K.C.’s Paris Brothers Rebrands as Paris Group
Kansas City, Missouri-based Paris Brothers Inc., a family-owned company specializing in green coffee sourcing and roasting, contract manufacturing, warehousing, fulfillment and distribution, is now doing business as Paris Group. The corporate rebrand leaves the company’s family ownership, leadership and legal entity unchanged, the company said.
Former Baristas Win Preliminary $1.85 Million Award
A King County (Washington state) Superior Court judge preliminarily awarded more than $1.85 million in back pay, penalties and interest to 70 former baristas who worked at five Puget Sound-area “bikini barista” stands, most operating as Beehive Espresso, according to KING 5. The court found violations involving minimum wage, tips, sick leave and restrictions on workers’ ability to take second jobs, according to the workers’ attorneys.
Coffee Review Names First Kenneth Davids Cup Winners
Coffee Review named six gold medalists in the inaugural Kenneth Davids Cup, which featured separate U.S. and international divisions for Traditional Washed, Traditional Natural and Experimental coffees. Gold medals went to Hula Daddy Kona Coffee, Kakalove Café, Paradise Roasters, Euphora Coffee, JBC Coffee Roasters and GK Coffee. The awards program, announced in March, drew submissions from roasters in 35 U.S. states and 14 countries, representing 34 coffee-producing origins, according to Coffee Review.
Workers at Four Philz Coffee Shops File for Union Elections
Workers at Philz Coffee shops in San Francisco, Cupertino, Glendale and Torrance filed petitions for union elections. Workers at the San Francisco and Cupertino shops are seeking representation by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, while workers at the Glendale and Torrance shops are seeking representation by UFCW Local 770. The effort expands a campaign begun at the Berkeley shop, where workers voted 16-0 to unionize in 2024.
Cosori Juni Automatic Pourover Sales Launch
Cosori’s Juni automatic pourover brewer is now available for $299.99 after debuting at World of Coffee San Diego this spring. The 1.5-liter machine combines a moving nozzle, rotating brew basket and vibration with separate cone and flat-bottom baskets, while recipes can be controlled through the machine or an optional app.
Carabello Coffee’s Six-Seat Analog Coffee Bar Turns 10
Newport, Kentucky-based Carabello Coffee is marking the 10th anniversary of its six-seat Analog Coffee Bar on Sept. 17 with returning baristas, “lots of cake” and a special honey-process coffee from Costa Rica’s Aguilera Brothers. A five-week retrospective menu will revive customer favorites from the past decade, culminating with a visit from Honduran coffee producer Benjamin Paz during the week of Oct. 12.
KLVN Coffee Lab Closing in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based KLVN Coffee Lab said it will close Sept. 17 (Instagram). The company began roasting in 2015 and moved production into a 2,700-square-foot Hamilton Avenue roastery cafe in 2020. “KLVN was built by our amazing community and the careful hands that crafted your drinks everyday,” the company wrote. “Thank you to the regulars who listened to us talk about our hobbies, growing babies, eyeless cats, music & poetry. Our hands shared something much greater than a cup of coffee.”
Fuego Bloom Collaboration Features Nine Guatemalan Coffee Families
Crossings Coffee Roasters and Caffeine Crawl collaborated to launch Fuego Bloom, a natural-process coffee produced by nine coffee-growing families around Laguna de Ayarza in Santa Rosa, Guatemala. Onyx Coffee Importers helped bring the project together. Each bag pairs a fabric-curtain package designed by Caffeine Crawl Founder Jason Burton with printed responses from the families about coffee, farming and life in the region.
Starbucks Introduces Dual-Rim Sensory Shift Cup
Starbucks introduced the Sensory Shift Cup, a guided-tasting tool with two differently shaped sipping edges intended to demonstrate how cup geometry can influence flavor and aroma perception. Starbucks said the flared rim may accentuate brightness and perceived acidity, while the narrower rim may produce a sweeter impression and fuller body. The company did not announce retail availability.
Nina Smidt to Chair Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Board
Nina Smidt will succeed founder Michael R. Neumann as chairperson of the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Board of Trustees effective Oct. 1. Smidt, who also serves as CEO and spokesperson of the board at Siemens Stiftung, takes over from Neumann after more than 20 years of leadership at the foundation.
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Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
Why More Pressure Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Faster Espresso
A new physics study found that once espresso pressure reaches the range commonly used in cafes, flow through the puck stops increasing proportionally, helping explain channeling and other inconsistencies baristas encounter during extraction… read more
Anaerobic Natural Processing Lifts Quality Scores in China
A new study of Catimor coffee from Yunnan found that anaerobic fermentation paired with natural processing significantly changed the green coffee’s chemistry and produced higher sensory scores than conventional wet and dry processing… read more
Pittsburgh’s La Prima Espresso Gets Second Wind in Expanded Roastery
Approaching its 38th anniversary, Pittsburgh-based La Prima Espresso Company has expanded its roastery to 6,000 square feet, introduced redesigned retail packaging and refined its selection of seasonal and limited-release coffees… read more
Ecuador’s Deforestation-Free Coffee Model Moves Beyond the Pilot Stage
Nearly 400 coffee producers in the Ecuadorian Amazon have adopted a deforestation-free model combining traceability, geospatial monitoring and certification, with cumulative exports reaching 172.5 metric tons between 2022 and 2025… read more
Heist Hopes Its Decaf Can Steal a Share of the High-End Coffee Category
New coffee brand Heist launched with a lineup devoted to decaf and low-caf coffees, pursuing direct-to-consumer sales and wholesale accounts at high-end bars and restaurants while selecting green coffees for quality before decaffeination… read more
Radical Bean Wants to Rework the Coffee Model in Cincinnati
Cincinnati worker-owned coffee shop Topia Coffee Cooperative has reemerged as Radical Bean Cooperative following an ownership transition and two-month closure, bringing new branding and a stronger focus on affordability and community programming… read more
Coffee Type Might Affect Rate of Biological Aging in Humans, Study Finds
A study of nearly 50,000 adults found filtered coffee consumption was associated with lower biological-age acceleration, while instant coffee was associated with higher acceleration compared with not drinking coffee, though the observational results cannot establish cause and effect… read more
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