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

Mon, 8 Aug

• Researchers develop laser-powered extraction to prepare cold brew in three minutes. Scientists at the University of Duisberg-Essen in Germany used a “laser synthesis and processing of colloids field” to pulse ground coffee in water 80,000 times per second. The researchers say this brewing technique is around 300 times faster than traditional methods.

• K Cup consumers could receive reimbursements over recyclability settlement. Keurig Green Mountain Inc. was accused of labelling K Cups as recyclable when many were not widely available for recycling in the US. After a settlement was reached in the Smith v. Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. case, K Cup customers are eligible for a reimbursement if they purchased the pods labelled as recyclable between 8 June 2016 and 8 August 2022.

• Covoya Specialty Coffee appoints Ana Mallozzi as junior trader. Mallozzi has more than a decade of experience in the coffee industry. Her primary focus at the company will be in coffee education and quality control.

• Vast majority of employees at five Chicago Intelligentsia stores vote to unionise. A petition was filed on behalf of Intelligentsia staff earlier this year, with 90% of employees voting in favour of unionising.

• International Coffee Organisation’s Composite Indicator Price drops below US 200 cents in July 2022. Prices dropped by 5.7% on the previous month – fluctuating between US 181.71 and 197.83 cents/lb.

Tue, 9 Aug

• Nespresso Professional survey finds nearly three-quarters of UK senior hospitality professionals believe sustainability is a priority. The study also found that following COP26, 84% of UK hospitality businesses surveyed (including coffee shops) have made sustainability improvements to their companies.

• Alliance for Coffee Excellence and M-Cultivo launch Ethiopia Select marketplace. The direct-to-roaster platform offers traceable, high-quality Ethiopian coffees to buyers. Coffees from more than 80 producers will be available on the platform until 15 September 2022, with an average score of 86.5 points.

• India’s 2021 coffee exports reached a record of more than US $1 billion. The Indian government’s Coffee Board says it recorded its highest coffee exports ever last year, acknowledging the work of local producers and exporters as key to this level of growth. India is currently one of the top ten largest coffee-producing countries in the world.

• UK government advisor claims the hospitality industry faces a “perfect storm” of crises. Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester, says rising inflation and energy prices, as well as supply chain issues, will have serious effects on UK hospitality businesses – including coffee shops. Lord is urging the government to implement a temporary VAT reduction on energy bills.

• Study suggests coffee leaf extract could prevent Covid-19 infection. Research published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that when digested, coffee leaf extract (a by-product of coffee plants) can inhibit binding between the spike protein and a particular enzyme. Further research is required to assess the validity of the study.

• Luckin Coffee reports 72% net revenue increase on 2021 second quarter. The Chinese coffee chain says net revenue in the 2022 second quarter totalled US $439.2 million. The company also appointed a new Chief Financial Officer and plans to enter the US market.

Wed, 10 Aug

• Zakat Foundation of America to support the 2022 National Yemen Coffee Auction. The emergency relief charity will partner with the Mokha Institute to hold the auction on 31 August 2022.

• Cecafé reports Brazil’s July 2022 coffee exports down by 15%. Exports of all coffee types dropped to 2,476,437 60kg bags last month, which the exporters council says are the lowest levels since 2018. Robusta volumes also fell to a historic low of 144,625 60kg bags. However, Cecafé states export earnings increased by more than 40% on the same period in 2021 as a result of higher prices for coffee.

• South Korean coffee shop chain TOUS les JOURS plans to open 100 stores in US by end of 2022. Following on from 32% sales growth in 2022 second quarter, the company aims to open more than 20 new locations by the end of the year. TOUS les JOURS operates more than 1,650 locations in several international markets.

• Dimitri’s Coffee to host 2022 Jordan AeroPress Championship. The competition will take place on 19 August 2022 in Amman. Registration is now open.

• Dutch Bros reports 44% increase in 2022 second quarter revenue. The US drive-thru coffee chain’s total revenues increased to US $186.4 million, compared to US $129.2 million in the same period during 2021. Dutch Bros also opened 31 new locations across 9 states.

• Travel food and beverage operator SSP Group signs franchise deal with food and coffee chain Greggs. SSP Group also operates a number of franchise stores for companies such as Starbucks, Grind, and LEON. Several franchise Greggs stores will open later in the year at existing SSP-operated locations in the UK.

Thu, 11 Aug

• Japanese coffee chain % Arabica opens first store in Taiwan. The Taipei location opened shortly after the new store in Bangkok opened earlier this month. The coffee chain plans to establish more locations in Vietnam, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Spain, and the Philippines.

• Torr Industries launches new line of Hive Brew cold brew systems. Both of the new models include hexagonal-shaped brew chambers, which can be customised to include additional chambers. Torr Industries says the Hive Brewers can prepare cold brew in 25 to 30 minutes per brew chamber.

• Starbucks rolls out first electric vehicle charging stations in western US. In partnership with Volvo, numerous EV charging stations will be installed along the 1,350 mile route between Seattle, Washington and Denver, Colorado.

• Highest-scoring coffee receives more than US $138/lb at 2022 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence. The honey processed Gesha from Don Cayito farm scored 91.08 points; a total of 330.96lbs was purchased for more than US $45,830. The average price paid per lb at the auction was US $33.62 – totalling more than US $674,888.

• Food company Fresh Del Monte to distribute Café Najjar coffee across Middle East and Africa. The Lebanese coffee company’s products will be supplied to coffee shops, hotels, and restaurants in the MENA region.

Fri, 12 Aug

• Specialised skills app Tendo publishes Coffee Skills Glossary for coffee professionals. The glossary includes free resources, including more than 75 coffee skills that have been defined by industry experts. Tendo says the aim of the glossary is to improve employability for a range of coffee workers.

• Neumann Kaffee Gruppe expands sustainability platform NKG Verified. The platform was first launched in Brazil in 2021. NKG Verified provides more transparent data for green coffee buyers, such as information on internal and independent farm audits. Throughout the year, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe will launch the platform in Colombia, Uganda, Kenya, Indonesia, and additional supply chains in Brazil, with more countries to follow in 2023.

• Mikel Coffee Company plans to enter 20 international markets this year. The Greek coffee chain recently opened a store in Jordan and will soon establish another location in Qatar. An additional 40 stores will open in different markets by the end of 2022.

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

• Mon, 1 Aug – Funding for smallholder coffee farmers included in provisional US FY2023 appropriations bill. The National Coffee Association says industry action which pushed for substantial coffee research and development funding has led to the request being included in the Senate bill. The bill still faces several levels of approval before it will be passed.

• Mon, 1 Aug – The Barn opens first location in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. This is the Berlin roaster’s first European coffee shop outside of Germany. The Barn also opened a location in Dubai in 2021.

• Tue, 2 Aug – Wilford Lamastus Jr. wins 2022 Panama Brewers Cup championship for third consecutive year. Lamastus Jr. will represent Panama at this year’s World Brewers Cup in Melbourne from 27 to 30 September 2022.

• Tue, 2 Aug – The 2022 Lao Coffee Auction takes place with 23 lots. The highest-scoring coffee (a carbonic maceration Gesha) received the highest bid of US $17/lb – totalling more than US $2,257 for 132lbs. Post-auction coffees are still available to purchase until 12 August.

• Wed, 3 Aug – FairWave Coffee Collective acquires Minneapolis company Up Coffee Roasters. FairWave also acquired the Minneapolis-based Spyhouse Coffee Roasters in 2021.

• Wed, 3 Aug – Scooter’s Coffee donates to Wounded Warriors Family Support organisation for fifth consecutive year. Until 12 August, customers can donate US $1 to the non-profit, which supports veterans and their families. In 2021, Scooter’s donated around US $44,000 to WWFS.

• Wed, 3 Aug – Peet’s Coffee to launch in United Arab Emirates by the end of 2022. The US chain signed a franchise agreement with Americana Restaurants to open locations in the Middle East.

• Thu, 4 Aug – Committee On Sustainable Assessment surveys coffee sustainability leaders. Respondents said metrics for climate adaptation and strategic sustainability guidance are the most important factors when making more informed choices. Fewer than half of those surveyed believe they are adequately addressing socio-economic and environmental issues in the coffee industry.

• Fri, 5 Aug – Seattle Coffee Gear launches Diletta Espresso brand. The retailer has unveiled two new espresso machines as part of the launch in collaboration with Italian manufacturer Quick Mill. The products are available exclusively in the US.

• Fri, 5 Aug – Costa Coffee opens first physical US location. The UK coffee chain opened its first US store in Atlanta, Georgia, where parent company Coca-Cola is based. No further expansion plans have been outlined as of yet.

• Sun, 7 Aug – NuZee, Inc. announces US $3.4 million Underwritten Public Offering. The US single-serve coffee company is offering up to 4,200,000 shares of its common stock, priced at US $0.82 cents.

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest stories in the sector, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.

Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories.