Decaf coffee is gaining popularity in global markets as more and more customers follow the current wellbeing trend, considering it as a healthy alternative to common coffee.

In contrast to Western markets that already have large numbers of decaf coffee consumers, the popularity of coffee without caffeine (or with a small content of it) is just gaining momentum in several emerging nations, many of which can provide significant growth opportunities for players operating in this market segment.

The existing big potential of the decaf coffee market is confirmed by research data. According to predictions of international research agency, Skyquest Technology, over the next seven years, the decaf coffee market will grow by six to seven percent annually, reaching USD $28.86 billion by 2030. By comparison, in 2022, this figure was $19.5 billion. The growth will be observed both in developed nations and emerging countries, where such growth rates are expected to be higher.

As for developed nations, it is expected the United States will be a major driver of growth for decaf coffee in years to come as the demand for coffee with less caffeine among local consumers remains high.

The National Coffee Association (NCA) of the USA reports that more consumers across the country are adopting healthier lifestyles, which may also be associated with increased coffee consumption, since scientific evidence continues to strengthen and shows that both decaffeinated and regular coffee are associated with decreased risk of multiple cancers and chronic diseases.

Speaking with T&CTJ, William “Bill” Murray, president and CEO of the NCA, said decaf coffee has already become an integral part of life for many Americans. “Like regular coffee, decaf is a mainstay in Americans’ lives, and we expect that to continue. Signs point to growth for decaf with Americans over the age of 40, and opportunities for decaf to adjust to consumers’ tastes and interests are abundant.”

Murray further noted that consumers are more interested in health and wellness than ever before and that “there is growing awareness that decaffeinated coffee is associated with decreased risk of multiple cancers and chronic diseases.”

In accordance with NCA’s Spring 2024 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) Report, seven percent of Americans had decaf coffee in the past day, and past-day decaf consumption is increasing among Americans ages 40-plus.

Per the NCDT report, past-day decaf consumption is highest for Americans in the 60-plus age group, ten percent of whom had decaf in the past day – up by 11 percent since July 2023. At the same time, past-day decaf consumption has also increased for Americans ages 40-59, with six percent drinking a decaf in the past day – up by 20 percent since July 2023.

Consumption grows in Scandinavia

In the European Union, the biggest growth in demand and consumption of decaf coffee has been observed in certain Nordic states – the countries which are known for their record coffee consumption in general.

One such country is Finland, where sales of decaf coffee have been rapidly growing since the beginning of the 2020s.

Löfbergs instant decaf coffee. Image: Löfbergs

Marleena Tanhuanpää, director of the Finnish Food and Drink Industries´ Federation, said that in recent years there has been a positive trend and continuous sales increase for decaffeinated coffee in Finland. “It is definitely trending at the moment as [there has been an increase in the number] of new locally roasted products, [along with] increased visibility and assortment availability, which is raising consumer interest [in decaf coffee].” Tanhuanpää further noted that decaf coffee innovations coming from local roasteries such as filter coffee with good taste profiles that meet the local needs and preferences are helping drive growth.

“The absolute user amount is still limited in the market but the potential for further growth is there,” Tanhuanpää explained, adding, “especially with the younger (under 35 years old) urban demographic, and women, in particular, are interested in decaffeinated coffee – they want to enjoy the taste of coffee, but regular coffee is not always the most suitable option.”

In neighbouring Denmark, the demand for decaf coffee also remains high, although the share of the segment in the overall Danish coffee market is small.

Henrik Frellsen, the chairman of the Danish Coffee Association and CEO of Frellsen Kaffe, one of the biggest local coffee producers, said decaf coffee currently makes up a small share of the coffee market in Nordic countries. “In Denmark, it accounts for less than one percent of the volume, [which is] constant and has historically remained at this level.”

He does not expect a sharp growth of the segment in years to come despite believing in its huge future potential. “We foresee no significant development at this level. In recent years, coffee has transitioned from a product perceived as less healthy to one that naturally fits into a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, caffeine no longer appears to be harmful,” Frellsen explained. “However, increased awareness of the importance of sleep for health pulls in the opposite direction. In Nordic food culture, there is a loyalty to pure raw materials. Hence, [those] with this concern would choose an alternative beverage later in the day rather than a decaf coffee.”

Some analysts report that the estimated potential of decaf coffee is too exaggerated and does not correspond to some current realities. Referencing the most recent edition of Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey, Matthew Barry, insight manager, Food and Beverage at Euromonitor International, said that self-reported interest in drinking less caffeine or none at all reached a new record high, at 46 percent of respondents. “You could interpret that to mean we were at the verge of an explosion in decaf. After all, that is nearly half of adults in the world saying they want to drink less caffeine. But I don’t see things that way. The reality is that caffeine is just too important for people to get through their days so this represents an aspiration more than anything else. I think this signals that people recognise that they need to take actions to mitigate some of the negative side effects of excess caffeine consumption.”

Barry noted that the data absolutely shows there has been a real explosion of products with calming, relaxing, or sleep-promoting claims across food and beverage in recent years. “Essentially, rather than switch their morning coffee to decaf, consumers are sticking with the regular coffee and looking for something in the evening to calm them down and help them sleep. People want to have it all,” he said.

The decaf coffee market is also of great interest to the global majors, many of which have significantly strengthened their positions in it in recent years. For example, illycaffè, the Italian coffee producer, considers the decaf coffee segment a priority.

Francesco Bosso, chief commercial officer of illycaffè, said the company offers decaffeinated coffee in its range with all preparations to satisfy the taste of all consumers. In recent years, he said, the

illy’s low caffeine coffee, Idillyum. Image: illycaffè

demand for such coffee has significantly increased, noting that “usually, decaffeinated coffee is preferred by one out of four consumers and mainly as an alternative to coffee in the evening.” Bosso said that illy coffee is a blend composed of 100 percent Arabica beans of the best quality, which by its nature contains a lower amount of caffeine than Robusta coffee. “In addition, for consumers who are looking for a preparation with a very low caffeine content, we also propose Idillyum, a coffee composed only of the fine Arabica variety called Laurina, grown specifically for our company in El Salvador. This product naturally has a very low caffeine content, less than one percent (a third less than the classic Arabica varieties and less than half of Robusta).”

Bosso expects the demand for decaf coffee will continue to grow, while the growth of the segment will be comparable to the dynamics of the entire coffee market.

Regarding further market prospects, most of the interviewed analysts and producers believe the demand for decaf coffee will continue to grow in years to come, as more and more customers will position it as a heathy alternative to traditional coffee. That will be primarily observed in such countries as Russia, which has low decaf coffee consumption.

Tanhuanpää believes that decaffeinated coffee will continue to increase its share driven by the wellbeing trend that has for many years already been present in many food and drink categories, for example, driving growth of non-alcoholic beer. “The need for relaxation without compromising the enjoyment of coffee is one driver for decaffeinated coffee consumption,” she said. “And according to our research, the usage situations for decaf coffee can be varied, not only limited to evening use. One motivation can be the stomach friendliness of decaf coffee.”

• Eugene Gerden is an international freelance writer who specialises in covering the global coffee, tea and agricultural industries. He works for several industry titles and may be reached at gerden.eug@gmail.com.

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Cold brew coffee has been a hot product for innovation for many brands and retailers seeking to refresh their product offerings and to dabble in the ready-to-drink (RTD) space. The cold brew category, which had a market size of USD $401 million in 2021, is projected to grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.7 percent between 2023 and 2030, per Skyquestt. Many businesses recognise this and want to capitalise on the increased consumer interest. As companies in the sector are ramping up for peak cold brew season, many consumers will have already been drinking theirs – 16 percent of Americans drank at least one cold brew in the past week, according to the January survey of the 2024 National Coffee Data Trends report.

Consumers like cold brew’s great taste, convenience, and health benefits. Americans under 40 years old are driving the consumption of cold brew, and this versatile and trendy beverage is especially popular with Gen Z as an afternoon pick-me-up. This adds an even greater incentive for operators to get involved in the cold brew and cold coffee space.

As manufacturers and retailers are learning more about cold brew, it is important that they become familiar with cold brew food safety and the regulations and considerations underpinning this area. Coffee continues to be one of the safest foods in America – but as with any evolving area, science, facts, and expert advice can help assure that operators comply and use best practices in their business. As such, the purpose of this article is to detail some of the current challenges around safety and compliance for cold brew manufacturers and retailers.

What is cold brew coffee?

Between 2016 and 2017, several leading experts from across the coffee industry came to the National Coffee Association of USA, Inc (NCA), concerned that the lack of a common definition of “cold brew coffee” could lead to a range of different products being labelled or represented as cold brew coffee. This was important, as the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) require product and marketing claims to be “truthful and not misleading.”

Since the FDA does not have any formal definition or Standard of Identity for cold brew coffee, the stakeholders put their heads together and, through much debate, developed a baseline description for cold brew: a product made with roasted coffee grounds and brewed with room temperature or cooler water (NCA Cold Brew Safety Guide for Manufacturers). To avoid limiting future innovation in the cold brew space, the description is relatively broad and serves as a guide, so that operators working with cold brew can develop great-tasting products and feel good knowing they are serving authentic, safe products. Knowing how cold brew is made, prepared, and/or processed also helps identify potential safety risks and determine how it should be regulated.

How cold brew is made

Cold brew is traditionally made by ‘cold brewing’ roasted and ground coffee beans from Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee), or a blend of Arabica and Coffea canephora (Robusta), with filtered water. It can take some trial-and-error to find the right bean blend, roast, and grind that works with a cold brewing process to get a desired taste profile. Brewing water is typically room temperature or cooler, and steeping times for brewing can vary tremendously, from as little as a few minutes to 12 to 18-plus hours overnight. Brewing can be done at a retail shop using a five-gallon, full-immersion method or on an industrial scale in a manufacturing plant. Nowadays, all types of basic to very advanced technologies are available for cold brewing.

Once the cold-brewing step is complete, cold brew coffee can be served immediately at a retail shop or be heat-processed with a cook step and packaged in a container with an air-tight seal at a manufacturing plant. Cold brew can also be distributed in airtight kegs, bottled, or held with nitrogen gas to make nitro cold brew. There are too many bottling, distribution, and serving scenarios to account for here, but having detailed knowledge of how the cold brew is brewed, processed, and/or packaged, held, and served will help determine what food safety risks and regulations might apply to a product and to the operator.

Cold brew coffee can also be manufactured or served with additives like dairy or plant-based milks, spices, and herbs, or formulated with ingredients for functional health, novelty, and taste appeal. Because added ingredients have the capacity to introduce new food safety risks to the equation, this article focuses solely on unsweetened, plain cold brew. A manufacturer/retailer should always work with a food safety and compliance professional who can help oversee and provide guidance on navigating overly complex and nuanced food safety approaches needed for cold brew coffee.

Manufacturing rules

Historically, there have been a few instances of food recalls for manufactured RTD cold brew due to a lack of manufacturers’ awareness over FDA’s food safety and compliance rules. Cold brew that has been brewed and bottled in a manufacturing plant with an air-tight seal, whether as concentrate or single-strength (drinkable strength), needs to be processed with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), heat-treated with a cook step, and packaged following FDA’s low-acid food regulations (21 CFR § Part 113). This is done to prevent the pathogen Clostridium botulinum, or C bot for short, from growing and producing toxins that could cause botulism. A manufacturer needs to work with a licensed low-acid food processing authority and have their process filed with the FDA.

Rules for retailers

For retailers, the regulations have been unclear, for several reasons. The FDA publishes the Food Code every few years, which sets a model for the safe handling of food in a retail setting. Federal, state, and local health departments can then decide how to interpret and enforce the Food Code in their own areas. However, health inspectors are often uncertain how to interpret the Food Code, which has created inconsistent enforcement and confusion amongst coffee shop retailers. One challenge for inspectors has been to determine how to regulate cold brew prepared, held, and served at retail, such as when brewing at room temperature for a prolonged time, or holding nitro cold brew in airtight kegs. The Food Code can offer multiple options for enforcement, one of which considers cold brew’s physical and chemical properties, like pH and moisture content.

Cold brew has a pH, or a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, which is considered low acid. A low acid food can, under certain circumstances, allow pathogens to grow or toxins to form, and cold brew coffee has a lot of moisture, conditions which, in theory, could potentially allow the growth of pathogens.

The Food Code recognises that in instances of a low acid pH and high available moisture content (measured through water activity aw), a food or beverage may be considered a time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food. A TCS food could, as the name implies, require specific holding temperatures and times, or require a heat-cook step.

However, the Food Code also allows that such TCS measures may not be required if certain conditions are met, such as the provision of safety data showing that a food or beverage can be produced safely under the desired conditions. Such safety data can be submitted to the health inspectors in the form of a challenge study or Product Assessment (which are scientific ways of evaluating the safety of a food).

Retailers are fortunate in that plain, unsweetened cold brew lacks nutrients for most organisms to grow, and many industry members would tell you that in their own privately run studies, cold brew seemed to prevent pathogens from growing. While the jury is still out as to what the exact mechanism might be, there seems to be some aspect of cold brew coffee that has antimicrobial properties.

Health inspectors often need to rely on science-based evidence like a challenge study or Product Assessment to determine how pathogens can grow in a food or beverage in order to make risk-based decisions. Recently, the NCA published a challenge study white paper on retail cold brew food safety, which evaluated concentrated cold brew prepared by the full-immersion method and single-strength cold brew packaged in a bag-in-box (which is often then inserted into a chilled dispenser at retail). The cold brew was purposely tested with known amounts of E coli, Salmonella, Listeria, C bot, Bacillus cereus, and Staph. These are different pathogens that are representative of common sources of food-borne illness and infections. The cold brew was stored at 85°F/29°C in conditions with air and no air for up to 11 days. The researchers found that neither pathogenic growth nor toxin formation occurred in the tested cold brew. These findings are crucial to help inform health inspectors on the safety of cold brew – and provide a strong scientific basis to demonstrate the safety of cold brew coffee.

What the future holds

While the research and resources that have been created are important steps for protecting this category, there is more work to be done to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

The NCA is currently working elbow-to-elbow with health inspectors, FDA scientists, and allied industry members with the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) in the Council III, Retail Cold Brew Coffee Safety & Compliance Committee. The committee aims to provide guidance to the CFP and ultimately health inspectors and retailers on how to interpret and enforce the Food Code for safety and compliance of retailers’ cold brew coffee programmes.

By being proactive, retailers, industry stakeholders, and health departments can work collaboratively to determine a common interpretation of the Food Code that most inspectors can get behind and retailers can comply with. Once guidance is developed through the CFP, the information can be shared with retailers and inspectors nationwide, followed by training and education to bring everyone up to speed on serving safe, compliant, and great-tasting cold brew.

• Mark Corey, PhD, joined the NCA as director of scientific and government affairs in February 2018. Previously, he worked in research and development roles in the coffee industry for ten years and was volunteer chairperson of the NCA’s Scientific Leadership Council for five years.

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In his opening presentation, NCA president and CEO, Bill Murray, said that the NCA’s purpose is to ‘support the growth of the US coffee market’. This year’s theme, ‘Fueling the Future’ reflects what the NCA believes its purpose is, “working today to shape the future through education, advocacy, and collaboration so that so that the regulations, perceptions, and practices that will govern our future are informed by facts, research, and an accurate understanding of coffee.”

Murray noted that in 2023, the NCA:

• Adopted a new Strategic Plan, which included updating its bylaws, and creating values to guide the association including collegiality, sustainability, and transparency.
• Released an updated Economic Impact Report, quantifying the jobs, value, and tax contributions of the coffee sector to the U.S. Economy.
• Engaged with the US Food and Drug Administration seeking official recognition of coffee as a ‘healthy’ beverage.
• Released technical resources to support food safety, the cold brew segment, and workplace safety

Through its Economic Impact Report, the NCA revealed that the total economic impact of the coffee industry in the United States in 2022 was USD $343.2 billion – a 52.4% increase from 2015 – with consumers spending nearly $110 billion on coffee in 2022. Murray further shared that the coffee industry is responsible for more than 2.2 million U.S. jobs and generates more than $100 billion in wages.

Part of the NCA’s goal, Murray explained, is to “protect and enhance coffee’s reputation” so the association is working to educate consumers/correct misinformation about coffee and collaborating with the US government to officially declare coffee a ‘healthy beverage’ and allow ‘healthy’ labelling on coffee packaging.

Murray also noted that the NCA is now the leading destination for searches about decaffeinated coffee, and this year, it is developing new consumer-focused content on decaf.

Acknowledging that cold brew coffee represents a still untapped great opportunity, the NCA funded a $170K cold brew challenge study focused on cold brew coffee that is now available.

In January 2023, the USDA published the ‘Strengthening Organic Enforcement’ Rule to strengthen oversight/enforcement. Murray said the NCA will be releasing an organic guideline this May.

The Winter 2024 NCDT Study will be released soon (in April I believe, but I will confirm), but one ‘early reveal’ that will please the coffee industry — findings show that coffee is sustaining at all-time levels, recording its highest percentage in two decades.

I will provide a review of the full convention in our April issue. The 2025 NCA Convention will be held in Houston, Texas, 6-9 March.

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

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It’s not ‘new news’ that caffeine can assist in weight loss (caffeine may help burn more calories and cause a decrease in body fat) and that coffee has a variety of health benefits, but according to a study by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers, drinking four cups of coffee daily could reduce body fat by about 4%.

The finding comes from a 24-week investigation in which 126 overweight, non-insulin sensitive adults drank daily either four cups of regular coffee or four cups of a coffee-like placebo beverage. The intent of the study was to determine if coffee consumption reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The researchers noted that previous observational studies have linked drinking coffee with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes but coffee’s effects on blood sugar metabolism have not been well defined. With the current study, researchers did not find evidence that coffee affected the participants’ sensitivity to insulin — the hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood.

However, the study did yield an unexpected result: drinking coffee was associated with a modest loss of body fat. Those who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee per day over six months saw a nearly 4% drop in overall body fat.

Derrick Alperet, a study co-author and research fellow in the HSPH Department of Nutrition, said in a HealthDay News article that he and colleagues think that the fat loss may be due to the caffeine in coffee increasing the drinker’s metabolism. He said it suggests that “this loss in fat mass was not likely to be due to changes in lifestyle, namely diet and physical activity.” Rather, Alperet and his colleagues think that coffee-fuelled fat loss may be the result of a ‘metabolic reaction’, in which caffeine causes the drinker’s metabolic process to ramp up. The end result, he said, is the burning of more calories and a notable drop in body fat.

The Singapore experiment lasted six months, during which time half of the study participants – who were all Chinese, Malay or Asian-Indian, per HealthDay News – were randomly instructed to drink four cups of caffeinated instant coffee on a daily basis. The other half drank a beverage that simulated coffee’s taste but was neither coffee nor caffeinated.

Alperet and his fellow researchers concluded that more research is needed, explaining that additional trials with more comprehensive assessments of body composition are needed to confirm their findings.

Some nutritionists in the HealthDay News article questioned the amount of coffee, believing the four cups daily to be “on the high side of intake.” However, scientists at the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA), have asserted that caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day – that’s about four or five cups of coffee – as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.

In December 2020, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans reaffirmed that coffee can be part of healthy diets. The National Coffee Association of the USA has long been touting the many health benefits associated with drinking coffee. For example, on the coffee and health section of its website the NCA notes that “In a review of 21 prospective studies totaling over 10 million participants, drinking one cup of coffee (whether decaf or with caffeine) per day was associated with a 3% reduced risk of death, and drinking three cups of coffee was associated with a 13% reduced risk of death.”

Additionally, per the NCA, “a study of over 500,000 people, spanning a decade, found that drinking coffee, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, was inversely associated with mortality, including among those drinking eight or more cups per day.”

So, do not actually dump the dumbbell or abandon your cardiovascular routine, but do continue to confidently enjoy your daily cuppa Joe — and if you are not a coffee drinker, perhaps this is a good reason to become one…

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

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We’ve known for years that coffee is associated with countless unique health benefits – but according to the National Coffee Association’s (NCA) own consumer research, less than half of the coffee drinkers we surveyed remember hearing about the health benefits of coffee within the past year. With a formal “healthy” designation for coffee, that could soon* change.

What does this mean for your coffee business?

In short: coffee companies may, for the first time, be able to market their plain, black coffee products as “healthy.” Imagine walking down the coffee aisle and seeing coffee package after coffee package proudly boasting – front-of-pack – its health food status. That would allow for much greater latitude when it comes to tightly regulated packaging and marketing requirements for food products — while potentially driving consumption among an increasingly health-conscious consumer base.

How did we get here?

This has been a multi-year industry-wide effort. To think, just a few years ago, we were combatting wildly inaccurate claims that coffee could cause cancer. Talk about a complete 180 — and due in no small part to NCA members big and small whose support has made it possible for us to set the record straight on coffee’s health benefits.

Many in our industry submitted formal comments in support of the healthy designation during last year’s public comment period, as did the NCA on behalf of our more than 250 members (you can read our submission here — it is full of fascinating research on coffee and health. A perfect “beach read” to consume with your favourite coffee beverage.)

Okay, but is coffee really healthy? Or is this just spin by “Big Coffee”?

Not spin, just facts. Regardless of how coffee is prepared, a robust body of evidence – including prospective studies of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, the United Kingdom, other European countries, South Korea, and elsewhere – shows that coffee drinkers live longer than people who don’t drink coffee. And these studies are independent of industry support.

Drinking coffee has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of diabetes, and a reduced risk of multiple types of cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends drinking coffee “regularly,” and the American Cancer Society has concluded that coffee reduces the risk of multiple cancers including liver cancer, endometrial cancer, cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx, as well as basal cell skin cancer and melanoma.

Okay, so, this is all good news. But what can I do?

While the public comment period is closed, you can still have an impact. I was in Washington, D.C., late last month, visiting the Halls of Congress and sitting with federal regulators to make sure they are aware of the overwhelming scientific evidence on our side – and the implications that a “healthy” designation could have for coffee drinkers, coffee companies, their employees, and the farmers upon whom we all rely.

*“Soon” is a relative term with respect to Federal Government processes.

• William “Bill” Murray has been president and CEO of the National Coffee Association (NCA) since June 2014, having previously held leadership positions at the Public Relations Society of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. He takes his coffee black and is not the star of CADDYSHACK.

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Specialty coffees from the tiny East African country, Burundi, will be showcased in a big way, with cuppings hosted by two coffee industry icons, Sherri Johns of Whole Cup Coffee Consulting, and Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian of JNP Coffee.

From San Diego to Montreal, Houston to Brooklyn and back, roasters and café owners will have the opportunity to cup 15 distinctive coffees sourced from the high-altitude coffee farms of Burundi, a country about the size of Maryland.

Coffee remains Americans’ preferred beverage, according to the National Coffee Association’s April 2023 findings, and a past-week survey found 52% enjoy a cup of specialty coffee, choosing lattes, espressos and cappuccinos above all other options. Coffee from Burundi is known for its juicy sweetness, with floral and fruit notes. Delicious as a pour over, it can even add the high notes for espresso.

Sherri Johns started her decades-long career in coffee as a barista in San Francisco. After winning the world’s first barista competition, she became a well-respected coffee educator, consultant and entrepreneur. Among many accomplishments, including owning her own café and opening cafés around the world, she led the judging at Cup of Excellence competitions (COE) from 2002-2017.

That’s how she first met Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian in Burundi, who was a member of the 2015 COE jury. Burundi-born and US-educated, Jeanine had founded JNP Coffee three years earlier after a 20-plus year career in telecommunications. She works directly with farmers in her native country to share best practices for high-quality coffee cultivation and specialty processing. JNP Coffee’s unique premium Dushime programme now supports 11,000 women coffee farmers and their families.

The Burundi on the Road show cities include New York, Toronto and Montreal, Houston, Kansas City, San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. To learn more about these coffees and the women-owned businesses involved in the road show, visit jnpcoffee.com.

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Recently, some green coffee importers have undergone surprise audits by inspectors with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), checking for compliance with relatively new food safety standards associated with the import of green coffee. The audits – which are being performed under the FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) – can be a big wakeup call for some importers, with some being caught completely off-guard by the new requirements and others who thought they were in good standing, but learned too late they had gaps in their compliance. In some circumstances, importers who had all the proper systems and documentation in place found that the company representative charged with furnishing information to the inspector was unable to adequately communicate critical details supporting their compliance.

These and other lapses in compliance can cause major disruptions for a coffee importer: an inspector could issue Form 483 citations, product could be delayed or seized at the US port of entry, or worse — the importer could receive fines and jail time.

With these concerns in mind, it is important that all actors in the green coffee supply chain be fully knowledgeable of FDA’s new import requirements related to food safety; create the proper compliance tools, records, and operational systems; and be able to communicate the information clearly and effectively.

Before examining compliance requirements, it is important to understand the path green coffee follows from tree to import — and why the FDA created food safety rules for foreign suppliers to cover risks that may affect green coffee along that journey.

Why has FDA created food safety rules for foreign suppliers to begin with? To fully answer this question, we must start at the beginning of the supply chain: the coffee farm.

Coffee is commercially grown in over 70 producing countries globally. Once the coffee cherry is harvested from its tree, it will often get processed at a community co-op or mill, resulting in a cleaned and dried green coffee bean. The green coffee beans are often then bagged and shipped to a warehouse where it is prepared for export. At any point during this process, coffee beans may get blended with coffee from dozens or even hundreds of other farms — making coffee what is known as a co-mingled commodity.

At port, the coffee is then loaded into metal shipping containers, sometimes fumigated, and, if heading stateside, shipped to a US-based port. The coffee must pass through US Customs prior to being transported to warehouses, changing hands between brokers, importers, and eventually, roasters.

Green coffee changes hands multiple times with numerous parties between the time of its harvest at the coffee farm and the time it reaches a roaster. Every actor should be following Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and Good Handling Practices (GHP). These can be summed up to be basic, commonsense hygienic and sanitation steps that a food processor must follow to guarantee the safety and wholesomeness of a food product. Failure to comply with these standards can put a business in trouble with the FDA.

Until recently, the FDA was very limited in what food safety standards it could apply to foreign suppliers of agricultural commodities and finished foods to the US market. With a co-mingled commodity like green coffee, the complexities and difficult traceability make enforcing some standards virtually impossible. For this and other reasons, the FDA issued the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) as a component of the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

At a macro level, FSMA was signed into law in 2011 and with the aim of ensuring the safety of the US food supply by shifting from a reactive response model to one of proactive prevention of contamination. In turn, FSVP, a sub-section of FSMA, allows regulators the opportunity to establish similar, prevention-based food safety standards for both domestically produced and imported foods.

FSVP was also designed to allow for flexibility in its framework, allowing companies to more easily apply FDA’s rules to their own business operations. The green coffee industry is fortunate in that green coffee is roasted prior to consumption, which reduces food safety risks considerably compared to many other food products.

To help green coffee importers understand FSVP compliance, the National Coffee Association is producing an FSVP Toolkit. The Toolkit, which will be released this summer, will take importers step-by-step through the various FSVP rules and regulations as they apply to green coffee and will provide a sample FSVP-compliant plan with green coffee examples.

The NCA will also be revamping and relaunching its Model Food Safety Plan Template for Green Coffee. A complete food safety plan is an essential element of a compliant FSVP plan.

• Mark Corey, PhD, joined the National Coffee Association (NCA) of the USA as director of scientific and government affairs in 2018. Previously, he worked in R&D roles in the coffee industry for ten years and was volunteer chairperson of the NCA’s Scientific Leadership Council for five years.

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In his new role, Cariani will continue to grow NCA’s educational programming and market research, including its webinars programme, convention programming, and National Coffee Data Trends Market Research Series. In addition, Cariani’s unique position as an innovator and problem solver will help guide the NCA into the future using new tools and tactics in alignment with the organisation’s forward-looking Strategic Plan.

“We couldn’t be happier with the work Matt has done to transform our organisation over these past ten years,” said William “Bill” Murray, NCA president and CEO. “His work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and unique professional and educational background have made him an essential asset to the organisation. With this promotion, we aim to recognise his many and unique contributions to our growing association and industry.”

Robert Menos, NCA board of directors chair, also praised the decision, saying, “Having worked with Matt for many years, I know firsthand the critical role he plays in shaping the future of the NCA. I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next with this well-deserved promotion.”

Cariani has been with NCA since May 2013 and is based out of the NCA headquarters in New York City’s Financial District.

For more information, contact media@ncausa.org.

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The USDA first passed organic regulations in December 2000. The ‘Strengthening Organic Enforcement’ (SEO) Rule took effect in October 2002, and those regulations were in place until 2020 when a new rule was proposed. The USDA published a final rule 18 January 2023, which took effect 20 March 2023. The compliance deadline for the Final Rule is 19 March 2024.

The National Coffee Association (NCA) held a webinar on 31 May – ‘Strengthening Organic Enforcement” (SEO) Rule & its Impact on the Coffee Sector’ – to help green coffee importers understand the new regulations and who is affected, but tea importers should also heed the advice.

Mabell Rivas, technical manager, Quality Assurance International (QAI), one of the presenters, said there is now a significant increase in oversight and authority to address incidences of fraud and fewer parties are exempt from certification. In the coffee industry, she said the impact is primarily on entities that interact as intermediaries, which are currently exempt but will now have to be certified per SOE, these include: brokers, traders, exporters, importers, and some warehouse operations such as green coffee gathering centers.

The webinar highlighted some of the notable updates to the SEO Rule. Among them: import certificates for all imported products entering the US will be required (by March 2024); additional info is to be displayed on nonretail containers; and companies will need to develop and implement Supply Chain Fraud Prevention Plans, which will be assessed.

Except for the exempt operations described in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 7 205.101, each operation or portion of an operation that produces or handles agricultural products intended to be sold, labelled, or represented as ‘100 percent organic’, ‘organic’ or ‘made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))’ must be certified.

Within the coffee supply chain, Rivas said that at origin, farmer, wet process, intermediary, dry process, and the green coffee trader/exporter must be certified. In the importing country, the broker/trader agent/importer and processor, must be certified, but she said some activities at the warehouse such as distribution and finished product distribution are exempt. Exemptions to the SOE Rule (under 7 CFR Part 205.101), in terms of ‘Operation Type’ include:

• Operations whose gross organic sales total USD $5,000 or less annually;
• A retail establishment that does not process organically produced agricultural products;
• Retail establishments that process, at the point of sale, [previously] certified organic products;
• Handling operations that only handle agricultural products containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients;
• An operation that only receives, stores, and/or prepares for shipment but does not handle products and the products are packaged in tamper-evident packages or containers.

Under the new SOE Rule (§ 205.273), import certificates will now be required for any organic product coming into the US. Roxanne Beavers, senior technical reviewer, Quality Assurance International (QAI), who also presented during the webinar, explained that Import Certificates must be created using the National Organic Program (NOP) Organic Integrity Database; will be generated using the Organic Certificate listings. She said that it is possible to create one Import Certificate to cover multiple imports for a period of time (e.g., season, quarter) with a maximum amount of product identified. Before product ships, Beaver said the importer must upload the Import Certificate to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) of Customs and Border Protection.

What is an import certificate? Beavers explained that the NOP Import Certificate must list:

• Exporter and their Organic Certifying Agency
• Recipient
• Product Name
• HTS Code
• Manufacturer of product and Certifying Agency (if not exporter)
• Amount of product and shipping ID
• May have start and end date

Furthermore, Beavers said that an Integrity Database online system is currently being developed, noting that NOP began testing the system in Q2 2023. She noted that in the US, transaction certificates are used in the coffee industry, thus, this is not a huge change so players should be able to handle it better than other agricultural commodities.

Another change to the SEO Rule is that organic operators need to create a fraud prevention plan, which is designed to improve supply chain traceability. Beavers said the Fraud Prevention Plan must be developed, reviewed, and approved by 19 March 2024. Those, those importing organic coffee or tea need to:

1. Conduct a vulnerability assessment (all fraud), including:

a. Know your products and risks (history, economic and geographical factors)

b. Know your suppliers (manufacturer, broker, history)

c. Know your supply chain (length, complexity, supply and demand)

d. Know your existing verification measures and identify the gaps

2. Design and implement internal mitigation measures including a robust supplier approval program that involves internal audits and second-party supplier audits.

3. Ensure practices are effective through monitoring practices and verification tools such as internal audits and control testing.

4. Document the vulnerability assessment, mitigation measures and monitoring practices in an Organic Fraud Prevention Plan.

5. Integrate mitigation measures into the Organic System Plan (OSP).

Just a reminder, the compliance deadline for the SOE Final Rule is 19 March 2024.

T&CTJ will provide any updates as they become available.

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

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The 2023 SCA Expo kicks off tonight with a welcome reception and runs through April 23rd (the show floor opens on the 21st). The annual event – the biggest specialty coffee show in the world – is ‘Disneyland’ for specialty coffee enthusiasts, connoisseurs and professionals, focusing on espresso, espresso-blended beverages, specialty ‘graded’ coffee, cold brew and nitro cold brew.

The specialty coffee industry has grown tremendously over the past 15 years. In her presentation, Specialty Coffee on the Rebound, at the NCA Convention in March, Megan Rankin of market research firm, Dig Insights, noted that in 2008, 34% of consumers (in the US) drank specialty coffee. In 2023, in the US alone, that number has grown to 52%. ‘Specialty coffee’ in 2008 included espresso, cappuccino, latte, café mocha, traditional specialty coffee and frozen blended coffee. Today, she pointed out that ‘specialty coffee’ also includes caffè Americano, macchiato, flat white, cold brew coffee and nitro cold brew.

The National Coffee Association (NCA) of the USA’s Spring 2023 NCDT Study reveals that younger Americans, non-Caucasians drive consumption of espresso-based beverages. The strength of the broader specialty coffee category is driven by those under 40 years with the 25 -39 demo driving espresso -based beverage consumption. According to the study, those under 40 also have a stronger propensity to consume cold coffee beverages, suggesting the category’s growth of cold coffee should target a younger demographic. Furthermore, consumers who identify as Hispanic-, African- and Asian-Americans are also more likely than Caucasian-Americans to be specialty drinkers. About 49% of Caucasian-Americans had a specialty coffee beverage in the past week — this percentage increases among the other three ethnic groups tracked in the NCDT.

So, despite the high inflationary environment, specialty coffee is showing resilience. According to the NCA’s Specialty Coffee Report, which is part of its Spring NCDT (National Coffee Data Trends) Study, although broader consumer trends suggest that many are and will be cutting back on discretionary expenses, the specialty coffee consumer is still happily buying specialty coffee. For example, in January 2023, just over four-in-ten Americans aged 18+ had at least one cup of specialty coffee yesterday. This is driven by espresso-based beverages, which are also sustaining at high levels.

In terms of purchasing behaviour, the NCA’s Specialty Coffee report reveals that there is evidence to suggest some specialty consumers are ‘buying in bulk’ to save money in the face of inflation, but not all are cutting back. In fact, per the findings, there are more specialty coffee drinkers agreeing to the statement ‘I’ve tried making the coffees I buy out-of-home but it doesn’t taste the same’ — an indication that while coffee preparation in-home provides cost savings, there are some coffee beverages that are better out-of-home.

Supporting this finding, in her presentation, Rankin explained that 40% of specialty coffee drinkers purchase coffee out-of-home versus 23% of traditional coffee drinkers, while 77% of specialty coffee drinkers prepare coffee at-home versus 89% of traditional coffee drinkers.

So, although the possibility of a recession still looms and personal financial situations may be gloomy, specialty coffee is proving to be quite resilient, hence, the outlook is positive.

For a ‘sneak peek’ at some of the companies exhibiting at the SCA Expo, see: SCA Expo, Interpack and PLMA’s World of Private Label exhibitor preview – Tea & Coffee Trade Journal (teaandcoffee.net).

Safe travels to Portland! Come visit T&CTJ at booth #1820 and grab a copy of our latest issue!

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

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While the NCA Annual Convention is a leading event for executives and decision-makers in the US coffee industry, this year’s gathering welcomed individuals from more than two dozen countries, and included representatives from international coffee organizations such as the British Coffee Association, CeCafe (Brazil), the Coffee Association of Canada, the European Coffee Federation, the German Coffee Association (Deutscher Kaffeeverband), the International Coffee Organization (UK), Sintercafe (Costa Rica), the Swiss Coffee Trade Association as well as the Specialty Coffee Association (US/UK).

“We are thrilled to finally welcome back the coffee community to their beloved annual event, in person for the first time in three years,” said William “Bill” Murray, NCA president & CEO, in his opening day remarks. “These past few years have been challenging, and I continue to be awed by the strength and resilience our industry has shown.”

Murray also reiterated the NCA’s mission –to grow the US coffee community through education, advocacy, and connection – and vision for an open, sustainable and growing future for coffee. He noted that the NCA is ramping up its advocacy efforts this year in jobs, climate change, sustainability, deforestation, gender equity, plant research, public health, immigration, innovation, and international development.

He also pointed out that while coffee consumption in the US remains strong (the exception being instant coffee), a particular bright spot is cold brew. Quoting statistics from Technavio, Murray said that the cold brew coffee market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.73% between 2022 and 2027, adding that the size of the market is forecast to increase by USD $439.93 million.

This year’s convention theme, Resilience & Reinvention, spoke to the industry’s ability to evolve to meet the challenges of the day and thrive despite ongoing economic and public health challenges. The opening keynote speaker was Amanda Lindhout, who was kidnapped by criminals while working as a freelance journalist in Somalia in 2008. Her speech discussed her need to stop asking ‘why me’ and all that she suffered and let go of her anger because it was only hurting her after she was freed so she could find and harness her innate inner resource of resilience.

In her keynote presentation, ‘Say What you Mean in a Nice Way: Communication with Kindness and Compassion’, and quoting Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” Sarita Maybin advised attendees on ways to transform uncomfortable conversations – whether

in business or personal situations – into constructive communication by offering ways to ‘say what you mean and mean what you say in a nice way’.

The always popular and insightful G Scott Clemons, partner & chief economic strategist, Brown Brother Harriman, returned and shared his economic outlook for 2023, noting that the likelihood of a recession in the second half of the year is growing. “The job market is relatively robust but it is more of job recovery than new job growth,” he said, adding that the biggest issue has been trying to find workers. Clemons explained that the labour market growth will weaken as trends return to normal and the housing market is declining as mortgage rates — combine this with consumer confidence, which remains at post-pandemic low levels, as well as weak manufacturing confidence and the continuing Russia/Ukraine conflict, and the probability of a recession is strong. However, “I believe if we have a recession, it will be a relatively short one as households are in better financial shape than they have been (household debt is at all-time lows),” he said.

Many conversations during the convention centred around the impact of the proposed European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), on businesses. The goal of the EUDR is to prevent a significant share of global deforestation and forest degradation, and in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. The EUDR is at a standstill as trade representatives for the targeted commodities (along with coffee, there is soy, beef, palm oil, and rubber, among others) argue that it should not be a ‘one size fits all’ approach as each commodity is unique and its impact varies greatly. Furthermore, Michael von Luerte, secretary general for the SCTA, explained that DG Environment, which is drafting the regulation, had “very little consultation with the private sector, which should have been heard and third-party producing countries were not heard.” Producing countries should have been given a word, he said, because those impacted the most will be the smallholders. Essentially, the people and the countries the new law is intended to help, will currently be hurt the most by it.

The NCA also presented two awards on the convention’s opening day. The first went to Days for Girls International, NCA’s 2023 Origin Charity of the Year, in recognition of their work improving the health, education, and livelihood outcomes of women and girls in coffee-growing regions around the world. NCA also presented Charles ‘Charlie’ Cortellini with the NCA Distinguished Leadership Award in honour of his over four decades of service and dedication to the NCA and coffee industry.

The next NCA Convention will be held 7-9 March 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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

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As with previous NCA Convention programming, much of it will be forward looking. But looking back at 2022, it was another strong year for the US coffee market, with retail sales alone reaching USD $18 billion, making the United States the world’s largest coffee market in terms of sales (consumption wise Brazil is higher), per global market research firm, Euromonitor International.

In an NCA webinar in January, a sort of preview to many topics that will be discussed during this year’s convention – US Coffee Outlook – presenter Matthew Barry, food & beverage insights manager at Euromonitor, said that the average American spent $223 on coffee last year, with out-of-home spending around $131 per person per year –the largest spend – no small amount given rising prices and consumers’ tightening budgets.

Barry noted that RTD remains the key growth category in US coffee. Fresh ground coffee pods the next largest category, followed by standard fresh ground coffee, and then fresh coffee beans. Instant coffee, he said, is the only category that is expected to decline in the US.

Coffee, like most grocery items, continues to rise in price — coffee prices are up about 15% since 2021. “Standard/staple grocery items are rising in price faster than inflation,” said Barry. “Inflation rates are starting to slow down but American consumers are not confident.”

And yet, despite the macroeconomic problems that are all weighing down the US economy (federal rates tightening, declining consumer savings, trouble in China and Europe), coffee has been surprisingly resilient so far. Coffee, Barry explained, has been deemed a ‘permissible indulgence’.

“There are two paths to succeed for coffee in tough economic times: essential product and permissible indulgence,” he said. Furthermore, coffee is compatible with all major current diet trends – Keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, Mediterranean, and vegan/plant-based, to name just a few – which bodes well for its continued growth.

Questions around caffeine and energy remain important trends with two competing sub-trends: more caffeine and moderating it. Not so much a trend, but more so a desire to be more sustainable remains strong (according to Euromonitor, 62% of Americans say they actively try to help the environment in their everyday actions), but “consumer willingness to spend is limited,” said Barry.

NCA Convention speakers and sessions will address trends and challenges impacting the US coffee industry primarily (but globally as well). As we are nearing the end of the first quarter of

2023, it will be interesting to how the ‘outlook’ has changed since January, and what it is for the remainder of the year.

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

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Presenters Cheryl Hung, vice president of insights and Megan Rankin, senior manager of insights at Dig Insights, did say that penetration of coffee in past-day and past-week is softer among Gen Z (including adults, ages 18-24), while Millennials (ages 25-39), Gen X (ages 40-59) and Boomers (ages 60+) drive consumption. However, coffee drinking among teens is on the rise with higher past-day penetration in 2022 — historically it has been lower. For example, in 2014, 19% of teens (13-17) had coffee in the past-day versus 27% in 2022 (almost 3 in 10 teens had coffee in past day).

And are Gen Z teens drinking specialty coffee? Rankin said that overall consumption of specialty coffee has grown significantly since 2008, with past-week espresso-blended beverage (EBB) penetration almost doubling at 38% in 2022. Millennials are more likely than any other generation to drink specialty coffee (64%), and more specifically EBBs (51%), in the past day. Among all coffees drank in the past day Gen X (54%) and Millennials have higher share of specialty cups vs non specialty, but Gen Z, both teens and adults, are fairly represented: 28% and 53% respectively for specialty coffee, and 23% and 44% respectively for EBBs.

In term of past-day coffee consumption, Gen Z and Millennials have an even higher share of specialty cups vs, non-specialty: Gen Z teens (70%), Gen Z adults (76%), Millennials (73%).

In 2008, during the global financial crisis, coffee drinking among those aged 18-24 decreased. But despite rising inflation in 2022, coffee drinking among Gen Z continues to be resilient and increases for older generations. “This time around, however, financial concerns are strongest among Gen X and Boomers,” said Hung. It is noteworthy, said Hung, that despite financial crisis, coffee is not being cut from the daily routine among any generation.

Gen Z and Millennials continue to show diversity in how they whiten their cups, such as flavoured creamers and especially, plant-based milks so it is important for coffee shops to have those options available.

Furthermore, while coffee drinking among teens tends to be out-of-home, a surprising number are also preparing coffee at home (74%), although it is more likely to be a cold brew or ready-to-drink coffee than one prepared via a drip coffee maker — the same is true for Millennials!

• 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 The bottled-water generation likes its coffee too! appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

First place was for Santa Clara Productive Unit of Acatenango, Chimaltenango with 90.95 points; second place was for El Morito, from Mataquescuintla, Jalapa, with 90.11 points; and the third place was for La Concepción, from San Martín Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango, with 89.16 points.

“This is not just my victory, it is a team effort, the people who helped me to prepare the coffee are part of this victory. Two days ago we celebrated our anniversary, 139 years of having the farm in the family, I am the fourth generation and this achievement is the best way to celebrate,” said Agricola Industrial Santa Rosa S.A., first-place winner.

In the initial phase, a total of 118 samples were received (67 were washed process, 13 honey, and 38 natural). Of all of these coffees, 23 were participating in an auction for the first time, and 62 of them have already participated in similar events without reaching to be winners.

In the early stages, the 118 samples were rated by a panel of 12 national expert cuppers. This panel selected 39 coffees with the best scores to participate in the International Round, where 13 national and international cuppers from the United States, South Korea, Greece, Taiwan, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates and Guatemala, led by Alex Pond (Senior Educator and ACE Project Coordinator) evaluated and selected the 15 winning coffees that obtained a score above 86 points to participate in the electronic auction.

“One of a Kind coffee represents the best of what is possible. These coffees showcase the incredible talent of Guatemalan coffee farmers. Incredible sweet clean and unique,” said Alex Pond.

The president of Anacafé, Juan Luis Barrios, commented that “in Anacafé we have implemented the One of a Kind seeking to motivate coffee producers to implement innovative processes such as anaerobic fermentation, double washing, use of yeasts, among others, and promoting traditional varieties with customers from around the world who have the necessary purchasing power to offer better prices for coffees with unique profiles.

“One of a Kind has also allowed us to discover the exceptional coffees that are produced in productive units, cooperatives, and smaller-scale producers who had not previously participated in competitions of this type,” added Barrios.

One of the world trends is focused on the consumption of nano and micro-batches of unique coffees, with processes differentiated in their preparation. The One of a Kind auction responds to these new market trends and seeks to provide more Guatemalan coffee producers with direct marketing opportunities by showing innovative coffee offers to potential buyers around the world.

Worldwide, Guatemalan coffee is recognized for its quality and exceptional production process. The dedication and experience of the producers who cultivate these shade-grown coffees, the manual collection of each coffee cherry at the exact point of ripeness, microclimates, soil types, altitudes in mountainous areas and volcanic, combine to produce one of the best coffees in the world, Guatemalan coffees.

The One of a Kind Guatemala 2022 electronic auction will be held on Thursday, 28 July, and will be priced opening fee of $5.00 per pound. See the full list of winners and purchase sample sets at: allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/one-of-a-kind-guatemala/

The post Winners announced of Guatemala One of a Kind auction appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

66% of Americans now drink coffee each day, more than any other beverage including tap water and up by nearly 14% since January 2021, the largest increase since NCA began tracking data.

The Spring 2022 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report prepared by Dig Insights on behalf of the NCA found that Americans have increased coffee consumption away from home by 8% since January 2021.

At home coffee consumption remains above pre-pandemic levels. Some 84% of coffee drinkers now have had coffee at home in the past day, compared to 80% in January 2020.

Consumption of espresso-based beverages, typically prepared away from home, have shot up 30% since the start of the pandemic, signaling recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and also indicating new growth.

NCA president and CEO William “Bill” Murray commented: “Given decades of independent scientific evidence that coffee drinkers live longer than people who never drink coffee, it’s fitting to see America’s top beverage emerge from Covid-19 more popular than ever at home, on the go, in the office, and in coffee shops around the country.”

Other key NCDT findings include:

• Specialty coffee consumption hit a five-year high. 43% of coffee drinkers chose specialty coffee in the past day, up 20% since January 2021.
• Cappuccinos and lattes are tied for America’s most popular coffee beverage, followed closely by plain espresso and cafe mocha.
• 41% of coffee drinkers use a drip coffee maker, followed by single-cup systems (27%), cold brewing (9%) and espresso machines (8%).

For more information, including media highlights, and to purchase the complete NCDT, click here.

The post Coffee consumption hits two-decade high appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

First and foremost, Simms said brands must ‘innovate to differentiate’. “No matter the size of the organisation, you have to make time to be creative,” she explained.

When looking to innovate, Simms said a brand must consider the who, what, where, etc. For example, 60% of millennials make purchasing decisions based on a brand’s/company’s sustainable efforts so if they are the target audience, sustainability must be part of the company’s philosophy or DNA — and not just ‘talk’ or jargon.

Many brands – both specialty and mass market – are already doing it, but Simms suggested telling “a beautiful story of coffee” to connect with consumers because “people feel more supported and appreciated when you bring them along.”

Creativity really comes into play with the ‘why’ component. Why can’t restaurants offer a coffee pairing with desserts, she said, noting that eggs and bacon was a ‘breakfast combo’ that was spun in the 1920s by a marketer who represented a bacon brand.

At retail (grocery stores/mass retailers), Simms asked why coffee cannot be an endcap on the dessert aisle or near the bakery? “Take advantage of new and unexpected places to promote [or offer] coffee. Why not have wider and more coffee availability at outdoor events and spaces [concerts, sporting activities, etc.]”

To that point, as someone who attends the US Tennis Open championship every year, which has day sessions that begin in the mornings, I always wondered why no coffee brands were partnering with the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to be the exclusive coffee brand at the facility, or at least during the tournament. Finally, in the late 2000s, Turin, Italy-based Lavazza Coffee signed partnership agreements with all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments (the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open) and remains (at least pre-Covid) the official coffee brand.

Simms stressed that innovation is very different from improvement. “Netflix didn’t come from Blockbuster. Look at other industries to see what can drive innovation and differentiation in coffee. When it comes to innovation, fortune favours the bold.”

Regarding social media, Simms shared that it is less important about how many people are following you, rather, “more important is the level of engagement of those who are following you.” She added that with social media, live action content does much better [Instagram].

However, Simms advised that it is better to do one simple thing well than take on too much. “You do not want to dilute the brand identity. Do not betray core of who you are. You don’t want to lose loyal customers, but are you showing up in right places to attract new customers? Stay true to the core of the brand!

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

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Dhawan explained that it is no longer just a question of ‘how do we adapt to the new normal?’ so in our efforts to adapt, we need to reimagine collaboration. In a world where companies employ both ‘digital natives’ (Gen Z and millennials) and ‘digital adapters’ (Gen X and baby boomers), and have people working both from home and in the office, digital body language matters.

She gave an example of email correspondence between a boss and employee who had worked together for six years, yet the 15-minute email exchange resulted in five hours of stress because of the wording used in the emails (by both people). “Behind screens, we misunderstand quickly,” said Dhawan. “Things seem passive aggressive, like we are arguing when we’re not. Strong ties have gotten stronger, weak ties have gotten weaker,” she said, adding, “We need to go beyond a culture of connection overload.”

Dhawan explained that digital body language is not about video skills, it is about cues. What is your choice of communication medium? Is it texting, emailing, video calls? Word choice, the use of punctuation, the use of emojis, and the meeting times all matter. These days, a ‘single period isn’t just a period’ in a text. “‘Digital natives’ see a period at the end of a text as passive aggressive while ‘digital adapters’ see it as good grammar,” she said.

So, how do we adapt to different styles? Dhawan shared Five Key Principles of Digital Body Language:

1. Brevity creates confusion. Never confuse a quick message with clear message to make sure teams are on the same page.
2. Communicate your mind with your mindset. What was implicit with traditional body language must be explicit with digital. Change styles to assume good intent. For example, using all caps in a text or email can be inferred as angry/shouting, excitement or urgency, depending on who the recipient is (digital native vs digital adapter).
3. Hold your horses. As leaders/managers you do not always want to reward the ‘first responders.’ Make sure to acknowledge those who take the time to send thoughtful response.
4. Assume the best intent. Do not just give others the benefit of doubt, rather, give the benefit of grace to avoid misinterpretation. Think about other communication mediums — often a quick phone call can prevent confusion or misunderstanding.
5. Find your voice. More than ever, in the hybrid workplace environment pay attention to introverts vs extroverts. Use chat tools. Recognise digital natives vs digital adapters (who, according to Dhawan, often ‘feel like immigrants to a new country’).

Dhawan also noted that great teamwork is not about using new technology, it is about getting the best out of the people, but “it is on us to have the right playbook. There is no silver bullet around expectations.”

To improve teamwork among colleagues, Dhawan offered Four Laws of High-Performance Collaboration:

1. Value Visibly. Valuing others time and schedules. Watch the clock. Acknowledge individual differences. Practice radical recognition. How are you igniting team spirit to keep morale up? A quick positive email can make an employee’s day in today’s world.
2. Communicate Carefully. Think before you type. Define urgent — do you need it in five minutes, five hours or five days?
3. Collaborate Confidently. Inform the right people at the right time. Prioritise and stay on track. Improve meeting culture. Consistency matters.
4. Trust totally. Give the benefit of doubt. Create hybrid water-cooler moments. Show vulnerabilities. Get practical.

Dhawan gave attendees a lot to think about in terms of communicating and collaborating with employees, employers and colleagues (perhaps even family and friends…) in today’s digital, hybrid workplace world. I know I will certainly pause to review before ‘firing off’ that next text or email, work-related or otherwise!

• 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 Understanding digital body language appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

So, it’s no wonder realtors might want to highlight the best and worst cities in the US for coffee drinkers. Hence, in its Best Coffee Cities in America 2022 report, Clever Real Estate analysed publicly available data from the US Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Numbeo, Google Trends, National Coffee Association, and Database USA to rank the 50 most populous metro areas in the United States from the best to the worst cities for coffee.

The weighted rankings evaluated various criteria such as:

• 3x: The average price of a cappuccino in each city.
• 2x: The average number of coffee shops per capita in each metro.
• 1x: The number of coffee shops per square mile in each metro.
• 1x: What percentage of their income locals are willing to spend on a daily weekday cup.
• 1x: The Google search trends for coffee-related terms in each metro.

The real estate firm’s rankings consider two measures of affordability: metros with an affordable cost of living encourage residents to open shops and try new ideas with lower risk; while higher-than-average prices for a cup of coffee reflect just how much residents value a quality cup.

The report reveals that the 15 best coffee cities have an average of 18 coffee shops per 100,000 people — five more than the national average of 13. According to the report, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – quite surprisingly – is the coffee capital of the US. The average cappuccino costs only USD $3.56 in Milwaukee, where residents spend 1.5% of their annual income on their weekday cup.

Conversely, the worst city in America for coffee, according to the report, is Virginia Beach, Virginia with just eight coffee shops per 100,000 residents and only 33% as many Google searches for coffee over the last year compared to the most passionate metros. A daily cappuccino costs Virginia Beach residents $5.39. Portland, Oregon has the most coffee shops per capita averaging 27 per 100,000 people.

Overall, the report finds that the best regions for coffee drinkers are the North and West as six of the top 15 cities for coffee (40%) are on the West Coast, while 10 (67%) are located North and Northeast. The top 20 Cities in America for coffee per Clever’s findings are:

1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2. Portland, Oregon
3. San Francisco, California
4. Buffalo, New York
5. Providence, Rhode Island
6. Boston, Massachusetts
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Hartford, Connecticut
11. Riverside, Calif.
12. San Diego, Calif.
13. Philadelphia, Penn.
14. San Jose, Calif.
15. Indianapolis, Indiana
16. Chicago, Illinois
17. New York, NY
18. Columbus, Ohio
19. Los Angeles, Calif.
20. Cleveland, Ohio

It is quite curious that Milwaukee and Buffalo rank in the top four for best cities and Ohio boasts three cities on the list, while Seattle, although within the top ten cities, is not higher on the list. And even coffee-loving New Orleans, Louisiana – which reportedly created the concept of the ‘coffee break’ – does not fall within the top 20 cities on the list.

Of course, for every ‘best’ there’s a ‘worst’, and the ten worst coffee cities in the US – that is, distinctively less inviting to café-goers – as noted in the report, are:

1. Virginia Beach, Virginia
2. Memphis, Tennessee
3. Louisville, Kentucky
4. Birmingham, Alabama
5. Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Richmond, Virginia
7. Phoenix, Arizona
8. Nashville, Tennessee
9. Jacksonville, Florida
10. St. Louis, Missouri

Per Clever, these metro areas offer an average of only ten coffee shops per 100,000 people – 44% less than the top 15 cities. Additionally, these cities have much higher cappuccino prices as a percent of annual income, averaging 2.29% compared with 1.60% for the top 15 cities. Virginia may be ‘for lovers’ as the state slogan used to say, but apparently it’s not for ‘coffee lovers’ as two of its cities fall on the worst list!

So, for those coffeehouse loyalists, the report might be worth a glance before considering a move to a new city…The full report can be viewed here.

• 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 Where to find the best brew for the buck in the US appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

The report from the National Coffee Association states that Americans have increased coffee consumption at work by 55% and at cafés and restaurants by 20% since January 2021, driving an overall 16% increase in out-of-home coffee consumption as Covid-19 restrictions have eased around the country.

The report also shows that more Americans (60%) drank coffee in the past day than drank any other beverage (including tap water), continuing coffee’s decade-long reign as America’s favourite beverage.

NCA president and CEO William “Bill” Murray commented: “It’s no surprise that home remains the most popular place to drink coffee, and that the Covid-19 pandemic drove Americans to drink more coffee at home than ever.

“As Covid restrictions ease, coffee drinkers are returning to pre-pandemic routines but also keeping their favorite new coffee options like drive-through and app-based ordering. Wherever Americans go, they keep America’s favorite beverage with them.”

Additionally, through NCA’s collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the NCDT gives new insight into consumer preferences within the specialty coffee segment. Young coffee drinkers continue to drive the segment’s growth, with nearly half (49%) of 25-to-39-year-olds surveyed drinking at least one cup of specialty coffee in the past day.

Other key findings of the report include:

• Coffee consumption among 25-39 year olds is at a record high – 65% drank coffee in the past day.
• The NCDT’s first-ever summer polling finds cold brew in the top three coffee preparation methods for the first time. Consumption of cold coffee is up 50% since January 2021, surpassing even the expected seasonal levels and continuing to show the increasing popularity of cold brew which was virtually unknown when first surveyed in 2015.
• Consumption of espresso-based beverages typically consumed away from home increased 9%, returning to January 2020 levels.

For media highlights or to purchase the complete NCDT, click here.

The post Out-of home coffee drinking in US rebounds to pre-pandemic levels appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

For example, Florida has three cities in the top 20 list, while California has five cities.

New Orleans, Louisiana, where the Specialty Coffee Association is holding its 2021 Specialty Coffee Expo, is number 15 on the list, while Boston, Massachusetts, where the Expo is being held in 2022, is 10th.

Not surprising in the least, Portland, Oregon, where the Expo would have been held last year, is the top coffee city on the list.

To determine the best local coffee scenes in America, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 12 key indicators of a strong coffee culture. The data set ranges from coffee shops/coffeehouses and cafés per capita to the average price per pack of coffee.

According to WalletHub, 2021’s list of the top 20 cities in the US for ‘coffee lovers’ includes:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. San Francisco, California
3. Seattle, Washington
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
6. Honolulu, Hawaii
7. Tampa, Florida
8. Miami, Florida
9. San Diego, California
10. Boston, Massachusetts
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
12. Los Angeles, California
13. Denver, Colorado
14. Long Beach, California
15. New Orleans, Louisiana
16. Oakland, California
17. Jersey City, New Jersey
18. Washington, DC
19. Irvine, California
20. New York, New York

WalletHub also featured ‘best vs worst’ in terms of pricing, spending, number of coffee outlets, etc. Per the report:

• Kansas City, Missouri, has the lowest average price for a cup of coffee, USD $3.44, which is 2.5 times lower than in Honolulu, Hawaii, the city with the highest at $8.69.
• Fremont, California, has the highest average annual spending on coffee per household, $229.62, which is 3.5 times higher than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest at $65.06.
• Gilbert, Arizona, has the highest share of households that own a single-cup/pod-brewing coffee maker, 28.11 per cent, which is 2.6 times higher than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest at 10.93 per cent.
• Orlando, Florida, has the most coffee shops, coffeehouses and cafés (per square root of population), 0.4529, which is 8.2 times more than in Laredo, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.0550.
• Portland, Oregon, has the most coffee and tea manufacturers (per square root of population), 0.0211, which is 42.2 times more than in Riverside and San Bernardino, California, the cities with the fewest at 0.0005.

To view the full report and other cities’ rankings, visit: wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-coffee-lovers/23739 or here for a YouTube video summarising the study.

Just a reminder that presentations from our 2021 Virtual Tea & Coffee World Cup are still available. Visit www.tcworldcup.com for access and more information.

• 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 2021’s best coffee cities in America appeared first on Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.