A trend that began post-Covid with trade shows that have a Sunday start date occurred at PACK EXPO International as well — lower attendance on the first day. However, attendance quickly picked up beginning Monday as show organiser, PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies), reported that the show brought together 48,000 attendees and 29,500 exhibitor personnel, reaching 77,500 in total attendance. International attendance increased 19% over 2022 (PEI is a biennial exhibition).

“PACK EXPO International 2024 has truly raised the bar for what an industry event can achieve,” said Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “This show has not only grown in scale but also in substance, attracting attendees and exhibitors from every corner of the industry. The connections made here are invaluable, reinforcing PACK EXPO’s role as an unmatched platform for innovation, collaboration, and progress across the packaging and processing landscape.”

The show has significantly grown year over year with a 10% increase in exhibit space and 24% increase in number of exhibitors from PACK EXPO International 2022. “All across the board, our numbers have increased. Exhibitors continue to showcase top innovations, and attendees are flocking to see the latest solutions to their manufacturing challenges,” said Laura Thompson, vice president of trade shows at PMMI. “It’s not just the size of our show which draws people in – it’s the quality.”

With seven pavilions tailored to meet industry demands, new show features like Sustainability Central and Emerging Brands Central, and show resources to help attendees plan their days, attendees found value throughout the show.

Exhibitors found the show rewarding with plenty of opportunities for sales leads.

“PACK EXPO International is a very important packaging show for our business in the U.S. market and the automation industry,” said Jonathan Titterton, CEO, Coesia North America. “We appreciate the opportunity to discuss with our customers’ face-to-face how customised solutions are helping them with greater flexibility, efficiency, and productivity.”

There were ample suppliers to the coffee and tea industries exhibiting at PEI this year, in addition to Coesia, including IMA SpA, Syntegon, GEA Processing, Fres-co, Buhler, CAMA Packaging, Tetra Pak, Graphic Packaging, Amcor, and Pacteon, among many others.

Attendees were able to make valuable connections off the show floor as well with popular networking events like PACK gives BACK, sponsored by Rockwell Automation, seeing nearly 3,000 attendees enjoy comedy from Nate Bargatze to benefit the PMMI Foundation. The popular Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) breakfast was held on 5 November with guest speaker Lisa Sun, founder & CEO of retail brand and lifestyle company GRAVITAS giving an inspiring presentation. The Young Professionals Networking Reception, sponsored by Beckhoff Automation LLC at Flight Chicago gave emerging leaders in packaging and processing a chance to build new relationships with their peers.

Looking to the workforce of the future, PACK EXPO International featured several activities for local students to encourage their interest in the industry. Events like the PACK Challenge, sponsored by PepsiCo, and the Amazing Packaging Race, sponsored by Emerson Discrete Automation Group, had students use their creativity and ingenuity to conquer real-life manufacturing challenges.

The next PACK EXPO event will be the new PACK EXPO Southeast, scheduled for 10-12 March 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information and to register, visit packexposoutheast.com. PACK EXPO Las Vegas will take place 29 September through 1 October 2025. For more information, visit packexpolasvegas.com. The next PACK EXPO International is scheduled for 18-21 October 2026. For more information, visit: packexpointernational.com).

The post PACK EXPO International 2024 hosts its largest show to date appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

New and expanded education and show navigation resources will help 45,000 attendees efficiently meet their sustainability objectives as they traverse more than 1.3 million square feet of floor space housing 2,700 exhibitors.

“With consumers and regulators paying more attention to sustainability, brand owners must step up their efforts to set and meet goals to increase the sustainability of their operations,” said Laura Thompson, vice president of trade shows at PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and producer of the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows. “Attendees at PACK EXPO International will be able to walk away with the information they need to set and achieve sustainability goals.”

Show resources include the launch of Sustainability Central, the Sustainability Solutions Finder, the PACK EXPO Green program, The Showcase of Packaging Innovations®, and free educational sessions.

Sustainability Central in the West Hall (Booth W-21020) will explore packaging sustainability and what it means to brands. This new show floor destination will provide a look at actionable, sustainable solutions in manufacturing, materials, recovery, logistics, analytics, and design. With over 20 educational sessions, the Sustainability Central stage will deliver critical insights. On Sunday, 3 Nov at 12 CST, PMMI experts Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, and Rebecca Marquez, director, custom research, will present Navigating Packaging Materials Transitions, an update on PMMI’s 2023 Packaging Compass report and the related Material Transitioning Dashboard, an on-line tool illustrating materials consumer packaged goods companies are using, what they are phasing out, and their likely replacements over the next five years.

Sustainability Central also will feature presentations from experts at Amazon, Conagra, Clorox, Dow, Merck, and the Consumer Brands Association and others, as well as opportunities to learn about the latest planet-friendly innovations, research, and best practices from Virginia Tech, University of Florida, Clemson University, AMERIPEN, and more.

Educational sessions related to sustainability also will be presented at the Reusable Packaging Learning Center (Booth LU-6737) in the Reusable Packaging Pavilion, the Innovation Stage (Booth N-4560, N-4580, and N-4585), the Processing Innovation Stage (Booth LU-7147), and Industry Speaks (Booth N-4544). Topics include technology and materials innovations, the use of recycled content and renewable materials, transformation of waste, circularity, refill/reuse options, life cycle assessment, sustainable package design, reduction in emissions, extended producer responsibility, and data collection.

At the Reusable Packaging Pavilion, members of the Reusable Packaging Association will demonstrate ways to reduce waste, cut costs, and gain supply chain efficiency. Visitors to the pavilion will also be able to explore reusable transport packaging products and services as well as learn about innovative reuse options.

Showgoers can locate sustainability resources quickly by using the Sustainability Solutions Finder kiosk located in Sustainability Central. This professionally vetted and searchable tool identifies exhibitors with environmentally friendly products and machinery. Sustainable materials and machinery suppliers and service providers also are identified by the PACK EXPO Green icon signage on the show floor. The logo also indicates which educational sessions explore sustainability topics.

Real-world examples of sustainable packaging from around the world may be found at The Showcase of Packaging Innovations® and located within the Containers and Materials Pavilion in the West Hall (Booth W-21030).

At the venue, PMMI is working with Dow, the Official Sustainability Partner and the Official Sponsor of Show Floor Recycling at PACK EXPO International, to minimise the environmental impact of the event and divert as much waste as possible from landfills. Recyclable items include paper, paperboard, and corrugated; metal cans; unbroken glass containers; 01-PET and 02-HDPE containers; and name badges (look for badge collection bins at shuttle bus areas).

PMMI also noted that McCormick Place itself has been recognised for its innovative strategies to reduce its carbon footprint and has received official acknowledgment by independent third-party organisations such as LEED, APEX, Green Seal, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Learn more about PACK EXPO International’s Sustainability Commitment here. For more information and to register for the show, visit packexpointernational.com.

The post PACK EXPO International shines the spotlight on sustainability appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

While innovation and new/upgraded technology are always key themes, similar to most exhibitions of late, the main theme was sustainable innovation, with exhibitors touting their sustainable/eco-friendly machinery and initiatives.

For example, Cimbria’s new SEA.IQ Optical Sorter is designed to recognise all defects and imperfections. It features cameras with integrated RGB, NIR and SWIR or UV working multifrequency to match multiple data collected during thousands of scans per second.

Goglio introduced a coffee capsule equipped with a degassing valve. This design makes it possible to immediately package fresh coffee without having to wait for the degassing process, which reduces storage times and preserves the aroma of the coffee. The capsule is also available in a 100% compostable version to meet the regulations being discussed in Italy and Europe, and is already certified as industrially compostable.

Mikafi, a Swiss startup, launched its electric tabletop roasting machine at Host Milan. The founders believe that in a world where sustainability, personalisation, and quality experiences are becoming more important, coffee roasting must be ‘rethought’. Designed for the HoReCa market, and in partnership with Thermoplan, the MikafiOne is a fully automated roasting system that uses AI and IoT that offers pre-programmed roast profiles – so non-baristas or inexperienced roasters can use it – as well as customisable roast profiles. “Anyone can roast the coffee, you do not need a roast master and it frees up the barista, said co-founder and CPO, Claudio Vögtli. He shared that the MikafiOne roasts 1 kilo of coffee, which enables businesses to offer a special roast daily in addition to their standard coffee assortment.

Caffe Vergnano was highlighting its ‘Women in Coffee’, which is the company’s women-focused sustainability initiative developed by CEO Carolina Vergnano. Launched in 2018 in collaboration with the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA), the initiative is aimed at supporting women working in small coffee plantations. The initial project in 2019 focused on the Dominican Republic, followed by Honduras beginning in 2020. This year’s project is a further evolution of the Honduras initiative, which will provide equipment for the library (that was built between 2021 and 2022) and a cafeteria. Proceeds from the Women in Coffee items – all pink – that are sold online and in WIC Cafés around the world, contribute to the project. For more information or to purchase items, visit caffevergnano.com.

After being decimated during the pandemic as stay-at-home orders were implemented globally, the office coffee service (OCS) industry is making a comeback this year. At Host Milan, OCS machine manufacturers exhibited a range of products that are stylish, fully automated, offer high quality beverages, and, most importantly, are durable, easy to use and easy to maintain. Bravilor Bonamat, Rancillo and Bunn were just a few of the companies that showcased the latest in OCS technology.

The 44th edition of Host Milan will be held at fieramilano from 17 to 21 October 2025.

• Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

The post Host Milan returns to full form hyping the latest technologies and sustainable innovation appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Jim Pittas, president & CEO, PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies), said “Pack Expo Las Vegas (‘PELV’) was the largest since its inception” with more than 32,000 attendees and over 2,300 exhibitors spanning more than one million square feet of exhibit space. PMMI executives said the show had reached maximum capacity despite continued interest from companies wanting to exhibit as the new West Hall was occupied with a different exhibition.

Pack Expo – whether in Las Vegas or Chicago – is the premier trade show in the United States annually to observe the latest packaging and processing solutions in action, with suppliers showcasing diverse innovations for more than 40 vertical markets. According to PMMI, industry growth remains steady at 3.4 percent with the total size of the market in the U.S. reaching $10.2 billion.

Sustainability and automation were the major themes of PELV. A new Sustainability Central area served as an interactive resource to learn about design, materials, manufacturing, recovery, logistics, and data. At the accompanying Sustainability Stage, presenters spoke on a range of packaging sustainability topics, advising attendees how to make their brands more environmentally friendly. The Pack Expo Green Program – which identifies exhibiting companies that provide sustainable solutions via new materials, technology, or strategies such as sustainable processes and machines, renewable and biodegradable packaging, source reduction and lightweighting, recyclable and recycled-content materials, or innovations that reduce carbon footprint – returned to PELV.

At a media briefing on the opening day of Pack Expo Las Vegas, Pierre Pienaar, president of the World Packaging Organisation, which facilitates solutions to global challenges in all areas of packaging, said that the packaging industry is “at a crossroads where the future of packaging is in our hands. “Decisions need to be made that will alter the course and map the path for future generations.” He believes that the reduction of food waste can be achieved through the better use of packaging and awareness.

Pienaar noted that the material types that we use “have and will change the landscape, having a direct impact on sustainability.” He added that the technology that we design and implement, will “map the course of energy reduction that we will follow over the next 10-20 years.” Furthermore, the “innovation of new ideas in packaging will make the difference in creating a successful and sustainable circular economy. We need to empower consumers with the ability to lead their lives in a more environmentally positive way.”

In an exclusive conversation with T&CTJ, Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI, said that labour and manufacturing challenges have fuelled innovation because many technologies – primarily in automation – have been adapting to close gaps in availability and skills. Additionally, the area of remote access continues to gain strength. “Remote access is not new,” he explained, “it’s been around but companies didn’t take advantage of it because of cyber security concerns. Covid forced them to look. Covid was a catalyser and once companies started using it, they realised they can utilise remote access technologies in multiple areas.”

Izquierdo noted that there are still supply chain challenges, but they are not as bad as in 2021 and 2022. “A lot of orders in 2023 are from 2022 but they were delayed because of supply chain issues that have finally been resolved (such as the delays with electronic components),” he explained, noting that wait times have improved significantly but they will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

“E-commerce exploded during Covid. We’re finding significant demand for packaging and fulfillment machinery at the warehouse level because of companies doing to direct to consumer,” said Izquierdo. “When sending direct to consumer, there is a mix of different products so the box will have different varieties in it and they will need to be packed into smaller boxes. This is happening at the warehouse, not the manufacturing plant so now warehouses need case sealing equipment, labelling equipment, etc. All this requires different types of equipment in warehouse.”

Pack Expo Las Vegas offered 100+ educational sessions organised into five different areas (Innovation Stage, Processing Innovation Stage, The Forum, etc). Topics ranged from robotics, automation, AI, and sustainability, to advances in food and beverage processing, digitalisation, cybersecurity, integration of cobots into manufacturing, to the benefits, ROI, and points of consideration for companies switching to reusables.

One sustainability session, ‘Sustainability — What Does it Mean in Packaging Materials?’, focused on the trends and developments specific to food packaging. The presenter, Gregg Poffenbarger, business unit director, materials at the Multivac Group, noted how methane gas is 80 times worse for the environment than CO2. He then listed several holistic approaches to mitigating waste that included reducing plastic content in favour of paperboard and formable papers as well as smaller packages. “With smaller packages, there is portion control so there is less food waste and less packaging water going into landfills.”

PELV also raised $30,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping the nation’s first responders, military heroes, injured veterans, homeless veterans, and their families. For over 20 years, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has honoured the late FDNY (Fire Department of New York) firefighter Stephen Siller’s legacy by supporting the heroes who continue to risk life and limb in the line of duty.

“With our show opening on 9/11, we could not think of a better way to honour the lives lost during that tragedy than to support an organization like Tunnel to Towers that keeps the legacy of those heroes alive by providing support to the first responders, military heroes, and veterans who are with us today,” said Pittas. “We’re grateful to all who donated and showed their support.”

Pack Expo International will take place 3-6 November 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. — Vanessa L Facenda

The post Pack Expo Las Vegas Reaches Record Numbers, Touts Sustainability appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

It is vital for the packaging and processing industries to come together and share innovations, connect with colleagues, hear from experts and see machinery-in-action — and Pack Expo International 2022 is the most efficient and effective way to do it all, offering solutions for over 40 vertical markets. No other event this year will showcase entire production line solutions and offer attendees everything needed to compete in a changing marketplace.

New at Pack Expo International
• Pack to the Future Exhibit: Go Pack to the Future in an interactive exhibit new to Pack Expo International. Pack to the Future celebrates the role of packaging and processing through history and the impact it is poised to have on our future.

This curated exhibit includes historical equipment, materials and photographs spanning 250 years, journeying through the evolution of packaging and processing, and highlighting how the industry developed alongside civilization. This exhibit will be in the West Building at booth W20001.

The Pack to the Future Stage will provide thought-provoking sessions on groundbreaking industry advancements and features free presentations by industry experts on advances in pharmaceutical and cannabis packaging, wireless factory automation, sustainable alternatives, smart packaging, artificial intelligence and more! The Pack to the Future stage will be in the West Building at booth W20025.

• The Processing Zone: It’s back and better than ever! The Processing Zone returns to Pack Expo in 2022 with the widest variety of food and beverage processing equipment. In today’s manufacturing environment, processing and packaging are integrated systems, making it critical to bring both solutions under one roof. Start your search for front-of-the-line solutions such as homogenizing, heat treating, forming/sizing and coating in The Processing Zone.

Attendees will discover solutions to increase efficiency, achieve total system integration and ensure safety. Visit The Processing Zone in the Lakeside Center at PACK EXPO International 2022! The Processing Zone will be located at booths LU7000-LU7799.

New in 2022, the Processing Innovation Stage (booth LU7130), will focus on the latest food and beverage processing breakthroughs. Conveniently located in the Processing Zone, no additional registration is required for attendees to take a break from the show floor and learn something new.

• Pack Match: This complimentary consultation makes its Pack Expo International debut, providing attendees personalized, one-on-one guidance to locate targeted solutions. Whether an emerging brand or a well-established household name, Pack Match Advisors are available for 30-minute virtual consultations to connect attendees with the right suppliers. Attendees complete an online form to indicate their challenges and ensure they are matched with the appropriate industry expert to use the service. Once the match is made, attendees schedule a virtual meeting with their assigned Pack Match Advisor to receive non-biased guidance and recommended exhibitors to suit their business needs. Meetings will begin approximately three weeks prior to the show. Assigned on a first come-first serve basis, meeting spots are limited.

• Pack Challenge: A new packaging competition at Pack Expo International brings six high school teams together for a head-to-head machine-building competition. PMMI will provide a build to print snack filler machine kit, designed specifically for this competition, along with an assembly (flight manual) to the qualifying teams. Each team will assemble the snack filler to the specifications at Pack Expo International and have the flexibility to be creative with add-ons. The winning school will be awarded USD $5,000 with an additional $2,000 split between individual team members. The other five teams in attendance will receive $1,000 for participating in the event. After the event, the teams will take the machines back to their school, providing future students the opportunity for hands-on experience.

• Industry Meets: The Industry Meets at Pack Expo with targeted mini-industry events hosted by a record number of association partners as part of the Partner Plus Program. In addition, Association Partner thought leaders will present the latest industry trends on the Industry Speaks stage throughout the show.

• The Logistics Pavilion: A new pavilion a Pack Expo International, logistics is a crucial part of the product journey from manufacturer to consumer — and among the top five searches on the Pack Expo website. With the boom in e-commerce, The Logistics Pavilion will be the place to find targeted solutions related to the supply chain, including warehousing, fulfillment, distribution logistics services and transportation providers. Located in the North Building.

Free Show Floor Education
• The Forum at Pack Expo: Take advantage of free, unique, interactive learning sessions throughout Pack Expo International. The Forum at Pack Expo will feature 45-minute sessions, open to all attendees, on the latest industry trends. Sessions will be interactive, including activities, small group discussions and Q&A sessions. Located in the North Hall at booth N4543.
• The Innovation Stages: On the show floor, the three Innovation Stages present free 30-minute seminars on breakthrough technologies and techniques focused on a wide range of industry-specific solutions. Innovation stages are located in the North Hall at booths N4560, N4580, N4585.
• See also the Processing Innovation Stage, the Pack to the Future Stage and Industry Speaks Stage mentioned above. These are all free to attendees and conveniently located on the show floor.

Returning Pavilions at the 2022 Show
• The Package Printing Pavilion: This area in the South Building features digital printing and converting, labeling, coding and marking technologies.
• The Containers and Materials Pavilion: Big trends such as sustainability, recyclability, e-commerce and consumer convenience have loomed large in recent years in this pavilion. Located in the West Building, it is a prime destination for companies looking to refresh a brand, launch new products, broaden appeal and attract attention.
• Pack Expo International attendees can network with peers, gain specialized insights and rest their feet at the Candy Bar Lounge, hosted by The National Confectioners Association (NCA), and sponsored by Syntegon Packaging Technology, LLC. The lounge offers a place for casual networking and idea sharing. Located within the Confectionery Pavilion in the South Building.
• The Reusable Packaging Pavilion: This pavilion, sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, showcases sustainable packaging solutions to help reduce waste, cut costs and gain supply chain efficiency. Explore reusable transport packaging products and services and see innovative reuse solutions from over 30 exhibitors. Sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, this pavilion will be located in Upper Lakeside at booths LU6700 – LU6999.
• PMMI U Workforce Development Pavilion: Located in the West Hall Concourse, this is Pack Expo International’s one-stop-shop for resources to strengthen your current workforce and grow the existing workforce. Learn about PMMI U offerings, including popular training workshops. Schools will present mechatronics, packaging and processing offerings, and you can meet students interested in careers in the industry.
• Association Partner Pavilion: This pavilion houses leading associations dedicated to advancing the packaging and processing industry, offering significant resources, insights and expertise all in one central location within the North Hall at booths N4510 – N5101.

Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) Networking Event
PPWLN serves to recruit, retain and advance women’s careers in packaging and processing. Each Pack Expo, the PPWLN hosts a networking event addressing a timely issue facing women in the industry.

The annual PPWLN breakfast will take place Tuesday, 25 October, 7:30-9:00 am, in Room, S-100 at McCormick Place. Hear from keynote speaker Dawn Hudson, former Chief Marketing Officer at the National Football League and former president and CEO of Pepsi Cola North America, who has led an impressive career spanning high-level posts in media, retail, consumer goods, consulting, and healthcare at some of the biggest corporations in the world.

Pack Expo Green
The Pack Expo Green Program is the commitment of Pack Expo and all its partners, vendors and exhibitors working together to create a more sustainable world. Find below information and resources to aid and advance your company’s unique sustainability goals.

Reusable Packaging Learning Center
Learn the latest trends and benefits of reusable packaging, in the Lakeside Upper Building, booth LU6737. Discover how implementing a reusable packaging system can improve material handling performance, reduce operating costs, create new economic values, and lower environmental impacts in your supply chain.

The Emerging Brands Summit, organised by PMMI Media Group, will launch at this year’s show and will be a one-day event featuring educational content and tabletop exhibits. This new program is aimed at founders and leaders of startup manufacturing companies looking to scale their brand to larger production through either in-house facility build out or outsourced relationships with contract manufacturers and packagers. Exhibitors will include packaging machinery, packaging materials, processing equipment, and contract manufacturing and packaging.

Visit packexpointernational.com to register, search suppliers and for more information.

The post Pack Expo International 2022 begins 23 October appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

After several rounds of input from the consortium, the open consultation on the guideline drafts is finished and will be launched in spring 2020.

As a consortium of companies and associations representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging, Ceflex aims to establish a collecting, sorting and reprocessing infrastructure throughout Europe by 2025.

“Sustainable packaging needs to be easily recyclable and processable at the same time,” said Matthias Klauser, project leader and sustainability expert at Syntegon Technology.

“With our long-standing expertise we can help to pave the way to a circular economy that leaves room for production efficiency.”

Together with some of Ceflex’s industry partners, Syntegon Technology is developing the design guideline for flexible packaging as part of a circular economy roadmap for the whole value chain.

“With the guidelines, Ceflex aims to offer a widely recognised guidance on flexible packaging materials,” Klauser said. “We want to support Ceflex in reconciling sustainability and efficiency requirements, since not every sustainable packaging material is easy to process in an efficient manner.”

Depending on the material, processes such as sealing might take longer, affecting output and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Klauser explained: “We see considerable potential for instance in mono-polyolefines and other monomaterials. At the same time, packaging and processing equipment providers will need to adapt their technologies to facilitate implementation of the guidelines. This includes making new materials processable on existing equipment, as well as developing new machine technologies that are suited for all kinds of materials today and in the future.”

Circular economy – the origins

The concept of a circular economy dates back to the mid-1960s, when American economists were looking for possibilities to use resources in a more sustainable way. As opposed to linear economies where products are made and then disposed of, circular systems try to restore products, components, or materials by reusing, repairing or even recycling them.

The concept has evolved ever since, with the European Commission first issuing a circular economy manifesto in 2012, then successfully implementing a Circular Economy Action plan with 54 measures in 2018. The latter saw the adoption of ambitious initiatives, including a directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. However, the transition to a circular economy not only requires policy makers to provide the framework. It also relies on the support of key industry players, from material producers to flexible packaging converters, packaging equipment manufacturers, brand owners and sorting and recycling companies.

The post Syntegon supports CEFLEX initiative on flexible packaging appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Aspen opened the new 65,000-square-foot facility in San Antonio, made possible thanks to a substantial investment from Aspen’s parent company, James Finlay Limited of London, England.     

“When Finlays bought Aspen Beverage Group in 2017, the UK-based tea and coffee firm immediately began to invest in Aspen. This latest expansion enables us to increase production in one of the fastest growing segments in the coffee industry, cold brew supporting leading national retailers and global brands throughout the US, Asia and Europe,” said Aspen CEO Charley Snell. “I want to thank Finlays for making this possible.”

Neil Willsher, chairman of the board of Aspen and group operations director of James Finlay Limited said: “San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, and Aspen Beverage Group is one of the fastest-growing coffee companies in the nation,” Willsher said. “We are proud to make this investment that will help Aspen continue its fast track for growth and help increase the number of manufacturing jobs that contribute to San Antonio’s economy.”

About Aspen Beverage Group

Aspen was originally founded by San Antonio entrepreneur Chad McNair and has been creating custom beverage solutions since 1993, specializing in coffee extracts and concentrates. In 2017, James Finlay acquired 100% of the shares in Aspen Beverage. The company offers a line-up of Pure Cold Brew Extracts, Liquid Coffee Concentrates, Iced Coffees, and Cappuccino Icers. Aspen’s customers include national brand retailers, CPG (consumer-packaged goods) companies and private label companies. For more information, visit www.aspenbeverage.com.

The post Aspen Beverage Group expands production site appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

In addition to the construction of new processing facilities, the agreement increases CLR Roasters’ profit participation in the green coffee distribution business with its partners from 50% to 75% of profits. As part of the agreement CLR is also acquiring the coffee brand Café Cachita.

The new processing facility is conveniently located in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, close to the local coffee growing region. When complete, the planned facility is expected to have 28,000 square feet of office space, a 160,000 square foot warehouse capable of holding 48 million pounds of green coffee, and the ability to process over 53 million pounds of green coffee on an annual basis. The facility is expected to be equipped with the most modern technology available and to house a highly efficient lab that will allow for consistency in quality.

The construction for the new processing facility is expected to be complete by September 2019 in time for the 2020 harvest which will be the second year of the CLR Roasters’ recently signed, 5-year, $250 million green coffee contract.

“We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Alain Hernandez of H and H Export company and Marisol Silas of Silas Family Plantation Group. We cannot think of better people to be in business with in Nicaragua,” said Dave Briskie, president and CFO of Youngevity, CLR Roaster’s parent company. “In addition to the new facility we will be retaining our current processing facility, known as La Pita, to produce our certified coffees. Having the ability to keep our organic, rainforest alliance and other certified coffees separate from conventional coffees should provide us with a strong strategic advantage in the market and increased capacity to support growth in the coming years.”

“I am extremely excited about the expanded partnership with Youngevity, CLR, and Siles Family Plantation,” said Alain Hernandez, president of H&H Export company. “We have been developing this expanded opportunity for several years and it is very special to see it come to fruition. We expect that these capabilities, along with the strong relationship with our producers, will provide us a competitive edge in this market.”

Ernesto Aguila, Founder of CLR Roasters said: “We are very excited to add a second espresso brand to our product portfolio. Café Cachita provides us with additional shelf space at retail and allows us to be more competitive with our marketing and sales efforts and should drive incremental revenue for our Cafe La Rica brand in the marketplace as well.”

Marisol Siles, president of Siles Family Plantation Group, stated, “With all our teams working together for one common goal this business relationship will be significant for all of us. Due to the scale of this project we anticipate being better able to support the local community and increase our social responsibility which is a very important part of our culture.”

About CLR Roaster

Youngevity’s coffee manufacturing division, CLR Roasters, was established in 2001 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary. CLR Roasters is a full-sized coffee roaster that produces gourmet coffees under its own boutique brands — Café La Rica, Josie’s Java House, and Javalution; manufactures a variety of private labels for major national chains; and for the direct selling channel under Youngevity International. In May 2014, CLR acquired a coffee plantation and processing facility in Nicaragua, allowing the entity to control coffee production and quality — from field to cup.

About Youngevity International, Inc.

YGYI, Inc., is a leading omni-direct lifestyle company offering a hybrid of the direct selling business model, that also offers e-commerce and the power of social selling. The Company was formed in the course of the summer 2011 merger of Youngevity Essential Life Sciences with Javalution Coffee Company (now part of the company’s food and beverage division). The resulting company became Youngevity International, Inc. in July 2013.

The post CLR Roasters to expand in Nicaragua appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

“Our commitment to education is at the core of our mission,” said Marcus Young, campus director. “Boot Coffee Campus actively promotes diversity in the coffee sector and increased opportunities for everyone in the supply chain to thrive through education, innovation, quality improvements, and inclusive business practices.”

To support these goals, Boot Coffee Campus is offering three scholarships in 2019. Available to roasters, baristas and sensory professionals, the full-tuition scholarship program, valued at more than $6,000, can be applied to Boot Coffee Campus programs or SCA Coffee Skills Program courses, and includes course registration and materials for up to one week of training, exams, SCA certificate fees, and lunch during each day of the course.

One scholarship in each of the following three categories will be awarded in 2019.

#ShesTheRoaster Scholarship: In collaboration with #ShesTheRoaster, this scholarship promotes and encourages self-identifying women and non-binary individuals in the coffee industry to attend professional coffee roasting training.

Producing Country Scholarship: This scholarship will honor one individual from a producing country who seeks to raise the quality of coffee, as well as the quality of life for producers in their community.

Social Enterprise Scholarship: This scholarship will be presented to an individual working with an NGO, not-for-profit, or certified B Corporation.

Applications for scholarships will be accepted until February 28, 2019, and will be awarded in March. For a full list of requirements, and information on the application process, visit https://bootcoffee.com/scholarship/

The post Boot Coffee Campus announces 2019 scholarships appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Bühler is addressing the global food market with a newly created segment: Consumer Foods.

The post Bühler focus on consumer foods with new segment appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

With health-conscious consumers representing a major segment of the beverage market, the industry continues to face a demand for additive-free, nutritious drinks. Specialty teas, coffees and other more natural drinks are growing exponentially in popularity as consumers gain awareness and take stake in the ingredients in their beverages. In this market climate, consumers are willing to pay a premium for beverages they feel will enhance or preserve their health.

This demand presents opportunities for smaller specialty beverage brands with foundations of natural ingredients and home-grown recipes to blossom. As smaller companies find their footing, co-packing can help take business from a local operation to a household name, but entering a co-packing partnership involves so much more than simply handing over the production reins. As tea and coffee manufacturers select a co-packer, it’s critical to consider all of the elements that may come into play, from capacity to reputation.

Benefits of Co-Packing

While it may be difficult for a beverage brand to relinquish part of the manufacturing process, forming a relationship with a co-packer can offer significant time-saving and cost-saving benefits, as well as greater flexibility. Signing on a co-packer means a brand can allocate more resources and funding to building brand presence and marketing initiatives. The decision to hand off production also eliminates the substantial financial burden required for purchasing equipment and the day-to-day risks associated with managing a facility, such as product quality, equipment maintenance and worker safety.

Co-packing also offers the perk of an easier transition if and when the decision is ever made to sell the brand to a large corporation. When selling the business is a brand’s ultimate goal, there is no need to take on in-house production. Larger corporations already have the resources and capabilities in place to handle the manufacturing of many products. Still, even if selling is not in a brand’s future, enlisting a co-packer can be an excellent way to gradually move from initial start-up growth toward in-house production. Co-packing can assist with expanding reach until a brand’s presence becomes more robust.

Market Shifts Impact Co-Packing

The rise of natural products in the beverage market is causing a shake-up in co-packing, according to PMMI’s 2018 Beverage Trends in Packaging and Processing Operations Report. Consumers demand tea made from actual tea leaves as opposed to concentrate, and these formulas require new equipment, different processes and more space that even the major co-packing players cannot always accommodate. As a result, co-packers receive a large portion of new beverage tea production, leading to not only new lines but entirely new facilities that operate around this growing need and can scale up as demand increases. Equipment for this type of tea, as well as for cold brew coffee and retort beverages, currently make up the largest demand for beverage production.

Selecting the Right Size 

Once a brand decides to source a co-packer, there are multiple aspects to look out for before signing a contract. These companies should focus on selecting a co-packer that matches the size of the brand, ensuring the co-packer is attentive to its needs without being too costly. Hunting for the perfect-sized co-packer can be tricky. Burgeoning brands may want to avoid larger co-packers if those companies have a track record of cutting smaller customers out of production when juggling higher-volume orders. Larger co-packers can also come with minimum requirements for runs that are above what a small- to mid-sized tea or coffee brands require. Smaller beverage companies also have difficulties getting good pricing on raw materials and packaging materials, as well as placement in the production schedule, according to PMMI. Ideally, a brand will select a co-packer similar in size and the two entities can grow together.

It is also important for brands to consider the characteristics of their product and required manufacturing processes. Before beginning their search, brands must establish a list of demands, whether it be just manufacturing or also sourcing ingredients and handling other steps. It’s critical for brands to ensure a co-packer is properly equipped to handle their needs, so touring the facility and understanding a co-packer’s current client roster are beneficial steps. Additionally, it’s worth assessing whether a potential co-packing partner is ready to handle busy seasons.

Identifying Special Product Needs

Before entering a contract, it’s imperative to lay out any additional needs or specifications of the product that the co-packer will be manufacturing. It’s paramount that co-packers be open to adding new SKUs to production and that their lines can accommodate this changeover. Certain products also may require special certification or capabilities. Tea made from real tea leaves, for example, requires specific extraction, agitation and steeping techniques. As additive-free beverages continue to gain popularity, filling lines must be adapted to the unique behaviours of these formulas, and not all co-packers will be prepared to meet these requirements.

Co-packers may also lack the packaging format a brand desires. According to PMMI, some companies have had to source co-packers outside the United States to get the packaging required for their products. This is a current issue for retort packaging, which many coffee and tea brands are utilizing for their products.

Transparency and Compatibility 

Ensuring a successful contract with a co-packer relies heavily on how compatible the co-packer is with the brand. Co-packers that make for easy partners are those that offer collaborative environments and are transparent with their brands about any issues or changes in production. Often, the best way to understand how a co-packer operates in a partnership is to examine its previous and existing clients and find out what their opinions are of the co-packer.

A co-packer’s quality is also evident in its response to a crisis. If a co-packer ever had a recall situation, the way it handled this issue can be revealing of its overall attitudes and commitment to product quality and consumer safety. It’s important to research these cases and to also check in on how a co-packer handles various procedures in general in order to understand its sanitary standards, quality testing methods and inspection schedules.

Pick a Co-Packer for the Future

Brands with successful co-packing partnerships have chosen companies that support their long-term growth and are able to adapt to new ideas and changing needs. Often co-packers will have research and development teams in house and can provide insight on packaging trends, graphics expertise and cost-saving methods that brands can utilize in production. Choosing a co-packer that holds these capabilities and is actively anticipating movement in the market can help a brand differentiate.

Ultimately, brands should go with their gut. If a co-packer checks all the boxes for capacity and capabilities and has a solid reputation, entering a partnership has the potential to grow a brand far beyond the collaborator’s imagination.

Sean Riley is senior director, media and industry communications, PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Tea and coffee companies seeking expert insight into co-packing and other manufacturing needs can find solutions at the second ProFood Tech, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, 26-28 March 2019. The show will be organized by PMMI, which produces Pack Expo; Koelnmesse, which runs Anuga; and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). For information on ProFood Tech, visit profoodtech.com.

The post Choosing the Right Co-Packer appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

With population of 80 million and an average per capita tea consumption of 1.5 kg, Iran is the world’s fifth biggest tea importer, estimations of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad showed. The overall domestic demand is estimated at 110,000 metric tonnes (mt) of the total worth up to USD $600 million, of which less than 25,000 mt is covered by the national tea industry, according to estimations of the Iran Tea Organization, an industrial association that unites tea manufacturers and importers in Iran.

Mohammad Rouzbehan, head of the Iran Tea Organization (ITO) believes that the Iranian fiscal year that started 21 March 2016 and ended 20 March 2017 was probably the best one for the domestic tea industry in the past decade. The country produced 139,000 mt of fresh tea leaves worth IRN 2.34 trillion (USD $62 million), of which processing factories manufactured 31,200 mt of dried tea, according to a statement posted on the ITO’s website. This was the highest figure since 2009-10 season, when the original international sanctions imposed against Iran began taking their toll.

Preliminary forecasts say that this year the overall production of fresh tea leaves and dried tea would not exceed 120,000 mt and 25,000 mt, respectively, primarily due to the poor weather conditions in the main tea-growing provinces of the country during the first months of the year. Nevertheless, this is almost two times higher, as compared to the record lows in production achieved in 2012-13, when the economic situation in the country was especially tough.

The Iranian tea industry is regulated to a great extent by the government. Almost all fresh tea leaves are purchased by a special government agency at a guaranteed price. With ups and downs in production costs and the offered price, which changes every year, domestic tea producers have had hard times, but in 2016-17 and 2017-18 the industry also saw a record-breaking profitability, the research conducted by ITO showed.

Impact of the Original Sanctions

The original sanctions against Iran imposed by the United Nations Security Council in 2006 have brought turmoil to the domestic tea market, according to the ITO.

“This was not only about the general pressure on the domestic economy, but primarily about the restrictions on international banking transactions. The exchange rate of the national currency slumped, but that was not too important, because all banks in the republic were disconnected from the SWIFT system, so no payments for imported tea could be made,” explained Mohamed Arzani, a member of ITO. SWIFT – The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication – is an international network that enables banks to send and receive information about transactions. Iran was disconnected from SWIFT when the original sanctions were introduced, and this resulted in the local banks being cut off from the global banking system. This means that no payments for the imported products could be made and no payment for exported products could be received.

“As the result, we experienced severe problems in the domestic tea market, and a strong upturn in the tea smuggling into the country,” Arzani said. “The price for some imported products, like tea, for several years was so high, that it was not affordable for the middle class.” The reinstated sanctions are due to come into effect in a few months and although the production performance in the industry is different from 2016, the impact on the market is still expected to be strong.

In a statement released in early August, the Iran Customs Administration announced that the export of tea as well as some paper, dairy products and tissue were banned in packages weighing more than 500g. The statement said that the restrictions were imposed “until further notice” and the ultimate goal of that measure was “of balancing the domestic market.”

Iran exports only small batches of tea to neighbouring countries as well as to Russia. The overall supplies reach only 10 mt per month, but even these volumes could be crucial, when the domestic market is on the verge of an acute shortage. The export restrictions were maintained for slightly longer than a month, as in early September Mostafa Salari, governor of the Gilan province, announced that tea companies managed to urge the national tea industry to withdraw those limitations.

Despite this, the threat that the new sanctions will push the country to a food crisis similar to the one that took place in 2012, when the strong rise in prices for some products like poultry sparked hungry riots in Tehran and several other major cities, is still quite real. Noting this, some government officials say that the country must become self-sufficient with tea.

“Iran has 50 million ha [hectares] of agricultural land, of which only 20 million ha is actually used. We have good climate conditions and great potential to increase production of the main agricultural products,” commented Mehdi Taphreshi, head of the food department agency of Iran. In theory, Iran could increase tea production by 20 percent per year during the coming five years, in order to eventually abandon tea import completely, Taphreshi forecast. This, however, would take huge state aid and private investments.

Importers Express Concerns

The sanctions against Iran could also affect tea production in India, Sri Lanka and Kenya – the biggest tea suppliers to the country. These three countries jointly export nearly 50,000 mt to 55,000 mt of tea to Iran per year, which constitutes 95 percent of legal tea imports in Iran. All importers confirmed they were concerned about the renewal of the international sanctions.

“We may not be able to export tea to that [Iranian] market because of the sanctions. Payments for tea sold to Iranian companies will be difficult as the dollar is the dominant currency of trade,” Alfred Busolo, director general for the Agriculture and Food Authority of Kenya told the local news outlet Daily Nation.

In the meantime, the Indian Tea Association was seeking to conclude a deal with the Iranian government “on a special exchange rate for tea” after 4 November, when the US sanctions would come into effect.

The “special exchange rate” when some products are purchased avoiding transactions in dollars under financial terms attractive for importers were offered by the Iranian government for some essential goods, like pharmaceuticals. It is not clear, however, whether the same approach could be used with regard to tea imports.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is holding a series of round-table discussions on selling Ceylon tea if Iran would be affected by further sanctions, the Central Bank said in a statement published on its website in August. At the same time, Sri Lanka offered to export tea to Iran in exchange to the USD $250 million debt for oil supplies owned to the country by the national Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. The proposal reportedly was rejected by Iran, but the same concerns – about how the trade could be continued after 4 November – are being voiced.

Coffeehouses Jeopardized

For several centuries in the past, coffee was more popular than tea in Iran. Those times have long gone, and now tea is the national drink in the Islamic Republic. Nevertheless, coffee imports to the country increased almost ten times during the past decade, from only $600,000 in 2006 to $8.5 million in 2017, official statistical data indicates.

Iran imports around 3,000 mt of coffee per year, primarily from the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Turkey and Italy. Whilst most citizens drink tea at home, coffee is primarily served in coffee shops that are rapidly emerging in all major cities of the country. There were 300 coffee shops in Tehran alone last year. Coffee shops enjoy growing popularity, especially among the youth to some extent because in the country there are no bars, as alcohol is strictly prohibited.

Over the past few months, coffee shops and coffee importers were expressing concerns that the new sanctions may put an end to what is called a “coffee boom” in Iran. In April 2018 for the first time in its history, Iran imported more than $1 million of coffee in one month as importers started purchasing coffee in advance. It remains to be seen how the coffee industry will be able to cope with the challenges that are about to arise after 4 November.

Vladislav Vorotnikov is a Moscow, Russia-based journalist specializing in the food industry of Russia, Ukraine and other countries in the post-Soviet space. He may be reached at: Vorotnikov.vlsl@gmail.com.

The post Sanctions Could Destabilize Iran’s Tea and Coffee Markets appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The post November 2018 appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

“We are excited to finally unveil the Hōjicha Co brand,” says Danielle Geva, co-founder of Hōjicha Co, the first brand to specialize in hōjicha. “There is an opportunity for a broader audience to discover and enjoy the benefits of hōjicha, and we are looking forward to introduce our roasted green tea products to the world.”

Hōjicha has taken the Japanese food industry by storm with over 90 product launches in the last year, including food products from popular brands such as Haagen-Dazs and Starbucks. According to market research firm Intage Inc, hōjicha’s share of the sugar-free tea products in Japan has already reached 3.5%, and sales have been increasing steadily year over year.

“The hōjicha boom in Japan may quickly spread internationally and could overtake matcha in the near future,” says Mitsue Konishi, senior innovation analyst of consumer at GlobalData.

The idea to bring hōjicha to North America was sparked during the founders’ recent trip to Japan, when they were offered hōjicha at a small teahouse in the Shinsaibashi district of Osaka. They had never encountered a green tea with such a pleasant aroma before and were eager to share the beverage with friends and family.

Hōjicha tea originated in Kyoto in the 1920s when a tea merchant tried to make the most of leftover tea leaves, stems, stalks, and twigs by roasting them over charcoal. Shortly after hōjicha was invented, tea shops across Japan began roasting green tea as their customers were enchanted by its deep smoky aroma and round flavour.

Roasted green tea offers many of the health benefits of traditional Japanese green tea while containing virtually no caffeine or bitterness. The recent popularity of hōjicha may have been driven by these health benefits, some of which include: lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, and relieving stress. Furthermore, hōjicha’s roasting process removes virtually all the caffeine content in green tea, preventing the jitteriness that coffee drinkers experience.

After sampling hōjicha from over a dozen tea fields around the Kyoto region, the Hōjicha Co team found two distinctive teas that cater to tea beginners and tea connoisseurs alike. The initial collection of two loose leaf tea products features Hōjicha Dark Roast, a deep, smoky and sweet roasted tea and Hōjicha Gold Roast, a high-grade green tea.

Both products are currently available online at https://hojicha.co. Hōjicha Dark Roast has a MSRP CAD $15 in Canada and USD $11.50 for the rest of the world. Hōjicha Gold Roast has a MSRP of CAD $20 in Canada and USD $15.50 for the rest of the world. Retail distribution is projected for 2019.

Hōjicha Co is already working on developing and launching additional hōjicha products in the coming months, and throughout 2019.

“Our goal is to source the most authentic, high quality hōjicha from Japan,” says co-founder Francois Mathieu. “We have a comprehensive roadmap of hōjicha-related products that we want to introduce to consumers in North America and beyond.”

Hōjicha Co is the first brand to specialize in hōjicha roasted green tea. The premium hōjicha is packaged fresh directly from the fields of Kyoto, Japan. The high-quality hōjicha is naturally decaffeinated, contains no additives, and no unnecessary blending or processing.

For further information, visit: https://hojicha.co.

The post Hōjicha Targets North American & Asian Markets appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The global packaging machinery market has a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8%. This translates to a value of $42.2 billion by 2021, up from $36.8 billion in 2016, per PMMI’s (the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies) The Global Trends Impacting the Market for Packaging Machinery report. Beverages is the second largest sector at 30% — behind the food segment at 40% (all other industries account for the additional 30%). Packaging is also an industry that is always evolving, with its role changing with the times.

Packaging’s primary role, first and foremost, is functional — it must protect the product inside from inception to end user (that is, from factory to consumer), and in the case of consumables, packaging must also ensure freshness. But packaging plays a prominent role in a brand’s viability and success, perhaps more so today than ever before. Packaging is a product’s first line of defense on the shelf – or online – against a sea of competitors. Packaging is a brand’s initial, crucial strategy to advertise a product to a consumer. A product’s packaging is the first thing a consumer sees so it must be eye catching enough to entice the consumer for those precious few seconds they’re walking down the aisle, even less if they’re searching online, to give a product more than just a cursory glance.

Packaging must convey the right message to consumers. During the “Great Recession,” a well-known national beverage brand (not coffee or tea) in the United States spent millions of dollars redesigning their longstanding, easily recognized packaging to look more minimalist only to have it fail miserably. Consumers didn’t like the redesign, nor did they understand what message the brand was trying to communicate with the new packaging. The unfortunate result? The brand had to return to a slightly updated version of their original packaging.

Beverage brands are now attempting to connect with consumers in new ways as the story, “Packaging Gets Personal,” in our October issue details. Coffee and tea brands can take a cue from carbonated soft drinks and spirits brands like Coca-Cola (its “Share a Coke” campaign called consumers by their names) and Johnnie Walker (the limited edition “Jane Walker” specifically targeted women), which are aiming to resonate with consumers on deeper levels.

Consumers, most especially millennials and Generation Z, are fickle. As such, brands need to connect and resonate with consumers on new levels, getting personal is just one strategy. Today, many brands are using packaging to tell a story.

“The codes on the packaging enable you to see where the product is sourced, which shows credibility, but now brands are not just using packaging to sell a product, they are telling a story and selling an experience,” Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, PMMI, told me during Pack Expo International, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, 14-17 October. He said the “track and trace” strategy started in the pharmaceutical industry but moved to food and beverages because of food safety. “Brands are moving beyond the safety aspect with ‘track and trace’ to the idea of selling a story to truly understand what the brand/company is about, both of which are highly important to younger consumers,” Izquierdo explained.

Given how important transparency and traceability, as well as sustainability, are with coffee and tea consumers, it will be interesting to see how packaging in these industries will evolve over the next few years.

The post The Power of Packaging appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Thirst may be the first reason a consumer reaches for a beverage, but it’s the packaging that may seal the deal at the point of purchase. Increasingly, beverage manufacturers are looking to captivate customers with packaging that offers some form of personal resonance.

Whether referencing a lifestyle choice, a fond memory or an important goal, a beverage label that can connect with consumers on a deeper level has the power to stick. Consider packaging that aims to motivate workouts, sparks memories of a favourite vacation or reinforces the value of a healthy lifestyle — prompting engagement in the product experience before the consumer even twists off a cap, pulls a tab or pops a lid.

Given the growth of the market, it’s no wonder manufacturers are in a race to capture the hearts, minds and loyalty of consumers. Currently worth USD $30.1 billion, the beverage packaging industry in the United States is expected to experience 4.5 percent growth in the next decade, according to the 2018 Beverage Trends in Packaging and Processing Operations by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. In today’s competitive landscape for beverage products, more brands may take bolder steps to amplify the essence of what’s inside on the outside — particularly utilizing the power of print effects. Today’s consumers will likely not reach for a drink when they simply feel thirsty, but instead when they feel understood.

Tugging at the Heartstrings

Choosing a career path, moving to a new city or buying a home — these are all decisions highly dictated by emotion. But what about beverages? Can a person have an emotional reaction to a drink on a store shelf, and can this connection really influence their decision to purchase the product?

The answer may be “yes” as consumers continue to choose beverage products that feel familiar or strike a certain chord of nostalgia. Consider the “Share a Coke” campaign from the Coca-Cola Company, which created a way to literally attract consumers by calling their names. For Coca-Cola, which had long established its foothold in the carbonated beverage sector, this campaign strengthened customer loyalty and created buzz around the brand.

Creating this kind of label variety was no small feat, even for such a major brand, but advancements in printing technologies made the campaign possible. According to an article on Label & Narrow Web’s website, to run labels that pulled from a list of about 250 names, Coca-Cola tapped a domestic label and packaging converter company, which coordinated with printers equipped with HP Indigo digital printing technology to get the job done. With this technology, the varied labels could be done on short runs and still reflect high-quality printing.

On an international scale, South Africa-based magazine Packaging & Print Media reported that Coca-Cola repeated this collaboration with converters and partner printers to create thousands of names in multiple languages. Some international printers utilized flexographic printing as opposed to digital printing, so careful colour matching was done in order to achieve the same “Coke Red” shade across different types of printers.

Some brands have found a way to speak to customers less directly, but still with intimacy or a level of personalization that can be hard to beat. Whiskey brands Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker are actively pursuing different segments of the market and looking to expand their reach with a range of tailored products. Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack whiskey aims to reach a segment of the market that associates fine whiskey with a premium sipping experience.

According to PMMI’s report, unique packaging is what premium brands use to differentiate themselves from value brands, so mid-tier brands are now using packaging to emulate the look of top-shelf brands. With its Gentleman Jack edition that features a metalized label resembling a stamped silver plate, Jack Daniels is attempting to appeal to consumers who value finer, more original details over a traditional paper label. Some craft spirits are taking premium package printing a step further by turning to technologies that use tinted glass and other tactile labels, allowing for a more sophisticated, expensive look.

Johnnie Walker recently created “Jane Walker,” a special-edition iteration of their Black Label product, to appeal to the female demographic typically not considered a whiskey-drinking group. To substantiate the message, Johnnie Walker is donating proceeds of each bottle of the Jane Walker Edition sold to organizations supporting women’s progress.

Packaging for the Health- and Eco-Conscious

Personalization may not be the only key to sales. With an equally large demand for products that support healthy, active and clean lifestyles, more beverage manufacturers are producing drinks that come in smaller cans or bottles with fewer calories. The dainty servings not only meet demands for lower-calorie, lower-sugar products, but also reinforce the idea of portion control in a departure from decades of oversized servings.

In this era of clean labelling, consumers are also looking for natural and additive-free drinks, however, this type of beverage comes with its share of challenges for manufacturers and processers. Many of the more organic or natural beverages, like juices, are non-homogenous and become separated when standing still on the shelf. To avoid possible negative reactions from customers, brands are using shrink wraps to hide the inner contents of a bottle.

The push for clean labelling has also spurred some changes along the production line, with manufacturers having to add agitation equipment or adapt filling machinery to handle the different behaviours of more natural beverages.

For the athletes shopping in the beverage aisle, the extra aid that sports drinks promise can offer a massive appeal. Some brands have introduced a way to target different types of athletes, taking customization to a new level. Gatorade, for example, developed a product line that provides multiple drinks to be consumed at specific stages in a workout. If this product line speaks to a particular athlete’s established routine, Gatorade may have just increased a customer’s purchase from only one drink to three — right at the point of sale.

On top of nutrition, brands can also gain selling power in sustainability. By offering an eco-friendly product that can claim it creates less waste, a brand is able to connect with growing consumer concern for the environment. One way that manufacturers are addressing this shift is by using digital printing, which in general is considered more cost-effective and environmentally friendly for the short runs that occur with label variation. Digital printers, like the HP Indigo technology used for the “Share a Coke” campaign, have been recognized for their eco-friendly benefits of reducing energy and supplies in each round of printing.

Some beverage manufacturers are also going green by utilizing eco-friendly materials like vegetable oil-based inks or water-based inks, which can be used in conjunction with digital printing technologies. These inks not only dry quickly and deliver a high-quality print, but also minimize the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are usually heavily present in traditional solvent-based inks. UV inks offer similar benefits in that they “cure” at rapid rates and release minimal VOCs, and they also allow for high-quality digital direct printing on glass or PET bottles.

Advances in Printing Propel Brands

The beverage variety that we see on the shelves today can be tied to the growth of technologies that enhance the flexibility of lines, speeding and simplifying changeover between different product runs. With increasing consumer demand for a wide selection of beverages, manufacturers require the ability to swap labels out and change production over many more times than they likely had to in the past. Changeovers that used to happen only once a day or week now may happen three times in one shift in order to generate the masses of personalized or targeted products customers crave.

To achieve this rapid changeover, many manufacturers have turned to digital printing, which allows for labels to be diverse and to be prepared and quickly applied. With this technology, generating a graphic for a label is a more efficient process and can be done in a more immediate timeframe, reducing costly downtime. The speed of this equipment also coincides with the need for products to be delivered to the store in as fresh of a state as possible. Packagers can generate digitally printed labels closer to the time of production; ensuring consumers receive beverages that did not spend months in storage before shipment.

The prevalence of digital printing systems is a result of the technology becoming more accessible every day. At a price point that doesn’t break the bank, the adoption of digital printing is an easier choice to swallow. Now that the technology can be used for shorter runs of products like 30,000 units, it is arguably becoming a more difficult decision to stick with traditional printing technology.

Beyond digital printing, technologies that create larger and bolder imagery are taking hold. Shrink sleeve technology is being used more on cans and bottles, according to PMMI’s report. For example, a craft brewer might place a shrink sleeve over an entire six-pack. This style of package printing facilitates easier packaging line changeover and is helpful for companies that produce a variety of beverage types or flavours in the same can shape.

Yet, some brands prefer paperboard over shrink sleeves, because paperboard can retain its imagery and shape after being opened, whereas shrink sleeves become ripped, distorted and likely discarded at the first use. In many cases, the brand may choose paperboard as the outer packaging in the hopes that a consumer will keep the container in the refrigerator or on the counter. Regardless of the choice in material, either option provides a brand the added benefit of more images, more information and the chance to tell a greater story about the product.

‘Niche’ is the Key to Market Growth

The importance of differentiation in the beverage industry is perhaps best witnessed in the bottled water market, where, arguably, the same liquid is being portrayed as an entirely different product depending on the customer toward whom it is being marketed. Brands design packaging and labelling elements to match their target demographic, and these elements become differentiators that can justify a product’s shelf space.

For example, Evian and Fiji waters present themselves as clean, natural waters that are sourced from exotic locales around the globe. Their use of clear bottles that reveal an inside label showing striking landscapes along with declarations of purity help communicate this message. Meanwhile, waters like Core, Essentia and Smartwater sell themselves as waters that boost physical and cognitive health and ‘go the extra mile.’ Then there are brands like Vitaminwater and La Croix, which are still considered ‘waters’ despite adding flavours and/or carbonation to their products to appeal to those seeking something just a little different from regular water.

Convenience and Innovation

But the trend for finding a niche falls across all beverage sectors, where companies clamor to be different and stand out during selection. Sometimes that niche can be found by offering reliable convenience, such as a Capri-Sun pouch with a straw, or sports drinks with flip-top caps. Other times, it can stem from an original packaging innovation, such as beer giant Coors’ Coors Light label featuring thermo inks that react to temperature changes. This label conveys information that the beer has reached the perfect chilled temperature and is ready to drink, and it also offers an interactive feature that is simply fun for the customer.

This type of ‘cool’ can graphic is a more recent development, as metal packaging graphics have traditionally improved at slower rates than paper labels. Improvements like thermo inks, light-responsive, glossy, matte and tactile inks are all a result of better coating technologies, PMMI’s report states. Overhauls in can printing quality and capabilities have also occurred over the last five years, with dots per inch (DPI) increasing from 120 to 130 and high-definition separation work, platemaking and printmaking all improving.

Still, while utilizing emerging technologies and finding the right niche is crucial to operations, manufacturers must also focus on staying relevant. Claiming ownership over a unique space in the market is only sustainable for as long as the brand is willing to adapt and adjust to consumer concerns and lifestyles. Beverage brands that hone in on their product’s differentiator but can continuously transform its appearance are likely to quench customer demands for decades to come.

Tom Egan is vice president, industry services, PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies). PMMI represents more than 800 North American manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components and materials as well as providers of related equipment and services to the packaging and processing industry.

The post Packaging Gets Personal appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The world market for packaging machinery value is expected to reach USD $42.2 billion by 2021, according to PMMI’s Global Trends Impacting the Market for Packaging Machinery 2018 report. Pack Expo International will address the trends and challenges driving the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical device, cosmetics and personal care, industrial and household chemical, and other packaged goods industries. Attendees include manufacturers, managers, engineers, production supervisors, purchasers, brand managers, package designers, product development professionals and supply chain and logistics professionals from more than 40 vertical markets and companies of all sizes.

Over 2,500 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees from more than 125 countries will converge at Pack Expo International, where beverage industry professionals and packaging designers can find the latest innovations in beverage package printing.

Highlights at this year’s show include:

• The PACKage Printing Pavilion (South Building): Making its debut at Pack Expo International 2018, the PACKage Printing Pavilion is the industry’s main stage for digital’s advantages for short-run, on-demand, cost-effective variable data and personalized packaging.

• The Containers and Materials Pavilion (Upper North Building): This year’s Containers and Materials Pavilion will address the latest innovations in paperboard, glass, metal and plastic. Flexible and resalable packaging options will also be on display as well as innovative containers and sustainable choices. The Pavilion will also feature the Showcase of Packaging Innovations, sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company, where visitors can view the award-nominated packages.

• The Reusable Packaging Pavilion (Upper Lakeside Center): As demand rises for sustainable packaging solutions, the Reusable Packaging Pavilion, sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA), is a hotspot for reusable products, services and solutions for increasing sustainability across the supply chain. The RPA’s Reusable Packaging Center within the pavilion will offer free presentations on case studies and best practices for incorporating reusables.

• The Forum at Pack Expo: Take advantage of free, unique, interactive presentations throughout Pack Expo International. The Forum will feature 20-minute open sessions on the latest industry trends by the OpX Leadership Network, Institute of Packaging Professionals, Contract Packagers Association and PMMI Business Intelligence, followed by small group discussions and Q&A sessions.

• Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN): Launched in 2016, PPWLN serves to recruit, retain and advance women in processing and packaging. The PPWLN breakfast is on Tuesday, 16 October at 7:30am. The meeting will include presentations and discussions allowing peers to exchange ideas and experiences.

• The Innovation Stage: In addition to the packaging and processing technologies that will be on display on the show floor, Pack Expo International will be giving attendees access to free educational programming at The Innovation Stage. During the show, free 30-minute seminars presenting breakthrough technologies and techniques will be scheduled and will focus on a wide range of industry specific solutions. Located in the North Building, Booths N-4560, N-4570 and N-4580.

• Industry-specific Lounges: Pack Expo International attendees can network with peers, gain specialized insights and rest their feet at the show’s three industry-specific lounges. Networking receptions for Snack, Confectionery and Beverage Industry Lounges will take place in their respective locations on Tuesday, 16 October, from 3:30-5:00pm. The Beverage Cooler Lounge (N-4575) will serve as a networking hub for beverage industry professionals and ISBT subject matter experts. Hosted by The International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) and sponsored by Bevcorp, LLC (S-3874).

• PACK gives BACK: Sponsored by Rockwell Automation, PMMI’s regular benefit returns to Pack Expo International with a networking event in support of Pack Expo Scholarships, a scholarship program for US and Canadian students majoring in packaging and processing. Guests can enjoy beer, wine, light appetizers and a performance by renowned stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalo. Tickets to the fundraiser are USD $75. The fundraiser on Monday, 15 October, kicks off with a networking reception at 4:30pm followed by the comedy performance at 5:30pm. For more information and to get tickets, visit www.packexpointernational.com/pack-gives-back.

To learn more or to register, visit packexpointernational.com. For information on PMMI, visit pmmi.org.

The post Pack Expo International 2018 Offers Beverage Solutions appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

It is the new normal to see packages of roasted coffee touting the connections between farmer and barista. These now-familiar claims, when made by the new wave of specialty roasteries and coffee shops in Central America’s producing countries, take on a different meaning as coffee farmers and their families open businesses that directly serve consumers in the same places where fine coffees are grown.

Guatemala Embraces A New Sector

At the end of August, Promecafé (Cooperative Regional Program for Technological Development and Modernization of Coffee Production) held the first regional workshop on Promotion of Domestic Consumption at its headquarters in Antigua, Guatemala. A few weeks later, Guatemala’s two-time barista champion, David Solano, who is also a coffee farmer, opened the second location of his specialty coffee destination Café 12 Onzas in Guatemala City. These two events, institutional and entrepreneurial, are indicative of the greater trend unfolding across Central America: the best beans are not automatically earmarked for export.

“Local consumption has increased with a double-digit volume in the past six years,” said Nico Hammond of exporter Unitrade Coffee, based in Guatemala City, who supplies local retailer &Café. “This has been driven mainly by local coffee shop companies, which are emerging from curiosity and growth mainly of the consumer in Guatemala City.” There is more potential than ever in retaining the value – both for the grower – and the consumer of specialty coffee close to home.

Honduras Plants for Specialty

Honduras is Central America’s leader in production volume. “Only Brazil and Colombia produce more coffee in the Americas,” said Angel Hernandez, owner of Becapeña, SA farms, dry mill, and export in Peña Blanca, Honduras. London-based International Coffee Organization (ICO) data supports this claim, with Honduras’ production rising from 4.33 million 60kg bags in crop year 2010-11 to 8.34 million bags in 2016-17. Parallel to this increase in production volumes has been the increase in domestic consumption of Honduran coffee, particularly that of specialty coffee served in cafés and retail settings with a focus on service and quality.

“A clear example of the growing interest in the last five years is the city of Santa Rosa de Copan that has around of 60,000 inhabitants and has more than 25 specialty coffee shops,” observed Katia Duke of Casa Ixchel, a café in Copan Ruinas serving coffee from her family’s nearby farm, Finca San Isidro. The same qualities of coffee destined for cafés in Taiwan, such as Natural processed microlots sorted by Arabica variety, also appear on the menus of Honduras’ specialty outlets.

“The producers who supply Becapeña have been planting Geisha, Catuai and other specialty varieties,” shared Hernandez. “They are still recovering from la roya several years ago.” As Honduras’ producers renovated their farms following the coffee leaf rust’s devastation, they planted varieties most sought by international specialty buyers and then, with the strengthening of Honduras’ own specialty market, can deliver those same specialty coffees to local roasters and retailers.

As the C market price continues to hover around a dollar, negatively impacting prices even for the rarest coffees, there is more incentive for specialty coffee to remain closer to where it was grown. “Today, one doesn’t have to sell at the low prices the market has been at,” said Hernandez. “People are starting to enjoy the great coffee we grow.”

El Salvador’s Steady Climb

Much of the increase in instance and consumer popularity of specialty coffee in Central America is thanks to the success of national and international barista competitions, which showcase to local drinkers their countries’ exceptional coffees. Staffing cafés with talented baristas trained to render specialty coffee in its most theatrical and delicious final form is a challenge across the United States, Europe and Australia. The skill of barismo, as the role of barista is known in Spanish, solidified itself as an attractive line of employment by first entering public attention in Central America at the level of international acclaim. There is none of the North American stigma of wage-worker attached to barista jobs in Central America –barista positions began as and remain roles associated with talent, expertise and global possibility.

“Around eight years ago we started to see better quality coffee in the Salvadoran market with the opening of few shops, such as Viva Espresso and Ben’s Coffee.” Anny Ruth is a pioneer of specialty coffee in El Salvador, advocating for fellow female producers and managing operations at Loma La Gloria farm and mill in El Boqueron, San Salvador. “In 2008, we had the first Barista Competition and in 2011 Alejandro Mendez from Viva Espresso won the national competition and the world competition in Colombia, becoming the first world barista champion from a producing country.”

Viva Espresso is owned by the Pacas family, who are also producers and exporters, demonstrating that the suppliers of specialty coffees are often the first to realize the potential of their products domestically. National organizations are not far behind. “The Consejo Salvadoreno del Café helped as the organizer of [barista competition] events as well as educating the consumer and increasing the awareness of how a good coffee tastes,” noted Anny Ruth. A delegation from the Consejo Salvadoreno also participated in Promecafé’s Regional Domestic Coffee Workshop.

Rural Development in Nicaragua

In late April, political violence diverted labour and resources from farms to protests and responses in urban centres. Amid the turmoil, farmers harvested and shipped their crops, and the nation’s fledgling specialty coffee businesses continued to serve locally grown, roasted and prepared coffee.

In Nicaragua, the establishment of specialty coffee shops has been led by women and by organizations taking collaborative approaches to sustainable rural business, planning for long-term economic development and cooperative success rather than establishing and propagating a brand, as private specialty coffee businesses modelled after North American or European ones have tended to do.

The Community Agroecology Network (CAN) is an organization based in Santa Cruz, California.  In 2011, they began collaborating with the Union de Cooperativas Agropecuarias Augusto Cesar Sandino San Ramon (UCA San Ramon) to end seasonal hunger among small coffee farmers. “The project was developed using our method of participatory action research. Communities take part with researchers,” said Carmen Cortez, associate director for CAN, on how members of the UCA San Ramon determined which diversified income strategies for women producers could reduce dependency on export coffee, strengthen gender equity and ultimately reduce hunger. “Going through the process of monitoring and reflecting, researchers accompany participants by providing additional resources to complement knowledge at the local scale. Coffee cooperatives and researchers are equally interested in what combinations of diversification are resilient,” noted Cortez.

Diversification within crops planted on the farm and within the coffee chain are two applications of the same concept. Research complemented the UCA San Ramon’s launch of Caféteria Monte Grande in San Ramon, Matagalpa, a coffee shop run by the cooperatives’ women farmers serving a mix of patrons from both the emerging agritourism in the region and the town’s residents, and serving as diversified income opportunities for women producers. CAN supported the purchase of the espresso machine and established a revolving loan that the women collectively make decisions about how to invest in the coffee shop.

More than 20 women run the coffee shop that serves the beans they grow, and sources produce for smoothies and snacks from women’s home gardens, another diversification strategy that emerged from the project to end seasonal hunger. Offering espresso drinks and milk drinks, rather than just traditional filtered coffee, positions the shop as specialty coffee, but the entrepreneurial women behind the business are shaping it on their terms. This holistic approach is a continuation of the same philosophy that guides their methods of coffee production. “Agroecology is not a precise recipe for how things should be done,” explained Cortez. “Instead, agroecology focuses on processes for how communities can figure out things together.” Agroecological principles guide practices on integrating shade systems into farms for climate resilience and those same principles foster economic resilience through building local coffee retail businesses.

Fine Dining, Fine Coffee in Costa Rica

Franco restaurant and café is one of the businesses ushering in a new wave of specialty eateries and cafés in San Jose with a focus on quality, craft and local ingredients.

Only a few hours drive from the mountains of Tarrazu where the coffee was grown, Franco serves those beans using the same calibre of equipment and service found in specialty cafés worldwide. The company’s motto is “simple and neighbourly,” reminding that only in producing countries can coffee truly be grown by one’s neighbours. “We are a producing country, so we should have the best here too,” said Carlos Montero of Finca La Pastora in San Marcos de Tarrazu, of his coffee being sold at Franco. “Customers in San Jose have high expectations.”

Panama’s Baristas Lead the Change

Benjamin Roque is Panama’s 2018 barista champion, and as such the de facto national ambassador for his country’s coffee both at home and abroad. “There are many Panamanians who still do not know how popular our coffee is globally. As soon as people try it they are surprised at the different flavours found in specialty coffee.” There is now a dedicated group of local aficionados who now ask for their cup of coffee by processing style or farm where it was grown.

After competing in the World Barista Championship in the Netherlands in June, Roque returned home with a greater understanding specialty coffee as an industry. “It was not just about representing Panama on a world stage. I can share what I learned with my fellow baristas in Panama so we can all improve the work we do.”

After representing Panama to the world, Roque has the job of representing the world to Panama. Now, when he is behind the bar serving customers at Kotowa Coffee House in Panama City or educating staff as barista trainer at Kotowa’s shops, he not only talks knowledgeably about the production, roasting and brewing processes behind the cup, he speaks authoritatively about how coffee is served around the world, giving life to the direct trade, farm-to-cup taglines that further differentiate specialty coffee served at origin.

Rachel Northrop has been covering coffee for T&CTJ since 2012, while she lived in Latin America’s coffee lands writing When Coffee Speaks. She was based in Brooklyn, NY but has recently relocated to Miami, Florida. She may be reached at northrop.rachel@gmail.com.

The post Homegrown Specialty: Central America’s Increasing Domestic Consumption appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

Aroma and taste descriptors are most easily understood when primary flavours are referenced for the perceived attribute. When attributes are categorized into groups it becomes difficult to understand their meaning without additional training or explanations. Confusion is created when conclusions are used for flavour descriptions or when adjectives or verbs are used in place of nouns when presenting descriptions. The use of primary food terminology adheres to the tenants of TRUE descriptions. A primary food word is one that has a tangible reference found in nature, at a grocery store, or within a set of calibration standards. Familiarity with basic taste terms is developed through sensory training using calibration samples for aroma and taste and aligning with other cupper and tasters for the appropriate use of the terms.

When there is confusion, additional discussions are required to identify the actual taste or aroma character being perceived. This becomes inefficient for an operation and may result in inappropriate or incorrect descriptions being used for coffee. These additional discussions are challenging when cuppers/tasters are working to understand each description across language, regional or cultural differences. Examples of conclusion or category words that are to be avoided when communicating coffee descriptions:

• Green – describes coffee that is early-crop harvest, under-ripe, recently milled, or has not has enough time to rest before analysis. Specific tastes that could be identified individually include: grassy, green pepper, green bean, onion, and broccoli, among others.
• Aged – a measurement of time not taste, used as a conclusion when coffee presents tastes and aroma of paper, malt, cereal, cardboard, oats, peanut shells, and rice.
• Past crop – a measurement of time not taste, used as a conclusion when coffee presents tastes and aroma of paper, malt, cereal, cardboard, oats, peanut shells, and rice.
• Old – a measurement of time not taste, used as a conclusion when coffee presents tastes and aroma of paper, malt, cereal, cardboard, oats, peanut shells, and rice.
• Tired – a measurement of time not taste, used as a conclusion when coffee presents tastes and aroma of paper, malt, cereal, cardboard, oats, peanut shells, and rice.
• Processed – often used to describe decaffeinated coffee and thought to indicate over-processing to remove caffeine or the character of the water used in decaffeinated coffee processing. Specific tastes that could be identified individually include: hay, straw, paper, cereal, malt, cardboard, peanut shells, nut skins, and rice.
• Low-grown character – often used to describe coffee that lacks intensity of flavour, mild acidity, thin body, and may also include grassy, dirty or earthy undertones.
• Roasty – used to describe the effects of roasting instead of the character of the coffee, for example the taste of burnt sugar, earthy, dirty, smoky or ashy characters found in dark roasted coffees or coffees exposed to exhaust smoke.
• Edgy – used to describe coffee that is not clean and/or not sweet.
• Harsh – also used to describe coffee that is not clean and/or not sweet.
• Off-cup – used to indicate a coffee cup that lacks uniformity with other cups, or has an unidentified taint or fault.
• Bright, Crisp & Sharp – terms used to describe organic acids that are astringent, tart or lack sweetness.
• Sound – A term used to indicate when coffee is free of defects.

To avoid confusion when creating reviewing coffee sensory descriptions, it is most efficient and effective to use primary food words, which have a single item that can be used for calibration, either from a grocery store, or a flavour training kit.

Training and sensory acuity may affect the words used in creating coffee descriptions. Also, the quality of the coffee is a key contributing factor to the degree of generalization or specificity of the descriptive words used. Eg, a coffee may be described as having fruity, spicy, and nutty characters. By this description it is unknown if the cupper is a novice and has not been fully trained in identify and describing taste, or if the quality of the coffee does not allow for more specific taste characters to be perceived and listed.

Fruity is a category descriptor that obviously includes all fruits. This category can be divided into citric and berry, thus diverging on the fruit identity and increasing the level of specificity. Further detail perceptions would be to identify the actual citric fruits perceived or berries perceived. Many specialty coffee descriptions identify the individual variety of lemon or lime. This level of great details requires a highly trained cupper who is calibrated to lemon and lime standards and a high-quality coffee that has the inherent taste characteristics. Without one or even both to occur, a description that may include Kaffir Limes, Key Limes, Limequates, Meyer Lemons, Rangpur Limes, Tahiti Limes and Eureka or Lisbon lemons, will lack both credibility and believability.

Coffee Product Descriptions

Merchandising is the promoting of items for sale. Any action that stimulates the buyer’s interest and entices consideration for purchase intent is merchandising, including advertising, packaging, price, and promotion. It is most effective when the buyer understands the information which is presented in a clear and concise manner. When descriptions create too many questions, or present incomplete or include technical jargon, merchandising will adversely affect the buyer’s purchase decision.

Industry jargon and abbreviations are appropriate only when the seller and potential buyers are both familiar with the terms and a communication short-hand is appropriate. However, armatures, home-roasters and consumers may be confused by our verbal short-hand.

When offering products to consumers, additional explanations and more detailed descriptions are required, specifically answering why the information presented is important and how it will affect the quality of the coffee. Consumers expect TRUE descriptions. Information that is obvious to professionals may be unknown to consumers, thus it is always recommended to identify the information being presented to avoid confusion. Green coffee descriptions are commonly used to merchandise roasted coffee products, illustrating the relationship and importance of describing descriptions accurately and appropriately.

Each company should adopt a standard format for coffee description, which over time, will become familiar to returning customers. An important note: regular customers will gradually gain knowledge and sophistication, so before changing the format of coffee descriptions carefully consider how those changes will affect new and novice consumers. What benefits one consumer group may alienate another. Detailed explanations for coffee descriptions may be presented on the company’s web page, within the foodservice menu or retail display, and are not always feasible to include on the coffee packaging. In the foodservice environment, TRUE product descriptions and detailed explanations should always be part of employee training and available to any employee who needs to answer a consumer’s question.

Green Coffee Descriptions

Commonly used to establish provenance, promote the sourcing practices, or explain the quality of the coffee, green coffee descriptions are obviously a critical component to merchandising green coffee products and are not more common when merchandising roasted coffee products. Often a point of differentiation from one product or company to another, green coffee descriptions establish the expectations for quality, value and sensory experience.

Green coffee descriptions may require explanation relevant to quality, sensory profile, and price:

• Regional Identification – What is a Yirgacheffe or Huehuetenango?
• Varietal/Cultivar – Why is Bourbon or Geisha important to state?
• Altitude/Density & Other Identifiers – What is meant by PW, EP, HB, SHB, HG, MCM, SHG?
• Processing Types – How are the different methods significant?
• Certification – Why is it significant and what does it mean?

Recently, a colleague visited a local coffeehouse that offers specialty quality coffees in their pour-over station. The featured coffee was Panama Pacamara and the price was USD $9 for a 12-ounce cup. When compared to usual prices for pour-over, French press and vacuum pot preparation in the US, this drink is about two to three times more expensive. The merchandising and description for this expensive handcrafted beverage, Panama Pacamara, was grossly incomplete, and was further exacerbated when the barista was asked about the coffee provenance and roast development. The barista’s only response was Pacamara coffee from Panama. This exchange and poor description is tantamount to merchandising a bottle or can of craft beer as ale from Colorado and selling it for two to three times the usual price.

Both are examples of descriptions that are not TRUE.

Roasted Coffee Descriptions

The message of hospitality is to never give the customer a reason to shop elsewhere. Confusing and incomplete merchandising may force buyers to look elsewhere for coffee. When buyers are unable to connect with the product through the description there is low confidence of purchase or repeat purchases.

As professionals, we know our industry has many differences of opinions and company-specific terminology regarding quality identifications for coffee. TRUE descriptions are not vague and are aligned with the industry as whole. Examining roast level’s descriptions, the roast development spectrum may be divided into categories, there has been limited industry alignment on the use of light, medium, and dark description. Recognized roast terms used in merchandising, such as: American, cinnamon, city roast, full city roast, Vienna roast, continental roast, French roast, Italian roast, etc, are not standardized and often create confusion for the consumer. When comparing several packaged coffees that all use the same roast level identification, there will surely be several different levels of roast development or coffee colour, often with a wide range from light to dark. Consumers are further confused when seeing company-specific references. Eg, a light roast from a company that specializes in dark roasted coffees may be darker than a dark roasted coffee from a company that specializes in light roasted coffees. Standardization or a universality of roast development language or roast colour identification would contribute to greater understanding by consumers.

Descriptions are not TRUE when confusion is created and consumer expectations are not met. Flavour descriptions, roast description, coffee quality, origin information, etc, must always follow the TRUE model or a point if disconnection will occur between the seller and the buyer, or between the professional and the consumer.

Knowing the details of the contents within a coffee package or of a coffee beverage through the use of TRUE descriptions will help prevent disappointment and purchases of coffee that will not suit the preferences of the consumer.

Spencer Turer is VP of Coffee Enterprises in Hinesburg, Vermont. He is a founding member of the Roasters Guild, a licensed Q grader, and received the SCAA Outstanding Contribution to the Association Award. Turer is an active volunteer for the Specialty Coffee Association and the National Coffee Association of the USA.

The post Describing Descriptions Part II appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The ASIC conference is the premier symposium on coffee science in the world. Participants include hundreds of researchers, members of industry, students, and academics from more than 40 countries, all focused on cutting-edge information and advanced coffee science. Topics include chemistry, agronomy and pest management, genomics, sustainability, physiology, health, and sensory science. “ASIC represents a gathering of scientists who were all studying coffee and came together to share what they were working on with each other,” says Peter Giuliano, chief research officer of the SCA, which organized this year’s ASIC conference. “ASIC began in 1966. Ernesto Illy was the first president, and in many ways, he was the center of activity of this organization.”

ASIC started to hold conferences every two years. Giuliano notes that they were all in Europe because it was the nucleus of coffee science, but in the 1970s the conferences launched in origin countries. “Now, ASIC will partner with an association in the host country to organize the biennial conference,” he says, adding that although the conferences have shifted to being held in origin countries, ASIC wanted to bring one back to a consumer country. The last time the conference was held in the United States was in 1991 in San Francisco, California.

ASIC Industry Day, which takes place 19 September, is designed to foster collaboration between coffee scientists and coffee professionals. There will be a full day of talks, panel discussions, and Q&As on four subject areas: Coffee & Health, Genetics & Breeding, Sustainability & Economics, and Quality.

“Science is a powerful tool and within the coffee industry there is a tremendous and growing interest in coffee science, but scientific conferences can be overwhelming and confusing — even to scientists in different fields (genealogists, agronomists, physicists, chemists),” says Giuliano. “We started to use metaphor of ‘bridge’ for industry day. Everyone in coffee industry wants to know more about where coffee science is, and scientists need to be able to engage more with coffee community.” Thus, Industry Day was born.

ASIC and the SCA invited 20 scientists to give talks on industry day but for a lay audience. The audience will be filled with people from scientific industry and coffee industry. “The idea is to build a bridge between communities,” Giuliano explains.

The schedule for ASIC INDUSTRY DAY is as follows:

7:30am — Coffee Service & Continental Breakfast
Exhibits & Poster Sessions Open
8:15am — Opening Remarks: Science & Coffee
10:35am — Coffee Break
11:05am — Genetics & Breeding
12:00pm — Lunch
1:30pm — Sustainability & Economics
2:50pm — Coffee Break
3:20pm — The Science of Quality
6:30pm — Portland Spirit Dinner Cruise
9:30pm — Return to Oregon Convention Center

Registration for Industry Day is available at USD $375 and includes lunch and a dinner cruise.

Aside from the new Industry Day, this year’s ASIC Conference has additional changes. For example, it is shorter than previous ones, which ran seven days. The 2018 conference opens on Sunday, 16 September with a Welcome Reception, and Wednesday, 19 September is set aside for Industry Day. “On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, there will be ASIC-approved abstracts that will last 15 minutes each, the same as previous conferences,” says Heather Ward, senior manager, content strategy at the SCA. “Almost every category will have a keynote in each subject area.”

In terms of the core ASIC Conference, there are eight subject areas: Plant Science; Roasted Coffee Technology & Processing; Biochemistry & Biotechnology of Green Coffee; Sustainability, Climate Change & Labels; Consumption & Health; Plant Pathology & Protection; Coffee Chemistry & Sensory Sciences and Farm Management.

Another change to this year’s ASIC Conference is the absence of the book of abstracts. “There will not be a printed book, but abstracts will be available online,” assures Giuliano.

The official conference ends 20 September, but for those interested, there are tours of Portland coffeehouses or Oregon wineries scheduled for 21 September.

For more information and to register, visit: www.asicportland.org.

Vanessa L Facenda

The post Changes Abound at the 27th Biennial ASIC Conference appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.