Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the week.
Editor’s note
Not long after 2023 World Barista Champion Boram Um joined as a brand ambassador, grinder manufacturer Mazzer announced that Martin Wölfl, the 2024 World Brewers Cup Champion, has also started to represent the brand. As commercial interest in specialty coffee at scale continues to grow, it seems that leaning on champions and competitors is a crucial component of many equipment brands’ marketing strategies.
Beyond ambassadors, the ICO also announced this week that its Composite Indicator Price – one of the world’s key reference prices for coffee – had reached a 47-year high. The ICO said the spike is due to tight supplies of robusta in Vietnam and the recent proposal from the EU to delay its landmark deforestation regulation.
The I-CIP hit a 13-year high just three months ago in July 2024. Ultimately this shows that a volatile C market is likely to be the status quo for a while longer. With both arabica and robusta prices climbing and the potentially delayed EUDR legislation looming, it seems more pertinent than ever for roasters and traders to precisely manage their inventories.
Top stories of the week
- Mon, 7 Oct – Coffee futures rebound on lower certified stocks. ICE robusta contracts for November rose 3% to US $5,067, while ICE Arabica for December gained 2.1%, closing at US 257.35 cents/lb. Both markets saw certified stocks drop to four-month lows. Despite the rise, market fundamentals remain bullish, with Brazilian green coffee exports up 36.8% in September, overcoming logistical challenges. (London, UK)
- Mon, 7 Oct – New report values US branded coffee shop market at US $54 billion. World Coffee Portal’s Project Café USA 2025 found that the market grew by 2,062 outlets, reaching 42,773 stores. Major chains like Starbucks, Dunkin’, and 7 Brew expanded, while market competition intensified to include 500 chains. Rising costs pushed prices up, with lattes averaging over US $5, but brands are cautious about further increases, focusing on value offerings to compete with non-specialist operators like McDonald’s. (London, UK)
- Wed, 9 Oct – LaSalle Capital invests in US private label roaster Cascade Coffee. Founded in 1995, Cascade produces about 50 million pounds of coffee annually from its 150,000 sq ft facility, featuring six Probat roasters and 17 packaging lines. Former investor Westward Partners has exited the business, but investment details remain undisclosed. (Everett, Washington, US)
Industry news
- Mon, 7 Oct – Cerrado Mineiro region featured at Ditta Artigianale with the first coffee Designation of Origin. Part of the Cerrado Mineiro Road Show, the event celebrated both countries’ coffee traditions and highlighted DO certification. Participants explored sustainability practices, tasted award-winning coffees, and attended workshops. Simoni Ameni and Thiago Furlaneto led discussions on the region’s significance in Brazilian coffee production and sustainability. (Florence, Italy)
- Thu, 10 Oct – Minnesota company sues TreeHouse over alleged intellectual property theft. Microtrace has sued TreeHouse Foods, claiming it misappropriated proprietary “taggant ink” technology for its K Cups. The lawsuit alleges TreeHouse and its subsidiaries breached contracts and reverse-engineered the technology. The dispute dates back to 2014 when Keurig launched its 2.0 brewing system, restricting compatibility with non-licensed pods. (Minneapolis, Minnesota, US)
- Fri, 11 Oct – IWCA hiring financial professional to join the board of directors as Treasurer. Responsibilities include overseeing the management of and reporting of IWCA’s finances, working with the Executive Director to prepare the annual budget, and providing financial analysis and guidance to support strategic decisions. Interested candidates can email sharon.riechers@bunn.com for more information. (Springfield, Illinois, US)
New launch
- Mon, 7 Oct – The Wise Brewer TG launches with focus on automation. Athens-based startup Wise Coffee Products’ latest brewer features a dual-boiler system for coffee and tea, allowing control over volume, temperature, flow speed, and pour count via a 3.5-inch touchscreen. The machine also includes an internal rotary pump for water drawn from a 1.7L reservoir. (Athens, Greece)
- Tue, 8 Oct – Saudi Arabia’s Camel Step opens a new location. Led by Faris Alosaimi, the design preserves the building’s essence while introducing functional elements. The space features rustic wooden chairs, decorative lattice walls, climbing plants, and a large granite fireplace. (Hail, Saudi Arabia)
- Wed, 9 Oct – Dripdash launches RTD Kyoto Iced Coffee. Kyoto Iced Coffee, originating in the 1600s from Dutch sailors in Japan, is brewed drop by drop over 16 hours, showcasing the coffee’s oils and aromas. (Palo Alto, California, US)
Milestone
- Wed, 9 Oct – Dear Green achieves high B Corp recertification score. Specialty coffee roaster Dear Green has achieved one of the highest B Corp scores among Scottish coffee roasters, with 117.6 points in its recent recertification, up 33.4 points from 2020. This places the roastery alongside global ethical leaders like Patagonia and Ben and Jerry’s. (Glasgow, Scotland)
Trade & production
Research
Events
- Mon, 7 Oct – International Coffee Convention 2024 to take place on 17 & 18 October. The event will be held in Mannheim, Germany, focusing on climate resilience, consumption patterns, sustainability, and digitalisation. Organised by Coffee Consulate, the event aims to tackle key challenges in the coffee industry and offer practical solutions. (Mannheim, Germany)
- Mon, 7 Oct – Vollers to host Hidden Beans spot coffee auction. A timed auction will take place on 5 November and a reverse auction will be held on 6 November. All lots are from past harvests and includes coffees from Osito, Mercanta, Keynote, and Raw Material. (Bury St. Edmund’s, UK)
- Tue, 8 Oct – Let’s Talk Coffee will head to Peru in 2025. The multi-day event, organised by Sustainable Harvest and held in coffee-producing countries, brings together producers, roasters, lenders, and policy leaders. The 20th edition will be the first since the company’s acquisition by Sucafina and the first led by Director Al Liu. The summit will take place in September and more details will be announced soon. (Seattle, Washington, US)
- Thu, 10 Oct – Caracas Quiere Café to run until 12 October. Producers, roasters, baristas, and major brands can network at Venezuela’s top industry event. This edition is also featuring the third Venezuelan Barista Championship and the second national Brewers Cup Championship. (Caracas, Venezuela)
- Fri, 11 Oct – MICE2025 introduces the Roasters Playground. Sponsored by La Marzocco and Riverina Fresh, the new feature will showcase and celebrate national coffee roasters. For the first time, coffee roasters will be able to book half-day sessions at a set-up stand with all equipment provided. (Melbourne, Australia)
Competitions
- Mon, 7 Oct – World Barista Open 2024 crowns Brazil’s Emerson Nascimento as the winner. Fiamma hosted the competition, featuring 12 baristas in three events: the Coffee Shop Challenge, the PProfile My Coffee competition, and the Duoccino Challenge. Brazilian barista Emerson Nascimento won, followed by Stanley Chien from Taiwan and Sean Lee from Malaysia. (Aveiro, Portugal)
- Thu, 10 Oct – Gold Mountain Coffee Growers to host sample roasting competition. Participants will receive a 200g green sample of the company’s Pacamara Carbonic Maceration Cherry Syrup Natural, which they will roast and return for analysis. The winner will have the chance to win 10lbs of the Cherry Syrup coffee, and all participants win a digital subscription to Roast Magazine. (Matagalpa, Nicaragua)
Here are a few coffee news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look:
Photo credits: The Barista League
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Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s coffee news stories and make sure to read the latest Coffee Intelligence News & Opinion piece on whether proposed EUDR delays mean better preparation or market dilution.
