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

Mon, 2 Jan

• Torque Coffee launches new Coffee Box which reduces packaging by over 50%. The US roaster’s new 100% recycled cardboard packaging also includes a fully recyclable and compostable shipping label and inner lining. The roaster also says its clear coffee bag is recyclable in most regions of the US.

• Silvio Leite’s Secret Treasures Private Collection Auction receives highest bid of US $10.40/lb. More than 165lbs of the pulped natural Red and Yellow Catuai was purchased by South Korean buyer Youngdae Co. – totalling over US $1,719.

• PRF El Salvador announces workshop lineup. Workshops at the two-day forum will include The basics of price risk management by StoneX’s Albert Scalla, The influence of temperature on coffee extraction by Rancilio Group DE’s Nicole Battefeld-Montgomery, and more. PRF El Salvador will take place on 16 and 17 March 2023 at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador.

• Vietnam’s annual coffee exports rose by 10% in 2022. According to the country’s General Statistics Office, Vietnam exported 1.72 million tonnes of coffee in 2022 – the equivalent of 28.7 million 60kg bags, representing a significant recovery from export volumes in 2021. Vietnam’s General Statistics Office also notes that while December exports fell by 17.2% year-on-year, new free trade agreements will create more opportunities for the country’s coffee sector in 2023.

• ShareWell Coffee and Unblended Coffee launch Next Generation Coffee Subscription to support young producers in Colombia. The new subscription service will feature coffees from twelve producers who are part of the Unblended & Ventola Institute programme – including a blend of all members’ coffees, as well as single origin coffees from each producer.

Tue, 3 Jan

• Ecuador signs trade deal with China to increase exports of coffee and other commodities. Reuters reports that the trade deal will provide Ecuador’s agricultural industry with better access to machinery and farming inputs. Exports from Ecuador to China include coffee, cocoa, bananas, and shrimp.

• Food ingredients and coffee company ofi secures two-year US $250 million loan for refinancing. The loan, which was approved by DBS Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, will be used for the refinancing of existing loans and “general corporate purposes”. ofi is also set to launch an IPO during the next two years.

• De’Longhi appoints Nicola Serafin as new General Manager. The Italian coffee machine manufacturer says Serafin will work closely with CEO Fabio De’Longhi to ensure “continuity, coherence, and stability” at the company.

• Oatly signs ten-year co-packing agreement to resolve ongoing stock shortages. The oat milk company has transferred leases and production capacity at two of its US facilities to Canadian manufacturer Ya YA Foods Corp. Oatly says the US $98.1 million co-packing agreement will help to resolve stock shortages.

• US National Labor Relations Board claims Starbucks illegally refused to negotiate contracts at 21 recently unionised stores. Reports state the NLRB has accused the company of “failing and refusing to bargain collectively”, with several regional directors claiming Starbucks also deployed illegal tactics against Starbucks Workers United. Starbucks maintains that claims of anti-union activity are “categorically false”.

• Peet’s Coffee launches winter menu items including golden lattes and Ethiopian Super Natural coffee. The coffee chain’s range of golden lattes include turmeric, ginger, and honey, while the Ethiopian Super Natural coffee has “distinctive notes of wild blueberries [and] white flower, balanced with a candied citron sweetness”.

Wed, 4 Jan

• UK roaster Grind credits mobile coffee cart sales to 105% annual sales growth in 2022. Grind opened two new mobile coffee shops in the UK last year, and says annual sales have recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

• Birmingham Coffee Festival to be held on 8 and 9 July 2023. The annual event will include a tradeshow, a talks programme, cupping sessions, live music, and barista competitions. The festival will take place at the Custard Factory.

• UAE roaster Tres Marias partners with HERE-O Donuts to launch limited-edition vegan doughnuts. The doughnuts, which are made using oat milk and plant-based sourdough, will be available at selected Tres Marias locations in Dubai from 2 to 31 January 2023.

• Brazilian chain The Coffee secures US $7.5 million in funding for national expansion plans. The company opened 90 new stores in 2022, bringing its total footprint to 189 stores across Brazil, Colombia, France, Spain, and Portugal. It plans to use funding to open 350 stores by the end of 2023.

• Colombian coffee production fell by 12% year-on-year in 2022. The National Coffee Growers Federation of Colombia reports that the country produced 11.1 million 60kg bags of green coffee in 2022, representing a sharp decrease on the previous year. The FNC attributes the decline to persistent rains caused by La Niña.

• International Café & Beverage Show to take place from 25 to 27 May 2023. Following a successful debut in 2022, the International Café & Beverage Show will return to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The event will include more than 200 global exhibitors from the specialty coffee and café sectors. In partnership with the Malaysia National Coffee Association, the event will also include the 2023 Malaysia Barista Championship, Brewers Cup, and Latte Art Championship.

Thu, 5 Jan

• Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters celebrates tenth anniversary. The Indian company first launched as a home roaster in Gurugram, and has since grown into a four-location roastery which also operates more than 60 coffee shops across the country.

• Starbucks launches new winter menu items including Pistachio Cream Cold Brew. New menu items also include the Pistachio Latte and the Starbucks Tribute Blend, which includes coffees from Sumatra, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, and Ethiopia.

• PRF El Salvador to host Global Roasting Contest and Cold Brew Championship. Ukrainian green coffee trader !Fest Coffee Mission is the Official Roasting Sponsor of the Global Roasting Contest, while Toddy returns as the Official Cold Brew Sponsor for the next edition of the Cold Brew Championship.

• International Coffee Organisation says coffee prices remained stable around end of 2022 and closed around US 160 cents/lb. In its latest report, the ICO states prices fluctuated between US 151.95 cents/lb and US 162.31cents/lb in December 2022.

Fri, 6 Jan

• Sixth edition of Los Favoritos Private Collection Auction set for 18 May 2023. The auction, held in partnership with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Fincas Mierisch, will feature coffees from Nicaragua and Honduras.

• Royal Coffee to host Lift & Learn training event on 14 January 2023. The event will explore basic coffee technician skills, as well as coffee tasting and espresso extraction training. The event will take place at The Crown in Oakland, California, and all ticket sales will be donated to the US Women in Coffee Association.

• Sucafina and ProfilePrint announce co-investment in Csmart AI-powered green coffee grading technology. The Swiss coffee trader and AI-powered food ingredient profiler will use Csmart’s image recognition technology to “empower quality control professionals to become even more productive”. The software can measure and confirm screen size of green coffee beans, as well as providing a total defect count in any sample of green coffee.

• Dutch Bros brings back popular White Chocolate Lavender drinks until end of March. The coffee drive-thru chain’s popular drink flavour is available as cold brew, Breve, or Dutch Freeze across all locations.

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

• Tue, 13 Dec – Cargill and CARE pledge US $14 million as part of three-year project to support smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs. The ongoing programme focuses primarily on women producers and entrepreneurs (including coffee farmers) and aims to distribute the funds over a three-year period. The renewed third phase of the programme will support 11 projects in Benin, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, and Vietnam.

• Thu, 22 Dec – Starbucks threatens legal action against three unlicensed stores in Baghdad, Iraq. According to Bloomberg, the unlicensed coffee shops sell legitimate Starbucks coffee and merchandise, but are not legally permitted to do so. Starbucks filed a lawsuit against the owner, but the case has been postponed after alleged threats were made against the coffee chain’s lawyers.

• Thu, 22 Dec – Slow Pour Supply partners with 2022 US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth. The coffee equipment manufacturer’s limited-edition Cinder Slow Pour Design X WPM 15oz pitcher will be exclusively sold on Eckroth’s website, along with a number of other pieces of equipment.

• Fri, 23 Dec – Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency donates 30,000 arabica seedlings to Madagascar. The seedlings will be planted across 150 acres in the regions of Ambositra and Fandriana. As part of the project, 60 tonnes of fertiliser and farming equipment were also provided to local producers.

• Fri, 23 Dec – Culinary Brands acquires majority stake in Lavazza’s Fresh and Honest Café Limited in India. The Indian franchise partner is now the exclusive licensee of Lavazza in the country. The acquisition grants Culinary Brands full control of F&H’s manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh.

• Tue, 27 Dec – Uganda reports 15% drop in November coffee exports in November. Exports in November totalled 447,162 60kg bags. The country’s Coffee Development Authority says the decline in exports is a result of prolonged drought.

• Wed, 28 Dec – Luckin Coffee appoints Joel A. Getz to Board of Directors. Getz currently serves as Deputy Dean for Alumni, Development, and Special Initiatives at the Yale School of Management. Getz will serve as an independent director at Luckin.

• Wed, 28 Dec – Miko Group acquires out-of-home division of Beyers Koffie. Beyers Koffie, which is owned by green coffee trader Sucafina, is Belgium’s largest coffee roaster. The acquisition will help Miko expand its out-of-home market reach in the country.

• Thu, 29 Dec – World Finance awards NuZee Coffee as “industry’s most innovative in coffee processing”. The New Zealand company manufactures single-serve coffee bags and pour over kits. The World Finance awards recognise trend-setters in their respective industries.

• Fri, 30 Dec – University of Nottingham receives grant for project to improve financial literacy of Ugandan coffee farmers. The grant was awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and will help to develop a digital financial education programme for rural communities in the Rwenzori region.

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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out our previous news recap and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence news & opinion piece on whether Pret A Manger is failing in the UK.