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Weekly Coffee News: Air Roasting Demo + From Atlanta, With Love

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Air-Motion Roasters USA promo photo.

Air-Motion Roasters USA Hosting Live Roaster Demo

Texas-based Air-Motion Roasters USA is hosting a live roasting demo via Zoom on Saturday, Nov. 16. Taking place at Austin-area-based Skyrocket Coffee, the demo will feature an AMR12 12-kilo electric roaster. The event is being facilitated by Rick Davis of United States-based Coffee Equipment Pros and will be hosted by Julian Platt, who founded Air-Motion Roasters in South Africa.

Local Roasters Team Up for ‘From Atlanta, With Love’ Box Set

Atlanta-based coffee company Portrait Coffee is leading a group of six local coffee companies to introduce From Atlanta, With Love, a box set of locally roasted coffee and accompanying merch line. Curated coffees for the set are coming from Bellwood Coffee, Chrome Yellow Coffee, East Pole Coffee, Flow Coffee, Portrait Coffee and Tanbrown Coffee.

BKON Launches Finished Bottled Espresso-Like Product for Businesses Called Genesis

New Jersey-based B2B coffee extraction service provider BKON recently launched Genesis, a finished product derived from the company’s Coldstretto shelf-stable espresso replacement platform. The off-the-shelf extract is being sold in B2B channels, either by the case or through white-label deals.

New Jersey Coffee School Launches Home-Focused Classes

The New Jersey Coffee School, which launched in Hoboken last year, is launching two new classes geared towards home coffee aficionados: a latte art class and a home roasting class.

Starbucks Ends Non-Dairy Up-Charge

Starbucks announced it will no longer charge guests extra for non-dairy milks, such as oat milk or nut milks, in the U.S. and Canada. Many large specialty coffee companies, including Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Blue Bottle Coffee, have similarly eliminated extra charges for dairy alternatives.

International Delight Creamer Recalled For Mislabeling

Danone U.S. initiated a recall for more than 10,000 bottles of International Delight coffee creamer that was marketed as “zero sugar,” yet did indeed have sugar. The product in question is the International Delight “Home Alone” Peppermint Mocha Zero Sugar coffee creamer.

Caffe Nero Acquires Specialty Business 200 Degrees

UK coffee giant Caffe Nero has acquired Nottingham-based specialty coffee business 200 degrees, including its 21 coffee shops throughout the UK. 200 Degrees launched in 2012.

Cup of Excellence Celebrates 25 Years in Brazil

The Cup of Excellence (CoE) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Brazil — the birthplace of the green coffee competition. For the international phase, 40 coffee samples from 10 producing regions have been selected, and winners will be announced Nov. 2. The Brazil CoE auction is scheduled for Dec. 10.

SCA Updates World Coffee Roasting Championship Rules

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) released updated rules for the 2025 World Coffee Roasting Championship. The new rules will be used at the world finals at the SCA Expo in Houston next April.

Peace Coffee Secures $3 Million Credit Line

Minneapolis-based coffee roaster Peace Coffee secured a new $3 million credit line with New York-based lending firm JPalmer Collective, according to the lender.

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

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Sputnik Coffee Goes Supernova with Huge New Roastery Cafe in Chicago

Chicago-based Sputnik Coffee Company opened a spacious second cafe earlier this month with views into an enormous new color-coordinated roasting facility… read more

Maryland’s Ceremony Coffee Now Part of FairWave Collective

Ceremony becomes the 12th brand in the FairWave portfolio, and the first outside the United States Midwest region… read more

Ground Control Ushers in New Era with Flagship SM Brewer and CEO

The SM ushers in a new flagship commercial brewer for the company, which publicly blasted off eight years ago, as well as a change in executive leadership, with former Bellwether Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee executive Arno Holschuh stepping into the role of CEO… read more

Cafecita Shines with Solar Powered Trailer in Burbank

Women-owned specialty coffee roasting company Cafecita is having more than fun in the California sun with the opening of a permanent coffee trailer that runs entirely on solar power… read more

San Diego Coffee Legend Returns with Chuck’s Roast and Patton Consulting

A pioneering figure in the San Diego coffee scene in the early 2000s and 2010s recently re-emerged with a new roasting business and a dual focus on small-batch, high-quality coffees and seed-to-cup education and consulting… read more

Report: China’s Largest Coffee Chain Luckin Prepping US Launch

Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee is planning a small-scale launch in the United States, less than four years after the company agreed to a $180 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over fraud charges… read more

Cafes Seeking Variable Speed Can Tune In to FM Grinders

A variable-speed grinder with vertical flat burrs for commercial coffee settings called the FM Grinder (Instagram) is finding traction in Southeast Asia, while its makers have eyes on the United States market… read more

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