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Weekly Coffee News: Philz Leaving DC, a Chemex Counterpoint and More

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

Philz Coffee Los Angeles

A Philz Coffee location in Studio City, Los Angeles. Philz continues to operate stores in California and Chicago. Daily Coffee News photo.

Philz Coffee Pulling Out of D.C. Metro Market

Citing “business conditions,” San Francisco-born Philz Coffee has announced it is leaving the Washington D.C. metro market. In a tweet, the company said, “We loved serving this community, but business conditions and our desire to provide the best possible experience to our customers led to our decision. Thank you all for the years of support.”

The forthcoming closing of the Navy Yard store follows at least five other D.C. Metro-area closures over the past two years. Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, Philz continues to operate cafes in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County (California), San Francisco and Chicago.

MiiR Creates New Stainless Steal Carafe 

Consumer products company MiiR has unveiled a new Chemex-shaped brewing receptacle that doubles as a durable carafe. The double-walled, stainless steel, vacuum-insulated carafe is designed to be paired with the MiiR digital coffee scale. The company has raised more than $51,000 for the device through Kickstarter.

DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival Will Be Back Twice in 2023

Following an inaugural event last year, the DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival will be hosting two events at Virginia’s Dulles Expo Center in 2023. A spring pop-up will take place May 20-21, and the coffee festival will take place Oct. 7-8. The event brings together coffee shops, roasters and food brands in the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. area. According to the organizers, last year’s event attracted more than 8,000 guests alongside exhibitors such as Cafe Kreyol, Roast Magazine‘s 2023 Macro Roaster of the Year.

La Marzocco Opens Paris Office, Hires WBC Champ Anthony Douglas

Italian espresso machine company La Marzocco has opened a new office and showroom near the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. The project has been carried out by LM’s Roxana Ursu, Sandra Bouckenooghe and Michael Cowan. Designed to grow the brand’s reach in the city, the office has also played host to coffee competitions.

Additionally, LM has enlisted World Barista Champion Anthony Douglas its new global ambassador.

European Coffee Symposium Taking Place This November in Barcelona 

The European Coffee Symposium will take place on Nov. 27-29 at the W Hotel Barcelona. ECS 2023 will bring together top industry executives, while attendees will have access to market insights from the Allegra World Coffee Portal. The event is in its 13th year.

Reborn Coffee Expands Into Southeast Asia

California-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer Reborn Coffee is expanding into Malaysia and Indonesia through a partnership with COLLECTIVE, which operates a wholesale distribution network. The company has also announced plans to expand into Korea.

PRF El Salvador Announces Speakers

The Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) has announced the slate of speakers for the sixth iteration of the event, taking place March 16-17 in El Salvador. Among professionals giving lectures are José Guzman of Kofra Specialty Coffee Roasters and Eduardo Choza of Mayorga Coffee

Volcafe Report Predicts Coffee Shortages for Another Year

A quarterly report from Volcafe, one of the world’s largest green coffee traders, is predicting shortages for a second year, Bloomberg reports (paywall), with smaller crop potential in Brazil. Last year, led by shortages in Brazil, commodity coffee prices saw their biggest rally since 2010.

Talk on Coffee Farming and Climate Change Coming Live to YouTube

The initiative for coffee&climate (c&c) is presenting a speech by Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Managing Director Michael Opitz on the challenges faced by coffee farmers responding to climate change. “Growing Coffee in the Face of Climate Change – Addressing and Mitigating the Impacts” will premiere on YouTube on Feb. 8

Paris Baguette Partners With Lavazza 

South Korean multinational bakery and cafe chain Paris Baguette has struck a deal with Italian coffee giant Lavazza that will bring the coffee company’s blends to Paris Baguette’s more than 100 locations throughout the United States. According to an announcement from the companies, the arrangement will involve “extensive staff training on authentic Italian brewing practices.”

In Case You Missed It

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

Peets-Coffee

Peet’s Coffee press photo

In a First for Peet’s Coffee, Baristas in Davis Elect to Unionize

Employees at a Peet’s Coffee location in north Davis, California, have voted to unionize, a first for the half-century-old coffee chain that boasts more than 300 outlets… Read more

Latest IISD Coffee Report Calls for More Price Transparency

Current approaches to coffee pricing and value distribution in the global coffee market are unsustainable and present a lack of long-term resiliency in the coffee industry, according to the latest coffee market report… Read more

Luminous Coffee Flashes With Darling Design and Rarefied Retail

With weekly product drops, vivid designs, adventurous cup characteristics and transaction transparency, Las Vegas-based startup Luminous Coffee is presenting specialty coffee in a whole new light… Read more

Fairtrade Launches Humanitarian and Environmental Risk Map

The nonprofit Fairtrade International has released the Fairtrade Risk Map, an interactive tool designed to promote communication regarding human rights and environmental risks… Read more

Espresso Parts Partners With Japan’s Kalita to Launch Kalita USA

Japanese manual pourover equipment maker Kalita has reestablished an official United States outpost with the launch of Kalita USA. The new brand comes through a partnership… Read more

Probat Rolls Out Its Largest Electric Roaster to Date, the P12 E

German coffee roaster manufacturer Probat continues to scale up production of drum roasters that avoid natural gas in favor of alternative energy sources… Read more

Espresso Machine IoT Startup BibeCoffee Lands $2.2 Million Round

Greek coffee machine technology startup BibeCoffee has secured a US$2.2 million funding round led by Bulgarian investment firm Eleven VenturesRead more

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