Welcome to DCN’s Weekly Coffee News! Subscribe here for all the latest coffee industry news. Also, check out the latest career opportunities at CoffeeIndustryJobs.com. News to share? Click here.
US Buyers Splurge on Honduras Cup of Excellence Winner
Weeks after buying the top lot at the Nicaragua Cup of Excellence auction, Los Angeles-based roaster Angelino’s Coffee scored half the #1 lot at the Honduras COE auction. The company paid $132 per pound for 276.56 pounds of the coffee from celebrated producer Benjamin Paz. A consortium of U.S. buyers — including Black & White Coffee Roasters, Verve Coffee Roasters, Onyx Coffee Lab and Proud Mary — purchased the other half of the lot for $136.50 per pound. Paz’s winning coffee is a washed-process Gesha variety from the farm La Salsa.
Royal New York Adds Taster’s Workshop and Tea Intro to Education Program
Green coffee trader Royal New York is introducing two new classes to its existing curriculum at the RNY Lab. Thomas Ameloot will be leading a new “Coffee Taster’s Workshop,” while Caitlin Norman will host an “Introduction to Tea.” The new classes join existing SCA-sanctioned classes at Royal New York’s coffee lab in South Plainfield, New Jersey. See the complete course schedule here.
Hacea Coffee Source Hosting Inaugural Roasting Contest
Southern California-based green specialty coffee company Hacea Coffee Source is hosting its inaugural coffee roasting competition. Participants can purchase their desired quantity of mystery coffees, and five winners will earn a range of prizes. Details here.
Highlighting the Struggle of Women Producing Coffee in Eastern DRC
Al Jazeera this week published a piece highlighting the work of coffee cooperatives in Eastern DRC, where years of conflict have taken a toll on coffee production, with particularly challenging circumstances for women.
Check Out this German Prison Roastery
A story from German news service DPA International this week highlighted the full-fledged working production roastery inside the Remscheid Prison. Now boasting two Giesen production roasters, the roastery was two years in development.
Report: JAB-Backed Panera Brands Looks to Sell Caribou Coffee
Unnamed sources told Reuters this week that the JAB Holdings-backed Panera Brands is exploring the sale of Caribou Coffee, alongside the conglomerate’s four U.S. bagel chains. Panera Brands sold Caribou’s roasting operation and consumer packaged coffee business to JDE Peet’s — another conglomerate with deep ties to the billionaire Reimann family — earlier this year.
Boozy Coffee Maker Alc-a-chino Signs Promotion Deal with Live Nation
New Jersey-based alcoholic coffee drink maker Alc-a-chino announced a three-year partnership deal with live entertainment production and ticketing giant Live Nation. Live Nation is currently being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged antitrust violations.
Blue Bottle Launches Instant New Orleans-Style Coffee Product
Blue Bottle Coffee has launched an instant coffee product “honoring” the company’s iconic New Orleans-style packaged iced coffee beverage line, called NOLA. The launch features a new brand look for NOLA.
Ninja Company Launches Ninja Luxe Café Three-in-One Brewer
SharkNinja this week launched the Ninja Luxe Café, a Swiss army knife of a home coffee machine that creates espresso, drip or cold brew, plus milk frothing. The machine launched at $499 in the U.S.
Phillips Baristina Home Machine Makes US Launch
The Phillips-brand automatic espresso grinding and brewing machine called the Baristina launched in the U.S. this month. The MSRP is $399.
New from CoffeeIndustryJobs.com
- Industrial Millwright – Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc.
- Green Coffee Warehouse Associate – Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Inc.
- Production Roaster – Coffeebar
- Machine Operator – Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
- Mechanical & Engineering Manager – Melitta North America, Inc.
ICYMI
Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
Inside a New Experiment to Find the Climate-Proof Coffee of the Future
Although nearly every commodity faces threats from a warming climate, arabica is especially picky… read more
El Salvador President Bukele Launches Coffee Brand with US Business Ties
The exact connection between Bukele, the brand and U.S. operations remains unclear, although the launch of a consumer product from a sitting head of state represents an extraordinary conflict of interest… read more
The Success of the Origen Tostadores All-Staff Farm Visits in Peru
Most coffee professionals in urban environments may never actually see the places in which coffee is grown, processed and made ready for trade… read more
Decent Espresso Opens Exceptional Factory Showroom Cafe
High-tech espresso machine and accessory maker Decent Espresso recently opened an extraordinary coffee bar and showroom attached to its factory in Hong Kong… read more
Outer Dark Coffee Lights Up its First Cafe in Tacoma
A new coffee roasting company called Outer Dark Coffee founded by Seattle craft beer industry veteran Mike Murphy just opened a cafe in downtown Tacoma, Washington… read more
Three Questions with Coffee and Beverage Expert Piper Jones
Anyone spotting Piper Jones at the recent International Women’s Coffee Alliance convention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, likely found her genuinely listening, deeply engaged in a one-on-one conversation, almost in awe of the person in front of her… read more
Hala Tree Coffee Branches Out from Kona to Oahu with First Cafe
Kona, Hawaii-based coffee producer and roasting company Hala Tree Coffee recently opened its first retail cafe on the island of Oahu… read more
Comment