NEWS

EAT DRINK DESIGN AWARDS REVEAL AUSTRALIA’S BEST CAFÉ DESIGN

Industry Beans Brisbane has won Best Café Design in the 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards.

Industry Beans Brisbane by Platform by DesignOffice in Queensland has won Best Café Design in the 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards.

A Newstead café just north of Brisbane’s James Street, Industry Beans has completely transformed an old brick warehouse space into the quintessential Queensland daytime eatery.

“The treatment serves Industry Beans Brisbane’s multilayered offering. This is a place as appropriate for long brunches as it is meetings or informal work sessions, while an eye-catching retail zone in the centre of the venue naturally draws in takeaway customers,” the jury citation reads.

Commendations were given to Valentinas by How High in New South Wales, Bloom-Sans by Arc Studio in South Australia, Midi by Sans-Arc, Prior Thornbury by Ritz & Ghougassian, and Ona Coffee by Breathe Architecture in Victoria.

Cassie Hansen, editor of Artichoke and Eat Drink Design Award jury chair, says that the Awards analyse the influences and shifting design narratives in the always evolving, and competitive hospitality industry.

“Finally, Brisbane’s rise as a formidable food destination was reflected in this year’s awards,” says Cassie.

“The Queensland capital’s booming restaurant, bar, and café scene was underrepresented, with just four entries across the entire awards, but two won their respective categories and a third was shortlisted.”

The Eat Drink Design Awards, which recognise excellence and innovation in the design of restaurants, bars, cafés, hotels, temporary venues and retail spaces, come after an immensely challenging two years for the industry.

Restrictions have meant added strain or even mandated closures for our beloved venues, and now more than ever, it feels important to celebrate the spaces where we come together as a community.

In addition to the category awards, each year one landmark venue is honoured with induction into the Hall of Fame.

The 2021 entry into the Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame is Bill’s Darlinghurst, a café which the jury citation says is the Darlinghurst icon that has arguably acted as the blueprint for modern cafés the world over.

COFFEE PRICES END 2021 ON DECADE-LONG HIGH

In December 2021, coffee prices reached a new multi-year high as the monthly average of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) composite indicator price broke through the 200 US cents per pound mark, averaging 203.06 US cents per pound.

This is an increase of 4 per cent compared to 195.17 US cents per pound in November 2021. The price levels during coffee year 2021/22 so far mark a return to the higher levels experienced in 2011.

Compared to when the ICO Composite Indicator was at 115.73 US cents per pound in January 2021, the ICO says an increase of 75.5 per cent has been recorded to December 2021.

The ICO says the steady and consistent upward trend observed since the start of coffee year 2020/21 shows how after 10 consecutive years of low-price levels a remarkable recovery of coffee prices has occurred.

Exports of all forms of coffee in November 2021 totalled 9.25 million 60-kilogram bags, down 12.4 per cent in comparison to 10.56 million bags in November 2020.

In the first two month of coffee year 2021/22, exports of South America decreased significantly by 24.4 per cent to 9.67 million 60-kilogram bags as compared to 12.79 million bags in OctoberNovember 2020.

Shipments from Asia and Oceania over the first two month of coffee year 2021/22 was 6.21 million bags versus 5.08 million bags in OctoberNovember 2020.

Estimates of total production for coffee year 2020/21 has been revised up marginally to 169.66 million 60-kilogram bags, representing a 0.4 per cent increase compared to 169.00 million bags during the previous coffee year.

International coffee prices have been on an upwards trajectory the past two years.

The new black

NOMAD COFFEE GROUP PLEDGES JOURNEY TO NET ZERO

Specialty coffee brand collection Nomad Coffee Group has committed to becoming a Net Zero emissions company from 2022 onwards.

“To do our part in ensuring that the coffee industry that we love continues for generations to come, our organisation is officially committing to Net Zero emissions from 2022, and each year thereafter,” says Nomad Coffee Group CEO, Craig Dickson.

“Our industry faces some major challenges, such as a significant reliance on natural gas, for which there is currently no viable alternative. However, we believe this approach is an important first step to lower our environmental impact as quickly as possible.”

Using 2020 as a baseline and with the help of climate change and human rights advisory firm Ndevr, the company says that as of January 2022, more than 80 per cent of its total electricity consumption will be from renewable resources, avoiding over 500 tonnes of Green House Gas emissions.

The company will also conduct a review of its waste management practices and are on track to divert 75 per cent of its waste from landfill.

Furthermore, from 2022 it will offset its remaining emissions to achieve Net

Nomad Coffee Group has committed to becoming a Net Zero emissions company from 2022.

Zero and limit its reliance on carbon offsetting by 2030.

Craig of Nomad Coffee Group says doing business sustainably is deeply entrenched within the Nomad Coffee Group’s DNA.

“For many years, our focus has been on working closely with our growing partners to ensure that they receive a fair price for their product, allowing them to have a better quality of life,” says Craig.

“However, the not-so-new issue of climate change, threatening to dramatically alter coffee growing regions in catastrophic ways is something that can’t be ignored, with some in the scientific community estimating up to 50 per cent of the land currently in coffee production becoming unsuitable for farming by 2050.”

Back in July, the company appointed Nick Percy as its first Sustainability Manager.

“Nomad Coffee Group has always believed in doing business better; our attitude to sustainability is no different. In our pursuit to do better, a dedicated sustainability resource allows greater focus,” says Nick.

The Nomad Coffee Group has other sustainability initiatives in the specialty coffee sector, including its Sustainable Coffee Program which ensures fair pricing for coffee suppliers and fostering long-term relationships.

Nomad Coffee Group is made up of brands including Veneziano Coffee Roasters, Coffee Hit, Black Bag Roasters, and Flight Coffee.

IWCAA ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD

The International Women’s Coffee Alliance Australia (IWCAA) has announced its new board for 2022 following its Annual General Meeting on 11 November.

Veronica Ponce will lead the IWCAA as President, after serving as Vice President for the past year.

Melissa Garcia has been named Vice President, Emilie Coulombe as Secretary, Sabrina Czesla as Treasurer, and Yvette Schroeder, Amy Pareezer and Lena Richrath as General Board Members.

Gina Di Brita, former President of IWCAA Australia, has ended her tenure, as has board member Muki Yeung.

“Gina has been instrumental in the formation of IWCAA and steered the board in the last season as its president,” an IWCAA spokesperson says.

“Muki joined the board in December 2019 and was a valued board member that provided great insights and support in the last two years.”

The mission of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) is to encourage and recognise the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry, and to empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives.

The Australian Chapter is part of a collaborative team made up of 29 other Chapter members from around the world. Most recently, the IWCA announced South Korea as the newest chapter to the network.

The current goals of the IWCAA are to provide a platform for women and marginalised individuals in coffee to connect, network and share one another’s experiences, and celebrate and promote the contribution of women in all aspects of the industry.

The IWCAA aims to provide women in the coffee sector the tools necessary to strengthen their participation nationally and internationally, as well as build relationships with coffee growers from its other 29 IWCA Chapter members to foster trading alliances.

VITTORIA COFFEE BREWS NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UK

Vittoria Coffee is taking advantage of Australia’s strong international reputation for coffee.

REGIONAL VICTORIAN SMALL BUSINESSES THRIVING POST-PANDEMIC, REPORT SHOWS

Small businesses in regional Victoria are growing twice as fast as those in Melbourne, according to a new research report looking at the postCOVID recovery of the industry.

Commerce company Square has released The State of Regional Business Report, which scrutinised payment processing data. The report found that regional businesses were currently processing 259 per cent more payments compared with the beginning of the pandemic.

The regional business boom is tracking at more than double the rate of metro Melbourne’s post-COVID recovery, with those non-regional businesses posting a 178 per cent increase in payments.

Port Fairy reigns as Victoria’s fastest-growing town according to the report, tripling in the number of businesses signing up to take digital payments since the start of the pandemic.

The report says that pandemicrelated regional migration helped contribute to growing numbers of businesses being set up outside of Melbourne.

“The last two years have shown the entrepreneurial and adaptive best of Aussie businesses,” Square Australia Head of Business Development Colin Birney says. “Our regions have been particularly savvy and turned to 16 beanscenemag.com.au After the signing of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, Vittoria Coffee is planning further expansions in the United Kingdom.

The company says the UK has always been high on its expansion list, with Vittoria supplying the Australian-UK expatriate market and high-end hotels and cafés since the company began in 1947.

Vittoria Coffee Managing Director and third-generation coffee maker, Rolando Schirato, is keen to pounce on the growing demand for an Australian brew.

“It’s safe to say Australian coffee is among the best in the world, and has been for some time,” Rolando says.

Vittoria Coffee’s expansion plans include having a flagship showroom, which, according to the company, will create a unique Vittoria coffee experience.

It is also planning to lock in the right ambassador to grow its brand.

Rolando says the coffee business never stands still and is constantly evolving, with the development of specialty coffees such as Vittoria’s certified organic and Rainforest Alliance blend.

Vittoria also supplies Nespressocompatible capsules, newly developed instant blends, and its time-honoured special bar blends.

Rolando says the one thing that remains the same, however, is Vittoria’s flavour profile. He says this is the secret to creating a consistent flavour across large quantities of coffee.

“It doesn’t matter if you have that coffee in London or LA. You will have the same taste experience,” Schirato says.

To maintain this consistency and know-how, Vittoria plans to redeploy Australians into the UK market, while also hiring on the ground.

It will also build its Australian-based export division, creating more jobs back home.

“Our business is focused on maintaining consistency from the largest and most technologically advanced coffee roasting facility in the Southern Hemisphere,” Rolando says.

technology to help them adapt and enable continued growth.”

The data was collated from a general population survey of more than 300 Australian business owners, plus aggregated data from millions of transactions across Square sellers in Australia between March 2020 and October 2021, compared to the same time period before the onset of the pandemic.

According to the report, more businesses are being set up in the regions than ever before, with payments processing growth among regional businesses using Square outpacing their metropolitan counterparts in every state.

Furthermore, while eCommerce served as a lifeline for many businesses throughout the pandemic, only around 27 per cent of all businesses have an online store.

But despite nearly two years of snap lockdowns, border closures, and reduced tourism, the report says business owners are feeling optimistic, with nearly 70 per cent having confidence in their growth prospects over the coming year.

THE COFFEE CLUB UNVEILS SEVEN NEW STORES

The Coffee Club has rolled out seven new locations across Australia in the last two months of 2021, with two stores in New South Wales that are completely new concepts to the state.

This was the coffee chain’s first major roll out of store openings since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We are incredibly excited to have successfully completed our largest number of store openings since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Nick Bryden, CEO of The Coffee Club parent company The Minor DKL.

Customers can find the new stores in Willows Shopping Centre, Queensland; Karingal Hub, Victoria; Cranebrook and Wickham, NSW; and three Western Australian locations in Forrest Chase Shopping Centre, Kingsway City and Hawaiians Park Centre.

“It’s fantastic to see the local communities already embracing these new stores and the amazing teams behind them,” says Nick.

“We are especially proud that five of the seven stores are run by existing franchisees who have taken the opportunity to expand and serve communities in multiple locations.”

The seven new locations offer the signature Coffee Club experiences to its customers, perfect for a quick caffeine hit, coffee catch up or mid-shop pickme-up.

The Coffee Club has shaken up the norm in NSW by introducing two new concepts to its customers.

“The first is our Drive Thru store at Cranebrook, near Penrith, which is something we launched for our Queensland customers and have had a tremendous response,” says Nick.

“The second concept is our innovative Wickham hybrid store, which operates as a Coffee Club by day, then by night flips to our burger concept, Burgers With Bite.”

Bryden says Burgers With Bite was

HOSTMILANO 2021 EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS

The 2021 HostMilano, which ran from 22 to 26 October at Fiera Milano in Italy, has achieved record attendance numbers. The event identifies itself as the reference exhibition for equipment, coffee and food, as well as the foodservice, retail and hotel sectors.

More than 110,000 professionals and 1345 companies from 144 countries attended the event. The geographical subdivision saw European attendees represent 76 per cent of visitors, followed by the Middle East, Asia, North and Central America, Africa, and South America.

Commercial Director of Cimbali Group Andrea Clerici says it was a positive experience from a business point of view.

“We believed in this exhibition

HostMilano 2021 hosted more than 110,000 attendees and 1234 companies from 144 countries. The Coffee Club Drive Thru in Cranebrook is the first of its kind in NSW, following success in Queensland.

a ghost kitchen concept established in 2019 that has become a much-loved delivery option across over 250 sites.

“We are incredibly excited to be leading the market, both in turning Burgers With Bite into a bricks n mortar store and being Australia’s first chain to operate two physical brands from the same site,” says Bryden.

The opening of these stores takes the number of Coffee Club locations across Australia to 269, with plans in motion for more locations to land in the new year.

immediately and we never questioned our presence, indeed we arrived with a completely renovated, large stand, studied in every detail to give a message of positivity and direction for all four of our brand names,” says Andrea.

“I must say that the environment has received our message, welcomed it and rewarded it.”

Exhibitors also exceeded expectations despite the COVID year. A total 1345 exhibitors made up the 2021 event, with 32 per cent from Germany, France, Spain, the United States, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

HostMilano says together, these events have strengthened the city of Milan as a European exhibition hub and for the international promotion of Italian excellence.

HostMilano is a business platform as well as a hub for exchanging skills, as well as a place to discover the latest trends changing the future of the Horeca sector.