Coffee News Recap, 23 Aug: Arabica prices to keep rising, Fairtrade International, GCP & ECF continue calls to address EUDR concerns & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the week. 

Editor’s note

Calls to address the challenges that the EUDR will create continue across the coffee industry. This week, key stakeholders including Fairtrade International, Global Coffee Platform, and the European Coffee Federation warned that the legislation could unintentionally harm smallholder farmers.

So far, EU decision makers are yet to publicly respond to continuous fears about how the strict regulations will impact supply chains, but it seems likely that without a response or adjustment, concerns will continue over the coming months.

Arabica futures also rose by 5% this week following isolated cases of frost in Brazil’s growing regions last weekend. Although none were significant enough to cause damage, it’s a stark reminder of ongoing market volatility.

For roasters, this means inventory management becomes increasingly important – especially with robusta prices also close to historic highs. Profit margins will remain tight for the foreseeable future, so roasters need to stay agile and plan ahead to cope with rising costs – and avoid passing too many on to their customers.

Top stories of the week

• Tue, 20 Aug – Hario launches new Suiren brewer. The customisable brewer has a similar structure to the brand’s popular V60, but consists of petal-like ribs which are available in six different colours. Inspired by the water lily, the new dripper must be assembled before use. (Tokyo, Japan)

• Thu, 22 Aug – PRF: Farm Summit announces speaker line up and opens applications for three competitions. The first-ever PRF: Farm Summit will take place on 17 & 18 October at La Pradera in Santander, Colombia, with a focus on regenerative and organic farming practices. As part of this, the event will host a tailored PRF Voices programme that will feature both international and Latin American industry professionals. Applications are also open for the Cold Brew Championship, as well as the inaugural Soil of Excellence and Cacao Masters Cup competitions. (Santander, Colombia)

Industry news

• Wed, 21 Aug – Influencer Emma Chamberlain assumes co-CEO role at Chamberlain Coffee. The social media influencer will take on the new role as alongside Gustav Hossy, who has served as the brand’s Chief Creative Officer since launching in 2019. In a Forbes interview, Chamberlain said she now has the “knowledge and experience” to co-run the company. (Los Angeles, California, US)

• Fri, 23 Aug – Nestlé’s shares drop following abrupt departure of CEO. Mark Schneider led the company for eight years, but investors had repeatedly expressed concerns about increasing reliance on price hikes over the last 15 months. Company veteran Laurent Freixe has assumed the CEO role and will work to improve sales growth. (Vevey, Switzerland)

New launch

Milestone

• Tue, 20 Aug – WatchHouse to celebrate tenth anniversary this September. The UK roaster’s decade milestone will coincide with the opening of its 20th location at Marble Arch, as well as plans for a second New York House location in the Chrysler Building later this year. (London, UK)

• Tue, 20 Aug – Löfbergs receives UK Great Taste Award. The Swedish company – which has been selling coffee in the UK since 2022 – received the award for its single origin Brazil coffee. (Karlstad, Sweden)

Trade & production

Events

• Mon, 19 Aug – Exigí Buen Cafe 2024 to take place on 2 September. The 11th edition will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Key event features will include coffee tastings led by Exigí Buen Café Barista School instructors and several competitions, including the 2025 Argentinian Barista, Latte Art, and Coffee in Good Spirits Championships. (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

• Tue, 20 Aug – Honduran Coffee Expo will be held on 29 & 30 August. Hosted by Tripartito Coffee at the Expocentro, the inaugural Honduran Coffee Expo will be one of the largest of its kind in the country. The event will include an exhibition, a lecture series, the Brew Boulevard, barista competitions, cuppings, workshops, and more. (San Pedro Sula, Honduras)

• Wed, 21 Aug – Ethiopica Coffee Show to debut in June 2025. The event, which will coincide with the 2025 Ethiopia Food Show, will take place from 19 to 21 June at Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa. Hosted by Fairtrade Messe and Prana Events, the expos will highlight Ethiopia’s key food and coffee sectors and offer a platform for industry professionals to showcase innovation, explore markets, and network. (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

• Fri, 23 Aug – The 21st African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition set for 26 to 28 February 2025. The African Fine Coffees Association and the Tanzania Coffee Board announced that the event will be held in Dar es Salaam. This marks the fourth time that Tanzania will host the event, which welcomes over 2,000 coffee professionals from around the world. The theme of this year’s conference is “Value Regeneration”, and will also host the Africa Barista Championship and the Regional Taste of Harvest Competition. (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

Competitions

• Mon, 19 Aug – The Barista League to head to Montreal on 29 August. The competition will be held at SATS, and will include Jair Garduño, Celeste Fiallos, Simon-Pierce Caron, Hadidja Said, Hana Murata, and Emily Wang as guest judges. (Montreal, Québec, Canada)

• Fri, 23 Aug – PRF announces multi-year sponsorship deal with Toddy. As part of the partnership, Toddy will be the official sponsor of the Cold Brew Championship and will also host a Cold Brew Bar at the next three PRF events, including PRF: Farm Summit 2024, PRF Honduras 2025, and PRF: Farm Summit 2025.

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

• Fri, 16 Aug – Starbucks faces another lawsuit after accusations of coffee-flavoured chapstick theft. Balmuccino has refiled its lawsuit against Starbucks after alleging the coffee chain used confidential information from a 2018 meeting to develop similar products its coffee-flavoured lip balm. This follows the dismissal of two previous lawsuits on procedural grounds. Starbucks has not commented on the new filing. (New York City, New York, US)

Photo credits: @sarah.joy.photogprahy, Producer & Roaster Forum

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