Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week.
Here are this week’s coffee news stories.
Mon, 20 Nov
- Volunteer & scholarship applications open for PRF Guatemala. PRF Diamond Sponsor Mayorga Coffee will once again offer 500 local coffee producers the chance to attend the two-day forum in Guatemala City. Meanwhile, prospective volunteers are encouraged to apply to help host the event on 7 & 8 March 2024.
- Three 2023 World Coffee Champions crowned in Taiwan. China’s LiangFan won the 2023 World Latte Art Championship, the UK’s Rastislav Kasar won the 2023 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and Indonesia’s Taufan Mokoginta won the 2023 World Coffee Roasting Championship.
- COFE announces partnership with De’Longhi and Jazean. The online coffee marketplace says the partnership will “integrate the brilliance of premium Italian coffee machines with the richness of top-tier Saudi coffee beans”. It will involve in-app brand integration and distribution strategies.
- Study suggests coffee could help prevent Covid-19 infection. A study published in Cell & Bioscience found that drinking one to two cups of coffee per day could curb Covid-19 infection, citing compounds like chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, cafestol, melanoidins, and trigonelline as potential aids.
Tue, 21 Nov
- PRF launches PRF Seed entrepreneurship competition. The competition aims to award volunteer and scholar leaders who are committed to generating impactful ideas in coffee. The US $10,000 prize pool will be distributed among a maximum of four winners. Finalists will be selected through public voting and the winners will be announced at PRF Guatemala on 7 & 8 March 2024.
- Early bird tickets for MICE2024 now available. Attendees can secure discounted early bird tickets until 31 January 2024. Next year’s MICE will take place at the Melbourne International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 May 2024.
- Camber Coffee launches new collaboration with Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. The coffee collaborations celebrate 20th anniversary milestones for both bands, featuring coffees “personally tasted and approved” by the artists. The coffees are exclusively available through the respective band websites.
Wed, 22 Nov
- Labour coalition nominates three candidates to Starbucks board of directors. The Strategic Organizing Center has nominated former senior White House official Maria Echaveste, experienced executive Joshua Gotbaum, and labour law expert Wilma Liebman to the board, aiming to “help the company address its significant human capital issues and chart a sustainable path forward”.
- Sucafina continues to expand IMPACT responsible coffee sourcing programme. The green coffee trader says it’s in the process of expanding the programme into China, Vietnam, Uganda, Colombia, and Honduras. The programme provides assurance that the practices along Sucafina’s supply chain are compliant with a range of standards and focuses on five measurable goals.
- Danish company develops DesignerWater for coffee brewing. The water, developed in cooperation with the University of Copenhagen, minimises lime scale buildup and corrosion in brewing equipment. The company says it’s been “scientifically proven and tested by a trained sensory panel”.
Thu, 23 Nov
- Coffee Planet receives four awards in the Middle East. The UAE coffee company received four awards in recent weeks: Team of the Year – Food & Beverage and National Business Award for Food and Beverage (Middle East Management Excellence Awards), Food Service Icon (Retail Middle East Magazine Food Service Icons Awards), and UAE Superbrand (19th Annual Superbrands Tribute).
Fri, 24 Nov
- The Barista League heads to Atlanta, USA on 1 December. The multi-disciplinary barista competition will be accompanied by plenty of drinks, a live DJ, and several spectator challenges. Guest judges include Anthony Ragler and Kat Melheim of Black & White Coffee and Divya Raghavan of CoffeeKiRani.
Here are a few coffee news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look.
- Thu, 16 Nov – Three winners announced at 2023 Champions of Brazilian Origins Contest. The winners were announced during Brazil International Coffee Week in Belo Horizonte and are as follows: Pieter Johannes (Alta Mogiana), José Ricardo Carvalho (Cerrado Mineiro), Marcos Hartmann (Chapada de Minas), Elias Krohling (Espírito Santo), Fabiano Diniz (Matas de Minas), and Eduardo Silva (Sul de Minas).
Coffee news photo credits: Producer & Roaster Forum, World Coffee Championships
Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest coffee news 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 coffee news stories.
