The new 265,000-square-foot building will serve as a key facility for Bigelow Tea’s production, packaging, storage, and distribution operations. The site also includes 25,000 square feet of planned office space, and it sits on a sprawling 20-acre plot, allowing for a future expansion of 75,000 square feet as the company continues to grow.

Cindi Bigelow, the company’s CEO and president, is excited to see the building come to fruition. “There are so many people that have worked tirelessly to bring this project to life. I especially want to call out John Bruins, senior director of engineering, for his commitment to talking to almost every employee over the last two years to ensure that this facility was built to include everyone’s needs.”

Hollenbach Oakley has been awarded the project management agreement for the construction of this new facility, and Horizon Commercial Realty played a pivotal role in facilitating the purchase of the property, ensuring that Bigelow Tea’s vision for its new facility could be realized.

Greg Oakley, managing partner of Hollenbach Oakley and Horizon Commercial Realty, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration. “Working with Bigelow Tea on this project is a tremendous honor. This facility will not only enhance their operational capabilities but also demonstrate their commitment to the Louisville community and sustainable practices,” Oakley said.

Sitework is scheduled to begin this year, with the main construction phase slated to start in early 2025. Civil drawings have already been completed, and the facility will include environmentally friendly features such as solar canopies over employee parking lots, underscoring Bigelow Tea’s commitment to sustainability.

With the start of this project, Bigelow Tea’s plan includes expanding their workforce, further contributing to the local economy. The total investment for this project is estimated at over $70 million.

Bigelow Tea’s current Louisville facility is located at 2401 Constant Comment Place, for over 30 years and is very happy to be able to expand in the same wonderful community. The new facility marks a significant milestone in the company’s continued growth and commitment to excellence.

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Improving economic conditions are expected to accelerate this trend – over the next five years, Brazil is expected to generate two-thirds of total Latin American coffee consumption growth. Brazil is still recovering from its recent economic recession, which has affected parts of the specialty coffee market. But there is a positive outlook for the Brazilian economy which may stimulate the sector.

In terms of value, Brazil should see the largest increase of coffee sales in Latin America. From 2019 to 2024, retail value is expected to reach US$3.4bn, which represents 66% of total growth in Latin America.

“The specialty coffee market continues to show solid growth,” according to Rabobank data analyst, Guilherme Morya. “The steady stream of new product launches and innovations should help this segment to perform very well. At-home or out-of-home, Brazil has a good landscape for coffee consumption, especially for premium blends.

“We believe a recovering economy, increasing foreign coffee investment and growing consumer awareness/appreciation will all work together to grow the value of the Brazilian coffee market. As this virtuous cycle continues, it should attract even more investment into the consumer coffee industry in Brazil.”

Click here to download the report

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Known as JDE Peet’s, it will be anchored by brands such as Peet’s Coffee, the founder of specialty coffee and a leading super premium brand in the United States, as well as several global brands, including L’OR, Jacobs Coffee, Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Tassimo, Moccona, Kenco, Pickwick and Pilão. 

The JDE Peet’s brand portfolio will include coffee brands that offer consumers a broad range of choices that include traditional roast and ground coffees, soluble coffee, on-demand systems with innovative proprietary platforms such as Senseo and Tassimo, and products compatible with other popular coffee systems. JDE Peet’s will be present in more than 140 countries and have revenues of approximately €7 billion, benefiting from the high growth of the coffee category in both developing and developed markets.

The exploration of an IPO is a key milestone in the partnership between Acorn Holdings B.V. (which includes controlling shareholder JAB and BDT Capital) and Mondelez International.  As part of preparing for the IPO, Peet’s Coffee chief executive officer, Casey Keller, will become CEO of JDE Peet’s, effective January 2020.  Frederic Larmuseau, who has decided to step down from his role as CEO of JDE, will remain at JDE as a special advisor to the board and the CEO. 

Olivier Goudet, chairman of JDE and chairman of Peet’s Coffee, said: “We are excited that Casey will assume the role as CEO of JDE Peet’s as we continue further building upon the company’s strong track record of growth and expansion. We are proud of what we have accomplished at JDE and Peet’s but believe with our IPO the best years of growth and shareholder value creation are ahead of us with our newly combined company.  I want to thank Frederic for his stewardship in driving JDE’s growth and development.”

Casey Keller said: “JDE Peet’s is an exceptional business with some of the most beloved coffee brands in the world, and I am excited to lead the company in its next phase of growth. With our leading positions in many important markets, supported by all the great people in our organisation, we are well-positioned to continue achieving strong long-term growth”.

Mr. Keller has been the CEO of Peet’s Coffee since 2018, after 25 years of leadership roles in the global FMCG industry including at P&G, Heinz, Mars Wrigley, and Alberto Culver.

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Over a year ago, Saxbys hired vice president of coffee, David Amos, to develop a sourcing strategy that mirrored the brand’s core values and emphasised its mission to “Make Life Better.” Amos traveled the globe to thoughtfully source the best possible coffee for Saxbys’ guests while developing mutually beneficial relationships with growers and producers. Saxbys believes coffee should be the product of long-lasting relationships that start with a handshake where it was grown. At its core, the coffee program champions relationships rooted in mutual respect that the brand develops with producers at origin, and in turn, the relationships Saxbys has with its guests who enjoy the finished product.

“We firmly believe great coffee is a direct result of great relationships. We are committed to going to origin to continue our partnerships and develop new relationships that are both authentic and transparent. These relationships mean everything to us but ultimately we are there to find coffee we hope our guests will enjoy,” said David Amos, vice president of coffee.

“We take pride in doing this across our entire lineup — regardless of whether it is a single origin or a blend.”

The coffee is roasted locally in Saxbys’ new roastery located at 2415 Morris Street in South Philly. The facility, led by lead roaster Gregg Roberson, features a 728-ton yearly roast capacity and is instrumental to Saxbys’ four new blends and 10 upcoming single origin offerings.

The space boasts state of the art equipment, including 15- and 70 kilo stainless steel Loring Smart Roasters. The roasters employ tech-forward features from intuitive touch screens to built-in digital scales, all while using 80% less fuel than conventional roasters.

“We used to say, ‘we’re not in the coffee business, we’re ultimately in the hospitality business.’ As such, we became known as the company committed to making guests’ lives better through our team’s exceptional kindness and ongoing dedication to social impact,” said Saxbys founder and CEO Nick Bayer.

“But now, with a world-class team that brings over 50 years of combined industry expertise to the table and just as much unbridled passion to Make Life Better, we are equipped to offer product that’s as differentiating as our hospitality. Now we’re truly in the coffee and hospitality business – in a big way.”

The Saxbys Roastery is roasting and bagging four new coffee blends (with a range of single origins to come soon). They include:

• Pep Talk: Lively and well-rounded with notes of butterscotch, chocolate chips, and dark cherry.
• Liquid Courage Dark Roast: Satisfying and smooth, with dark chocolate, maple, and vanilla.
• Go-Getter Espresso: Tastes of burnt caramel, honey, and black tea.
• No Strings Decaf: Tasting notes of baker’s chocolate, nougat, and soft cranberry.

To learn more about Saxbys new coffee program and roastery, order coffee online and find a café near you, please visit hellosaxbys.com.

About Saxbys

Founded in 2005 by Nick Bayer, Saxbys is more than just coffee. With a core mission to “Make Life Better,” Saxbys brews real change in the communities it serves, while nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in team members who aspire to be make an impactful difference. In 2015, Saxbys launched its Experiential Learning Program to introduce exclusively student-run cafes to university campuses, complementing classroom learning with tangible experiences. Currently, eight Experiential Learning Program locations exist across seven campuses across the US.

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From 1 January 2020, partners who have been part of the Starbucks China Family for more than two years will be given credits they can use to select from a wide array of benefits. Each benefit has been thoughtfully designed to meet the needs and aspirations of different partners in the increasingly diverse Starbucks China Family.

“Starbucks’ success in China is down to the passion and dedication our partners bring to work every day – in every cup of coffee they brew, and every customer connection they make,” said Belinda Wong, chairman and chief executive officer, Starbucks China. “Since entering China 20 years ago, Starbucks has always strived to be a different kind of company. We want to share our success with all partners, in a timely and thoughtful manner that recognises their individual needs – because each of our 55,000 partners is special.”

With an estimated 18,500 partners eligible for the scheme, and newly eligible partners to be enrolled every 6 months thereafter, Flex Star Benefits constitutes a significant investment for Starbucks China. Starbucks’ pioneering partner investments are already renowned in China’s retail industry, with the company recently named among China Best Employers for the fifth time by international human resources consultancy Aon Hewitt.

Over the years, Starbucks has introduced innovative benefits such as comprehensive insurance for the spouses and children of all partners, and critical illness insurance for parents; housing subsidies for partners who work away from their hometowns, while partners may also apply to return to work in newly-opened Starbucks stores in their hometowns under the Coming Home program. In addition, Starbucks China also offers partners opportunities to expand their horizons though a talent exchange program, which has helped over 100 partners complete short-term work experience programs in other cities across China and overseas. Finally, Starbucks is renowned for its global Bean Stock initiative, which granted US$21 million worth of Starbucks shares to partners across China last year.

Flex Star Benefits are part of Starbucks’ ongoing endeavor to build a culture of family that takes care of its partners and their loved ones. More than just providing greater benefits, it also offers unprecedented flexibility. Partners are empowered to make individual choices based on what they need, from a variety of options designed to help partners enrich themselves, take better care of their loved ones, and make a positive difference to their communities.

Enriching Oneself

To support partners’ physical and mental well-being, Starbucks encourages them to pursue their passions. Partners may use their credits to learn a new skill, or take up a hobby that relaxes the mind and body amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life. From cooking or painting classes, to hip hop dance lessons or even extreme sports, there is no limit to what the credits be used for. Partners may also apply for a 5- or 10-day ‘coffee break’ to recharge their batteries.

Protecting partners’ health is another area the new program covers. Partners may use credits for vaccinations that protect against life-threatening diseases or upgrade their current benefits such as annual health checkups.

Caring for Loved Ones

Flex Star Benefits supports partners in taking care of those who matter most to them. For partners working away from their hometowns, the program allows up to three additional days of paid leave so that they can spend more time with their families on their home visits. They also have the option to use their credits for discounted travel tickets, should they need to return home in the event of a family emergency.

In addition, Flex Star Benefits expands Starbucks’ existing schemes to cover ‘life partners’ beyond the immediate family – regardless of status or gender. Also included are ‘pawternal care’ benefits for pets. Under the new program, pet owning partners may enroll their pets into a pet insurance scheme or claim reimbursement for their pets’ medical expenses. Partners who adopt pets will be granted an additional day of leave.

Doing Good for Others

In addition to caring for oneself and loved ones, Starbucks also encourages partners to contribute to local communities. Partners can earn additional credits by participating in social impact activities. They can also do good by donating their credits to the Starbucks China Cup Fund, to help fellow partners in urgent need of financial assistance.

Partners can access Flex Star Benefits through the Starbucks China Green Apron partner mobile app, which provides a platform for Starbucks to continuously evolve and improve the program. New benefits will be explored based on partner feedback, while the company will continue to make timely investments to give back to its partners, as it strives to create the best possible workplace and deliver the best partner experience.

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The company will be relocated to new offices by the end of January 2020, according to a press release.

Coca-Cola said the move “allows us to fully integrate the Honest business into the company’s portfolio, as well as strengthen collaboration among the team and increase opportunities for career development for these associates.”

Goldman founded the company in 1998 with his Yale business school professor and friend Barry Nalebuff, producing “freshly brewed and barely sweetened” bottled tea as alternate to the heavily sweetened teas reconstituted from tea powder. The firm generated first year sales of $250,000 but now Honest Tea and its related lemonades, juices and kid’s drinks earned $600 million last year. In September the brand launched Honest Coffee, a cold brew.

Goldman was named ‘TeaEO Emeritus’ in 2015. Coca-Cola invested $43 million for a 40% stake in the company and later purchased the firm in 2011.

“In 2015 I was fortunate to create an arrangement where I was able to spend half my time with Honest Tea and the other half of my time as executive chair of Beyond Meat,” Goldman explained. “At the end of 2019, I will step away entirely from my employment with The Coca-Cola Company and cheer on Honest Tea from the sidelines,” he said.

Goldman plans to remain in Bethesda, overseeing Beyond Meat as executive chairman.

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The windy city was the first expansion area for the company outside of Seattle, in October 1987. Since then, Starbucks has opened Reserve Roasteries in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, New York, Tokyo, and now, in the Magnificent Mile area of Chicago.

Each Starbucks Reserve Roastery celebrates coffee and craft, and offers an immersive experience inspired by some of the world’s most iconic cities. They are both a workshop and stage, a three-dimensional window into the journey of coffee. The Chicago Roastery is the company’s sixth roastery, and at 35,000 square feet, is its biggest showcase yet. It is a five-story tribute to the city’s art, architecture and culture – and the indelible mark the city has made on Starbucks.

“This roastery is a representation of the relationship that Starbucks has had with the city of Chicago,” Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in a statement. “Chicago has been a market where we innovate and try new things.”

“For us, this is really a dream. The building history here is very unique.”

Wall art on the fourth floor reads: “Chicago, you inspire us. Your people, your city, your architecture, your music, your art. Your neighborhoods and communities.Thank you.”

The Chicago Roastery will roast small batch lots of Starbucks Reserve coffees from around the world. Unique to this Roastery, all coffee roasted in Chicago will only be served at this location. Customers can pick up a bag of hand-scooped Starbucks Reserve coffee at the Scooping Bar located on the first floor.

Standing as the centerpiece of the roastery is a 56-foot steel cask (the company’s tallest), a sculptural blend of form and function, where coffee beans go to rest and de-gas after being roasted. The bronze-coloured cask has a perforated shell that reveals roasted beans moving through tubes in all directions, and then accumulating throughout the day.

Roasteries are intended to be tourist attractions. They feature specialty coffees and teas, on-premise roasters and massive coffee casks where freshly roasted beans are held. They also have bars with craft cocktails and serve fancier food than a normal Starbucks location. On the second floor is Princi, Starbucks’ bakery and cafe concept.

There are three coffee bars throughout the roastery which a variety of brewing methods, including an Experiential coffee bar that “provides customers the opportunity to immerse in the art, science, and theatre of coffee”.

A mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are served at its Arriviamo Bar, along with Chicago-specific cocktails. This roastery is the only location in the US to sell liquid nitrogen gelato, a sweet dessert designed to be eaten with coffee.

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This is part of NKG’s work pioneering real sustainability in the coffee world with a clear vision for the necessity of an economically viable business for all involved in the green coffee supply chain. NKG runs a diverse variety of sustainability projects, in all sizes and scopes, in nearly all coffee-producing countries. These include activities such as those of International Coffee Partners, as well as managing its own larger scale farms as vital parts of coffee communities in Brazil, Mexico and Uganda.

NKG Bloom enables the Hamburg, Germany-based group to further these efforts and introduce a new dimension to its business — and an important step towards responsible business conduct.

NKG Bloom is not a quick fix or customer drivers’ scheme but a long-term investment in and commitment to the weakest of those involved in the green coffee chain in full knowledge of their critical importance to the business of NKG and the industry overall. NKG Bloom is a unique combination of field-based educational efforts, real-time mobile technology and the industry’s first impact banking–backed initiative for coffee production.

“NKG Bloom is not a marketing strategy, it is not a philanthropic endeavour or a feel-good project. It’s about the way we want to do business in the long term. It will cost us a lot of money and effort, but it is simply the right thing to do,” said David M Neumann, Neumann Gruppe’s Group CEO.

“Lending to smallholder farmers in some of the poorest places in the world is a risky proposition, but it’s critical to unlocking the potential that these farmers hold for global agriculture and development in their own countries and communities.”

To form the core of NKG Bloom, NKG led the creation of a Coffee Smallholder Livelihoods Facility — a USD $25 million revolving facility involving leading European banks ABN AMRO, Rabobank and BNP Paribas that was created in August 2019. Also, and for the first time, the partner banks will share the direct risks on farmer defaults. The facility is further backed by two complementary default guarantees by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative.

NKG has set a goal of reaching at least 300,000 coffee families through NKG Bloom, in 10 major coffee producing countries by 2030. In doing so, it will offer urgently needed resources, such as finance, farm-input and know-how. In 2017, a pilot project was launched as NKG Bloom Uganda.

NKG is working with NewForesight, an independent strategic consultancy specialising in sustainability challenges, as external long-term partner and validator of NKG Bloom, to ensure it indeed delivers provable, structural changes.

In 2019, NKG Bloom will be introduced in Colombia, Honduras, Kenya and Mexico, and furthered in Uganda, with the establishment and staffing of permanent Farmer Services Units (FSUs) based at the respective local NKG company. The FSUs will be charged with realising NKG Bloom’s three key tenets:

• Enabling farmers to realise their full potential
• Supporting inclusive sustainability
• Striving for transparency and traceability

“Ultimately, the Smallholder Livelihoods Facility enables us to bring the power of the global financial markets — long the missing piece — to smallholder coffee farmers,” said Catalina Eikenberg, who heads NKG Sustainable Business Unit.

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B Corp is about purpose, and the overall positive impact of a company. Rather than focusing on a product, B Corp analyse a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment. To become B Corp certified, companies are assessed, audited and have to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

“We’ve always tried to do the right thing, from having plant based tea temples, giving back to tea growing communities through our ethical scheme and striving to make teapigs HQ a great place to work – so joining the B Corp community felt like a natural step for us,” said Louise Cheadle, teapigs co-founder and tea taster.

“As a business we have a responsibility use our platform and product as a source of good. We’re incredibly excited to join over 2,500 brands globally who share this vision, and we’re certain that this is the start of something BIG. We’re really happy that we’ve certified as a B Corp.

“We’ve always done our best to be the greenest tea company, to give back to the communities that bring us our tea and the community on our doorstep in Brentford and to make teapigs a great place to work. Having the B Corp certification really ensures that we will continue to meet high standards in these areas and to keep doing better and better things.”

About teapigs
teapigs was set up in 2006 by Nick and Louise, on a mission to get the nation drinking real tea. Louise has been a professional tea taster for over 10 years, and has travelled the world sourcing all sorts of teas. teapigs only use whole leaf teas; whole berries; and whole herbs and flowers. Its teas come in biodegradable tea “temples” – roomy mesh bags that gives the leaves lots of room to infuse.

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Designed for people at all points along the coffee supply chain, the program is founded on the principle that sustainability must be embraced by all actors in the coffee supply chain if the specialty coffee industry is to survive and thrive. As expectations for greater transparency and corporate responsibility grow in the industry, companies are rapidly increasing the size of their sustainability teams and seeking knowledgeable, experienced leaders to forge their path forward.

“The SCA Coffee Sustainability Program will help learners become more competitive in their existing lines of work as more and more companies, employers, and organizations crave greater integration of sustainability within their existing modes of doing business,” said Nora Burkey, founder and executive director, The Chain Collective, Coffee Sustainability Program Content Creator.

SCA’s Coffee Sustainability Program is designed to prepare learners to become competitive in this growing job field.

“The SCA saw a need for this curriculum for many reasons – increase in dedicated sustainability positions, faster growth by companies (including but not limited to coffee companies) with a sustainability focus/mandate, interest of younger people in working for companies with values that match theirs – and also because of the threats that specialty coffee production (and by extension, the entire industry) is facing,” said Kim Elena Ionescu, SCA chief sustainability officer

“Many of these threats have been building across generations but require action by this generation for the industry to have a viable future. As specialty coffee has gone mainstream, so have its thorniest issues, and with popular press articles regularly questioning the value that farmers derive from the product they grow, the labels used to communicate sustainability to consumers, and whether or not we’ll even have coffee worth drinking in 30 years, it’s reasonable to expect that anyone working in a coffee job needs a working knowledge of these issues.”

Three Levels

The program has three levels – the Foundation-level course is now ready, with Intermediate and Professional in progress and coming soon.

Foundation – The program’s first course covers the major sustainability issues facing the coffee industry today and offers baseline knowledge of what the term “sustainability” means, how it is connected to power dynamics, current and historical events and practices, as well as a variety of coffee projects.

Intermediate – The Intermediate course introduces learners to global sustainability challenges and prepare learners to begin thinking analytically about the impact they’d like to make in the sector.

Professional – The Professional level course offers an intensive, practical experience in which learners design, carry out, and assess their own sustainability project in accordance with their individual, organizational, or business goals and capabilities

Why Coffee Sustainability?

A 2018 GreenBiz report showed that the number of sustainability personnel in facilities has increased by 15% since 2014, and the number of sustainability people in supply chain departments has gone up even more, by 21%. Not surprisingly, the size of sustainability teams is also growing: 41% of report respondents at large companies said their team increased in the past two years.

Learn more about this program by visiting our website and search for courses in your area by visiting our class calendar. More information at https://sca.coffee/education/programs/coffee-sustainability-program

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Kingsley has operated as a CEO and managing director for over 19 years with extensive experience in business development, operational management, cultural change and company turnarounds. He brings a broad range of management experience from many food categories, both branded and own-label, including fresh produce, seafood, meat & poultry, ready meals, aandwiches and Cadbury desserts.

Typhoo chairman Karan Paul said: “At a transformative time for the tea industry, Des’ appointment as CEO marks a new period of change for Typhoo. The board of directors are confident he can drive the business forward and unlock new opportunities for the future whilst focusing on delivering operational excellence.

“His experience in global sourcing and establishing new supply chains across Europe, North Africa, the Americas and Asia will also bring a new strategic approach to driving supply chain synergies across international markets. We look forward to seeing where this leadership turnaround will take us next.”

On being appointed, Kingsley said: “I am thrilled to be working with the Typhoo team to tackle the challenges the business currently faces, developing new and existing prospects for the business, its brands and consumers. There will be a re-focus on its products, across both brands and own-label, as well as ongoing innovation and operational improvement. I am committed to ensuring that we build on such a vast wealth of brand heritage and carve a new future for the company, maximising our potential for success in this fast-paced, ever evolving industry.”

In his career, Kingsley most recently managed Thanet Earth which is the UK’s biggest single hi-tech glasshouse growing facility in Kent, where he oversaw significant expansion of the 55 hectare site. He has fostered comprehensive commercial trade partnerships with major British and International retailers. Additionally, acting as Chairman of the UK’s £6.5b Chilled Food Association, which plays a key role promoting technical standards, innovation and food science education in the manufacturing industry.

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Morin will take over from Brian Reid, who has been with the corporation for over 25 years. Moving forward, Mr. Reid will dedicate his time exclusively to his role of president of TC Transcontinental Printing, Canada’s largest printer, a position he has held for more than 10 years.

As president of TC Transcontinental Packaging, Mr. Morin will have full profit and loss (P&L) responsibility and provide strategic and thought leadership to the sector’s operations and plants around the world. He will be in charge of establishing long-term goals and strategies as well as executing business plans, aiming for further efficiency and profit maximisation. In support of the corporation’s vision, Mr. Morin will be responsible for overseeing the expansion of the packaging business in all its markets through organic sales growth and acquisitions, as well as managing investments by ensuring that proposed capital expenditures are in line with the strategy.

“We are very pleased to welcome Thomas Morin as president of TC Transcontinental Packaging at a time where our company has already established itself as a North American leader in flexible packaging after only five years in this space,” said François Olivier.

“Mr. Morin has a solid track record developing, implementing, harmonising and managing merging businesses, overseeing complex manufacturing operations with multiple sites in different geographic locations. As we are poised to continue expanding our packaging business, Mr. Morin’s extensive knowledge of the packaging industry and leadership will be key assets for our organisation.”

Mr. Morin brings more than 23 years of global packaging experience, the past 13 years spent managing $1B+ businesses for which he had full P&L responsibility, and overseeing a workforce comprised of thousands of employees located in dozens of factories around the world. Most recently, he served as vice president of south east Asia for Amcor Flexible Packaging Asia Pacific in Singapore, a position he has held for the past two years.

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Guided by its clear vision to bring consumers locally produced, quality fresh-roasted coffee, the launch comes after Di Bella’s decision in July 2018 to merge four coffee companies — Di Bella Coffee, Roasting Australia, Di Bella USA, and Evolution Roasters NZ — to form a largest manufacturing and distribution corporations in the roast and ground coffee industry.

“I’m very passionate about the work Di Bella does,” said Phil Di Bella, founder and executive chairman of Di Bella Coffee. “Today the group is so much more than I ever imagined it might become, and I’m excited to be working with the amazing team Di Bella has built over the years to continue crafting the finest coffee in Australia, and the world.”

The merger, along with the launch of the foundation blends that started the successful Di Bella brand in Australia, will allow Di Bella USA to provide customers with the ultimate coffee experience from start to finish, supporting small and large businesses across the country.

“We are committed to ensuring Di Bella becomes a successful global brand and I am dedicated to ensuring our launch into the USA is a success,” Phil said.

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Michael Keown, chair of the WCR board of directors, said: “Vern is joining WCR at a time of strong momentum. What was once a fledgling organization has surpassed everyone’s expectations and created a capacity we now recognize the coffee industry can’t do without.  We are thrilled to welcome her and look forward to all that’s to come.”

Dr. Tim Schilling, the founder and outgoing chief executive officer of WCR, will work side-by-side with Long through the end of the year, then step into a new role as president of WCR’s European subsidiary branch and a member of the board of directors. Long will take the helm of WCR on June 1 2019.

“With Vern, WCR is in exceptionally capable hands,” said Dr. Schilling. “She is deeply knowledgeable and passionate about international agricultural research, is a natural leader and entrepreneurial thinker, and is an experienced organization builder. She’s the perfect fit. The coffee world doesn’t know her yet, but it will.”

Long will lead the organization to achieve its mission to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it. WCR aims to achieve stable funding of $10 million by 2022.

“I am humbled and excited to join an organization as dynamic, focused, and innovative as World Coffee Research. Coffee production faces numerous challenges in the coming years, which agricultural research and development are uniquely positioned to address. I am eager to build on Tim’s success in establishing WCR as one of the leading coffee organizations in the world,” said Long. “I look forward to engaging across the coffee community to grow WCR, so together we can position coffee production to be sustainable in the long term, particularly for the farmers who make the business of coffee possible.”

“Our industry likes to talk about sustainability a lot. But in World Coffee Research, we have brought into being a global organization that is charging ahead to address some of the fundamental problems stopping us from achieving it, especially low profitability for farmers,” said Mario Cerutti, president, ECF/chief institutional relations and sustainability officer, Lavazza. “Farmer-focused agricultural innovation is fundamental. We cannot be a sustainable industry in the long term without it. It is why so many international companies, like Lavazza, have joined this precompetitive effort. We are so excited to watch this organization grow to realize its full potential under Vern’s leadership.”

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Many Taiwanese tourists and students have already discovered Whittard in the UK, which encouraged the brand to prioritise the market in its expansion plans.

The brand is now in discussions to open three more in Taiwan before the end of 2019.

Mark Dunhill, Whittard of Chelsea’s CEO, said: “I am very pleased to announce the opening of Whittard’s first stores in Taiwan in partnership with Ruentex Group. After seeing evidence of the appeal of our brand to the Taiwanese consumer in our home market, we became very excited by the opportunity to introduce the brand to Taiwan and started looking for the right partner. We are delighted to have secured a partnership with Ruentex Group; they have an excellent record in bringing international brands to Taiwan and we share the same passion and ambition for Whittard. Together with my colleagues in England, I look forward to working closely with them to build a successful business in the years to come.”

Following a comprehensive revitalisation of the brand, Whittard of Chelsea has been enjoying significant and sustained growth in its home market. Meanwhile the success of its launch on China’s Tmall platform and recent successful entry into Taiwan, Japan and South East Asia demonstrate the brand’s growing appeal to consumers in Asia.

Shop in store and online at https://www.whittard.co.uk/

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To understand how blockchain can be used as a tool to improve transparency, accuracy, and equity in the coffee trade, it is crucial to first understand how the tool functions to then assess where it will be truly transformational and where it may create more new problems than it solves.

Seattle, Washington-based Yave is a two-side marketplace for trading coffee that uses blockchain as a tool for matchmaking between buyers and sellers. “Yave is a sales-based chain of receipts,” explained Scott Tupper, Yave’s founder and COO. “There are three modules all linked within Yave for end-to-end traceability.”

The “chain” of blockchain, which Tupper refers to here as a chain of receipts, is a sequential series of records linked by a unique alphanumeric code called a hash, which is generated by complex mathematical functions. The hash at the end of one link in the chain must match the beginning of the next link. Any change to a receipt would also alter the hash, meaning the links in the chain no longer fit together and the chain breaks and no further transactions can be completed.

The first of Yave’s modules records coffee on the farm and field. “Step one is first mile transactions. The producer entering his/her ID creates the first hash on the blockchain,” said Tupper. “Samples are crossed checked with a Q grader to correlate quality and price.” Yave has built its platform to account for blending smaller lots together, so that the buyer of a blended lot or container of coffee can see its component elements, almost like reading the ingredient list of a soup. The next module is the trading desk. “Before physical transfer takes place, the code verifies that both parties have the items they are agreeing to trade, either cash liquidity or coffee in parchment.” This is known as the consensus algorithm, an agreement memorialized in code that forms the basis of a smart contract.

“Once the contract is entered into the database, it would be very hard for either party to change it,” explained Ashley Taylor, researcher of cryptocurrencies and co-founder of Regenerative Resource Network, based in Brooklyn, New York. “Anyone who is an owner of the database is periodically verifying that no one is changing the contract or the database. That is part of the programming that goes into how people can modify and update the database.”

Rafael Saavedra, co-founder of Sunnyvale, California and Bogotá, Colombia-based Trace.Coffee, described the process of adding to the block as leaving a digital fingerprint. “Every recorded event, data item, or media item – or a fingerprint of it – is stored in a blockchain.” The ownership of the ledger containing these records and “fingerprints” is distributed across all its users, making blockchain a decentralized technology, with no single owner of the database where records are stored.

Meshing with the Trade

Trace.Coffee built a traceability platform that includes IoT (internet of things) sensors and mobile apps to record each step of the coffee production process and the supply chain, creating a chain of custody from the farm to the cup. Saavedra explained how “the platform enables tracing every coffee and confirming the validity and accuracy of the information presented at every step. Buyers and consumers can follow a link or a QR (quick response) code to learn about and verify things such as origin, quality attributes, process, impact and payments to producers.”

Full supply chain visibility is valuable to consumers, so the blockchain delivers it. This new trading technology must add value all the way to the end user. Tupper said that the Yave platform, “is a mirror of your value chain. We’ve built recursively: the function of the tech is defined by the business rules it serves.”

The coffee trade, however, draws up contracts in many ways, with forward contracts agreeing to buy and sell coffee that has not yet been grown or harvested and intermediaries buying based on either client specifications or their own spot inventories. Often, there are many informal agreements in place before the formal contracts are drawn up. The format for coffee contracted through a blockchain must account for the real-life variables that occur in the trade. What if a seller agrees to sell a certain number of bags but half are damaged when a storm hits the warehouse?

“The buyer and seller can’t alter their terms without both agreeing and agreeing in a way that the network will allow them to. This depends on the precise rules of how that specific blockchain is encoded. There is no single blockchain standard for verifying contracts,” said Taylor.

Coffee contracts specify the growth and quality, and, while traded against a futures market that defines containers of coffee as essentially interchangeable, these agreements sometimes need to be adjusted to account for what happens in the real world. The social contracts of relationships, of doing business for decades with the same partners, is often more important that the terms of a single transaction. Coffee prides itself on being an industry that cares about people – about the “who” of doing business as much as the “what.”

Yet, recurring market downturns and an adherence to the commodity pricing model have called to the forefront the disparity between feel-good marketing narratives and on-the-ground business practices. To Tupper, this paradox, and the trust equity of strong social contract networks represents far more opportunity for collective industry betterment than technology itself. “Blockchain is a tool; this is no silver bullet. Partnerships in the supply chain unlock far more potential than any database ever could.”

In this complex and shifting business environment, how does a tech platform drive business towards trust-based networks and away from obscure or predatory supply chains?

Trust, Immortalized

“Blockchain and traceability are being used interchangeably, and that’s the wrong way to think about the opportunity we have,” said Tupper. “Nothing about the digital or memorialized nature of the record means we depend less on trust.” Transaction actors must tell the system something for it to create the record. The data does not populate itself, so the challenge is around behavioural economics more than data policing.

According to Saavedra, “The technology adds the missing trust element. It provides a way to verify that what is being presented is what was recorded at the right point and time.” Smart contracts entered into a blockchain are only as trustworthy as their users. As with any tool, it is the user more than the tool itself that determines effectiveness. Tupper noted that “only when the business interests of the stakeholders are directly and democratically aligned with data cleanliness can we expect to know what’s in our cup, the impact of our purchasing, and experience all the feel-good grand theory that blockchain purports to magically unlock.”

To incentivize data integrity, airtight, voluntary, and profit-driven QC (quality control) checkpoints are critical to the veracity of the stories coffee tells about itself. “Without digital ledger technology we could do all the data capture for production and supply chain traceability, publish the story of every coffee, with the same details we do now, but, without a mechanism to demonstrate that the information wasn’t tampered with by us or by anyone in the chain the question of how true it is will always be there,” said Saavedra.

The Chain in Motion

On 24 May, blockchain-enabled farmers from across Guatemala will auction off exclusive coffee lots of coffee part of the Producer and Roaster Forum with Anacafé and Yave. “The auction is the ideal microcosm for implementing blockchain. The trust dynamics of how buyers and producers perceive their relationship with exporters will be laid bare over positive sales activities; we’re reinventing the notion of direct trade,” said Tupper.

This is what blockchain purports to provide: transactions where parties know each other and are mutually invested in everyone’s success. Saavedra sees that, with this added element of trust, the coffee trade can be more agile and buying decisions, execution of orders, movement of funds and other currently slow steps of the trading process can be expedited. “Everybody along the supply chain can have more information at hand and make decisions based on it, optimizing the process and making better use of time and money, ultimately benefitting everyone, starting with the producer.

“Our goal of creating a real connection between producer and consumer can be achieved.”

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 now lives in Miami, FL. She may be reached at northrop.rachel@gmail.com.

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The SME National Business Awards has introduced a new category of Coffee Shop of the Year for 2019. It will include a public vote meaning loyal customers everywhere can have a say in their favourite local coffee shop being recognised on the national stage.

“There is no doubt that the 20 consecutive years of sales and outlet growth of coffee shops across the UK needs to be recognised on a national business awards stage.” said Damian Cummins, director of the SME National Business Awards.

“Research is telling us that branded coffee shops secured a robust growth in 2018 to reach 8,149 stores.” he added. “I want to ensure the whole business community across the nation recognises this immense contribution to the UK. That is why we are proud to have Coffee Shop of the Year as a fundamental part of our awards in 2019.”

The SME National Business Awards is challenging coffee shops who have a brand name that brings people into their shops but also keeps them coming back time and time again.

“We want to hear from coffee shops where customers know what they are getting when they step through the door.” Damian added. “It is about quality drinks and a high standard of customer service. The winners will provide an exceptional all-round experience as standard and we can’t wait to hear from the four corners of the UK.”

Coffee Shop of the Year will form part of the 4 public vote categories at the SME National Business Awards 2019 which also includes Best Customer Service, Pub of the Year and Restaurant of the Year.

Each nomination in the public vote categories will be required to fill out an application form to complete their entry with independent businesses, franchises, and branches of larger businesses permitted to enter the public vote categories.

The competition is open to all businesses nationally who commenced business before January 2019. Nominate your favourite coffee shop by Thursday 16 May here:

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Previously most commonly found in shopping malls, Gloria Jean’s is reinvigorating its growth strategy by exploring a wider scope of real estate opportunities and pursuing middle America markets primed for specialty coffee.

“With a refreshed brand image and four decades of experience in the specialty coffee industry, Gloria Jean’s is in growth mode and uniquely positioned to own a larger share of the segment, especially in rising suburban markets like Northwest Indiana and Southern Chicago,” said Laina Sullivan, Gloria Jean’s Coffees’ director of franchise development.

“We’re thrilled to welcome passionate franchise partners like Raed to the Gloria Jean’s family during this exciting brand evolution. As we pursue strategic growth outside of malls and move into regions where customer demand for exceptional specialty coffee is high, we see tremendous opportunity to introduce Gloria Jean’s to new guests around the country.”

With a simple operations model and relatively low cost of entry, Gloria Jean’s Coffees presents an ideal franchise choice for both new and experienced franchisees who possess an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative local store marketing mindset, and a passion for serving an amazing cup of coffee. The flexibility of Gloria Jean’s Coffees store design allows franchisees to adapt their coffee houses to a broad range of formats and real estate parcels to suit each individual market. General store format options include kiosk locations, a variety of coffee house models and drive-thru stores.

“When searching for the perfect coffee concept to grow my franchise portfolio, Gloria Jean’s stood out in many ways including providing excellent franchise support, ongoing product innovation and creative consumer marketing,” said Naser. “The entire executive team was very hands-on during my onboarding process and worked closely with me to develop a plan that was tailored to my business goals. I’m confident that Gloria Jean’s and its unique products will do very well in Northwest Indiana where high-quality coffee experiences are lacking; and I’m especially excited to open our drive-thru location in early June.”

Gloria Jean’s currently has 58 locations in operation with several scheduled to open by year’s end.

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As continued partners, PHCR and Veteran Roasters will become the first tenants in the the redeveloped warehouse located at 328 N Albany Avenue in Chicago, with 7,500 square-feet of operational space set to open June 2019.

The new location provides PHCR and Veteran Roasters with increased space for team expansion, additional storage and packing space for green coffee and supplies. The companies also have plans for upgrades to large-scale roasting equipment which formalizes and creates efficiencies in the production process.

The move coincides with rapid growth from both companies. PHCR doubled sales in the last year and is expanding to national wholesale accounts with the Logan Square café and the current West Town warehouse.

Veteran Roasters, which recently celebrated two years of operation, is also located in the West Town warehouse. The veteran-owned and operated coffee company has grown quickly with a 350% increase in yearly sales and build out of its full-time military veteran team. Both companies plan to expand their full-time salaried teams by the end of 2019 and will continue onsite operations during the transition.

“At Passion House, we’re focused on sourcing, roasting, brewing and serving the best quality small-batch coffees,” sais Joshua Millman, founder and owner of Passion House Coffee Roasters. “With the new location and continued partnership with Veteran Roasters, we’re excited to now scale operationally while staying true to our DNA of consistent quality, exceptional innovation and meticulous design in our offerings.”

Following the rise of craft coffee in recent years, Veteran Roasters connected with PCHR in 2017 to partner on the mission of hiring and training of homeless and at-risk military veterans in the coffee industry.

“We began Veteran Roasters with a single goal: do what we can to give homeless and at-risk veterans a place to work and regain their lives,” said Branden Marty, partner at Veteran Roasters. “With the support of our partner, Passion House Coffee Roasters, we can not only find and roast some of the world’s best coffee beans but further our mission of positively impacting the daily lives of our military veterans in the Chicago community.”

About Passion House Coffee Roasters

Passion House Coffee Roasters’ goal is to produce nuanced, complex, and clean coffee while cultivating relationships with the farms. These relationships are rooted in understanding, knowledge, skill, service and mutual respect. The small-batch coffee company searches for the best coffees available at any given time and sets its expectations extremely high. To learn more about Passion House Coffee Roasters visit https://www.passionhousecoffee.com/

About Veteran Roasters

Veteran Roasters Coffee was established to end homelessness and chronic unemployment in the veteran community, by providing growth, skillsets and opportunities in the emerging coffee industry. Veteran Roasters teamed up with Passion House Coffee Roasters to roast great coffee and hire, train and pay a living wage to support veteran employees with housing, child care and daily living expenses. Partnerships with companies, such as Passion House, allows Veteran Roasters to find and roast some of the best coffee beans from all around the world while hiring more veterans in need of an opportunity. Every bag and cup of coffee and can of cold brew sold helps Veteran Roasters hire more homeless and at-risk veterans in Chicago. To learn more about Veteran Roasters visit www.veteranroasters.com

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Each episode is 30-35 minutes long and features insights on improving marketing to recruiting and training staff; and from making a sustainable business to improving supply chains.

Alongside practical advice, champion baristas will spill the beans on everything from the classic mistakes they made to the real grind that saw them grow their business and win awards.

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, an independent coffee entrepreneur, three-time UK barista champion, and a guest on episode one said: “Bean There Done That is a fantastic, first of its kind initiative from iZettle to provide busy coffee shop owners with one destination where they can hear industry advice and trends.

“Most coffee shop owners are short of time, and this series allows them to learn without having to stop running their business.”

Edward Hallett, managing director at iZettle UK, said: “iZettle provides thousands of coffee shop owners with tools that help them run their business more efficiently.

“We’ve created Bean There, Done That to bring practical business advice to coffee shop owners from key figures in the UK coffee industry, that hopefully will help them further develop, grow and scale their businesses.”

The six-part series is available to download on iTunes, Spotify and all major podcast platforms. The first three episodes are available now with episodes four, five, and six released in the coming weeks.

To listen to the podcasts visit: https://blog.izettle.com/gb/podcast

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