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Diageo press photo
Diageo Acquires Coffee Liqueur Maker Mr Black
Global spirits giant Diageo has acquired Australian-born coffee roaster and cold brew coffee liqueur maker Mr Black. The financial terms have not been disclosed, although Diageo previously acquired a minority stake in the company through its Distill Ventures business accelerator program. Mr Black was founded in 2013 by Tom Baker and Phillip Moore and is widely distributed in the United States.
Bloomberg Explores Coffee’s Fight Against Climate Change
Bloomberg’s video streaming service Quicktake has put out a short video exploring the intersection of specialty coffee and climate change. Featuring interviews with a farmer, a botanist, a plant geneticist, an author and a roaster, the video serves as an excellent primer to one of coffee’s existential threats. Watch it here.
Eversys Plans Automatic Cold Brewer Through Partnership with “Significant International Coffee Chain”
In a company announcement outlining plans for production growth at its factory in Sierre, Switzerland, fully automatic espresso machine maker Eversys said it is engaged in a joint project with “one of the world’s leading coffee house chains.” The company, which was fully acquired by De’Longhi in 2021, said the project involves a fully automatic cold brewer. The company stated, “From the beginning of 2024, large quantities of the new product shall be built in Sierre and delivered firstly to the USA. [sic.]”
Black Coffee Northwest Vandalized Again Outside Seattle
The Black-owned, youth-supportive Black Coffee Northwest coffee shop in Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle, was found vandalized yet again this week. The shop, which is associated with Grounded Youth Development Center, has experienced numerous racially inspired attacks since opening in 2020.
We were once again vandalized early this morning. The lobby will be closed today 9/28/22 and we will be drive thru only. Thanks so much for your understanding and as a community….it’s time to DO BETTER. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/RcJnmAOl0K
— Black Coffee Northwest (@CoffeeNorthwest) September 28, 2022
You can support Black Coffee Northwest here.
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe Launches Green Coffee Business in Korea
Green coffee production and trading conglomerate Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) has launched its first business in South Korea. The Germany-based group said the Korea business will be located in the Mapo-gu district in western Seoul. The office will include a cupping room and will establish partnerships with warehouses for countrywide distribution. NKG owns more than 50 companies in 26 countries.
Sustainable Harvest Partners with Ikawa for Live Triangulation Cupping
Portland, Oregon-based green coffee importer Sustainable Harvest is partnering with home roaster and pro sample roaster manufacturer Ikawa for a live triangulation cupping event taking place Thursday, Oct. 27. The event will be limited on a first-come, first-served basis to roasters in the United States and Canada who have access to Ikawa machines. Green coffees for the event will be shipped Oct. 19. Registration is available here.
Official From Brazil’s Conab Says Revisions to Crop Forecasting Are Needed
In an exclusive report from Reuters, the director of Agricultural Policy at Brazil’s food supply and statistics agency Conab, Sergio De Zen, admitted that the estimates regarding coffee crops in recent years have been consistently inaccurate, leading to forthcoming revisions in forecasting methodology. Read the story.
Ugandan Government Allocates $7.7 Million for Coffee Seedlings
The Ugandan government has pledged to devote 30 billion shillings (US$7.7 million) for the supply of seedlings to coffee and tea farmers for the upcoming fiscal year, according to a press release from Parliment.
Illycaffé Opens Second Università del Caffè Location in Brazil
Italian coffee giant Illycaffé has opened a second campus of its Università del Caffè in São Paulo, Brazil. Focused on promoting training and growth in the coffee retail sector, the Illy campus follows an initial location in Brazil and is one of more than a dozen of Illy’s Università del Caffè physical locations throughout the world.
Sacramento Juicer Sun & Soil and Insight Coffee Roasters Merge
Sacramento, California’s Insight Coffee Roasters has merged with fellow Sacramento Organic-certified pressed juice maker Sun & Soil, with the latter brand taking over Insight’s West Sacramento cafe space, according to a report from the Sacramento Business Journal.
Dutch Bros Raises $1.1 Million for Youth Support Organizations
Oregon-based coffee chain Dutch Bros earlier this month raised more than $1.1 million through its one-day “Buck For Kids” campaign. The fundraising program supporting youth-focused nonprofits domestically has been running since 2011.
In Case You Missed It
Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman
Chicago Startup Grinder Maker Zerno Readies the High-End Z1
A Chicago-based startup called Zerno is entering the high-end, single-dose prosumer coffee grinder market with its debut machine, the Zerno Z1. Pre-orders for a limited run of 100 “Launch Edition” machines opened last month and will run until Friday, Sept. 30, with prices starting at $999… Read more
A Chat with Gregory Zamfotis of Iconic New York Chain Gregorys Coffee
About a decade and a half ago — when the concept of slowness in some manual-brew-loving specialty coffee circles was firmly associated with superior quality — a bespectacled New Yorker named Gregory Zamfotis was leaning full-throttle into another concept for specialty altogether: speed… Read more
From Colombia to California, Verve Coffee Roasters’ Nursery Project Bears Fruit
This month, the California-born roasting and retail company Verve Coffee Roasters took its direct-trade operations to a whole new level as it unveiled its inaugural Farmlevel Nursery Project coffee… Read more
Inspiring and Caffeinating Screenwriters, The Lost Draft Debuts in New York
An anonymous New York City-based filmmaker this week is opening the doors to The Lost Draft, a coffee spot in Manhattan’s SoHo district. The shop is designed to provide a comfortable, inspirational and communal space for writers and crew members of television and film productions working in the city… Read more
Side Practice Coffee Puts People Front and Center in Chicago
“Having side projects or small businesses has always been a part of who I am,” Side Practice Coffee Owner Francis Almeda told DCN. “I love coming up with creative ideas, launching and building things, many of which you’ll see around the cafe.”… Read more
NCA Report: More Young Adults Than Ever Are Daily Coffee Drinkers
A record number of young adults, age 18-24, are drinking coffee in the United States, with 51% reporting drinking some kind of coffee within the past day, according to the latest edition of the National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report issued by the U.S. National Coffee Association (NCA)… Read more
Robot Barista Brand Artly Lands $8 Million, Plans Retail Expansion
Seattle-based robot barista startup Artly has closed an $8 million investment round with plans to expand its footprint of robotic barista retail kiosks. The company, led by longtime Amazon Web Services engineer Meng Wang, opened its first retail stand in Portland, Oregon, inside the Japanese lifestyle brand store MUJI in 2021… Read more
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