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Weekly Coffee News: Blank Street Acquires London Chain, Future of Logistics Summit and More

Welcome to DCN’s Weekly Coffee News! Keep up with all the latest stories by subscribing to DCN’s twice-weekly newsletter, featuring breaking coffee industry news and fresh coffee job listings.

Final Installation

Odeko courtesy photo.

Odeko Unveils 1,400-Cup Mural to Celebrate Entry into the Metroplex

New York-based cafe operations software provider Odeko earlier this month celebrated its launch in the Dallas market with an 8-by-11-foot mural installation depicting the Dallas skyline. Created in collaboration with muralist Kyle Wadsworth, the mural features 1,400 compostable cups with participation from local coffee companies Cuppa Espresso Bar, Fiction Coffee and Pax & Beneficia.

Digital Coffee Future Launching ‘The Future of Coffee Logistics Summit’

The progressive coffee-focused firm Digital Coffee Future is launching The Future of Coffee Logistics Summit, an online event taking place Nov. 17-18. More information and tickets are available here.

Super-Automatic Drinks Machine Maker Botrista Raises $55 Million

San Francisco-based Botrista, maker of the DrinkBot super-automatic drink dispensing machine, says it has raised $55 million in a series B funding round. The round follows a $10 million round achieved last year. Using ingredients from undisclosed sources housed in a bag-in-box format, the drink machine can produce a broad range of drinks, including iced oat milk lattes and cold brew concoctions in the coffee category.

Reborn Coffee Readies Five New Retail Locations in Southern California

Brea, California-based Reborn Coffee is preparing to open five new company-operated coffee shops in Southern California, bringing the company’s total number of coffee shops to 14. The company is coming off a $7.2 million initial public offering last month.

Sprouts Farmers Market Piloting Concept Store with Press Coffee in Phoenix

National grocer Sprouts Farmers Market, which routinely brings local and regional specialty coffee brands to its coffee aisles, is piloting a new retail concept inside one of its Phoenix stores with Phoenix’s own Press Coffee. Details are here.

Blank Street Acquires London Chain Over Under, Opens in DC

New York-born Blank Street Coffee has unveiled its first store in the Washington D.C. market. According to a report this week from Axios, it is the first of 10 Blank Street locations planned for the D.C. The company has also acquired the small London (UK) coffee shop chain Over Under, creating seven new Blank Street locations. A year ago, Blank Street completed a $25 million funding round.

Brooklyn’s Terra Kaffe Launches Pre-Orders of TK-02 Home Brewer

Brooklyn, New York-based equipment maker Terra Kaffe has launched pre-orders of its TK-02, the second model of its flagship home super-automatic espresso brewing device. The TK-02 is currently selling for $995 for pre-orders with an anticipated final price of $1,400.

Costa Coffee Plans US Rollout of RTD Flat Whites 

With news from the NACS convenience store trade show, Beverage Digest has reported that Costa Coffee plans to soon introduce ready-to-drink (RTD) products to the United States market, beginning with flat whites in slim cans. UK-born Costa was acquired by Coca-Cola for $5.1 billion in 2018.

Delta and Starbucks Introduce Loyalty Partnership

Delta Airlines and Starbucks this week introduced a loyalty scheme that will give members of loyalty programs of each company 1 Delta Skymiles point for every $1 in eligible purchases at Starbucks.

Fairtrade International Annual Report Shows $82.3 Million in Coffee Premiums

Fairtrade International has released its annual report for 2021, showing a total of $82.3 million in premiums paid for Fairtrade-certified coffee. That represents a decrease of approximately 3% from the previous year, according to the organization. Read the full report here.

Beyers PC07

Beyers pods in production

Belgian Roasting Giant Beyers Converts to Compostable Pods

Belgium-based Beyers, which operates numerous house roasted coffee brands while offering a suite of private-label roasting services, has converted all of its single-serve pod production to compostable PLA filter paper. The company says it produces approximately 1.4 billion pods annually.

Farm Africa Explores the Eastern DR Congo’s Specialty Coffee Emergence

Representatives of the nonprofit Farm Africa and the coffee industry are convening for a free webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 2, called “The New Frontier in Specialty Coffees: Eastern DR Congo.” Event information and registration are available here.

Cincinnati Coffee Festival Returns Oct. 22-23

One of the largest annual coffee gatherings in the Midwest, the Cincinnati Coffee Festival is returning for its fifth iteration on Oct. 22-23. The event is taking place at the Cincinnati Music Hall and tickets are limited.

Ozarks Coffee Trail Promotes Coffee Companies in Missouri

The convention and visitors bureau of Springfield, Missouri, has launched the Ozarks Coffee Trail, a rewards program with participation from nearly 20, mostly independent, coffee companies. Tour the trail here.

In Case You Missed It

Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…

Photo by Phillip Davis by Heifer International

Photo by Phillip Davis for Heifer International. Used with permission. Lake Atitlán and the Toliman volcano are visible on the walk to the Tinamit Cooperative’s coffee grove in Guatemala.

What Is Meaningful Economic Sustainability in Coffee?

As any entrepreneur knows, profitability is the means through which other impacts and initiatives can come to life, while a lack of profitability carries the opposite effect… Read more

Research: Common Coffee Chemical Combined with Flu May Damage Lungs

New research suggests that short-term exposure to a chemical compound created in the coffee roasting process may have damaging effects on lung health when paired with a second exposure, such as the flu… Read more

The Forthcoming xBloom Automates Single-Serve Brews Based on Roasters’ Specifications

With an influx of capital, brand ambassadorship and an impressive roster of participating roasters, a new pod-based, bean-to-cup coffee brewing system called the xBloom is heading to the consumer market… Read more

Belleville Brûlerie’s Mihaela Iordache on a Roasting Revolution in Paris

Mihaela Iordache never intended to work in coffee. She didn’t even like coffee when she moved from home country Romania to Paris, France, nearly 10 years ago… Read more

Major Study Links 2-3 Cups of Coffee Per Day with Longer Life

A study promoted last month by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) adds to the substantial pile of recent evidence suggesting that coffee drinking is associated with improved heart health and longevity… Read more

Forecast Coffee Sees a Future of Sustainable Coffee in Agroforestry

While the long-term outlook for sustainable coffee production remains mostly cloudy, a new coffee brand out of Washington State called Forecast Coffee Company is helping to shine a light on agroforestry… Read more

The Pietro Manual Grinder is Taking Vertically Oriented Flat Burrs for a Spin

Northern Italian commercial coffee grinder manufacturer Fiorenzato has established Pietro Grinders, a sibling company named after the company’s founder Pietro Fiorenzato… Read more

Provision Coffee Stocks Phoenix with Drinks from New Three-Story Cafe

Phoenix’s mocktail and coffee supply has risen significantly with the opening of Provision Coffee‘s three-story second retail location… Read more

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