in the respective countries.

Fri, 23 Jun

• Host applications open for 2024 preliminary US Coffee Championships. The SCA is looking for hosts for next year’s US Barista, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters, Coffee Roasting, Latte Art, and Coffee in Good Spirits Championships. Applications close on 2 July 2023.

• Victoria Arduino launches new E1 Prima EXP one-group professional espresso machine. The new machine includes the PureBrew system, which allows users to brew filter coffee, as well as espresso.

• Colombian coffee company develops cascara-based sparkling energy drink. Bebidas Ineditas SAS BIC plans to enter the European market, and is offering private label services for international coffee brands.

• Dalla Corte to host second iteration of the World Espresso Championship in Athens on 25 June. The competition, which is only open to current national Barista Championship and Brewers Cup winners, will take place at the 360 Degrees Hotel after WoC Athens.

• Hawaii Coffee Association announces winners of annual Coffee Cupping Competition and inaugural Latte Art Throwdown. The highest-scoring coffee was a parchment-dried Red Bourbon from the Kona region, which received 87 points. Daryl Fukunaga is the first-ever winner of the Hawaiian Latte Art Throwdown.

• USDA expects Indonesian coffee production to decline by 18% in 2023/2024 season. The US Department of Agriculture says excessive rainfall disrupted the cherry development stage this season, which lowered yields in certain robusta-producing regions. Exports are also anticipated to drop by 32%.

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

• Wed, 7 Jun – Oritain launches in Brazil. Operating in more than 20 countries, the company develops technologies which can trace the origins of several commodities, including coffee.

• Mon, 12 Jun – San Francisco Bay Coffee partners with Enveritas to improve conditions for smallholder producers. Through the partnership, the roaster says it will develop a better understanding of the challenges which producers face, as well as knowing how to target its efforts to maximise impact.

• Tue, 13 Jun – Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Honduran President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento regarding new trade deal. In March 2023, China greenlighted the imports of several key Honduran commodities, including coffee.

• Tue, 13 Jun – Heifer International invests US $420,000 in financial access for smallholder coffee farmers in Mexico. The revolving credit facility will pilot more-efficient dissemination of loan funds to qualifying coffee co-operatives who are part of the Beyond Coffee II Project in Chiapas, Mexico.

• Wed, 14 Jun – Germany’s Coffee Fellows opens first location in Texas, US. The chain plans to open three more stores in Texas in this year, as well as between ten to 25 locations in the state by 2025.

• Thu, 15 Jun – BSCA estimates Brazil exports 90% of its specialty coffee. South Minas has become one of the country’s biggest producers of specialty coffee.

• Thu, 15 Jun – World Coffee Research to improve access to genetically pure coffee varieties in El Salvador. As part of the USDA’s MOCCA project, the non-profit will focus on “cleaning” three important seed lots, which includes identifying and removing mother trees that are not true-to-type to ensure all seeds are the correct variety.

• Thu, 15 Jun – Brazil’s 2023/24 harvest could increase by 7.5%. Industry experts predict total production could amount to 54.74 million bags – despite 2023 being an off-year of the biennial cycle.

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, World Coffee Events

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