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The 10 finalists of the 2025 World Brewers Cup. Specialty Coffee Association news photo.
George Jinyang Peng of China is the 2025 World Brewers Cup Champion
After three days of competition at the SCA’s World of Coffee event in Indonesia, George Jinyang Peng of China won the 2025 World Brewers Cup Championship. This year’s World Brewers Cup final featured a record-breaking 50 competitors. Justin Bull of the United States placed sixth. Find the full standings here.
TechnoServe Announces “Alarming” USDA Funding Cuts
Virginia-based nonprofit TechnoServe said it received official notice that its projects funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been terminated. In October, TechnoServe announced that, along with JDE Peet’s, it was leading a USDA-funded $15.3 million project, called Avanza Café, focused on poverty in the coffee sector. In an email sent this week to potential donors, TechnoServe said the USDA funding losses are “on top of the cancellation of foreign aid program funding earlier this year.”
Fairtrade International and Coffee&Climate Sign MoU
Fairtrade International and the industry-funded Initiative for coffee&climate (c&c) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to aid smallholder farmers with sustainable agriculture practices.
SCA and SCAI Announce Collaboration for CVA Standardization
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI) have entered into a “strategic agreement” to promote the SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) throughout the Indonesian coffee industry. This agreement follows similar MoUs signed with leaders in Brazil and Colombia.
Qima Leads Nomination of Yemeni Coffee for UNESCO Heritage Status
The nonprofit sibling of UK and Yemen-based Qima Coffee, the Qima Foundation, is leading the first nomination of Yemeni coffee for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity status.
Black Rifle Coffee Lawsuit Still Kicking Despite 2024 Settlement
Despite a $400,000 settlement agreement in 2024, Black Rifle Coffee Company and former business partners remain embroiled in a lawsuit. My San Antonio reported on the recent resurrection of the suit, which was originally filed in 2023 by two former Black Rifle consultants involved in product development.
Large Midwest Roaster Raising Prices in Response to Tariffs
Lansing, Michigan-based Paramount Coffee Company, one of the largest wholesale coffee roasters in the Midwest, said it is hiking up prices in response to the new tariffs under the Trump administration, according to a Reuters report.
Finca El Injerto 2025 Coffee Auction Registration Opens
Registration is now open for the Finca El Injerto 2025 Exotic Coffee online auction, which is offering small, high-quality lots from the famed Guatemalan producer. Registration is available here.
Uganda Hosts Coffee Conference to Fast-Tracking EUDR Compliance
Ugandan agricultural sector leaders recently catalyzed other coffee sector leaders throughout Africa to move quickly towards compliance with the new EU deforestation-free regulation by December 30. The Nile Post has more on a recent EUDR summit in Kampala.
Lion Coffee Launches 100% Maui Coffee Supporting Wildfire Relief
Long-running Hawaiian coffee brand Lion Coffee recently launched a limited edition “100% Maui” coffee with beans sourced from Kahului’s Mahi Pono Farms. Ten percent of sales are being donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund.
New from CoffeeIndustryJobs.com
- Trading Coordinator II — Covoya Specialty Coffee
- Marketing Director — Spirit Tea
- Finance/Logistics Officer — Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, LLC
- Technical Account Manager SE Region — La Marzocco
- Atlanta Training Manager — Kaldi’s Coffee
- Technical Brand Ambassador – Sales Focus (North America) – Remote — Sovda Coffee
- Barista – Full Time — Glissade Coffee Company
- Regional Director of Cafe Operations — Lucky Goat Coffee
ICYMI
Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
Roast Summit Returns to Portland in 2025
Roast magazine, the leading technical trade publication for the specialty coffee industry, is proud to announce the return of Roast Summit to its hometown of Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 2–3, 2025… read more
In Birmingham, Whammy Coffee Opens with Big Flavors and Tiny Dinosaurs
The Birmingham, Alabama, coffee scene gained a doozy this spring with the grand opening of Whammy Coffee’s first brick-and-mortar cafe… read more
World of Coffee Asia Heading to Bangkok in 2026
In conjunction with its second World of Coffee Asia (WoC) trade show in Indonesia, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announced that its 2026 flagship Asia event will take place in Bangkok, Thailand… read more
Here’s a Toast to New Coffee Drinkware at the 2025 SCA Expo
Sniffs, sips and slurps were virtually nonstop for three days last month at the annual SCA Expo in Houston… read more
Duvall Espresso Launches Sales of Groundbreaking FC-1 Espresso Machine
Seven years after revealing a prototype FC-1 espresso machine at the SCA Expo in Seattle, Duvall Espresso is now taking orders for its signature single-, dual- and three-group machines… read more
The Pinecone GH-B Grinder is Built for Budget-Friendly Bulk
Swiss coffee grinder company Pinecone recently opened a new entry point for United States customers with the launch of the GH-B grinder, designed for bulk grinding in settings such as cafes, small roastery packing lines or grocery stores… read more
Royal Coffee Continuing “Development Stage” This Fall
After hosting the inaugural Development Stage event in 2024, Oakland, California-based green coffee trader Royal Coffee is planning to drop another batch of speakers and tastings for 2025… read more
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