Flavours centred around birthday cake and cake batter have proved consistently popular, and have kept coming to life through “hacks” from fans – and even creative Dunkin’ team members – which they shared on social media. Now, the Dunkin’ team has chosen to make cake batter an official menu item as a latte.

“The Signature Latte build was the perfect expression for cake batter because it allowed us to highlight the flavour in a very fun and whimsical way,” said Kelly Callahan, senior research and development technologist at Dunkin’. “And we see the whipped cream, mocha drizzle and sprinkles as our version of ‘the icing on the cake’ – making it as visually appealing as it is delicious.” The Cake Batter Signature Latte will be available as a limited edition drink until 16 August.

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The global leader in flavorings, fragrances, functional ingredients and more developed the coffee and tea flavor collection to deliver fully indulgent, authentic tastes for dairy applications that expand beyond the known, and follow traditional flavors, and the trends for more unusual combinations.

“Consumers are looking for that premium experience in their food, which means pushing the boundaries on taste,” said Ian Thurston, senior category manager sweet at Symrise. “Our collection goes beyond what is expected in coffee and tea flavors, utilizing café favorites and unique tastes that pair perfectly with dairy indulgences.”

Flavors include hazelnut and amaretto, salted caramel, cold brew mocha, and hibiscus blossom chai latte in the coffee category; and matcha, chocolate, vanilla earl grey, and white peach for tea. Not only are these strong flavors meant to impart a pleasurable taste sensation, they also serve practical benefits, including masking any astringent or sour notes that are challenging for these dairy applications. The result is a collection of flavors that elevates dairy with the authentic taste of barista-brewed tea and coffee and opens the door to new, more indulgent applications for an eager consumer base.

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S&D will serve as the exclusive roaster and distributor in foodservice across all commercial and non-commercial channels, and will help The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf broaden its national recognition.

S&D and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf have worked in partnership since 2015 to serve major national franchises including Hilton Worldwide and Potbelly restaurants. S&D will now supply all The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf products for the new Choice Hotels brand, Clarion-Pointe, designed to bring together the premium elements guests desire in an affordable travel experience.

“S&D Coffee & Tea helps our customers build successful beverage programs through tailored solutions,” said Carlos Lopez, executive vice president of sales, S&D Coffee & Tea. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to strengthen our partnership with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf while also adding a highly respected brand to our already strong portfolio of coffees and teas.”

“The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf selected S&D because of our mutual commitment to premium quality,” said JJ Smith, vice president, franchise operations, business development, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. “A strong beverage program can bolster the reputation of a foodservice operation. We are excited to expand our relationship into new channels across the US with the common goal of providing best-in-class coffee and tea to our customers and their patrons.”

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2018’s trend for floral flavors inspired Copper Cow to create a quality organic option. The coffee contains no artificial flavoring as the dried lavender is ground into the coffee itself, creating natural and intense aromatics. The Lavender Latte comes in a box set of 5 featuring Copper Cow’s natural condensed milk ($17 for 5 pack).

Copper Cow uses Vietnamese-grown beans to create an easy pour-over style coffee. It features a compostable pour-over filter filled with dark-roast Vietnamese coffee that fits snugly over most glasses and mugs, without the need for a coffee maker. The addition of hot water yields a strong, nutty brew, and kits contain a packet of sweetened condensed milk to enable consumer to make the coffee to their taste.

California-based Copper Cow Coffee was founded by Debbie Wei Mullin, who set out to elevate one of her family’s favorite past times: Vietnamese coffee. She went searching for natural, socially sustainable, specialty Vietnamese coffee and discovered the brewing technique of single serving pour over bags.

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The Initiative is aimed at understanding and addressing the price crisis affecting coffee farmers and threatening the supply chain as a whole. The effort will be led by Ric Rhinehart who will be stepping down from his role as Executive Director of the association to be succeeded by Yannis Apostolopoulos, the current Deputy Executive Director.

It has been well reported by coffee farmers, producing country institutions, and producer advocates recently that coffee producers are not being paid enough for their coffee to maintain profitable farming operations. A 2017 literature review on coffee farm profitability conducted by the SCA concluded that the price threshold for profitability stands at $2.50/lb, however in August 2018 the commodity futures price dropped below $1.00/lb.

The SCA is launching its new initiative as an organization, allocating substantial resources, both human and financial, to expanding its role and response to the coffee price crisis.

In its first year, the Coffee Price Crisis Response Initiative aims to accomplish the following objectives:

• Increase funding and resources allocated to better understanding the topic in collaboration with the staff and volunteer advisory councils of the SCA’s Advocacy and Sustainability Centers
• Conduct research on the coffee price crisis and its effects on producers and the entire value chain
• Convene experts from the private sector and academia to explore alternative price discovery tools for the specialty coffee industry
• Outline alternative economic models for the specialty coffee trade and provide a meaningful way for companies to address risks in the supply chain

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However, a new report from Fact.MR finds that ready-to-drink (bottled) tea consumption is growing globally — not just in the APEJ and US markets. According to the study, global consumption of bottled tea is expected to surpass 41 million liters, growing at a Year-over-Year of 3.4% in 2018 over 2017. Overall growth of the bottled tea market  can be attributed to:

• Increasing appetite for specialty teas and their easier availability;
• Health-conscious consumers preference for healthful tea beverages;
• Millennials’ developing palate for different RTD bottled tea flavours;
• Accessibility of bottled tea across various sales channels.

“The bottled tea marketplace is profoundly impacted by evolving consumer sentiments wherein vendor revenues dwindled half a decade ago on the back of a contagious low- or no-sugar beverage trend,” says Sanjeevani Dubey, a senior analyst at Fact.MR. “As manufacturers ramped up the production of no-sugar tea varieties, the bottled tea market surpassed USD $47 billion in 2017 and the status quo is highly likely to continue in 2018.”

The study reveals that the demand for still variety of bottled tea will witness over 35 million liters consumption globally in 2018. However, sparkling tea revenues are set to grow at a 6% Y-o-Y in 2018 over 2017. This expansion can be attributed to growing demand among millennials and Generation Z for sparkling iced tea. New varieties of sparkling iced tea (Sound Sparkling Organic Tea, Kombucha Wonder Drink Sparkling Fermented Tea, as well as Lipton Sparkling Tea) continue to hit the marketplace as manufacturers aim to meet this demand.

Conventional bottled tea has remained the primary choice among tea lovers until the arrival of organic teas. The study finds that the consumption of conventional variants will hold over 80% of the total bottled tea consumption in 2018. However, demand for organic variants is growing rapidly wherein consumption will increase over 4 million liters in 2018 over 2017. Brick and mortar retailers globally and online channels now offer a variety of organic bottled tea.

Black tea remains the overwhelming “leader” among RTD tea, with Fact.MR’s  study showing that 30% of bottled tea consumed in 2018 to be black tea. A rise in findings surrounding black tea’s potential health benefits are contributing to its continued popularity but green tea corners the market on perceived health benefits, aiding in its growth. The study estimated green tea occupied one-fourth of the global bottled tea consumption in 2017. Traditional recognition of green tea as a medicine and a higher concentration of antioxidants, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) continue to encourage green tea consumption globally.

Food and beverage trends tend to start in the foodservice channel, and RTD tea is no exception. According to the study the HoReCa (Hospitality, Restaurants, Cafés) market continues to present a significant demand for bottled tea. Keeping pace with consumer preferences for eating outside the home and for ready-to-eat foods, RTD tea companies are significantly investing in HoReCa. (See “Restaurants & Foodservice: Please Consider Premium Freshly Brewed Iced Tea” in T&CTJ May 2018.)

RTD tea’s growth, according to study, will continue its upwards steady trend following increasing consumer preference for ready-to-drink and healthier-for-you beverages and innovations surrounding flavours (new tea varieties, exotic flavour and ingredient infusions), formats (new delivery methods beyond traditional bottles and cans) and styles (unsweetened, slightly sweetened, fresh brewed, all natural, organic, high in polyphenols, probiotics, or antioxidants, etc), and as manufacturers focus on expanding their global footprints. The Fact.MR report tracks the bottled tea market for the period 2018-2027. According to the report, the bottled tea market is projected to grow at nearly 4% CAGR through 2027.

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The Sparrows Coffee, Tea & Newsstand was opened in 2007 in Grand Rapids by Lori Slager Wenzel as a café dedicated to providing an excellent coffee experience in an inviting, inclusive environment. It began roasting its own specialty coffee for the café, as well as local wholesale clients, in 2016. Slager Wenzel will continue to own and operate The Sparrows Coffee, Tea & Newsstand café independently, and will join the Schuil Coffee team as general manager of The Sparrows Coffee wholesale business.

Also joining Schuil Coffee are Cody Gallagher, Sparrows’ head roaster, and Tim Novak, Sparrows’ head of product development and quality assurance. Gallagher has a diverse set of coffee experiences spanning years and Novak has been a fixture in the specialty coffee industry for nearly 20 years, including an eight-year stint roasting at Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

“Schuil Coffee is committed to all of its customers, so we need driven and genuinely passionate experts who can deliver authentic coffee concepts that serve the diverse tastes of today’s consumers,” says Tim Volkema, CEO of Schuil. “Lori, Cody and Tim have spent extensive time in Grand Rapids’ specialty coffee culture. They complement our legacy roasting team with deep knowledge and a capacity for innovation, consistency and adaptability, which can help us thrive in this competitive marketplace.”

Schuil has established a formidable green coffee network in the most celebrated coffee-growing regions around the world. With access to this product sourcing, the Sparrows team can produce a lineup of specialty coffee releases that celebrate the best farm to cup experiences.

“Joining the Schuil team is a natural fit. So far Cody, Tim and I have fulfilled orders for our Sparrows accounts with a super small roaster, but with access to Schuil’s green coffee sourcing partnerships and roasting technology, we can dramatically expand our reach and access new markets,” says Slager Wenzel. “By sharing our best practices and complementary areas of expertise, I think we can accelerate sales growth for Schuil as well.”

Schuil Coffee is West Michigan’s first specialty coffee roaster, and for nearly 40 years it has sourced, roasted and brewed specialty coffees. Offering more than 100 types of coffee made from beans sourced from the most celebrated coffee-growing regions around the world, Schuil supplies coffee, tea and brewing equipment to retailers, restaurants, coffee shops, offices, churches, hospitals and individual consumers.

For more information visit schuilcoffee.com.

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Using high quality organic tea leaves, herbs and spices, English Tea Shop has created a superb range of Christmas inspired teas in innovative, beautiful and striking packaging. The range includes:

• Organic Book Style Advent Calendar. Containing 25 tea bags with flavours such as White Tea Lychee and Chai Immune Boost all packaged in a book-style box. RRP £14.48
• Gold, Red & Silver, and Red and Gold Stars. A package fit to adorn any Christmas tree, each star contains six pyramid tea bags with festive flavours including Christmas cake, Candy Cane and Sweet Vanilla Bread. Stars make the perfect secret Santa or stocking filler gift. RRP £7.99
• Green or red Baubles Organic Prisms. 12 silken premium pyramid tea bags that can be hung as baubles on the Christmas tree. Blends include Ginger Cranberry, White Winter and Vanilla Mint & Mango. RRP £7.99

English Tea Shop’s Christmas range is available at Amazon, Selfridges, Liberty and Debenhams. For more information visit www.flipsnack.com/etsets/02-ets-holiday-brochure_2018.html or www.etsteas.co.uk.

About English Tea Shop. English Tea Shop is an independent specialty tea company, headquartered in London, England, with retail and wholesale customers in 50 countries worldwide. Specialising in organic and premium-quality teas, English Tea Shop produces a range of over 130 varieties of teas and tisanes at its own factory in Sri Lanka. A fast-growing and ambitious company, English Tea Shop is also a pioneer of sustainable practices, putting its employees and suppliers’ livelihoods first using the principles of value sharing.

For more information about the English Tea Shop, visit www.etsteas.co.uk.

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

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

Benefits of Co-Packing

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

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

Market Shifts Impact Co-Packing

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

Selecting the Right Size 

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

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

Identifying Special Product Needs

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

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

Transparency and Compatibility 

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

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

Pick a Co-Packer for the Future

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

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

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

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The Bristol, England-based coffee roaster is supporting two charities that are local to their premises in both Bristol and London. In the West Country Extract is donating proceeds to Empire Fighting Chance, while in the capital, they continue their long-running support of The Passage.

Ashlee Eastwood-Quinn, Extract’s head of coffee says, “Community is one of our key values, whether that’s working with our farmers across the globe to help improve the conditions of their local community or simply supporting the power of coffee in connecting people closer to home. We are always looking for ways to give back to our local communities in both Bristol and London, and so we’re really happy to be supporting two such wonderful charities on our doorsteps.”

Empire Fighting Chance was established in 2013 by the Empire Amateur Boxing club, which has been active in the St Paul’s area of Bristol for over 40 years. Nearby Extract’s roastery, the community charity offers training and guidance to young people to help them stay clear of crime and violence, raise their aspirations and increase their self-confidence. The charity currently works with over 200 young people per week in the communities throughout Bristol.

“We are delighted to partner with Extract Coffee Roasters, a local, inner-city Bristol based business, that shares our ethos of community. The Strong Woman/Strong Man launch is a great concept that links perfectly with our key focus on developing strength and resilience into the young people we work with,” says Jamie Sanigar, co-founder of Empire Fighting Chance. “We are particularly excited by the Strong Woman focus this year as Empire’s female participation continues to grow to around 30% of all our programmes in a traditionally male-dominated sport of boxing.”

Gemma Screen, marketing manager at Extract Coffee Roasters says, “I’m joined at Extract by our female co-founder and director, Samantha Faulkner, a female head of coffee, Ashlee Eastwood-Quinn and many more talented women in the business – 80% of our coffee is roasted by women. We’re a business full of ‘strong women,’ and so the introduction of Strong Woman this year seemed like a natural step for us.”

Extract is also donating to The Passage; London’s largest voluntary sector resource centre for homeless and vulnerable people. Each day they support up to 200 men and women in the capital. The coffee-roaster already provides free barista workshops as part of the charity’s ‘Hotel School’, a joint venture between The Passage and The Goring Hotel, which aims to provide vulnerable people with the resources to gain employment within the service sector.

The Strong Man/Strong Woman Espresso is a blend of beans for farms in Ethiopia and Costa Rica. Once roasted and fermented in Bristol both components add exceptional sweetness to the cup, giving the coffee a hint of sticky marshmallow and blueberry muffin. The espresso will be on sale throughout November and December while stocks last.

Extract Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster, roasting over 250,000 kilos of coffee per year across five roasters, all hand restored by the Extract team. They supply coffee, training and machines to over 500 cafés, restaurants and offices in the UK and offer an online coffee and subscription service. For more information about Extract Coffee Roasters, visit: www.extractcoffee.co.uk.

To learn more about or support Empire Fighting Chance, visit: www.empirefightingchance.org.

To learn more about or support The Passage, visit: http://passage.org.uk.

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The six new artisan teas include:

• Banana Bee – Rooibos Herbal infusion: Biscuity hits of rooibos are chased by mellow accents of banana, all rounded off nicely with the soothing sweetness of honey. Top tasting tip: Goes beautifully with slices of fresh Alphonso mango. Or try with suman latik (Filipino fried rice cakes) and caramel sauce.
• Lemon Verbena – Herbal infusion: South American lemon verbena and lemongrass from South Asia create this mellow citrus celebration. Top tasting tip: This tea’s smooth and exotic lemon flavours make a lovely complement to a refreshing plate of ceviche.
• Paradise Punch – Green Tea: A little tropical island break for the senses featuring papaya, coconut, lemongrass and other faraway flavours. Top tasting tip: Keep it tropical and munch on some fresh coconut pieces while you sip this tea.
• Melon Berry – Green tea: Merry melon and bright berry flavours make this a thirst-quencher for all seasons. Smooth, balanced and overflowing with snappy sweetness. Top tasting tip: Wonderful with a salad of summer fruits, a sprig of mint and a honey-lemon dressing.
• Sencha Gyokuro – Japanese Green Tea: Also known as Jade Dew, Gyokuro plants are shaded from the sun for three weeks before picking to ensure the signature depth and intensity of flavour. Smooth umami flavours give way to accents of marine with aromas of buttered greens and sweet seaweed.
• Chinese Trio – Chinese Black Tea Blend (Chinese Mao Feng Black Tea, Chinese Golden Monkey King Black Tea, Chinese Yunnan Black Tea): Earthy and malty with a smoky-sweet frisson, this trio of prized China ingredients takes the black tea tradition to heady new heights of flavour. A legendary tea, some say Golden Monkey King tea, one of the trios, was named after the monkeys who picked it. Others say the tea bestows the monkeys’ considerable strength and virility.

These six new flavours bring Roqberry’s tea range to a total of 23 varieties; eleven tea blends, eight infusions and four specialty tea legends. Available online at the company’s website, www.roqberry.com, prices for a box of 18 tea bags range from £6 to £7. Gift sleeve inclusive of a three-box selection begins at £18 (depending on the trio chosen to include).

Roqberry is a new brand of tea, specifically focused on foodies, tea and food pairings, and bringing big flavour to tea. With high quality ingredients, hand blended in the UK, Roqberry offers both unique flavoured blends as well as top quality artisan varieties. Flavours include fresh expressions of classic blends, such as smooth and sunny Citrus Grey, as well as extraordinary new fusions like savoury Sushi & Spice. The naturally caffeine free infusions range from spiced Turmeric Chai to floral Bloom Box. The specialty Tea Legends include artisan varieties like Jasmine Dragon Pearls that remain true to tradition.

For more information, visit: www.roqberry.com.

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Life wouldn’t exist without water. It is an essential part of every living organism. The developed world is under an illusion that water, as we know it, will continually flow. This is simply not the case, water is a finite resource. The water that we have here today is the same liquid that existed millions of years ago. Although 70 percent of the earth’s surface consists of water, only one percent of this water is consumable. We add chlorine to our pipes to disinfect, fluoride for health, and salt to remove the hardness – each of these minerals compromise the environment and the overall quality of our cup of water.

Water’s footprint is vital to the long-term sustainability of this essential resource. Thus, scrutinizing the environmental impact of the methods used to modify the water to reach the desired standard is critical.

“Every water has a different taste profile,” said Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO, Bigelow Tea, Fairfield, Connecticut. “You want the one that tastes the most neutral, with a lower mineral content.” This is particularly true for herbals and milder tea flavours. “When drinking chamomile, you want the subtlety of the taste, that sweet honey- like flavour to come through.”

The Gold Standard

On the quest for a perfect cup, we must pay close attention to its core ingredient – water. “Coffee is up to 98 percent water, if you miss with the water you will have difficulty crafting a consistently good coffee or tea that is appealing, aromatic, and tastes good,” said Keith Black, managing partner, Waterwise, Alcoa, Tennessee. The industry standard for water is to strive for a neutral flavour so that the taste and aroma of the beverage will come forward.

“It’s a conversation that has been going on for hundreds of years,” said Daniela Cubelic, tea master, Silk Road Teas, Victoria, British Columbia. “There were essays written centuries ago about tea and water quality.” She shared that one of the ancient ideas recommended using water from the region where the particular tea was grown. This would be a naturally harmonious relationship as the leaves would be unfurled by the same water that grew them. This method is both economically and environmentally unsustainable.

Naturally occurring, alkaline water is challenging to find. This leaves the industry with two choices: bringing in bottled water from external resources or modifying their own tap water. Bottled water, which from a quality control standpoint makes logical sense, has an extensive carbon footprint. “We arrived at a moment, we need to confront what is going on with all the bottled water,” said Cubelic. “It’s time to move the discussion in a different direction. I don’t think it’s a good practice to recommend bottled water anymore.”

This leaves companies looking at the water in their own backyard and the method needed to achieve the desired standard of water quality. “Stronger tasting teas can handle a higher mineral content in the water, however, delicate flavours such as green or white require a very mild water,” said Cubelic. The aim is to use a water that is as close to flavourless as possible so that it brings forth the flavour of what you’re brewing.

“Before we get into the scientific measures, run the water and taste it,” recommended Paul Stack, Marco Beverage Systems, Dublin, Ireland. “Does it smell good, taste bad? Trust your palate.”

Bigelow recommends using fresh, cold water when brewing a cup. “It is the bubbles and the aeration in the cold water that will help unfurl the leaves.”

When using tap water, we are at the mercy of the environment and how it alters the flavour of the water. Seasonal factors, such as salt on the road in the winter, can impact the amount of minerals in the water. “From a taste view point, you want to be looking for a neutral pH 7,” said Stack. “As the hardness increases, there will be a more pronounced effect on the nuanced flavour. Softer water allows for the flavours to be highlighted not battled.”

What is in the Water

To truly understand what is in the water, Black recommends that at minimum investing in a quality TDS (total dissolved solvents) meter. This meter will gauge the overall solvent levels in the water and help to determine the best solution for filtration. However, this is only part of the picture. An extremely low TDS level could impact both the flavour and the extraction process, potentially resulting in an over extracted brew. The target TDS from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is 150 ppm, with an acceptable range of 75-250 mg/l. Tea is not far off, with the recommended range of 50-150 ppm, with the ideal amount remaining at 150ppm.

Tap water is often within this range. However, there are other undesirable attributes that will have a negative impact on the flavour. This includes chlorine, ammonia and iron, all which will negatively affect the taste of the brew. “At bare minimum you want a carbon blocker to remove the taste and odours, and a proportion of the particle matter,” said Stack

Hard water can be particularly devastating on both the beverage and the machinery, as it causes limescale deposits and other residues that can cause failure of the element or boiler. “Acidic water is an enemy of machinery,” said Stack. “Anything below a pH of 7 can be extremely aggressive to stainless steel boilers and equipment, potentially resulting in corrosions on the tank, leaks and overall equipment failures.” Hardness may also have a pronounced effect on the nuanced flavour of the beverages. “Our conversation is always twofold. We talk to people about the machine and the effect that water has on the beverage, and the beverage and the effect of water on the machine,” said Stack.

As far as taste goes, chemist Christopher Hendon, University of Bath, cautioned that not all hard water is necessarily bad. According to his study, “The Role of Dissolved Cations in Coffee Extraction,” published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, magnesium in water sticks to eugenol providing the brew with a woodsier taste. These higher magnesium ion levels also aid with the extraction of the coffee. Water that is too soft will decrease the overall flavour extraction. “A certain level of hardness in water is desired so that it can act as a catalyst for coffee extraction,” said Stack.

Filtration systems can help alleviate these concerns by removing the elements that compromise the beverage. However, Black advised that determining the water level should not be based on a strict formula. “The idea of the right level of mineral content will vary according to what you are brewing,” said Black. “This includes the type of beans, size of the ground, and the temperature that you are brewing.”

Integrating a filtration solution aids with quality control and consistency. It is important to review these solutions through a sustainability lens prior to implementing. This includes looking at how the waste water is disposed and what elements this water is adding back into the environment. California, for example, has halted the installation of salt-based softeners in all new construction, to limit the negative impact of the salt water brine.

Reverse osmosis has been the gold standard for filtration methods. Black cautioned that this method, if not optimized, can be both wasteful and detrimental to the environment as the heavily mineralized waste water enters the sewage system. Ideally, the water should be measured and manually adjusted to meet the specific brewing needs of the beverage. This will help minimize the negative impact, while also ensuring that the adjustments are made in response to the specific needs of the water.

An emerging form of filtration technology is Membrane Capacitive Deionization. This process uses electrical currents to remove the impurities in the water. With this technology, an operator can dial in the amount of TDS or mineral content that remains in the water. “It’s interruptive technology which is going to change the way that water is processed in North America,” said Black.

Quality water is essential to achieve the perfect cup but the methods to get to this water needs to be heavily considered. “It’s a fine balance,” shared Cubelic. “The industry wants quality water to bring out the flavour, but we also need to look at the environmental impact of the filtration methods chosen.” She noted that over the last six to eight years, the overall awareness on the impact of water for beverages has dramatically increased. “However, we need to continue to propel the industry further to not only look at the desired water but the most sustainable method to achieve this goal.”

Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer, professor and speaker based in Barrie, Ontario. She may be reached at: annemariehardie1@gmail.com

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BEAR has added to its existing outlets in Derby and Uttoxeter with the opening of the new Stone, Staffordshire location, creating new jobs for the local economy in the process. The new café-bar will provide customers with speciality coffee, fresh food, cocktails and craft beer in the former HSBC building.

The financing from HSBC UK has been used to design and fit-out the store, cover BEAR’s marketing budget for the launch and train new team members.

Commenting on the expansion, Craig Bunting, co-founder of Derby, England-based BEAR, said, “We opened our first BEAR in 2016, with the aim of serving great coffee in a warm and welcoming environment, but what really sets us apart is our love for coffee products and connecting with the community around us. The growth of BEAR so far has been an incredible and humbling journey and we look forward to delivering our strategy of being a UK Challenger Brand.”

“Here at BEAR, coffee is our world — all of our roasts are of a single origin and carefully selected from sustainable sources, so we can make sure that every cup we serve is delicious,” says Louise Cook, BEAR’s head of coffee. “We’re thrilled to have opened up a site in Stone and can’t wait to share our passion for coffee with the community.”

BEAR hopes to quickly become a cornerstone business on the High Street and connect with the local community in as many ways as possible. It differentiates itself from the rest of the market through its inviting atmosphere — getting to know each of its customers, ensuring all staff love what they do and deliver a mix of specialty coffee, simple and honest food, cocktails and craft beer.

BEAR is working to expand throughout the Midlands and beyond, with plans to open to 30 stores nationwide over the next five years.

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The first tea auction in the Western world was set up in London as early as 1679, the United Kingdom being the biggest consumer market by then. The London Tea Auction was first established by the East India Company, which had obtained a Royal monopoly for goods imported from India and China. The auctions were held at East India House, the company’s headquarters. In 1834, the East India Company lost the trade monopoly and ceased to be a commercial enterprise. Tea had become a ‘free trade’ commodity and the tea auction moved from the East India House to the newly built London Commercial Salerooms on Mincing Lane. Within a few years, various tea merchants followed the tea auction and established their offices on Mincing Lane, which was then given the nickname of “Street of Tea.”

By the middle of the 19^th century, tea had become such a popular beverage that auctions took place monthly, and then weekly. Tea was transported from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), China, East Africa, and India for sale at the London auction, which devoted particular days of the week to each of the origin countries. By the 1950s, a third of the world’s traded tea was bought through the London auction. Once purchased, the tea was sent from the London warehouses either directly to the retailers that sold the tea per weight as loose-leaf teas, or to companies that specialized in blending and packaging. These companies – the tea packers – then sold the packed teas under various brand names.

Later, the London Tea Auction moved to Plantation House and then to Sir John Lyon House, and finally to the London Chamber of Commerce. However, after India, Sri Lanka and Kenya became independent states in 1947, 1948 and 1963, respectively, the activities declined gradually, and the London Tea Auction closed in June 1997. For almost 300 years the Western tea market had been dominated by the British Tea Trade and the memories and places of this important activity are currently being enshrined by the London Tea History Association (LTHA), which was founded in 2015. It is important to note that the British model pertains to the main producing countries where the British introduced commercial tea growing. All these countries established public Tea Auction Centres after independence.

Producing Countries Tea Auctions

From the mid-20th century all colonial territories have progressively become independent states, be it from British, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, or Belgian rule. They therefore had to manage their agri-food and cash-crop economies on their own, and many followed along well-established set-ups. The big tea-producing countries, India, Kenya and its East African neighbours together with Malawi and of course, Sri Lanka, have created their own national tea-auction platforms, to ensure a regular trade flow. Today, there are public tea auction centres in India (6), Sri Lanka (1), Bangladesh (1), East Africa (1), Central Africa (1), and Indonesia (1), all based on the British model and all operating successfully, some of them for more than half a century. Not only are these auctions the best platform for ensuring satisfactory trade flows, they are also the best possible mechanism for obtaining optimum prices, by ensuring fair competition through a fully transparent modus operandi.

A large range of producing countries grow tea mainly as a revenue crop and for export, namely East and Central Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia, whilst the world’s two biggest tea producers, China and India, consume most of their teas themselves. Data from the International Tea Committee’s (ITC) 2018 Statistics Bulletin refer to traded teas, which represent 30.8 percent of the world production, amounting to 5.81 million tonnes in 2017.

In 2017, these 11 public tea auction bodies captured more than three quarters of the international tea trade – a total tonnage of 1.38 million tonnes, which represents 77 percent of global tea exports, trade volume amounting to 1.79 million tonnes, per the ITC. Annual sales volumes range from around 400,000 tonnes (t) sold in 2017 by the EATTA Tea Auction in Mombasa, Kenya to around 10,000t sold in Limbe, Malawi, with Colombo, Sri Lanka having moved close to 300,000t and Kolkata, India around 170,000t of teas from Assam, Cachar, Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai.

Mike Bunston, OBE, who was chairman of the Tea Brokers Association at the time when the London Tea Auction closed, and who has chaired the International Tea Committee for 20 years and was appointed the Honorary Tea Ambassador for Ceylon Tea in London in 2014 confirmed, “I have always considered that auction selling is by far and away the best form of selling tea. Not only does it provide for a maximum of competition, but more importantly, it is totally transparent, as the prices are openly announced and therefore known globally. Who are the biggest producers of tea other than China? India, Sri Lanka and Kenya all have successful auction centres. They were set up along the British lines and have proved to be most successful over many years.”

Such internationally recognized tea auction platforms provide full international exposure, ensure complete transparency and allow teas to fetch competitive prices. However, in order to comply with the quality requirements for auction sale the teas must be harvested with good picking standards, processed with performing factory equipment and after reaching the drier mouth they have to be sorted, graded, packed and then labelled and identified as lots coming from named factories.

Auctions Focus on Black Tea

It should also be noted that the tea auctions mainly focus on traditional black teas, which remain the bulk of the tea exports and represent the major share of the world’s tea production, which was approximately 60 percent in 2017. Black teas fall into the two main categories of orthodox leaf tea and CTC (crush, tear and curl) tea, with the choice of the CTC process mostly related to the need to cope with large leaf volumes.

Both the orthodox and the CTC process have their traditional international grading system, which range from the largest leaf to the smallest. For Indian orthodox leaf this will be SFTGFOP: special fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe down to fannings and dust. For Indian CTC tea this will range from BOP: Broken Orange Pekoe, down to dust. In East Africa, where CTC teas prevail, the grading will range from BP1: Broken Pekoe 1 to Pekoe Fannings, Pekoe Dust and Dust.

There is no waste, and all leaf grades will find a buyer. All teas that go to auction must be packed and fully labelled according to their estate details and grades.

Looking at the Mombasa Tea Auction reports, which indicate the average monthly prices fetched by the teas from the various East African countries, one can see how buyers appreciate the quality levels, with Rwanda clearly standing out with the highest prices.

The producing factories do not sell their teas directly, they entrust them to selling brokers, who are normally well reputed tea professionals and registered with the auction centres, and who oversee preparing the auction catalogues. It is their responsibility to proceed with the tasting of teas, in order to cater to the requirements of the potential customers, with precise reference to particle size, taste profile and cup colour in particular.

To summarize the advantages of the auction system, it should be underlined that not only is there complete transparency with prices set in an open forum and information about who is buying, how much volume and at what price, all operators pay the same price for the same tea, even the large multinational companies. Furthermore, it is an effective way of moving large volumes of tea from producers to buyers, which guarantees good freshness, and payment is made within contractual delays, usually ten days, ensuring fast cash flow for the producers. Smaller producers can participate, which gives them access to the local, regional and international market, the standard unit being the pallet of 20 sacks. Smaller buyers can also participate as there is the possibility to divide the lots.

There is a cost for operating within such a fully organized platform, which is, however, considered to be a win-win investment for all the stake holders.

It should be noted that there are currently no public auction centres in China because there is no standardized grading system for mainstream green teas and the long-standing regional spring and autumn fairs provide good sales opportunities for the stakeholders. Several attempts to introduce public tea auction platforms have not been carried through, which some experts explain by the huge variety of many regional teas and also the strong preference for dealing in privacy.

Prospects for Auctions in New Markets

There are tea-producing countries that favourably consider the advantages of the auction system and have made in-depth studies of the ways and means to introduce that way of selling their mainstream teas. Manuja Peiris, chief executive of the ITC, and who started his tea career at the Colombo Tea Auction, has been involved in providing his expertise for introducing a tea auction platform. However, such a move requires some streamlining, compliance with more stringent production standards, and also improvements in production equipment, which means coordinated and important efforts, a target not easy to achieve.

There are also projects attempting to attract more of the small producers who make specialty and premium teas. Devising a system where smaller lots than 20 sacks could go through an appropriate accreditation with certified tasters sampling these specialty teas may well be feasible. The platform would also offer access to smaller buyers, like retail tea houses and specialty tea suppliers for the hospitality sector and culinary circles and who also sell via the net. The future will show if the auction system can be further extended to operate successfully in new markets and for new tea categories.

Barbara Dufrêne is the former Secretary General of the European Tea Committee and editor of La Nouvelle du Thé. She may be reached at: b-dufrêne @orange.fr.

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Its 27-year-old founder and fourth-generation tea entrepreneur, Bala Sarda, established the company in 2015 with a vision to build a global premium tea brand from India. Sarda saw an opportunity with his native India, being the second largest producer of tea in the world, to take back its ownership of its teas, empower Indian farmers and provide the most premium and freshest teas on the US market.

Vahdam Teas is a vertically integrated tea brand that is disrupting the supply chain of tea by making premium garden-fresh tea available to consumers across the world in the shortest periods of time by leveraging technology, cutting out all unnecessary middlemen and launching innovative packaging formats. All the teas are procured directly from plantations and tea growers, which they give back to within days of production, packaged garden fresh and shipped directly from its Indian-based source.

The brand generates all its sales online and has now shipped over 100 million cups of premium teas to consumers in over 85 countries. The brand has grown by 1,000% in the last two years. With its recent opening of its first US warehouse in Indiana and an office in New York, 70% of its revenue comes from the US market.

This month, the company is unveiling its first collection of Single Serve Pyramid Tea Bags that will add to its exclusive offering of over 75 tea blends in loose leaf teas. Its Turmeric Spice Herbal Tea, part of its new tea bag offering, was awarded the SOFI 2018 for the “Best New Product” in the Hot Beverages Category by the Specialty Food Association, selected from over 2,600 products.

“We are excited to take the next steps in the growth journey at Vahdam Teas. Fireside Ventures has been one our earliest supporters and we are glad to have them back with us in this round as well,” says Sarda. “We have seen tremendous customer appreciation for our teas and plan to keep building the momentum. With stronger investment in the brand and our infrastructure, we plan to keep building to achieve our vision of making the freshest teas to consumers worldwide, under a home-grown brand which is socially conscious.”

Commenting on the investment, Kanwaljit Singh, managing partner, Fireside Ventures, said, “Vahdam Teas is an innovative brand that brings the best of Indian teas to mainstream global consumers. Fireside invested in the business in the previous round of investment as well and seeing the strong performance of the business, we are delighted to reinvest in the company. We will continue to back Bala’s leadership and passion to build a world class global Indian brand.”

For more information, visit www.vahdamteas.com.

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This year’s event will include more than 100 exhibitors, including: Alpha Dominche, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Devocion, Coffee of Grace, Five Elephant, Gotham Coffee Roasters, Joe Coffee Company, Bluestone Lane, and among others. The three-day festival will also feature The Lab program offering interactive demonstrations, educational workshops, talks and tastings, the Coffee Music Project, and the Coffee Art Project, as well as:

• Coffee Masters New York – sponsored espresso-machine manufacturers, Slayer Espresso, this barista competition is a fast-paced knockout battle format that will see 16 baristas showcase their skills head-to-head across a broad range of disciplines. Judged by a panel of leading industry figureheads, the winner receives a prize of USD $5,000.

• Latte Art Live – an interactive zone dedicated to the highly popular skill of latte art. In past years, local heroes like Jai Lott and Barista Dee, and international names like Dritan Alsela, Dhan Tamang, Lem Butler, and Luke Shilling, have taken to the stage. Attendees can take part in hands-on workshops and demonstrations where the pros will teach them the techniques and skills behind jaw-dropping masterpieces.

• The Village – is where attendees can discover innovative products, cutting edge brands and exciting new businesses. They’ll be able to meet the personalities behind 2018’s coolest local brands and small businesses, in addition to catching inspiration from awesome technology, next-level apparel, and the freshest micro-roasters.

• The Coffee Cocktail Bar – is a collaboration with coffee liqueur heavyweight Mr Black, which will be serving indulgent cocktails with high buzz-factor. This year, the focus is on the classic Espresso Martini.

One hundred percent of profits are donated to Project Waterfall, partnering with NYC-based charity: water to deliver life-changing water projects in coffee-growing regions. Since 2011, Project Waterfall has raised over $1.5 million, bringing clean water to more than 37,000 people across seven countries. Find out more about Project Waterfall at projectwaterfall.org and charity: water at charitywater.org.

On this year’s festival, Allegra Group CEO, Jeffrey Young shares, “We’re super excited to be back for another New York Coffee Festival. The Festival is a vibrant celebration of the specialty coffee scene, and this year is the most dynamic ever, with unlimited free coffee tastings and workshops, plus an exciting array of local and international roasters, a host of new products and inspiring brands to discover. The prestigious Coffee Masters – New York competition will again rally the crowds and Latte Art Live is set to be a showstopper as leading latte artists from New York and abroad showcase their incredible skills, all in the name of great coffee and charity.”

For the first time, the festival has introduced a new “Super VIP” ticket package, which offers three-day access to the event, a dedicated VIP entrance, complimentary cocktails from The Coffee Cocktail Bar, and a VIP goodie bag, full to bursting with gifts from some of your favorite brands and a brand new copy of The New York Coffee Guide.

For details or to register for the New York Coffee Festival, visit www.newyorkcoffeefestival.com.

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The new blends will expand the flavour offerings of this sustainably produced specialty tea line. Like the original seven specialty blends, the new flavours are certified organic and use large-leaf tea, herbs and flowers in pyramid-style sachets, which allow the full fragrance and flavour to develop during the steeping process.

“The Artisan Collection Hot Teas are very popular with our customers,” says Gerard Bastiaanse, svp of marketing. “Because they are sustainably produced and feature organic full-leaf blends, they have a universal appeal to consumers who are looking for a sustainable specialty tea. Several of our blends are certified organic, so they are free of any synthetic pesticides or chemicals, and our farming methods help conserve the environment.”

The three new Artisan Collection Hot Tea blends, which are available for the foodservice industry only, include: Organic Earl Grey Black Tea, Organic Mint Mosaic Herbal Tea and Organic Pan Fired Green Tea.

Headquartered in Northlake, Texas, Farmer Bros Co’s primary brands include Farmer Brothers, Artisan Collection by Farmer Brothers, Superior, Metropolitan, Cain’s, McGarvey, China Mist, Boyds and West Coast Coffee.

For more information about Farmer Brothers and its Artisan Collection coffee, teas and cold brew filter packs, visit www.farmerbros.com.

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“This agreement reflects our mission: delight quality of life lovers all over the world with the greatest coffee nature can provide, enhanced by sustainable practices and technologies and the beauty of the arts. We found in JAB the right partner for this new business,” says Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of illycaffè. “Making the illy-experience more and more accessible to consumers globally is fundamental for our strategy and it is the reason we decided to enter such a broad market standard through a licensing agreement. The quality leader and the market leader are putting together their excellences for the benefit of the customer, who is the focus of this project. Millions of coffee lovers will be able to greatly benefit from their freedom of choice.”

“We are very pleased and honoured to form this strategic partnership with illy, a global leader in the premium coffee space, to expand its coffee experience into a new segment globally,” says Fabien Simon, CFO of JDE (speaking on behalf of JAB and JDE). “Through the JDE platform, JAB has a rich history of more than 265 years of coffee expertise across a variety of technologies, with leadership positions in key coffee markets around the world in modern and traditional trade. Through this trademark licensing agreement for the production and distribution of illy-branded aluminum capsules, we are committed to deliver the quality consistent with the world reference illy in-cup experience.”

JDE will be producing and distributing the new capsule internationally in the retail trade. In order to maximize synergies with illy omni-channel presence, illycaffè will oversee distribution in Italy and in all the other sales channels.

illycaffè is an Italian family business, founded in Trieste in 1933. One of the most globally recognized coffee brands, illy’s unique 100% Arabica blend is made of coffee from nine of the world’s leading coffee-producing nations. Each day more than seven million cups are served in over 140 countries in the finest cafés, restaurants, hotels and in offices and homes. The company also founded the University of Coffee with the aim of fostering and spreading its culture, providing comprehensive academic and hands-on training for coffee growers, baristas and coffee lovers in order to cover every aspect of the product. In 2017, the company employed 1,290 people and posted consolidated revenues of €467 million. There are approximately 244 stores and mono-brand illy shops in 43 countries. For more information, visit www.illy.com.

JAB Holding Company and JAB Consumer Fund invest in companies with premium brands, attractive growth and strong margin dynamics in the consumer goods category. Both JAB Holding Company and JAB Consumer Fund are overseen by its three senior partners: Peter Harf, Bart Becht (chairman) and Olivier Goudet (CEO). Together, JAB Holding Company and JAB Consumer Fund have controlling stakes in KDP, a challenger and leader in the North-American beverage market, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), the largest pure-play FMCG coffee company in the world, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, a premier specialty coffee and tea company, Caribou Coffee Company, a specialty retailer of high-quality premium coffee products, and in Espresso House, the largest branded coffee shop chain in Scandinavia, among numerous others. For additional information, visit www.jabholco.com.

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

Guatemala Embraces A New Sector

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

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

Honduras Plants for Specialty

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

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

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

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

El Salvador’s Steady Climb

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

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

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

Rural Development in Nicaragua

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

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

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

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

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

Fine Dining, Fine Coffee in Costa Rica

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

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

Panama’s Baristas Lead the Change

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

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

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

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

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Alongside Rwanda, coffee beans from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India and Nicaragua were chosen to compete as finalists, following analysis at illy’s Quality Lab at its Trieste, Italy headquarters. All nine finalists, spanning four continents, are ingredients in illy’s proprietary blend.

“It is an honour and a pleasure to recognize Ngororero Coffee Washing Station and Ms. Muzika for their achievement, and that of all of our finalists, who are focused on producing the highest-quality coffee through sustainable methods,” said Andrea Illy, chairman of illycaffè during the award ceremony. “This week celebrates an even greater theme, and that is the enormous dedication, pride and talent of the world’s 25 million coffee-growing families, who fill our cups, and replenish our souls, every day.”

On 1 October, to mark International Coffee Day, illycaffè focused its efforts on honouring women coffee growers, who are responsible for nearly half of the world’s coffee production.

EIICA, named for illycaffè’s visionary, second-generation leader, Ernesto Illy, celebrates his company’s hand-in-hand work with farmers for the past 27 years to realize his dream of offering the best coffee to the world, and his commitment to improving the well-being of the world’s coffee growers.

Prior to last night’s gala, emceed by Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped, Chopped Junior and The Best Thing I Ever Ate, a panel of tasting, culinary and coffee experts from around the world took on the task of choosing this year’s “Best of the Best” bean, based on criteria including aromatic richness/complexity, balance/elegance and aroma intensity/strength in a series of blind tastings. The jury included: Mark Pendergrast, author (Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World, and Beyond Fair Trade: How One Small Coffee Company Helped Transform a Hillside Village in Thailand); Owen Dugan, features editor at Wine Spectator (who is considered to be among the world’s foremost experts in viniculture); Peter Giuliano, chief research officer at the Specialty Coffee Association (and former co-owner of Counter Culture Coffee); Sunalini Menon, Asia’s first female professional in the field of coffee cupping (and the former director of quality control for the Coffee Board of India); as well as Michelin-starred chefs: Alfio Ghezzi, the executive chef of Locanda Margon in the Trentino territory of Italy, and Niko Romito, acclaimed Italian chef (runs the restaurant Reale in Castel di Sangro, the two Spazio bistros in Milan and Rome, and every Bulgari Hotel restaurant around the world).

The “Coffee Lover’s Choice” award, presented by Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of illycaffè, on behalf of illy partner United Airlines, was determined by a “jury” of over 1,500 discerning consumers who visited flagship illy café locations in Kuala Lumpur, London, Milan, Paris and San Francisco, and at special events in Athens and New York City, all of whom tasted coffee prepared from the same beans as for the expert jury.

“It all starts with the unique illy blend, developed consistently year after year, that gives us deep knowledge of the coffee origins combined with our direct trade model that works closely with coffee growers to produce the highest quality Arabica beans,” said Pogliani. “Next year, we plan to continue expanding our Authors’ Notes program, an exclusive experience for illy fans that centers around tasting and purchasing the nine finalist coffee lots from the 2018 awards at our illy café shops.”

Twenty-seven grower representatives from the nine finalist countries, many visiting New York City for the first time – and for some, it was the first time ever leaving their home countries – also participated in a coffee-specific seminar hosted by chairman Illy and representatives from the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) at the United Nations that covered topics including growing practices, business management, climate change, sustainability, closing the gender gap and megatrends impacting the coffee industry.

In his presentation, head of operations at the ICO, Gerardo Patacconi, noted that the decline in coffee prices has led to increased poverty, which has caused migration and social unrest, which in turn has resulted in farmers making less investments in and improvement to farms, or abandoning coffee production all together. “In the short term, the livelihoods of coffee growers are in jeopardy,” he said. “Long-term, the future viability of the world coffee sector is in question.”

EIICA is rooted in a program that illy established 27 years ago in Brazil, originally called Premio de Qualidade do Cafè para Espresso, that drove illy’s transformation to a company that today purchases nearly 100 percent of its coffee beans directly from producers able to meet its exacting quality standards, at a guaranteed premium over market prices averaging 30 percent. The EIICA was first held in New York City in 2016.

For more information, visit www.illy.com.

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