Global Coffee Report Mar 2022 by Prime Creative Media

March/April 2022

SOURCING DIVERSIFICATION

Creating new opportunities for small producing countries

ROASTERS REFOCUSED

Leading manufacturers on technical advances and gamechanging goals

A NEW SPIN ON COFFEE

Capitalising on growing trends towards health and convenience

AUTOMATION TAKEOVER

Why the fear of perception is no longer

FIGHTING FOR A

BIGGER CAUSE illycaffè Chairman Andrea Illy on the race to net zero and why regenerative agriculture is the key to winning the industry’s climate change battle

www.gcrmag.com

SUSTAINABILIT Y

AT EVERSYS, WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD A SUSTAINABLE MINDSET. IT WAS ONLY NATURAL THAT WE WOULD IMPLEMENT AN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM BASED ON ISO 14001 TO PERPETUATE THIS SUSTAINABILITY VALUE. VICTORIA PITTIER, Management System Coordinator

CMY

CONTENTS March/April 2022

COVER STORY FIGHTING FOR A BIGGER CAUSE

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES 10

FIGHTING FOR A BIGGER CAUSE

Andrea Illy on illycaffè’s road to carbon neutrality, and why regenerative agriculture is key

14 SOURCING DIVERSIFICATION

The ICO on creating new opportunities for small producing countries

STRAIGHT TO THE CAUSE

World Neighbors addresses the issues causing people to flee coffee producing countries

PROFILES

23 PROOF IS IN THE CUP

The advantages of automation once the fear of perception is removed

34 AUSTRALIA, START YOUR ENGINES

After three years, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo is coming back bigger than ever

36 MORE THAN A SUBSTITUTE

WMF Professional Coffee Machines supporting the evolution of plant-based dairy alternatives

ROASTING EQUIPMENT 38

OPENING THE GATES

PLANS COMING TOGETHER

Neuhaus Neotec previews new developments for the coffee industry in 2022

LAST WORD

REGULARS

AN ECO-FRIENDLY ERA

SUPERCHARGING AUTOMATICS

The evolution of super automatic machines and how its traditional demographic is expanding

IMS-RITTER combines flexible machinery with a focus on customer service and maintenance

Flavourtech helps capitalise on trends in the instant and RTD space

A NEW SPIN ON COFFEE

44 IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT

The Bellwether Coffee 2.0 is next step in making coffee roasting more inclusive and sustainable

Brambati on the importance of innovation and flexibility to its 360-degree sustainable philosophy

illycaffè Chairman Andrea Illy says the industry’s response to climate change over the next 10 to 15 years is critical, with climate events expected to have further impacts on supply, prices, and the value chain. His only fear, is running out of time.

LASTING LEGACY

How IMA Coffee Petroncini has stayed ahead of the curve for more than a century

THE COST OF A CUP

“THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT LINEAR BUT EXPONENTIAL. EACH 0.1°C MORE IN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE DOESN’T INCREASE THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE PROPORTIONALLY, BUT EXPONENTIALLY.” Andrea Illy

ILLYCAFFÈ CHAIRMAN

The countries that come out on top when it comes to most expensive cup

04 EDITOR’S NOTE 06 NEWS DRIP BY DRIP 48 WHAT’S BREWING

50 DIARY DASHBOARD 52 MARKETPLACE

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EDITOR’S NOTE Global Coffee Report

PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au EDITOR Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au ASSISTANT EDITOR Ethan Miller ethan.miller@primecreative.com.au

THE POINT OF NO RETURN WHILE THE world has learned to live with COVID, for a small portion of our society’s youngest members, it’s the only world they know. A world where masks replace faces, fist pumps substitute handshakes, and the alcoholic aroma of hand sanitiser overpowers the need for cologne. But as some countries announce international border openings and a return to foreign business and tourist visas, I wonder how quickly we will fall into familiar habits and behavioural traits, or are we forever changed from this experience that’s kept the world a part for the last two years? When it comes to technology, the need for speed, accuracy and consistency has translated into the acceleration of super automatic machines that, for many businesses, will be key to their growth and expansion in this post-COVID world. No longer is there fear of perception, as long as the result is a product that upholds the criteria for cup quality. The need for human connection however, is the one thing that will remain unchanged. In speaking with illycaffè Chairman Andrea Illy in New York via Zoom, after two frozen video attempts and a ping-pong game of mute and unmute, Illy voiced his disappointment for not holding the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards with growers in person for a second consecutive year. “Maybe next year,” he said, echoing three hopeful words many have adopted after cancelled travel plans, sporting events, birthday parties, and even marriages. Like most, Illy’s hope for 2022 is first and foremost that we get rid of the global pandemic. On an industry front, he predicts a significant

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rebound in out-of-home consumption. He also hopes the price of coffee will consolidate to a reasonable level, and that we start having a collective impact of sustainable efforts across the coffee value chain. More than ever, there appears to be strong accountability from companies to be transparent in their carbon emissions, pricing models, and transaction reports. There is nowhere to hide – and consumers, more sustainably conscious than ever, will make sure of it. As Illy says in this edition’s cover story, the next 10 to 15 years will be make or break before irreversible climate change damage is made. It is his fear that we’re running out of time to make significant change, and it’s mine that the first impact of climate change will be on coffee quality, then quantity. Thankfully, there are many strong individuals and organisations committed to implementing new technology, trials and strategies to avoid the point of no return. The world may have to learn to live with COVID, but it does not have to live without coffee. That’s one thing we can control.

Sarah Baker Editor, Global Coffee Report

JOURNALIST Hayley Ralph hayley.ralph@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au DESIGN Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING ACCOUNT MANAGER Courtney Walker courtney.walker@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS Ben Griffiths ben.griffiths@primecreative.com.au PHOTOGRAPHY Roberto Pastrovicchio CONTRIBUTOR Gerardo Patacconi, Madeleine De Gabriele HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 f: +61 3 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.gcrmag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

Global Coffee Report Magazine is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

ARTICLES

All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Global Coffee Report is owned and published by Prime Creative Media. All material in Global Coffee Report Magazine is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Global Coffee Report are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

NEWS In brief

NEWS DRIPBYDRIP 38

The Bellwether Coffee Series 2 was unveiled in February 2022.

AMERICAS Migration and climate change are among many reasons why coffee producing communities are being pushed off the land. To mitigate the risk, Starbucks Foundation funded World Neighbors has worked with the Atitlán region of Guatemala and the Huehuetenango department on the border with Mexico to increase resilience to adverse conditions by diversifying and improving sustainable farming techniques and practices. A new project in the Cusco and Cajamarca areas of Peru is expected to directly involve 2400 women, benefit 20,000 community members across 37 rural coffee-growing communities, and will contribute to the foundation’s goal to empower 250,000 women and girls in origin communities by 2025. See page 18.

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Bellwether Coffee has taken its learnings and feedback from the past three years to develop the Bellwether Coffee 2.0, the updated model of its emissions-free coffee roaster, first revealed in February 2022. It has 50 per cent more roasting capacity per hour, more intuitive software, drastically enhanced efficiency for even greater sustainability, and a more durable, low maintenance design See page 38.

ASIA PACIFIC In the period 1964 to 1970, Americas (South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) accounted for an average of 71 per cent of global production, which fell to 60 per cent from 2017 to 2021. However, the most striking change is the expansion of production in Asia and the Pacific from 8 per cent to 29 per cent over the same period.

In 2020-21, only four countries – Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia – accounted for more than 5 per cent of world output. Together, they provided 71.2 per cent of global green coffee production. In comparison, from 1964 to 1965, five countries – Brazil, Colombia, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico – accounted for more than 5 per cent of production and collectively reached 61.9 per cent of total world production. See page 14. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the way people consume coffee has radically shifted. The instant and ready to drink sectors in particular have benefitted as customers move from the café into the home. Flavourtech, a global manufacturer specialising in aroma recovery and extraction, has seen this demand grow firsthand, thanks to the popularity of its Integrated Extraction System. See page 27.

71.2%

The total global green coffee production from Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and Colombia combined in 2020-21.

FOCUS ON THE DETAILS Our unique RFB roasters are equipped with the newest and most innovative roasting technologies. With our flexible roasting profiles we give our clients the possibility to optimize every detail of the roasting process for a perfect result.

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NEWS In brief

Petroncini’s TTA model ranges from 240 up to 1600 kilogram per hour capacity.

New York already exclusively uses the Shotmaster in its retail venues. See page 23. To cater to rising consumer demand, WMF Professional Coffee Machines has adapted its innovative technology to operate with milk substitutes and training courses to help its consumers prepare for the rising influx of dairy alternative beverages. See page 36. Italian roaster manufacturer Brambati is determined to operate the business without waste. This includes installing a large-scale solar system, capable of producing 200 kilowatts of power an hour and producing 60 per cent of Brambati’s electrical needs. The company has replaced old lighting systems with new LED lights, removing its diesel heating system with the installation of heat pumps and high efficiency condensing boilers. It continues to monitor the energy and water consumption of the factory, and fuel consumption of its transport fleet. See page 40.

The S15 is the latest addition to La Cimbali’s super automatic range. This flexible and smart model is compact, intuitive and serves up to 150 cups per day via 96 recipes. See page 32. With Australian international borders opening in February, between 11,000 and 15,000 attendees are expected to gather for the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 27 to 30 September. See page 34. Finance advisor SavingSpot conducted market research across 104 countries between April to May 2021 to examine which city is paying top dollar for their daily cup. It identified South Korea as the city charging the highest figure for a daily cup at US$7.77 on average, followed by Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Switzerland. See page 54.

EUROPE The 2021 winner of the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards was Jumboor Estate in India, voted “Best of the Best” by an independent panel of international culinary and coffee experts. This marked the first time India had won the award, now in its sixth edition and named after Illy’s father, Ernesto Illy, rewarding the best coffee suppliers for their attention and passion to sustainable coffee practices. See page 10. In the United States, 75 per cent of Eversys customers use Cameo machines, 25 per cent use the Engima, and the latest released Shotmaster is predicted to have strong market uptake. Blank Street in

Following a more than US$2 million investment, all of IMA Coffee Petroncini’s current and future developments will be on display in the IMA Coffee Lab, a 2000-square-metre facility set to open in 2022. See page 42. IMS-Ritter has not lost sight of its maintenance and repair background and boasts the goal of being the fastest roasting machine manufacturer when it comes to responding to service requests. See page 44. Neuhaus Neotec will launch its newest drum roaster, the Maestro, in March. Based on the successful CTR series, a modular design simplifies the technology and its production while maintaining its quality levels, keeping the model at an attractive price point. See page 46.

2400

The number of coffee farming women who will directly benefit from a Starbucks Foundation funded project in Peru.

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FEATURE illycaffè

Fighting for a

bigger ca u i LLYCAFFÈ CHAIRMAN ANDREA ILLY TALKS TO GLOBAL COFFEE REPORT ABOUT THE RACE TO NET ZERO AND WHY REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IS THE KEY TO WINNING THE INDUSTRY’S CLIMATE CHANGE BATTLE.

n a taxi ride in New York City, fresh from the announcement of the 2021 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards in December, Andrea Illy’s pride is palpable as he connects to Zoom, speaking exclusively with Global Coffee Report on his way to the international airport. “The awards are the most important time of the year for illycaffè. It’s symbolic. It’s a celebration. But it’s also a statement about our award-winning coffee, which is what our brand is about,” says the illycaffè Chairman. The 2021 winner was Jumboor Estate in India, voted “Best of the Best” by an independent panel of international culinary and coffee experts. This marked the first time India had won the award, now in its sixth edition and named after Illy’s father, Ernesto Illy, rewarding the best coffee suppliers for their attention and passion to sustainable coffee practices. “India’s win is significant because its coffee is grown in agroforestry with economical practices that are regenerative by design not by accident,” Illy says. “If you expose coffee plants directly to the sun it can increase productivity but at the same time you expose the plant to higher stress due to too much light and high temperatures. This is why adapting to climate change requires a milder, smoother agriculture practice, like a regenerative one. The fact that this also creates a premium product is very relevant because the market is more and more differentiated and seeking highly sustainable quality coffees.” With reports stating that 50 per cent of current suitable land will no longer be viable for coffee production by 2050, Illy says the challenge for coffee agriculture is to reorganise itself in a way that can ensure production for growing demand and at the same time increase sustainability, quality and productivity. The only answer to reduce the global footprint, he says, is a non-conventional approach, such as carbon sequestration, the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. “It is imperative that the decarbonisation of our world be done in a natural way. Replanting

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trees and preserving biodiversity allows us to rebalance. If we can regenerate and enrich soils with organic carbon, which nourishes the soil fragility, biodiversity, and retains hydration, it makes the soil more resilient to erosion,” he says. “It also helps significantly reduce the use of residual fertilisers with microbial ones in plantations instead of mineral fertilisers, which is really needed.” Illycaffè has taken a carbon free approach to two pilot coffee farms in Ethiopia and Guatemala to generate key learnings. Within the Ethiopia pilot, illycaffè is also working in collaboration with the Coffee Training Center Ethiopia, thanks to a partnership between Associazione Italiana Cooperazione e Sviluppo Addis Abeba, UNIDO Addis Abeba, Fondazione Ernesto Illy, and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, to promote the proper processing and exporting of coffee. In the future, this institution could expand its mission and become a centre for disseminating virtuous agricultural know-how for small farmers. Illy says the circularity of this model, if adequately supported by knowledge sharing resources, could become an example for all of Ethiopia and be replicated on a larger scale across the African continent. “It’s about biodiversity preservation. Maybe the market will not pay for biodiversity but for sure it will pay for carbon insetting and carbon sequestering – an emerging market that will add value to farmers,” Illy says. “Once we generate [this] knowledge, we can

Image credit: Roberto Pastrovicchio

a use transfer it to other growers.” Illy says Guatemala – the winning country of the 2021 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards “Coffee Lover’s Choice” – awarded to Proyecto Lift Olopita – is also fighting generational climate change, with the younger generation disinterested in continuing their family’s coffee growing legacy. Thanks to illycaffè’s Lift project however, 112 families of coffee producers have received constant training and support on the technical development of sustainably produced coffee. “That’s why this win for Guatemala is so important,” Illy says. “The only way to motivate the younger generation is to first of all give them a living which will require a higher value added of the coffee they produce and a more stable, less volatile coffee market.” Beyond economic sustainability, Illy says the younger generations need a sense of purpose, and an understanding on the bigger role coffee can play to help improve social conditions of the coffee growing communities, such as better education and proper nutrition for children. “With this kind of positive approach and the idea that coffee is good for the environment and health, it’s a decent

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

FEATURE illycaffè

illycaffè has applied regenerative agriculture techniques to zero-emission coffee farm Jardines De Babilonia in Guatemala.

business. I think it’s proven we will be able to attract the younger generation and perpetrate coffee agriculture because if we don’t do so, besides the environmental hurdle, we will also face a labour one – a lack of competent growers,” Illy says.

FUTURES AND FEARS While illycaffè is doing what it can to advance sustainable, quality-based, and ethical business practices, recognised for the ninth consecutive year by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, Illy remains concerned that the farming fraternity will be resistant to change. “We have a limited amount of time to deploy the necessary changes. The threat before the crisis is very clear. The way to mitigate this risk is equally as clear,” Illy says. “We need to address necessary cultural changes, because in many countries where there is still resistance to coffee agriculture, local communities are driven by cultural values which not always are in favour of change. If we are too slow to change, we may end up short and not be in the condition needed to ensure quality, because the first impact of climate change on coffee is on quality. This is my only fear – that we are running out of time.” Illy says the next 10 to 15 years are crucial. The world’s largest producer Brazil experienced two frosts and one drought in 2021, with subsequent impacts on supply, prices, and the value chain. Illy says such events will become more frequent as temperatures continue to rise. “People have the tendency to forget that the impact of climate change is not linear but exponential. Each 0.1°C more in the average temperature doesn’t increase the impact of climate change proportionally, but exponentially. This is why we must have it clearly in mind that the impact of climate change on coffee agriculture will become worse and worse every year,” Illy says. As such, Illy adds that agronomical practices must change to be more reliable and robust. New varieties and climate-resistant cultivars must continue to be explored, and plantations renewed. He credits Colombia as a successful example of an origin country that, thanks to its government’s “bold effort” to finance the development of new cultivates and replant at least 50 per cent of its coffee trees, will see the country’s production expected at around 50 to 60 million bags in 2022. Investment, Illy says, is key to helping prepare plantations to be more resilient to climate change. “Investments are one third of what they should be,” he says. “It would be great if someone took the lead to create or aid a large fund investing in producing countries or a financial scheme that allows us to de-risk investments made by western companies, which have a much lower cost of capital in producing countries where the cost of capital is much higher and there are many hurdles to making investment easier.” Illy attended 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. He says while the forum did prove strong commitments to investments in

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ambitious sustainability programs, such as those initiated by the UN and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, there are still political limitations hindering the possible impact and effectiveness of institutions’ “top down” approach. “We need a very strong effort complimenting the top-down approach, and the bottom-up effort from the private sector. I already see this happening. Companies are under pressure from consumers, particularly the younger generations, who don’t tolerate unfairness, unsustainability, and noninclusiveness. There is equal high pressure from the financial sector, protecting Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance otherwise they don’t finance investments,” Illy says. “There is also some pressure from institutions who are introducing tighter reg ulations and limiting whatever environmental impact and social injustice, and last but not least, they are under pressure from competitors because more and more they understand that this is an opportunity than a threat and they take the lead of being sustainable and are also getting a response which eventually makes them more competitive compared to the laggers.” Illy notes the efforts of international peak bodies such as the International Coffee Organization, World Coffee Research, Work Bank, and many other regional systems and promising investments made in the private sector, but welcomes more institutions that can approach, not divide, the two sides of the value chain. “Up until a few years ago, the perception or the reality was that the coffee market was divided in two parts: growers and roasters. It’s impossible to win a battle like the challenge of adapting to climate change by being in two different camps,” Illy says. “The market is one, and we have to play together. We must tear down this wall represented by the equator, and work together hand in hand, growers and roasters, for a better coffee sector.”

ROADMAP TO REDUCTION Illycaffè has set the ambitious goal to be carbon neutral by 2023. Illy says the 13-year roadmap is on track to align with its centenary celebrations. Already for scope 1, Illycaffè has addressed the issue of factory emissions,

with its facility running on 100 per cent renewable power and producing one megawatt of photovoltaic solar energy. Scope 2 is focused on complete decarbonisation, and scope 3 will see Illycaffè strengthen agronomical practices that allow the roaster to offset some of its residual emissions. “As far as renewable fuel for transportation – with both maritime and road - we are in the process of talking with our logistics partner how we can decarbonise, but in the meantime, we signed the First Movers Coalition, presented by [US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate] John Carey and the World Economic forum at COP26 to collect negotiating power of corporations to buy carbon free resource,” Illy says. “I hope in one way or another to get enough renewable fuel so that we can fully decarbonise. By completing the energy transition, 70 per cent of factory emissions will be gone, and the rest will be a matter of getting rid of fertilisers, the industry’s second largest emitter, which we are working on through

“THE MARKET IS ONE, AND WE HAVE TO PLAY TOGETHER. WE MUST TEAR DOWN THIS WALL REPRESENTED BY THE EQUATOR, AND WORK TOGETHER HAND IN HAND, GROWERS AND ROASTERS, FOR A BETTER COFFEE SECTOR.” Andrea Illy

illycaffè Chairman

sharing knowledge with growers.” In order to reach the 2050 net-zero emissions goal set by the Paris Agreement, Illy says there is no doubt the industry will need to rely on technological breakthroughs which are not known, in the areas of carbon storage, sequestration, nuclear energy, and packaging. What he is sure of, however, is that the fight for sustainability must be a pre-competitive one. “This is an endless and limitless battle,” Illy says. “We must share efforts, knowledge and resources collectively in order to make the overall coffee industry more sustainable and resilient. We can continue to compete for the taste of our coffee, but not when it comes to sustainability.” G C R

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ECONOMICS ICO report

Sourcing diversification THE ICO’S GERARDO PATACCONI ON CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL PRODUCING COUNTRIES, THE DURATION OF HIGH PRICES, KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FUTURE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND, AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE PAST.

he question of the “resilience” of Global Value Chains (GVC) has risen since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic to the top of the economic and global political agenda. This concern is exacerbated by climate change, supply chain bottlenecks, the growing price of inputs and raw materials, as well as uncertainties regarding the pace of the recovery of the global economy. The coffee price has doubled in just a few months and reached a 10-year high. Supply shortages, due to climate, political and pandemic-related stress factors are forcing all operators, from coffee growers to speculators, traders to roasters, and retailers to consumers, to make swift short-term choices to guarantee smooth and timely sourcing of coffee beans. The coffee industry is also assessing medium- and long-term strategic options and devising new supply chain risk-minimisation strategies to build a stronger GVC resilience and sustainability centred into public and private partnerships, as shown by the 2030 roadmap of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) Coffee Public-Private Sector Task Force (CPPTF). Its focus is on achieving living income and prosperity for farmers, climate change mitigation and adaptation, building resilient landscapes and creating a level playing field for a true sector transformation. Coffee-producing countries’ governments, recovering from the dramatic “green coffee price crisis”, are finally able to benefit from higher revenues from coffee sales and are expected to focus on investing effectively into the future of their coffee sector. Looking at the demand side, the prospects are promising. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected consumption but now there is hope for a full recovery, possibly returning to around 2 per cent growth, depending also on how the increased green coffee prices will be transferred to consumers. The forecast by J. Sachs et al, ‘Ensuring Economic Viability and Sustainability

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of Coffee Production’ published in October 2019 by the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, projected an increase of 26 per cent by 2030. This was based on a “business-as-usual scenario” where prices were expected to stay on the low side. Nevertheless, consumption exceeding 200 million bags may not be too far from reality even before 2030. And under the current circumstances, a demand-supply gap may still occur in the not-to-distant future. Nowadays, the most important question in the mind of all coffee stakeholders is the duration of high prices. Most analysts do not expect this trend to be reversed soon. Cyclical ups and downs in coffee market price are expected to happen as usual, but their extent and duration will depend on the realisation of needed structural changes and on market dynamics and sourcing concentration versus differentiation and specialisation. These will be key factors influencing the future of supply and demand, the sector’s value distributions, and, therefore, coffee price levels. The second most important question for the coffee sector is its high sensitivity to variations in climate. We know that some coffee production areas are climate-sensitive and may become unsuitable for cultivation with increasing temperatures. Therefore, climate change is a major resilience stressor with consequences on livelihoods of coffee farmers as well on the supply-side of the coffee value chain. In the ICO Coffee Development Report 2020 we had considered that the GVC impact of key stressors such as climaterelated risk and concentration of origins was low in the short-term. The evolution of the market in 2020/21 showed exactly

Continue buying from highly efficient origins, from known and reliable partners capable of providing constant quality coffee beans and with consolidated transaction systems and practices is still an easy option, Working with more origins may imply higher transaction costs and would require substantial investment in the revitalisation of coffee plantations and marketing systems. These costs should be offset by reduced procurement risks and increased options to consumers. Let’s see the conditions for diversifying supply by learning from the past.

NEW ORIGINS, NEW PATTERN

the contrary as these stressors impacted the coffee sector significantly. Specifically, the concentration of production in fewer countries, and for industry in fewer hands, we are currently witnessing is increasing the “fragility” of the coffee supply chain. Is this process going to continue or do new scenarios need to be considered? While businesses may not abandon their consolidation strategies with more mergers and acquisitions – and with increased risk of further reducing farmers’ bargaining power – will small producing countries, small growers, local roasters, and retailers have new opportunities as we build back better the global economy? A series of recent interviews conducted by the ICO with key industry leaders and members of the ICO CPPTF clearly shows a generalised interest by industry in sourcing from a larger number of origins and in making greater investments in sustainability. Growing demand will be a significant opportunity for current and future suppliers but it will depend on the trade-off between risk-minimisation and costs related to expand the procurement options.

The ICO has been collecting data on coffee prices, production, trade, and consumption from the ICO World Coffee Statistics database since 1963. This information will be available online from February 2022 onwards and furnishes an incredible wealth of data and opportunity for analysis. In order to analyse the options for diversifying sourcing strategies, the ICO reviewed the changes in the production patterns from the 1960s to today. In the period 1964 to 1970, Americas (South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) accounted for an average of 71 per cent of global production, which fell to 60 per cent from 2017 to 2021. However, the most striking change is the expansion of production in Asia and the Pacific from 8 per cent to 29 per cent over the same period. Even stronger changes occurred over the years in the contributions of different origins to global and regional production, with a widening gap between countries in terms of efficiency and productivity. In 2020-21, only four countries – Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia – accounted for more than 5 per cent of world output. Together, they provided 71.2 per cent of global green coffee production. If we add the three next largest producing countries – Honduras, Ethiopia, and Uganda – these seven countries are responsible for almost 79 per cent of world production. In comparison, from 1964 to 1965, five countries accounted for more than 5 per cent of production and collectively reached 61.9 per cent of total world production. These were Brazil, Colombia, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico. Among coffee producing countries, only Brazil’s leading position continued unchanged: it has been the world’s top producer till today, jumping from around 15 million 60-kilogram bags from 1964 to 1965 to almost 69 million in 2020-21, representing 51.6 per cent of the region and 36.4 per cent globally, then to the 60.2 per cent regionally and 36 per cent globally in 2021. In the America region, South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, Colombia also consolidated its leading position in the “Champion’s League”, joined lately by emerging countries such as Honduras, Peru, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Others implemented different upgrading strategies, for example Costa Rica, by moving into the specialty coffee or others like

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ECONOMICS ICO report

Mexico that upgraded their sector through value addition and exporting processed coffee. The Asia and the Pacific region witnessed the most striking coffee boom. The upturn in production, trade and consumption closely followed the outstanding social and economic evolution in the region, especially in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam and, more recently, China. On the other hand, Cambodia, for example, was the second largest producer in Asia in the 1960s, producing between 1.4 and 1.8 million 60-kilogram bags till the 1980s, but then declined progressively with an output of just 304,000 bags in 2021. The progress of Indonesia, India, and above all Vietnam, are remarkable. The latter produced 78,000 bags in 1980 and more than 28 million bags in 2020/21. Indonesia and India produced in 2017/21 an average respectively of 11.1 million and 5.6 million bags. Countries like Thailand and the Philippines also upgraded successfully through value addition. The African coffee sector has suffered a major contraction over the last six decades, with a significant reduction in its productive capacity. The continent’s share of global production declined from 21 per cent from 1964 to 1970 to 11 per cent in 2017/21. Many reasons have been identified by analysts, such as political instability and uncertainty; reduced investment, resources and extension services; poor trade, logistics and physical infrastructure; limited capital formation; overregulated markets with ineffective productive and marketing system and strategies; and limited domestic consumption. Situation may be changing also due to the opportunities for increased inter-African trade thanks to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Furthermore, the evolution of countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia, or to a lesser extent, other producers like Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and Kenya, may help Africa to find its own coffee path, developing internal, continental, and foreign markets to catch up with the rest of the world. In Africa, five countries produce 91.1 per cent of the continent’s output with 20 producers providing the remaining share. African producers, and especially those 20

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Top producers

avg output 2017-2021

Brazil Colombia Peru

78,632

Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua

17,347

India Indonesia Vietnam

46,912

Côte d’Ivoire Ethiopia Uganda

14,162

small producing countries, need to be supported by local and foreign investors, and local governments and development partners, to access resources and know-how, try new varieties and good agricultural practices, and take advantage of proximity with leading consuming markets. Investing into coffee could contribute to reduce poverty and create income and job opportunities, especially for young African women and men. Looking more closely at the last 20 years, the coffee sector is clearly quite dynamic. In the last two decades, four out of 10 top producers have been replaced by other origins. In addition, substantial increase in domestic consumption in some producing countries, especially Brazil, Indonesia and Ethiopia, has been a key factor for their own expansion. The “coffee-champions” are 13 coffee producing countries with more than 1.5 million 60-kilogram bags produced from 2017 to 2021, which together accounted for 93.7 per cent of global output in the last five years. The remaining 40+ countries account for a mere 6.3 per cent of total coffee production. Among them, some may not be top producers in volume but have increased their earnings by successfully upgrading focusing on both the highly profitable specialty coffee market segment and/or through value addition. From the demand side, buyers’ attention on small origins may be happening now as a risk management measure, however, as mentioned, substantial investment would be required. Revitalising coffee plantations, improving productive and logistic infrastructure and skills, transferring sustainable agribusiness practices in small coffee-producing countries to achieve required quality and efficiency, is costly and does not happen overnight. As seen by the analysis of the changes in the past, many small or less-efficient producers may well become the new champions. What about those whose market position has shrunk or even disappeared: do they have a chance to come back? Or will new ones emerge as major producers? Whatever choices are be made by industry and governments, there is the need for concerted action, public and private, blending international development, commercial finance and local investment. Learning from the success and errors of the past can be useful so small producing countries understand their own weaknesses and strengths and focus on identifying new market opportunities. This could include expanding on sustainable production, increasing productivity by applying more cost-effective production techniques, or upgrading the coffee sector by repositioning from bulk to high quality and specialty coffee production, or adding value though processed and branded products.

Sound coffee sustainable development strategies need to be implemented. The role of governments must be defined and create the required enabling environment without adding unnecessary constraints, while making all supporting institutions and infrastructure effective, especially engaging all stakeholders by building national publicprivate partnerships and platforms. Entry barriers for small producers will be there as intense competition with high-efficient producers will not disappear so speeding up the transition from traditional to sustainable production can pay off. Every producing country and private sector actor will have to match the buyer’s demand and shall respond and adapt to consumers’ behaviour, especially that of the new generations, millennials, and Z-gen. Their behaviours will determine the demand and the sourcing pattern with unstoppable growing concern for sustainability. Concentration on the industry side is increasing but is not necessarily linked with

price levels. As mentioned in the Coffee Barometer 2020, a small number of very large roasters dominates the coffee market, all but one of which have their headquarters in Europe or the United States. The five largest trade houses handle a total of 62.5 million bags, an equivalent of half of the total green coffee export production in 2019. Further downstream the value chain, the top-10 roasting companies process 35 per cent of global coffee output. Does this consolidation process influence the ability to invest in the diversification of origins? Does it facilitate overcoming supply chain constraints and enable consistent implementation of sustainability initiatives? Difficult to say, however, risk management through origin, product and market differentiation matched with greater investment in sustainability is in the plan. Furthermore, consumer demand and changing standards and legal requirements may also further induce the need to have broader buying choices. G C R

ABOUT US This article was written by Gerardo Patacconi, Head of Operations of the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Patacconi is an economist statistician and agribusiness development expert. At the core of his experience is policy and strategic advice, development, fund raising and management of large-scale operations and development projects to address poverty and sustainability. Patacconi has strong emphasis and success on building Public-Private Partnerships covering the coffee sector and other agribusiness value chains.

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FEATURE World Neighbors

Straight to the cause INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION WORLD NEIGHBORS ON ADDRESSING THE ISSUES CAUSING PEOPLE TO FLEE COFFEE PRODUCING COUNTRIES WITH INCOME DIVERSIFICATION AND EDUCATION.

offee prices may be on an upward trend after many years below the cost of production, but producers still face many challenges when it comes to climate change, security, and social or political turmoil. These issues, among others, have seen many producers and younger generations turning away from coffee to other crops or migrating elsewhere for a chance at a better life. The United States Government has reinstated the Migrant Protection Protocols, or “Remain in Mexico” policy, which is intended to deter immigration from Latin and Central American countries. The policy was implemented in 2019 under the Trump administration and required migrants seeking asylum to remain in Mexico until their US immigration court date. The Biden administration ended the policy in February 2021 before resuming them in December 2021 following a decision by the federal court. However, US Customs and Border Protection made 1.7 million apprehensions at the border with Mexico in the 2021 fiscal year, the highest

G C R | M A R C H/ APR I L 2022

Isabel López is planting trees for food security and income generation in Chiantla.

number ever recorded. World Neighbors President and CEO Dr. Kate Schecter says these types of policies have done little to reduce the numbers of desperate people leaving these countries because they don’t address the causes for them leaving. “There is a problem with the way this issue is being addressed. Often the government considers people trying to migrate as separate to the core issues that are causing them to flee, but they are part and parcel of the same problem,” Schecter tells Global Coffee Report. “It is very hard to give up everything and travel somewhere that might not even accept you. Most people don’t want to do that, but they have no other choice if they need security or a better quality of life.” Founded in 1951, World Neighbors is a US-based international development group with 50 employees currently running projects in 14 countries around the globe. The organisation works with rural communities and remote villages to provide training and education that creates long-term solutions to their challenges. This holistic approach encompasses health, nutrition, clean water, and savings and credit projects to build capital that can be invested in small businesses. “Many development organisations push the idea of micro financing, people getting small loans from a bank that they can pay back at a low interest rate. The problem is that you’re still dealing with a bank. If you default, you’re defaulting to a bank, and many of the villages we work with are so isolated or far away that they just don’t have access,” Schecter says.

“Instead, we’re introducing an alternative kind of financing, creating small groups of people within communities that can loan to each other. If someone does default, the loaner is more motivated to look into why and try to support that person. These groups aren’t exclusive to women, but it has been a particularly great mechanism for helping them to start their own businesses.” As a common cash crop, many of the people World Neighbors works with grow coffee as their main or only source of income. For the past six years, The Starbucks Foundation has been the primary funder for a major World Neighbors project in Guatemala, starting with the Atitlán region. “Starbucks has been funding these projects with the understanding that the farmers they’re buying coffee from should not be wholly dependent on selling coffee and need to diversify their crops,” Schecter says. “For Starbucks, if these farmers are able to improve their livelihoods and living conditions or get their children educated, they become stronger and more reliable vendors or cooperatives.” World Neighbors typically finds local experts who are able to provide training to these communities, rather than bring in people from overseas who might not speak the same dialect or understand the conditions. “Understanding language, culture, and what barriers they’re facing is so important here, and you’d be surprised how many local specialists there are in a particular field to act as trainers, even when it comes to health or medicine,” Schecter says. “Once enough people in a community have graduated from training, we can also hire them to train their neighbouring communities.” Following the success of the Atitlán project, Starbucks asked World Neighbors to expand into another part of the country where it buys coffee, the Huehuetenango department on the border with Mexico. “There we were able to reach more than 3000 families, training people with a focus on crop diversity, improving sanitation and hygiene, and other health or quality of life improvements,” Schecter says. “For example, one of the biggest killers of mothers and children in the region is smoke inhalation from old stoves. So, we helped them

put in smokeless stoves with a chimney that also requires far less wood, so it’s better for the environment too.” Financial literacy and education also play a key role in World Neighbors’ work. Schecter recalls stories of farmers who have made or saved a lot of money with no idea how to count it. “It’s important to engender self-reliance to the producer and providing information on finance so they can grow their business is a great way to do that,” she says. “Often in international development, there is pressure to spend money from grants very quickly so you can show impact. Very rarely are people encouraged to save money, but that’s what we’re brought up to do in the western world and it needs to be more encouraged in international development.” Schecter says often, trainers will notice that villagers are buying their vegetables at local markets rather than growing them themselves. They then teach the people, primarily women, to farm vegetables themselves on their own land. “The women will start these kitchen gardens, grow more than they planned, then start a small business of their own selling these vegetables,” she says. “We started the Huehuetenango project not long before the pandemic hit, and people were already growing these kitchen gardens that they’ve been able to expand into larger plots with other types of crops. They still consider themselves coffee growers, and are all in coffee cooperatives, but over the past two and a half years, it’s given them a steady supply of food and other sources of income besides coffee.” These projects have also improved community health through education on sanitation, nutrition, and hygiene practices, including on COVID-19 prevention measures. A very important aspect of World Neighbors’ success in Guatemala has been working with the community to identify and introduce systems that will work for them long-term and finding leaders in the community to set an example. “The communities we operate in are often quite willing to work together and invest in each other or the wider community. If the village really needs a new well or school, they will save together. But it will quickly reach the point they can’t just keep that money in a locked box, and that’s when they get into a cooperative model or community bank,” Schecter says. “Sometimes, they have a structure in place already, but most of the time they don’t, so we help them create community-based organisations that can also manage training schedules, logistical issues, and even loans to producers.” Seeing the success of the coffee producers it works with in Guatemala, World Neighbors was inspired to explore more opportunities in other countries around the globe. “We worked in Peru for a long time but had to leave because of political violence in the 90s. We’d returned since the country has been at peace but were only working in the Andes, very high up with isolated indigenous groups. The person managing the program knew they were growing great coffee there, so we proposed another project in Peru to Starbucks,” Schecter explains. “Starbucks does buy a lot of coffee in Peru and asked us to work with coffee growers in new areas A kitchen garden in Guatemala.

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

FEATURE World Neighbors

for us, Cusco and Cajamarca. So, we hired local trainers and brought in farmers we’ve worked with for many years in the Andes to get off the ground running.” The project in Peru is expected to directly involve 2400 women, benefit 20,000 community members across 37 rural coffeegrowing communities, and will contribute to the Starbucks Foundation’s goal to empower 250,000 women and girls in origin communities by 2025. “The project has only been running for a few months, but we’ve been able to do quite a bit. I recently read the baseline assessment, and even in a place like Peru – which is considered a middle-income country – there is very much of a need for assistance. “Especially as Peru emerges from the pandemic, this new project will help ensure that thousands of coffee farmers and their families build a sustainable path to better lives.” The successful approach implemented in Guatemala will underlie World Neighbors’ training and other initiatives in Peru. Schecter says the most important result of World Neighbors’ work in Guatemala that they hope to emulate in Peru is motivation to stay on the land. “There are so many factors pushing people out of the country and to address issues like migration, we need mechanisms that work in stopping some of these problems,” she says. Climate change is another issue these communities face that pushes them off the land, which World Neighbors attempts to mitigate by diversifying and improving sustainable farming by applying techniques and practices that increase resilience to adverse conditions. “Migration and climate change are huge problems not just in Guatemala but across Central America and being so dependent on a cash crop like coffee makes any effect of climate change become monumental,” Schecter says. “We can’t be naïve about climate change and need to help communities prepare as best they can for natural disasters, especially in places like Indonesia, Timor Leste, and Haiti, which has been hit by hurricanes year after year.” In the year ahead, World Neighbors will continue its projects in Peru with the Starbucks Foundation, as well as more than a dozen countries around the world.

G C R | M A R C H/ A PR I L 2022

“WE’RE ALWAYS TRYING TO GO DEEPER INTO EVERY COUNTRY WHERE WE OPERATE AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH. WE’RE LIFETIME LEARNERS AND APPRECIATE DISCOVERING NEW IDEAS AND WAYS OF COPING.” Dr. Kate Schecter

World Neighbors President and CEO

“We’re always trying to go deeper into every country where we operate and figure out how we can learn from the people we work with. We’re lifetime learners and appreciate discovering new ideas and ways of coping,” Schecter says. “COVID-19 has been a huge lesson for all of us. We had anticipated COVID getting to these villages and spreading like crazy. When we explained the pandemic to them, people responded very quickly and put appropriate measures in place. It’s been remarkable and many have done better than we have [in the US] with the pandemic.” Schecter says she hopes more governments and organisations embrace an approach to these issues that treat the cause rather than the symptoms. “Virtually no one who has participated in World Neighbors programs in Atitlan and Chiquimula has moved to the US or out of Guatemala,” Schecter says. “Our projects have resulted in better food security, cleaner water, less diseases, and generally a higher standard of living. Their children can go to school instead of working in the fields and the farmers have amassed capital for their own use – it’s really best to help people help themselves.” G C R

Guatemalan women in a savings and credit group.

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GlobalCoffeeReport

November/December 2021

March/April 2019

COFFEE

THE BIG BRAZIL FROST

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A market in distress

The big imp ustry UK coffee ind

A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE The ICO on just how long rising prices will prevail

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AN AUTOMATIC SHIFT

Why automation will future-proof product consistency

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Private and Chinese province attention to the

A COMPETITIVE

remove up to 99.9% of caffeine

FORWARD

THINKING EDGE

SOLUTIONS

November/December 2021

DIRECTOR Buencafé General Director Cristina Madriñán on the premiumisation of solubleOFcoffee, BUENachieving CAFÉ CONS ECON LEHMANN OMIC SECU RCEL results MAsales D AR BO record in a COVID year, and the importance of creating sustainable value RITY OF MOR TANZA MEJÍA ON HE NT ME GE NA MA E LPIN TH RY E THAN 540, ST R OF DU KE IN EA NG SP DI P IN 000 COLOM G INCREASE THE OU EE GR HEMRO GR com BIAN FARM N FOR THE COFF IO www.gcrmag. VIS www.gcrmag.com A ERS G IN ON CAST

March/April 2019

U N LI M ITE D O N LI N C O NTE E NT www.gcrm

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PROFILE Eversys

Proof is in the cup

Blank Street has opened 30 locations in New York over the past 11 months.

EVERSYS CUSTOMERS EXPLAIN THE ADVANTAGES TO THE WORLD OF AUTOMATION ONCE THE FEAR OF PERCEPTION IS REMOVED AND THE RESULTS SPEAK CLEARLY FOR THEMSELVES.

here’s an old proverb that claims, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but after 17 years using a traditional espresso machine at Australian venue Savour Café, Co-Founder Matt Jefferis made the leap to an Eversys super traditional machine. “We wanted to get better consistency of coffee, reduce our labour costs and evolve the business with market technology without impacting service or quality with the rotation of baristas. We needed to streamline our processes,” Jefferis says. “We went to Brisbane-based Latitude Roasters and trialled our coffee on their single-group Eversys Cameo and played around with its automatic milk steamer. The coffee tasted the same as with our traditional machine, and the milk consistency and foam quality was really good.” But it was the moment Jefferis first laid eyes on the design of the Eversys Enigma that sealed the deal. “We loved that it mirrored the design of a traditional machine. Changing machines was definitely something we were looking at doing but knowing the COVID-19 situation was going to be difficult for businesses in 2021, gave us an added push to make the move,” he says. “We were the first business in Australia to get the E’6M/Super Traditional machine in January 2021

through distributor Tiger Coffee. We were so conscious about customer perception, whether they would notice a change in the quality of our product, but you know what? No one ever asked nor questioned if it was an automatic machine or not. Not one person commented on any difference in the flavour or quality of our coffee compared to when we used a traditional machine.” Jai Lott, Vice President of New-York based coffee brand Blank Street shared the same fear of public perception. However, after installing an Eversys Cameo and 1.5 milk module in a two-by-three-metre space, replacing the need for separate tampers and milk dispensers, he need not have worried. “We did a significant volume daily in the first three months, and the amount of people who commented on the type of machine was zero. No-one cared what the machine was, they were just glad to have a barista that had time and wanted to chat while simultaneously making their drink,” Lott says. “Automation has truly freed our teams up. I could do a whole shift on my own doing great sales numbers, all while spending time talking to customers about their dogs. Typically, in a US coffee shop, you walk up to the bar, order, and wait for the barista to yell out your name for collection. Often there is a disconnect and a staff member with their head looking down. But with the Eversys machine, the customer comes up to the counter, you have a chat, tell me the order, and I look at you while I press the button for a double shot. All variables are controlled and accounted for. It pours perfectly every time, and I keep the conversation going without compromising on speed of service.” As a result, Lott says his US-baristas make significantly more money per hour with tips compared to the rest of the industry. Seeing a further opportunity to expand Blank Street’s small-format coffee shop into New York retail spaces, Lott invested in 25 Eversys Cameos. Soon after, he learned about the release of the Eversys Shotmaster and its various milk calibration options to suit customer demand for

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

PROFILE Eversys Savour Café was the first business in Australia to get the Eversys E’6M/ ST machine in January 2021.

oat and almond milk beverages, and ordered five, two-group models with a steam wand. He now uses the Shotmaster in Blank Street retail stores and Cameo for its coffee carts. “I demand a lot from our espresso recipe – 20 grams in, 40 grams out with a 35-second extraction, and the Shotmaster has to grind fine to achieve that. Once you give the Shotmaster your recipe, you follow the normal procedure of dialling in, only that the action is pressing a button. You choose your extraction time, taste, and adjust if needed. It’s the same for milk. You dial it in the same day the machine is installed, and there’s no temperature variation,” Lott says. When it comes to staff training, Lott says he’s at a stage where teaching the manual process of grinding and tamping is redundant. Instead, he explains the inner workings of the Eversys machine and how different components contribute to the end product. “It’s like having a clean slate to specialty coffee, where you can explain exactly what extraction is, lift the curtain on what’s happening in the machine, and show the button that correlates to the action,” he says. “The Shotmaster does the heavy lifting – it’s almost like the process of coffee making is semioutsourced. Rather than trying to control the variables, the Shotmaster is more about time management: making sure the cups are in the right spot and moving your hands. Once you understand how to use the Shotmaster, you go to another level of productivity but with the confidence of coffee quality.” Contrary to industry venues that are struggling with staff shortages and the difficulty of finding staff, Blank Street is opening on average three Blank Street stores per week, with no In the US, 25 per cent of Eversys customers use the Engima model, with the latest released Shotmaster expected to have strong update.

G C R | M A R C H/ APR I L 2022

shortage of job applicants. “A lot of our hires have no coffee experience,” he says. “Although it is beneficial, we do not only look for prior coffee experience in candidates. Instead, we focus on people skills, which are fundamentally harder to train. We look for baristas with a unique ability to deliver a personal experience for our patrons from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave.” Blank Street has opened 30 locations in New York over the past 11 months and plans to open upwards of 100 locations internationally this year. “For us, the return on investment on a Shotmaster is higher than a traditional machine. Eversys enables us to deliver on our core value propositions of speed, delightful service, and quality as we continue rapidly scaling across America,” Lott says. Daniel Kim, Eversys Director of Business Development North America says more highvolume businesses are discovering the advantages of the Eversys Enigma and Shotmaster ST as they look to serve uncomplicated, quality coffee in high volume areas. In the US, 75 per cent of Eversys customers use Cameo machines, 25 per cent use the Engima, and the latest released Shotmaster is predicted to have strong market uptake. “Eversys was on the radar as a solution for many businesses, including roasters, wholesale customers, offices, retailers, self-serve markets, and airlines, but now COVID has accelerated what we already started. It’s always been Eversys’ motto to deliver ‘true espresso with

a touch’ and that’s being felt in the market. The gap between traditional and super-automatic machines is bridging closer than ever,” Kim says. Savour Café’s Co-Founder Jefferis is also feeling that gap close, with his Enigma ST producing 70 to 90 kilograms of coffee per week. “The Engima does everything a barista does with a traditional machine, only faster. We knock out coffees a lot quicker because we can pull six shots and run three jugs of milk at once, with two milk wands producing automatic foam from two jugs and a third manual steam wand. We also added four hoppers so we could run a single origin, blend and decaf all from the same machine without a mountain of grinders on the bench.” Making coffee is now a multitasking job for the one person behind the machine on weekdays, and two on the weekend. “We knew that if we could save on overall costs in terms of staff labour, we could pay off the Enigma after one year, and every year after that is savings,” Jefferis says. The other type of investment is in the reduction of milk waste. Rather than baristas estimating the volume of milk per shot, the Enigma can be programmed to extract enough milk for six-, 12- and 16-ounce cups. “With traditional machines, you would also quite often get channelling and shots which you need to throw out, but with the Enigma, you set the parameters. We set our extraction for 35

seconds and if it deviates three seconds either side of that, the machine will automatically change the grind to be finer or coarser to compensate, so less wastage of coffee as well because of the consistency of the grind,” Jefferis says. The Engima’s automated cleaning cycle also enables Savour Café to keep its machine running right until 4pm when it closes, with the cycle taking just 10 minutes to complete. “We’re definitely happy with where we are as a business and our decision to purchase the Engima. Some hospitality venues are having to reduce hours or close because costs are still there, but thankfully we made the decision to change our machine and implement QR ordering into our business model, and it’s definitely helped our financial position,” Jefferis says. He now has the confidence to open additional shops without the added pressure of maintaining coffee consistency. “Automation is definitely the way forward. It just makes sense for us, and should we expand, we will be looking to use Eversys machines again,” Jefferis says. G C R

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manufacturing game, then don’t miss your chance to have your name, company, country or service, email and website included in this free listing opportunity. Advertising opportunities are available for greater exposure. Have your product or service front and centre in GCR’s one-stop-shop guide that’s sure to become a valuable business reference.

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PROFILE Flavourtech

A new spin on coffee FLAVOURTECH OFFERS THE GLOBAL COFFEE INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS TO CAPITALISE ON TRENDS TOWARDS CONVENIENCE AND HEALTH IN THE INSTANT AND RTD SPACE.

wo years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the way people consume coffee has radically shifted. The instant and ready to drink (RTD) sectors in particular have benefitted as customers move from the café into the home. Flavourtech, a global manufacturer specialising in aroma recovery and extraction, has seen this demand grow firsthand, thanks to the popularity of its Integrated Extraction System (IES). “There are shelves and shelves full of RTD coffee beverages either in convenience stores, fuel stations, and groceries. Also, vending machines, where it started from in Japan, providing hot or cold RTDs and with a variety of flavours, are now spreading throughout the world,” says Paul Ahn, Sales Manager at Flavourtech. “We have seen an increase in demand [for RTD coffee], but more towards higher quality products in terms of better flavours, healthier choices, and cleaner labels. All this has been helped by people in general seeming to be more time poor, so they are looking for convenience as well when making these choices.” Ahn adds this focus on quality can also be seen in instant coffee, despite the convenience factor playing a major part in its growing consumption. “The demand for soluble coffee has gone up due to more people staying or being confined to their homes,” he says. “Though, they are seeking better quality coffee in terms of flavours, something that is close to the flavours of freshly brewed coffee. We now see a category called specialty instant coffee rise quickly.” High quality instant coffee has grown in popularity due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flavourtech’s IES and its Spinning Cone Column (SCC) can capture the unique roast and ground (R&G) flavours of coffee beans through a natural process only using food grade steam. Ahn says this process allows coffee businesses to distinguish themselves from their competition by consistently providing a higher quality product. “Flavourtech has been manufacturing systems for more than 30 years, providing coffee companies globally the best way to meet this demand,” he says. “Flavourtech systems are designed with the customer and application in mind. Our design and engineering teams offer our customers a custom-built process to produce the highest quality RTD [and] it all starts from the raw material itself, the roasted beans, where the flavours are at their freshest and best.” The IES comprises of four modules, working together in a continuous and automated fashion with minimal labour input. “The IES is quite versatile, one day you can be making RTD tea, the next day it can be making RTD or soluble coffee,” Ahn says. “The versatility also extends to the ability to capture different aroma profiles from the same raw material by simply adjusting some user settings. This feature allows the manufacturer to offer a variety of flavours to meet the target taste preference.” The first module is the aroma capture station, consisting of a slurry preparation wet mill and the SCC. The beans are milled under a blanket of cold water, the water trapping the light desirable volatile aroma compounds during this cutting process. “This coffee slurry is then sent through the SCC where steam is used to strip the volatile R&G notes, and then these are stored at low temperatures and protected,” Ahn explains. “The coffee is brewed at the same time but in only 30 seconds as it travels through the column. The SCC utilises thin film technology to efficiently extract the aroma compounds as well as brew the coffee to produce the first extract which can then be used in RTD coffee.” The second module, used only in the soluble

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

PROFILE Flavourtech

coffee process, is a Rotating Disc Column (RDC) for a high temperature and pressure extraction phase that only takes 20 minutes, meaning less thermal impact on the extract. The slurry then enters Module 3, which Ahn calls the clarification or polishing step, where the liquid extract is separated from the physical coffee solids. The final module is the Centritherm, a unique thin-film system where the coffee extract is evaporated and concentrated in preparation for either spray or freeze drying. “But before spray or freeze drying, the original and intact R&G notes captured at the beginning in Module 1, are added back to this concentrate, so as to maximise flavour retention,” Ahn says. “So, overall, whether it is RTD or instant, the flavours are more pronounced with the original R&G notes from the roasted beans.” While the four modules work well together, Ahn says coffee businesses do not need to start with the complete solution and can build on them as they go along and when required. Flavourtech also has solutions available for coffee businesses of different needs and sizes, from small start-ups to large multinationals. “If we look at the Spinning Cone Column, there are three models: the SCC10,000, SCC1,000 and the SCC100, the latter being a recent release into the market. Our customers who were using the larger two models were asking for a smaller system for use in research and development or smaller runs. This is where the SCC100 came from – the demand from our customers,” Ahn says. He adds the success of these units is demonstrated in the type of customer who tends to purchase them. “Many of our sales are repeat business from existing customers because they see demand for their product grow,” Ahn says. “For example, a major Asian RTD provider who already has many SCCs throughout their many plants, has recently purchased more, doubling the numbers of units as they saw a tremendous increase in product demand after implementing the technology.” Like countless other companies around the world, Flavourtech has adapted to doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing new technologies. “Normally our team will be travelling to

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site for installations, commissionings and service, but due to the global pandemic and the travel restrictions imposed by governments, we had to adapt quickly,” Ahn explains. “We have adapted AR glasses to assist in these installations, commissioning and servicing, where both our customer and the Flavourtech technical and service teams are able to see in real time, what is happening at the site.” With many coffee roasters seeing the growth of the instant and RTD market and thinking about expanding their product portfolio, Ahn says it’s a natural progression to provide a higher quality products. “Coffee roasters take such pride in their work. To them, it is both an art and science in producing roasted beans full of flavour,” he says. “We are seeing the rise of specialty instant coffee, and as the demand increases, so must production. We can help here by providing a means to do so on a commercial scale and with consistency.” Ahn says convenience will continue to be a driving force for the coffee industry in 2022, and it will be joined by a continuation towards more natural and healthy products. “In Europe, there are changes happening where labelling of food and beverages is stricter – if the flavour is from a fruit, then it must come from that fruit. We see more and more large grocery stores having dedicated aisles with products stating higher health, more organic and more natural,” he says. “We will continue to help our customers adapt quickly to the changes and help them grow with demand. Our systems are all about natural, capturing the natural aromas, flavours, colour, and bioactives from the product itself through a gentle yet efficient process.” G C R

The SCC is used for aroma recovery, flavour management and extraction.

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Host of the 2022 World Coffee Championships

exhibition space available now MICE2022: WORTH THE WAIT

TECHNOLOGY La Cimbali

Supercharging automatics

La Cimbali’s S20 features a new Milk Precision System that creates pressurised milk flow to obtain consistent milk temperature.

HEAD OF GRUPPO CIMBALI’S ASIA PACIFIC SUBSIDIARY MILLIE CHAN TALKS ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF SUPER AUTOMATIC MACHINES AND HOW ITS TRADITIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC IS EXPANDING TO MEET MARKET NEEDS.

hen Millie Chan worked in the food service industry for German cooking appliance supplier Rational International for 12 years, the name La Cimbali was synonymous with automated hotel and restaurant coffee machines such as the 1969 Superbar and later the M50 La Cimbali Dolcevita workhorse. Fast forward to Chan’s new front-of-house role as Gruppo Cimbali Regional Director Asia & Pacific, and she is once again connected to the food and beverage industry with La Cimbali’s new generation of super automatic machines. “The market for super automatic models has certainly evolved and there is a resurgence to the machine category in ways we haven’t seen before,” Chan says. “On the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, labour is getting more expensive in markets such as Australia, Korea, Japan, and China, and as a result, we’re starting to see strong interest in super automatic machines because of their reliability and level of convenience in the workplace.” In 2021, a large international bank wanting to improve its coffee offering for employees contacted Chan for guidance. Recognising the need to incentivise the office space after a period of remote working, Chan proposed the La Cimbali S15 as the ideal machine to cater to the company’s needs. “Prior to working with Gruppo Cimbali, the bank’s office staff of discerning bankers would walk down 50 flights of stairs to a nearby specialty café, which equated to half an hour of lost work 32

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time, multiplied by 5000 employees. When I proposed the S15 and its comparable output to what is produced in a specialty café, it just made sense,” Chan says. The multinational company now has S15s integrated into its Korea and China offices, and soon Thailand as well. The S15 is the latest addition to La Cimbali’s super automatic range. This flexible and smart model is compact, intuitive and serves up to 150 cups per day via 96 recipes. It features a new grinder, two-litre boiler capacity and can dispense hot foamed milk via an integrated soluble system. It also offers the benefits of IoT technology, and can be managed and customised remotely via the Cup4You App via tablet or smartphone. For Gruppo Cimbali, 2020 and 2021 have

Millie Chan is Gruppo Cimbali Regional Director Asia & Pacific.

resulted in strong market results despite the challenges of the global pandemic. Chan says such growth is largely attributed to the strength of Gruppo Cimbali’s products, team, partner relationships, and the fact that coffee remains one of the fastest growing industries in the food and beverage sector. “With the opening up of certain markets and border arrangements, there is pent-up demand and desire to entertain and socialise through coffee. In the majority of markets, businesses and investors are forging ahead and accelerating conversations about the need for quality coffee, which has resulted in strong demand from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, even Singapore,” Chan says. The reason for such uptake, Chan says, is thanks to young, middle-class millennials discovering coffee as a social beverage. “The number of coffee drinkers in China is less than the United States, so you can imagine the potential to capture that market over the next 10 years. Indonesia, with a population of some 275 million, is another market of interest, which is easily five years behind China in terms of coffee consumption,” Chan says. For new players in the market, Chan is determined to position Gruppo Cimbali as a leading espresso machine manufacturer that cements quality in its technology, production, after sales support, and partner relationships. For former customers, Chan is committed to reigniting the conversation that Gruppo Cimbali is a serious market player in the super automatic division. “We lost our traction for many years in the Asia Pacific. No one knew who we were as a brand and business. Now, we’re once again in

the thick of conversations and large customers such as chains and petrol stations are coming back to us and giving us a chance,” she says. Chan joined Gruppo Cimbali in early 2020 with the intention to help rebuild, reorganise and relaunch Gruppo Cimbali’s brands in the Asia Pacific, and regain market share as one of the leading manufacturers in the Asia Pacific. “My second year in 2021 was about consolidation and stabilisation, which has allowed us to reap the benefits. We have started to win back the trust of our business partners, and to give them the proper support with people on the ground who understand their needs,” Chan says. With a broad range of coverage from Korea to Indonesia and Australia to Vietnam, Chan says each market has its own requirements but the one commonality, is the need for choice and quality at a consistent level. “The market is demanding skill base, consistency and reliability. With the current labour shortage, where people can’t find a good barista anymore or enough talent or want to grow their brand overseas in a reliable and repeatable way, the answer should be fully automatic machines,” Chan says. “For anyone doing 150 to 600 cups a day, Gruppo Cimbali has a solution. Our machines really do deliver everything a company would want, including the ability to use IoT technology to manage the settings, recipes, and assess data regarding usage, service, maintenance, and access after sales support.” These features are embraced in La Cimbali’s S20 Fresh Brew which can handle hot or iced brewed coffee volumes up to 200 cups per day with up to two programmed blends. The S20 with steam wand, based on the S30 platform, includes extensive customisation options thanks to its integrated soluble system, a new Milk Precision System that creates pressurised milk flow to obtain consistent milk temperatures, and bidirectional Wi-Fi to update and adjust parameters remotely. Chan says Korea currently remains Gruppo Cimbali’s largest importer of fully automatic machines in the Asia Pacific, followed by Japan. Chan identifies China as a dynamic market of large interest because of the push for franchise coffee chains to grow fast at high capacity. “Such companies will soon realise that they can’t grow if they rely on labour alone. They need to implement automation to achieve fast growth, and the cost per hour for staff wages will need to be considered. That’s where fully automatic machines are the ideal solution – to handle that volume, and with minimal interaction,” Chan says. She adds that the La Cimbali S30 has been a big success in the Australian and Chinese market but is confident the S15 will be the “best in class” and most successful once customers have the chance to experiment with its capabilities. “This is the year we will start to see the S15 integrated into larger spaces that can handle big volume. It can also be customised to adapt to the needs of the specific end customer,” Chan says. She notes that the “ideal client” to house a super automatic machine has changed significantly from traditional demographics of hotels and drive-thru venues. Rather, Chan says the intuitive machines now have a place where skilled coffee workers are not present, yet still demand a quality offering for their customer base, such as in hospitals, cafeterias, banks, food trucks, offices, and even mobile cafés. Technology aside, Chan says when it comes time to making a purchasing decision, Gruppo Cimbali’s legacy as a manufacturing specialist must be considered. “We are a legacy brand. There are customers that have worked with us for their restaurant or hotel for 15 years and longer because the machine is reliable, but now, with the reorganisation of the company with new talent, direction, leadership, and a strong focus on innovation, there is a greater awareness that Gruppo Cimbali is serious contender in the super automatic segment,” Chan says. “Word is spreading, and companies are listening. Once they see the quality behind our fully automatic machines and understand our core values, I’m confident they will be drawn to our machines for the next 100 stores they open. Watch this space.” G C R For more information, visit www.cimbali.it M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

EVENTS MICE2022

Australia, start your engines IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE THE LAST MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE EXPO. NOW, IT’S COMING BACK BIGGER THAN EVER, AS THE HOST OF THE 2022 WORLD COFFEE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE’S BEST EXCUSE FOR A FAMILY GATHERING.

he who’s-who of the global coffee industry will gather in Melbourne this September to watch the world’s best baristas sweat it out for the title of World Champion. For many, it will mark their first international trip to the Southern Hemisphere since COVID-19 made the world stand still, but Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) organisers strongly believe the wait will be worth it. “The buzz is absolutely electric,” says Simon Coburn, MICE General Manager. “Coffee is already such an important subculture in Australia, especially in Melbourne, and when you add the international interest, it only gets more intense.” On 7 February, the Australian Federal Government announced that the country’s international borders would reopen to fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of business and tourist travellers from 21 February. In 2018-19, tourism generated more than AUD$60 billion (about US$42 billion) for the Australian economy, with more than 660,000 jobs dependent on the industry. Coburn says the welcome news is a game changer for the Australian economy and corporate travel, with the country a step closer to the international hotspot it once was. “This is exactly the confidence we need heading into MICE and the World Coffee Championships,” Coburn says. “Now is the time to book flights, hotels and convince your boss that Melbourne is where you need to be in September 2022. I think we’ve all had enough

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St Ali Coffee Roasters is a Platinum Sponsor of MICE.

virtual meetings to last a lifetime. It’s time to see colleagues, clients, potential new customers, and do business once again – in person.” Between 11,000 and 15,000 attendees are expected to gather for the coffee-dedicated tradeshow in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 27 to 30 September. World Coffee Events will host the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup in conjunction with MICE2022. “Australia is the first country outside the United States to host the world finals twice,” says Coburn. “The last time was in 2013, in what was only the expo’s second year. Having the privilege to host the championships for a second time reflects the strength of our coffee industry, and the international scale of the expo, which has grown from just a national celebration of our coffee market, to a global one.” In addition to some high-stakes shot-pulling, MICE2022 will feature more than 200 exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest in roasting, manufacturing, green beans, cup packaging, dairy and dairy alternatives, ancillary suppliers and much more. There’s something for everyone, explains Coburn. “We’re going to see all the big manufacturers from Europe and the US, a huge number of growers from South America and Africa, and an absolutely booming segment of representation from the Asian market,” he says. “Businesses like MICE Platinum Sponsor St Ali have expanded into the international market with a sister venue in Jakarta and a new location in Bali due to open in September. Cafetto also has a

presence in Singapore, and many manufacturers see the huge growth potential, so we’re seeing an enormous response from that region.” MICE attracts thousands of national and international businesses looking to invest in new products and technology, compare products, taste-test new offerings, and forge new relationships face-to-face. “If a business is looking to upgrade their machinery, change a supplier, or switch roasters, we know they earmark MICE as their chance to get a good deal,” says Coburn. “One way to see how much business gets done in those few days is to look at how many exhibitors come back to the expo year after year – they’re not going to put in all that effort if they’re not getting something out of it.”

SPEED-DATING AND SITE MAPS After eight editions of MICE and a first-hand witness to hundreds of business deals made under the roof of the Melbourne Showgrounds and more recently the MCEC, Coburn recommends visitors go in with a plan of attack to navigate the hundreds of exhibits. “The most important thing is to know what your business needs. There could easily be 20 different suppliers for the same piece of equipment. If you just wander in on day one with no clear idea of what you’re looking for, you’ll go mad. You need to be strategic.” Instead, Coburn suggests starting with the MICE Showguide, set to be released in August to identify key exhibits, training sessions, daily stand activities and industry showcases. “If you’ve got a couple of things you need to do – like switch your packaging or buy a new machine – it’s a good idea to give one day to each task,” Coburn says. “That way you can compare apples to apples between exhibits, and once you get that done the pressure’s off for the rest of the day.” “For those who have navigated international

Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters is one of many leading Australian specialty roasters on display at MICE.

trade shows before, they know how valuable face-to-face contact is. It’s great to lock in key people ahead of time, but also leave time up your sleeve for the unexpected surprises that may be golden finds you didn’t expect. And of course, it’s been a few years between catchups, so time for social interactions is a must – over a coffee or an after-hours beer.” Finally, Coburn says, you’ll need a game plan for your coffee consumption. “Start of by enjoying a great coffee from one of our many exhibiting roasters, such as Coffex, Five Senses, Merlo, Mocopan, Ona Coffee, The Little Marionette, Toby’s Estate, Undercover Roasters, Veneziano or Zest Specialty Coffee,” Coburn says. “Then it’s a matter of pacing yourself and taking small servings.”

AN INDUSTRY IN RECOVERY It’s no secret the hospitality industry has been one of the hardest sectors hit by COVID-19, according to Wes Lambert, the CEO of Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA). According to research company IBISWorld, restaurants, cafés, and caterers have lost AUD$10 billion (about US$7 billion) in bookings and events since the start of the pandemic. On top of this, there have been more than 100,000 job vacancies in hospitality across Australia. The Australian Federal Government has announced the unemployment rate could drop below 4 per cent for the first time in nearly 50 years during 2021, signalling further pressure on staff supply in hospitality. A recent report from R&CA has found many businesses are still struggling with a critical skills shortage. “Two years ago, there were 150,000 people in Australia on working holiday visas. At the start of 2022, there are currently less than 2000,” says Lambert. “It’s crucial for the hospitality industry to train new workers to replace those international workers, especially to meet the very high standards Australia demands.” MICE General Manager Coburn believes this need will draw more attention than ever to the MICE2022, noting that “everyone has had to innovate and pivot their business in the last two years, just to stay afloat”. “There’s a real hunger to have the best offering in this very competitive environment, and suppliers absolutely need to make sure they’re getting in front of key industry player,” he says. “By September, we anticipate the hospitality industry will be roaring back. The level of excitement we’re getting when we tell people about the expo and the World Coffee Championships is unreal. It’s just a matter of time.” G C R For more information, visit internationalcoffeeexpo.com Registration for the Melbourne International Coffee Expo as an attendee or exhibitor is now open. Follow @melbournecoffeeexpo on social media to be notified when the MICE2022 Showguide is released and for the latest on training sessions and business opportunities.

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

PROFILE WMF

More than a substitute WMF PROFESSIONAL COFFEE MACHINES ON HOW ITS LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND MACHINE ADVANCEMENTS ARE SUPPORTING THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT-BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES.

ver the past 10 years, baristas have learned to adapt their skillset and knowledge to cater to consumer demand for plant-based milks. But perfecting temperature, texture, and taste with the sensory characteristics of a delicate espresso is no easy feat. Renaud Gey, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Product Management for GBU Professional Coffee Machines at machine manufacturer WMF, recognises the potential of milk alternatives. “Innovative milk systems are an important part of our WMF fully automatic machines. They can be used just as efficiently for milk alternatives as for classic dairy products,” he says. “Although many manufacturers now offer so-called barista versions of their milk substitutes, which are particularly suitable for foaming due to added stabilisers, their taste and mouthfeel are also noticeably different from the animal product. “Coffee specialties prepared with plantbased drinks should therefore be seen as creations in their own right, bringing with them their own advantages.” In the past, Gey says only vegans and vegetarians were familiar with dairy alternatives, but now it’s common for plant-based beverages to appear on the menus of specialty cafés or international coffee shop chains, featuring soy, oat, or almond milk. To cater to rising consumer demand, WMF professional coffee machines has adapted its innovative technology to operate with milk substitutes and training courses to help its consumers prepare for the rising influx of dairy alternative beverages. “All WMF machines are designed to process

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The WMF 5000 S+ fitted with the 2-Milk Solution can handle a wide variety of milk alternatives.

a wide variety of milk types or alternatives and to deliver consistently high premium quality. The differences lie in the way the milk is supplied to the machine,” says Gey. WMF’s premium milk system, WMF Dynamic Milk, is the basis for the patent-filed system and an active mixer that combines milk (or plant-based drink) and air to form a homogeneous and stable emulsion. Depending on the required temperature and the density and porosity, gastronomes receive a proportion of froth of 60 to 90 per cent. Steam heating based on traditional barista methods ensures that the intense milk flavour is fully preserved in any froth consistency. Models such as the WMF 5000 S+ or WMF 9000 S+ paired with the Dynamic Milk system create milk foam at a programmed consistency and are particularly well-suited for use of WMF’s innovative 2-Milk Solution, which allows for quick changes between different milk alternatives from the one machine. For example, this could include cow’s milk and a milk substitute, two different plant-based drinks or whole milk and lactose-free milk. “You could add low-fat or low-lactose milk to the menu, or plant-based alternatives like soy, oat or almond drinks,” Gey says. “Depending on the selected beverage, in combination with the WMF 2-Milk Solution, the milk substitute or the diary product is drawn directly from two separate milk inserts,” he says. WMF offers this feature for the Center Cooler on the counter and for the 9.5-litre Under-Machine Cooler, to ensure consistently chilled milk for optimal results. Depending on the respective properties of the milk substitute – such as protein and fat content

– different parameters can be configured in the software for each beverage, stored on the machine, and easily changed in either Pre-Select or Post-Select mode. WMF’s Dynamic Milk system allows the user to automatically produce four different consistencies of hot milk foam and three variations of cold milk foam, as well as hot and cold milk. “The milk is then heated by steam and thus resembles the traditional output from a semi-automatic machine, preserving that authentic, milky taste, and allows for visually appealing coffee beverages at the touch of a button,” says Gey. Gey adds that thorough and regular cleaning of the Dynamic Milk system also minimises the risk of cross-contamination. “WMF’s AutoClean system is a fully automatic cleaning solution that maintains hygiene and reliability while improving operations and labour costs,” he says. The fully automatic function cleans a unit’s milk systems in accordance with HACCP requirements, without external assistance. Its cleaning agent only needs to be refilled after 40 cleaning cycles. In addition to WMF’s integrated milk systems, the customer can also opt for the use of a fully automatic steam system such as the WMF Auto Steam system, a separate steam wand enabling users to customise milk foam density for each individual coffee creation. “This allows milk creations to be prepared individually with three different, pre-configured milk foam qualities,” Gey says. Gey says that for both the integrated milk systems and different steam systems, WMF generally recommends milk substitutes with increased protein content, which are often marketed as “barista” variants. “In order to achieve the best possible results with each milk substitute, optimal settings are crucial,” Gey says. As such, WMF launched its WMF Coffee Excellence Centre in April 2021, with the support and training completing its package of full-service solutions. “The main aim of the training centre is to maximise awareness of coffee-based end products, their taste profiles and their sensory descriptions, from the look to the taste and smell, and even how the products feel in the mouth,” says Gey. In order to familiarise operators with milk substitutes and their proper use in advance, WMF‘s Portfolio Basic training course covers the management of alternative milks. “The transfer of this knowledge will empower WMF service technicians, for example, to adapt machines so that they can dispense the very latest on-trend beverages and variations of drinks,” says Gey. Alongside conventional training sessions, Gey says digital courses are also becoming increasingly relevant. As part of an innovative blended learning concept, WMF is delivering the extensive training content via e-learning seminars and webinars, which means the coffee courses can take place on a regular basis despite coronavirus restrictions. “This makes it easy for employees of WMF Professional Coffee Machines as well as its subsidiaries and partner organisations to expand their expertise on milk alternatives at any time, whether they are in the office or working from home,” says Gey. When it comes to using dairy alternatives in specialty coffee, however, some taste and sensory characteristics must be considered. For example, soy has particularly high protein content. Therefore, to ensure the distinctive flavour is not too dominant, Gey advises using medium roasted coffee beans, such as those with chocolaty, nutty notes, commonly found in Latin American coffees, or fruity flavours of African beans. Oat milk, the “rising star” among milk alternatives, evokes a creamy texture with unobtrusive sweetness, which is why Gey suggests complimenting it with lighter roasted beans. “A creamy texture as well as good temperature stability also make the drinking experience relatively similar to cow’s milk, which is why oat drinks are also well suited for guests who have no previous experience with milk alternatives,” Gey says. He notes that although almond milk is the oldest milk alternative, it is popular with end customers due to its sensory properties and inherent taste that pairs well with medium and strong roasts that

Renaud Gey says WMF is taking its commitment to delivering machine excellence to the next level.

are not masked by the almond flavour. Gey says coconut milk is known to have high fat and sugar content, and low protein content, which can lead to reduced foaming behaviour, low stability, and high temperature sensitivity. Used correctly, however with dark, intense roasts, and blends with a high Robusta content, and the results are worth it. This transfer of knowledge is important, but just as important is that WMF’s technology belongs to its premium suppliers, not only in the areas of quality and reliability but also in innovative solutions. “Our goal is to offer innovative technologies and solutions that enable our customers to implement the latest developments and trends in their industry,” says Gey. “Whatever milks coffee operators choose, it’s important the coffee machine can handle the wide variety of different options. “WMF will continue to utilise its expertise, market position and financial resources to create high-quality alternatives for milk and similar products.” Gey says the increasing popularity of plantbased drinks worldwide is currently one of the most important growth drivers in the industry. “We see it as our task to provide WMF customers with appropriate solutions to specifically pick up on this trend and develop new offerings,” he says. G C R For more information, visit www.wmf-coffeemachines.com

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

ROASTING EQUIPMENT

Bellwether Coffee

Making sustainable roasting more accessible

The Bellwether Coffee Series 2 was unveiled in February 2022.

THE REFINED BELLWETHER COFFEE SERIES 2 EMISSION-FREE ROASTER REPRESENTS THE NEXT STEP IN THE MANUFACTURER’S JOURNEY TO MAKING COFFEE ROASTING MORE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE.

ince launching in 2018, Bellwether Coffee has installed hundreds of its all electric, zero emissions coffee roasters across the United States and Canada, won the Specialty Coffee Association’s Best New Product Award, created new, industry leading standards for farmer pay equity and saved more than three million pounds of carbon from entering the atmosphere. Bellwether Coffee’s intuitive, automated roasting system and Digital Roast Profiles, made by the company’s collective of master roasters, allow any business to source and roast coffee at the touch of a button. Now, the roaster manufacturer says it’s ready to release the newest version of its roaster. The Series 2, set to launch in February, has all the accessible features and artisan touches of the original with 50 per cent more roasting capacity per hour, more intuitive software, drastically enhanced efficiency for even greater sustainability, and a more durable, low maintenance design. “The Series 2 is a simply superior piece of hardware” says Arno Holschuh, Chief Coffee Officer for Bellwether, who says that even from the beginning, Bellwether set out to break the mould.

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Holschuh believes that the advancements made by the Series 2, built on the legacy of the company’s earlier models, showcase important innovations in roasting technology that don’t just remake but completely redefine how a roaster can work. “When we made the Bellwether, it was a blank-slate design process, focused on quality. We had the freedom to explore ways of achieving quality that you just do not have when you are trying to adapt existing technology,” he says. “We started by trying to design a roaster that would work well in cafés and very quickly

ROASTING EQUIPMENT

Bellwether Coffee

realised that meant we had to reuse the exhaust instead of venting it. Exhaust system installation, permitting, and maintenance are really the hardest parts about standing up a roaster in a retail location.” What they came up with is an Adaptive Closed Loop Roasting System which cleans and recycles air throughout the roast instead of drawing outside air. “A closed loop system is much more efficient and means we can do the work of a commercial roaster with the energy input of an espresso machine,” Holschuh explains. Bellwether’s Series 2 improves on this innovation by enhancing the thermal management of the closed loop, speeding up the turnaround time between roasts, and improving overall roast control, which Holschuh says opens up new creative freedoms for people designing their own roast curves. “We roasted thousands of batches fine-tuning three nested PID loops to maximise stability while still retaining the ability to hit very aggressive curves,” says Holschuh. The result is a level of control and consistency that even seasoned professional roasters struggle to achieve. To make the roaster accessible to anyone, not just trained roasters, Bellwether designed a sophisticated roast algorithm which can recreate perfect roasting conditions, taking airflow, air temperature, and stored heat in the roaster’s metal into account, and repeat those results consistently over and over. The machine’s Automated Roast Control allows users to select a coffee, choose a custom Bellwether roast profile or make their own. Once the coffee is loaded into the hopper, users press a button to start the roast. They can then go about the rest of their work, returning about 15 minutes later to a bucket of cooled coffee at the bottom of the roaster. To enhance the ease of use for Series 2, Bellwether developed a cleaner, more intuitive UI. “We went back and interviewed our customers about what they needed from the roaster and came away with a design that is more compatible with using the roaster while also engaging in other tasks like preparing the next batch, bagging coffee or even helping guests and making drinks,” Holschuh says. In advance of Series 2, the team at Bellwether has also completely redesigned its Green Coffee Marketplace. Here, users buy curated lots of green coffee selected by Bellwether’s coffee buyers

Bellwether Coffee allows operators to roaster their own coffee on location.

for quality, taste, farmer pay, and transparency. Coffees purchased through the store come in either full bags or smaller 10-kilogram boxes. Every coffee comes with a pack of four roast profiles custom made by Bellwether’s master roasters so users can roast out of the box with confidence, or make their own profiles using the software provided. Bellwether’s revamped Marketplace also includes an industry-first shipping tool which automatically calculates and books freight shipping for pallets of coffee. “Freight shipping of full bags saves customers as much as a dollar a pound compared to shipping small boxes via a common carrier like UPS,” Holschuh says. “Previously, shipping whole bags required considerable effort and knowledge, as the freight system is not really user-friendly. You have to get and approve a quote, understand what an accessorial is, and figure out how to track that pallet. We wanted to change that, and now, we have.” The result is a click and ship online ordering experience for bags and pallets which Bellwether says has already revolutionised coffee buying for its high-volume customers. “There’s really nothing like it in the industry, we’re very excited about the flexibility and convenience it brings to coffee buying,” Holschuh says. In addition to improved efficiency, Bellwether’s Series 2 roaster also boasts radically improved maintenance intervals. “Beyond emptying the chaff can and moisture trap, you’re looking at hundreds of batches between any maintenance,” Holschuh says. The machine has also been made much more serviceable. “Our first-gen machines achieved their performance by packing a lot into a very little space. Now, we have a design that opens up more access to commonly serviced parts,” Holschuh says. As an example, he adds that it used to take 10 minutes to remove the side panels from a first-gen machine, while on the Series 2, panels can be removed in seconds. “The refinements we made to the Series 2 were not coincidental. Even with our first roaster, we like to say it was designed in conjunction with our customers, because we did a lot of work with people in our customer base and target demographic to figure out what business problems they needed to have solved, and we’ve done that here once again,” Holschuh says. “It’s more reliable, easier and more intuitive to use, feels better, and quieter as well. In almost every aspect, it is a more mature and refined product and we’re very proud of what we’ve done. “Our mission was to demonstrate that you can decarbonise an industry without sacrificing quality. To do that, we created the most controllable and consistent roaster in the world, which anyone can operate. Our new roaster is a massive step to transforming the coffee industry, making it more sustainable for the planet and accessible to all communities.” G C R For more information, visit www.bellwethercoffee.com

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

ROASTING EQUIPMENT

Brambati

An eco-friendly era BRAMBATI PRESIDENT FABRIZIO BRAMBATI ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND WHY INNOVATION AND FLEXIBILITY ARE KEY TO THE COMPANY’S SUCCESS.

The Brambati range varies from specialty coffee style roasters that process 20 kilograms of beans per hour to commercial quantity machines that process up to 3000 kilograms per hour.

cross the global coffee supply chain, sustainable solutions are identified as a major focus of concern and urgency to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. The push for a greener future has resulted in factories implementing solar power, using recycled products, and driving social and economic sustainable practices. However, when it comes to roaster manufacturing, Brambati S.p.A Owners Andrea and Fabrizio Brambati are determined to operate the business without waste. “The company has heavily invested in research and development over the past couple of years to improve energy efficiency in the workplace,” says company CEO Fabrizio Brambati. This includes installing a large-scale solar system, capable of producing 200 kilowatts of power and producing 60 per cent of Brambati’s electrical needs. The company has replaced old lighting systems with new LED lights, removing its diesel heating system with the installation of heat pumps and high efficiency condensing boilers. It continues to monitor the energy and water consumption of the factory, and fuel consumption of its transport fleet. Brambati says he’s noticed concrete improvements, and is committed to controlling reduced

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emissions in the machinery. “To reduce indirect emissions, we reduce consumption by installing more efficient components or even eliminating some components,” he says. “For primary emissions, we use a low NOx burner and high efficiency catalytic systems.” In its roasting equipment, Brambati supplies an Eco afterburner that can be fitted to each of its roasters as well as its most popular styles of roaster, the KAR and BR series in Eco models. This aims to reduce emissions, power, and gas consumption, and increase efficiency. “Our machines are made with Ecodesign, in accordance with ISO 14006 [environmental management systems],” says Brambati. At Brambati, sustainable practices don’t just apply to the manufacturing of equipment but are integrated in the company’s 360-degree sustainable philosophy. “We are completely self-sufficient. We use solar panels to harness energy to power our facility and have implemented many controls to ensure there is no waste,” Brambati says. “We started from the measurement of consumption and waste and then, during the redesign [of our machinery], we have reduced the number of components used and the working waste,” says Brambati. Brambati’s commitment to sustainability earned the company a Gold Certificate in November 2021 from EcoVadis, an independent company that evaluates sustainability and the corporate responsibility in global supply chains. “At Brambati, we recognise the importance of adopting a sustainable approach for civil society, including local communities, associations and authorities, and we’re working to leave a durable environmental legacy for future generations,” says Brambati. Francesco Brambati founded the Italian manufacturing business in 1945, originally

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producing flour mills before it started to manufacture roasting equipment in the 1960s. For more than 75 years, Brambati has led technological innovations within the industry, with the development of electronic controls in the 1960s and turnkey solutions in the 1970s, to its modern adoption of 3D engineering and design technology. Brambati’s ability to be flexible and customise its machinery to adapt to its customer’s needs has been a key reason for its success in the market. “Our clients know that with Brambati equipment, we deliver on quality to maximum efficiency, while limiting power consumption and reducing emissions,” says Brambati. Another of Brambati’s strengths is its continuous support service to manage any issue that may arise. Everything is handled internally, thanks to Brambati’s team of engineers, rather than relying on external services. “If a customer ever has a problem, they come straight to us for immediate results, which I think makes a really big difference as it’s not something most companies offer,” Brambati says. To ensure the safety of its machinery, Brambati says the company is constantly developing and improving its technology. This includes the development of specialty software in its BR models that allows users to overlap historical curves during the roasting phase, view discrepancies, and verify variations or any drifts in real time. “Now, the biggest advantage we have is that our machinery can consider and prevent any potential problems, which saves time and expenses of stopping production,” he says. In addition to its advances in safety, in 2018, Brambati launched the Advanced Food Lab (AFL), a cutting-edge research and development centre which has been recognised with Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus certification, a program that highlights facilities that offer a unique educational setting for coffee education. “This is a great achievement, especially nowadays when specialty coffee is becoming more and more popular,” says Brambati. The AFL, with its complete pilot plant, was designed to increase the brand’s scientific capabilities so it can continue to push the limits of technological advancements. It features a laboratory, 3D scanners,

The pilot plant and lab at Brambati’s 10,000-square-metre engineering facility.

dedicated graphics software, and the infrastructure to conduct rigorous testing. “The AFL is a result of Brambati’s continuous commitment to search for innovation, where theoretical tests and trials are not enough. Instead, there is a need to test, confirm and support results with laboratory analysis,” says Brambati. He adds that the AFL and its specialised technical division positions Brambati at the forefront of roasting expertise, with its competitive advantage in the flexibility of Brambati’s catalogue. “Innovation and flexibility are two of the core pillars that this brand is built on. We are constantly seeking to develop our processes and technology,” Brambati says. “We take pride in our products being adaptable and consistent. Our machines today are suitable for every kind of coffee and are able to obtain results that every professional roaster wants.” To assist potential buyers make purchasing decisions, Brambati has also embraced digitalisation in the form of webinars and educational online classes based in its AFL, showcasing how to use its machinery. “Brambati runs 80 per cent of the business out of Italy, so it’s important to us that we allow our customers the possibility to train remotely, and commissioning installation remotely, to guarantee the satisfaction of our customers,” Brambati says. “It’s been a great advantage over the past couple of years. This ensures we maintain a close connection with our clients, which is very important to us.” The webinars allow clients to explore Brambati’s latest advancements in roasting technology and automation, and adapt it into their own facility. “The courses are dedicated to customers that have our machinery and wish to improve their knowledge on how to best use the equipment, to ensure they understand the full capabilities of the machinery. By utilising the machine to its full potential, they can achieve the best results,” says Brambati. “It’s also a way for us to show new customers the features of the equipment and the advantages of using our products.” Brambati can organise seminars collectively with the SCA to showcase the technology Brambati offers and how it can best be utilised in daily roasting practices. “For example, people that want to know how certain coffee behaves in the roasting process or want to create a new recipe can see the equipment in action,” Brambati says. He adds that further digitalisation and sustainability will continue to be major goals for the company moving forward, as is continuing to explore new trends, advance its technology, and expand its market reach even further. “Brambati treats its family tradition with respect while also looking to enhance it in an innovative way, in the knowledge that research and development, integration andattention to current issues regarding sustainability are basic to a viable, lasting future.” G C R For more information, visit www.brambati.it/it/

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

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IMA Coffee Petroncini

Leading legacy IMA COFFEE PETRONCINI ON HOW THE ROASTER MANUFACTURER HAS STAYED AHEAD OF THE CURVE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

Petroncini has been a leading force in coffee roaster manufacturing for more than a century.

ince Ruggero Petroncini founded the company in 1919, Petroncini has become globally renowned for its quality manufacturing of roasters, using a cast iron material that has become synonymous with the Italian manufacturer. The company grew to offer complete coffee plant solutions, encompassing green bean coffee intake, fully automatic roasting, storage and degassing systems, and joining with IMA Coffee in 2018 extended the reach of Petroncini even further. “We continue to innovate in our field and are always developing our roaster engineering and design to reach the highest productive efficiency,” says Maurizio Mazzoni, IMA Coffee Petroncini R&D Manager. Research and development have been a core pillar of Petroncini since its founding. Mazzoni says the company’s many milestones have kept the choice of materials used and its improved product engineering front and centre. This is evident in the roaster’s TT Traditional Roasters range. “The innovation applied to these machines over the years has in no way affected the quality of the materials and the robustness of the original product, but instead has set out to put the master roaster at the centre of the process.” Thanks to heat control, roasting air volume and the drum rotation speed, Petroncini TT Model allows the operator to vary their method of transferring heat to the bean, achieving a perfect balance between convection and conduction. “We are always saying that creativity in personalising the product is in the hands of the roaster, and we want to provide all the tools capable of turning that creativity into reality,” Mazzoni says.

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“We can thus succeed in achieving countless sensory profiles, developing the coffee’s deepest aromas, from light roasting to the very darkest.” The TT Specialty Roasters can roast up to 80 kilograms per hour and are suitable for specialty coffee roasteries, coffee shops, or pilot plant machines. For more medium-sized businesses, Mazzoni recommends the larger TTA models. “Ranging from 240 up to 1600 kilograms per hour capacity, TTA Roasters allow the roaster to meet a wide range of customer requirements,” he says. “TTA Roasters facilitate coffee with a dense and rich aroma. The air convection technology allows a perfect coffee roasting control, optimising the thermal efficiency and the flavour development.” The TTA roasting chamber is designed to provide a homogenous heat supply to the coffee beans, through both the modulation of the air flow volume and contact with the insulated surface of the drum. A recent development to the TTA series is the introduction of the new Opera30 roasting control, which Mazzoni calls the ideal partner to have the full control of the roasting process. “Opera30 allows you to customise recipes and process parameters in a flexible and quick way, managing the curve either by temperature or by time variables, obtaining the desired sensory profiles with the guarantee of perfect repeatability of product quality over time,” he says. The roasting data and profiles are saved within the system and available at any time. They can be organised thanks to the Roasting Manager, another new application integrated into Opera30. The system shows a preview of stored roasting curves, comparing them with the actual rate-of-rise of the product in progress. Any profile modification during the process can be manually adapted by changing the product temperature and process parameters, to adjust

the actual curve with the one set up. IM A Coffee Petroncini has also introduced a different, but just as impressive, new control software to its flagship TMR series called Orchestra. With Orchestra, the person responsible for creating the roasting profile can set up to 30 cooking set-points, including the temperature to reach and the time interval in which to reach it, as well as drum rotation speed and the flow rate of the heating fluid for each set point. “During the setting of the various setpoints, Orchestra shows a simulation of the roasting profile and the ending time estimated, allowing the operator to preview the final result,” Mazzoni says. TMR720 can roast up to 3600 kilograms per hour capacity “During roasting, Orchestra allows you to view the curve in progress alongside the preset profile in progress and these two profiles will overlap in the visualisation of the roasting trend, thanks to the precise self-tuning of the process parameters.” “Orchestra is the answer to the need to obtain constant roasting results over time, especially for products such as pods and capsules, eliminating external influences like the humidity of green coffee, the quantity of the batch entering the roaster, and environmental variables,” Mazzoni says. TMR models are modular drum roasters with a 90 per cent convection to 10 per cent conduction ratio, suitable for a wide range of coffee roasting profiles, and with a capacity to roast from 1000 to 3600 kilograms per hour. “The TMR model roaster is the first drum roasting machine engineered with the roasting air Recirculation and Heat Recovery System. The first one was engineered by the pioneer of the modular drum roasting technology, my master in roasting engineering Stefano Farina. The first prototype was installed in 1995 in Chile indeed,” Mazzoni declares. “The technology is now so efficient it allows us to have no more than one second – ending time – difference between one batch and the next, so consistency is extremely high.” The TMR uses just one burner as a heat generator and after burner to reduce its carbon emissions. Mazzoni says the TMR saves, on average, 30 to 35 per cent more energy compared to traditional roasters, and this focus

The TMR720 can roast up to 3600 kilograms of coffee per hour.

on sustainability will only become more important in the future. “Our commitment in sustainability is evident in every roasting solution we offer. Our goal is to find the best emission solution for all our customers, from the small specialty roasters to the biggest roasting plants all over the world, carrying out the best sustainable practices for every coffee processing plant,” Mazzoni says. “We can supply a small catalyser just for roasting odour abatement, suitable for small roasting shops located near the city centre or residential areas, afterburner for a standard abatement, and big catalyser to control both NOx and VOC emissions of larger roasting plants.” One the biggest focus of Petroncini’s R&D in 2022 will be green roasting technology indeed. “Our intention is to revise and implement all the aspects of the roasting machine and plant equipment with the goal to further overcome our commitment on the environment safeguarding,” Mazzoni says. “Sustainable practices are always on the go and our ultimate goal is to minimise environmental impact in industrial coffee manufacturing. Our R&D team is currently working on a new green roasting technology that can be a further flagship in the IMA ZERO sustainability program. We want to further expand the concept of recycling, preserving the resources and maximise energy efficiency.” With 5 per cent of IMA Coffee Petroncini’s budget dedicated to research and development, the manufacturer has strengthened its R&D team dedicated to important projects related to Industry 4.0. Following a more than US$2 million investment, all of IMA Coffee Petroncini’s current and future developments will be on display in the IMA Coffee Lab, a 2000-square-metre facility set to open in 2022. “The IMA Coffee Lab is a visualisation of a full industrial pilot plant within our own factory. It will demonstrate everything we are capable of producing – green coffee intake, cleaning with optical sorting, our two types of roasting options – traditional and modular, storage, degassing systems, grinding, and different packaging machines for capsules and vertical bags. The product analysis lab, tasting room and coffee academy complete our custom-oriented vision of the IMA Coffee Lab,” Mazzoni says. “It will be the centre of our R&D projects and we are thrilled to welcome our customers and partners to test it, providing us new challenging goals to achieve.” Another project already in progress in the IMA Coffee Lab is AI-learning to Roast, a new control model that uses machine learning intelligence to automate the roasting process and ensure product consistency. Mazzoni says Petroncini has partnered with an American university to explore the best way to apply artificial intelligence to coffee roasting. “More specifically, Machine Learning applied to Orchestra is expected to increase the reliability, especially on the setting-up of new non-conventional roasting profiles and during frequent recipe changes, anticipating unexpected situations and minimising the fine-tuning operations. The final added value of the project will result in reduced time-to-commissioning and, therefore, reduced time-to-market,” Mazzoni says. G C R For more information www.petroncini.com

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

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IMS-RITTER

If you want something done right GERMAN ROASTING MANUFACTURER IMS-RITTER COMBINES ACCESSIBLE AND FLEXIBLE MACHINERY WITH A FOCUS ON FAST AND RELIABLE SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE.

MS-RITTER began its life as a roasting machine service and maintenance specialist in 2004, but the experienced team that started the company quickly came to believe they could design machines in a better way. “It was a big issue for coffee roasters that their machinery is not always easy to access, clean, or change parts. The hygienic condition of the machines was also a problem. You could see a lot of insulation material, and the air process was not very clean. None of these are things you want as a food producer,” says Ann-Katrin Struken, Marketing Manager at IMS-RITTER. IMS-RITTER’s fi rst model was the RDRF, now the company’s flagship series. Struken says the company began with only a few, but large, German clients and has grown organically thanks to the quality of its machines and service. “The main advantage of our RDRF models is the wide flexibility these machines provide. Whether they’re mainstream coffees or highend specialty, or short or very long roast times, our customers tell us they can really roast any product on this machine, which is very unique,” she says. “Some of our customers operate several machines from different manufacturers, and often they say our machine being turned off for maintenance would be the worst-case scenario because it’s the only one they could use to roast anything.” The RDRF drum roster series features a capacity of 500 kilograms of roasted coffee per hour in its smallest models and up to 3000 kilograms in its largest. The roaster uses a special air flow system with a bypass in the

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The RDRF 30 roaster set up at private label roaster Hubert Tempelmann in Germany.

hot-air feed that allows for immediate interruption of the hot air flow and thus makes it possible to let the beans “stir in their own juice”. Furthermore, it can divert portions of hot air away from the roasting drum to roast special profi les.” The full cladding on the RDRF series addresses problems IMS-RITTER saw with existing roasters to create a safe and clean machine environment. “This makes the machine easy to clean, operate, and maintain,” Struken says. “We work with the philosophy that when we develop something, our customer and operator must love our machines and be happy to work with them. Because if they do, they’ll also take care of them and the machines will have a long service life.” IMS-RITTER has not lost sight of its maintenance and repair background, and boasts the goal of being the fastest roasting machine manufacturer when it comes to responding to service requests. “We strive to keep this branch of our company strong, because it’s so important for customers to have access to reliable and quick service. No one wants to buy a machine from a manufacturer that

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IMS-RITTER

will sell and run and many customers around the world remember us for the quality of our service,” Struken says. “We reorganised this branch recently to be even more responsive so our customers can rely on us. With COVID, we’ve also improved and expanded our remote machine services, which we’ve found can deal with most problems.” IMS-RITTER continues to innovate and update its machines to new technologies that become available to meet new demands form the market. A recent development that quickly came to the heart of the industry is a focus on the environment and sustainability. “Fifteen or even 10 years ago, energy efficiency was practically not an issue. Today, it’s one of the first things a customer asks about, and we’ve really focused on this in the past few years,” Struken says. “Exhaust gas treatment continue to be an issue for coffee business in the next few years, but beyond sustainability, coffee roasters will need even more flexibility because trends in coffee consumption will continue to change year on year. Businesses will need a machine that can respond quickly in a changing market.” IMS-RITTER’s portfolio machinery also includes the DR drum roaster range, taking the innovative heat system of the RDRF series and applying it to a more traditional drum roaster. Depending on the model, the DR series has a capacity of roasting between 1000 and 3000 kilograms of coffee per hour. For large-scale and especially for roasting for solubles, IMS-RITTER’s RCRF (Roaster, Continuous, Recirculation, Flexible) model is ideal. The fully automated roaster is continuously fi lled with small batches to allow for costeffective roasting with consistent quality, no stops, and a high output ranging from 2000 to 4000 kilograms per hour. “When I think about our core customer base, I wouldn’t really exclude or stress any type of business over the other. We have customers that are well-established big industrial manufacturers with five roasting machines side by side and we also have very small specialty cafés that roast in-house,” Struken says. “We also have customers worldwide. We started mainly in Germany of at the very beginning but very soon formed strong relationships with customers in the Philippines, China, Turkey, and even have strong bases in

“THE COFFEE ROASTER IS LIKE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. WE DELIVER IT TO THE CUSTOMER, THEN THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IT TO GET THE SOUND OUT OF IT. WITH IMS-RITTER, THE DIFFERENCE IS YOU HAVE AN INSTRUMENT THAT CAN PLAY IN EVERY TUNE.” Ann-Katrin Struken

Marketing Manager at IMS-RITTER.

South America. A roaster in South America has different needs to Central Europe and we’ve succeeded because we have the flexibility to meet these different requirements.” Joining the German RITTER Group in 2019 also provided IMS with access to resources to complete turnkey coffee plant projects, including control systems and building optimisation. Struken says this has provided IMS-RITTER to fulfi ll practically any customer’s coffee roasting needs. “The coffee roaster is like a musical instrument. We deliver it to the customer, then they need to be able to play it to get the sound out of it,” Struken says. “With IMS-RITTER, the difference is you have an instrument that can play in every tune.” G C R For more information, visit www.ims-ritter.com

A new and complete processing installation at Kaffee Braun Germany, featuring a RDRF 5 roaster.

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

ROASTING EQUIPMENT

Neuhaus Neotec

Plans coming together NEUHAUS NEOTEC PREVIEWS MANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE COFFEE INDUSTRY IN 2022, INCLUDING THE RELEASE OF THE GERMAN MANUFACTURER’S NEW DRUM ROASTER, THE MAESTRO.

Neuhaus Neotec is launching the drum roaster Maestro 3000.

OVID-19 has provided much uncertainty and volatility for the global coffee industry over the past two years, but for Germanic manufacturer Neuhaus Neotec, the pandemic provided a chance to prepare for the future. “We delivered many plans last year, and this year is the year of commissionings,” says Lars Henkel, Sales Manager for Neuhaus Neotec. “The virus is still out there, in very high numbers, but most people are vaccinated and feeling more comfortable. At the start, nobody knew how to manage the situation and we had to fi nd new solutions how to manage communication and meeting each other. Now, everybody knows what and how to do business.” Neuhaus Neotec is seeing increasing demand around the world, but particularly in Asia and the United States, where large companies are embracing the unique hot air roasting technology the manufacturer has to offer. “As part of our successful international business, we sold many roasters to Vietnam within the last two years and have become the number one supporter for the Vietnamese industry,” Henkel says. “This year, we take into operation a large instant coffee roasting plant and are talking with other customers about the extension of existing plants, so this market is still growing and we hold very good relationships with our customers.” Another focus for Neuhaus Neotec in 2022 will be launching several new developments to the wider coffee industry, starting with the Maestro drum roaster in March. “Neuhaus Neotec is synonymous with hot air roasting technology, but our CTR range of drum roasters has been quite successful with certain customers. There is still a strong demand for drum roasters, so with the Maestro we have strengthened our efforts in that market,” Henkel says. “We see Maestro as an opportunity to take our knowledge and expertise from hot air roasting and apply it in the drum roasting space. But RFB is understood as an advanced technology, where

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Siemens TIA control generation is being rolled out across the RG series.

the customer can see the advantages and value of the system. For drum roasting technology, which has been established for more than 100 years, the price point is set on a lower level, so we had to find a balance in how much technology we could offer while still being accessible to roasting customers.” The Maestro is based on the successful CTR series, however, Neuhaus Neotec has implemented a modular design into the new system. This simplifies the technology and its production while maintaining its quality levels, keeping the model at an attractive price point. While Neuhaus Neotec offers a range of equipment targeted towards larger coffee companies, Henkel sees the three-tonne-perhour capacity Maestro as the perfect investment for smaller companies that want one roasting unit they can rely on for their operation. “The Maestro is a good fit for the type of customer for who the roaster is not ‘just another’ investment into their production plant, but an investment for life,” Henkel says.

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Neuhaus Neotec

“This machine is for a family-owned business growing or expanding their market and looking for a larger capacity roaster that will be there for a long time.” Neuhaus Neotec has also used the pandemic to refi ne its RFB-based RG series, in particular introducing a new control system to the hot air roasters. The Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) control generation, combined with IoLink sensors, will better enable Neuhaus Neotec to adapt its software solutions for individual customers or introduce modifications and updates. Henkel says this also allows for much better monitoring of the sensor condition and roaster functions. “The RG series is one of our top sellers and the new system means it will receive a completely new control design, new software interface, and a new visualisation of the roasting process. TIA is the next generation of control and RG is just be the fi rst step, which we will follow up with

our other roaster series in the future,” Henkel says. “This technology has already been implemented for our fi rst customer in Germany, one of the country’s most established specialty roasters with a high reputation in the worldwide specialty coffee scene. We’re quite proud, because the business decided not only to use hot air roasting for the fi rst time, but to do it with this next level control.” While many developments come from anticipating customer needs and demands, Henkel says the new control system was driven by Neuhaus Neotec’s desire to introduce new technologies and process to the coffee industry. “These technologies are used in many other industries already, so while our customers were happy with the software so far, we knew we could improve the experience,” he says. “With Io-Link technology, we have a new system to manage sensors and receive feedback in plain text, which means we can clearly understand the position and condition of the sensors, so via remote control we can offer support with a much clearer picture. There is also less cabling in the roastery, which is beneficial to the customer too.” Other developments Neuhaus Neotec have planned for 2022 include a new UV-C exhaust treatment system, updated Colortest III colour measurement unit, and the Leak Test Chamber – a larger version of its popular Leak Test 1 unit. Henkel says he believes 2022 will be a good year for Neuhaus Neotec and the wider coffee industry. “We’re excited to start a lot of the project we’ve been planning for the last few years and we see more good business opportunities already emerging for 2022. We have a positive outlook for the new year,” he says. G C R For more information www.neuhaus-neotec.com

(Left to right): Enrico Barbesino (Director of Technical Services, A. Kahl USA), Mitch Gorski (President, A. Kahl USA), Ralf Torenz (Director Coffee Division, Neuhaus Neotec & President, NN USA), Uwe Wehrmann (CEO, Kahl Holding), Scott McQuiston (Director of Technical Services, Neuhaus Neotec USA), and Sebastian Mertens (Head of Fulfillment, A. Kahl).

NEUHAUS NEOTEC STRENGTHENS PRESENCE IN USA

Neuhaus Neotec, as well as the corporate sisters Amandus Kahl, Heinen Freezing, and Schule within the Kahl Group, have successfully expanded their US business in recent years, so that today the Kahl Group is an established contact for machine technology in a wide range of the American industries. In order to continue this pleasing trend and to offer customers the best possible local service, the holding will continue to invest in the expansion of its US locations and increase its staff in the coming months. In addition to its US headquarters in Roswell, the holding company already offers its customers a refurbish centre in Richmond and, in cooperation with Dupuy, a pilot plant for coffee roasting trials in Jacksonville. In the meantime, another refurbish centre is planned in the south of the country, in order to be closer to the customer and to be able to offer services even faster and more efficiently. Despite the difficulties caused by COVID-19, the Kahl Group is looking to the future with full confidence and is facing it with further expansion.

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WHAT’S BREWING? Industry appointments COFFEE PEOPLE AROUND ON THE MOVE THE GLOBE

WHAT’S BREWING? A WRAP UP OF THE LATEST APPOINTMENTS IN THE GLOBAL COFFEE INDUSTRY.

Millie Chan –Regional Director Asia & Pacific, Gruppo Cimbali A summa cum laude graduate in history from Montclair State University in New Jersey, Millie Chan is an international professional who speaks five languages including Malay and French – and has worked in multinationals across luxury and foodservice sectors. Throughout her career, Millie has held positions with considerable responsibility, gaining significant experience in building and developing markets, organising and managing teams, and shaping the culture of the companies for which she has worked, delivering value and inclusion. Chan is one of the few senior women leaders in the F&B industry and is currently in charge of Gruppo Cimbali’s Asia Pacific subsidiary, managing the large market that stretches from China to Australia with a team of 18 people. Chan is also passionate about horses and runs a boutique equine retirement retreat in Malaysia.

Ross Quail - Head of Sales Asia Pacific, Hemro Group To manage Hemro Group’s dynamic business environment and growth in the Asia Pacific, Ross Quail is taking over the new position as Head of Sales APAC. For almost two years, Quail has successfully managed and developed Hemro’s business in the South Asian and Pacific market. Before joining Hemro Group in 2020, he was successful in similar positions in the coffee industry and active in the Australian Specialty Coffee Association. Quail will be responsible for Hemro Group’s integrated Professional and Home Solutions for the entire APAC region, helping to promote best-in-category solutions for coffee grinding under the brands Mahlkönig, Ditting, Anfim, Hey Café. “I’m honoured to be at the helm of Asia Pacific Sales with such an innovative and leading coffee equipment manufacturer and a great team behind me,” Quail says.

Eric Rausch, Vice President of Distribution, Scooter Coffee Supporting the rapid growth of Scooter’s Coffee, Eric Rausch joins the company as Vice President of Distribution. Rausch will further develop, implement, and manage a distribution network to support the Scooter’s Coffee system, focused on delivering high-quality products with exceptional customer service to its valued franchisees. Rausch earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston, in addition to a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University. Rausch brings more than 30 years of food and beverage industry experience to Scooter’s Coffee, with a diverse background in finance, operations and supply chain management. Prior to Scooter’s Coffee, Rausch served as Director of Supply Chain Management at Whataburger, where he developed a new custom distribution infrastructure. Throughout his career, he has also served in various supply chain leadership roles with other nationally recognised brands.

G C R | M A R C H/ A PR I L 2022

Jim Alling, Board Member and Retail Executive and Brand Builder, Bluestone Lane Australian-inspired specialty coffee roaster, café and lifestyle brand, Bluestone Lane has announced the appointment of Jim Alling to its board of directors, which includes leaders in food service and hospitality, major household CPG brands, hospitality, finance, raising capital, and more. Alling is well known for his extensive executive career including his role at Starbucks as President U.S and International, T-Mobile as COO, and his most recent role as CEO of TOMS. Alling brings 35 years of executive leadership experience improving operational results, sales growth, and profitability. As a member of the board, Alling will help advise Bluestone Lane’s leadership team as they optimise the brand’s operations for growth and profitability, while maintaining a premium experience. “Jim is an incredible asset to our board with a track record of growing emerging brands into household names and successfully leading major companies into new channels,” says Nick Stone, Founder and CEO, Bluestone Lane. “Jim’s coffee knowledge and expertise while as President of Starbucks will be invaluable.”

Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director, International Coffee Organization Vanusia Nogueira is the new Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Member countries of the main global coffee body voted for Nogueira’s new position in February during the 131st Session of the International Coffee Council. Brazil’s public and private sectors as well as diplomatic circles strongly backed and supported Nogueira’s candidacy, following decades of work in the coffee sector locally and abroad. This includes her key role as director of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association for the past 15 years, and important contributions to and participation in various international forums, such as those organised by the Specialty Coffee Association, the World Coffee Producers Forum, Rainforest Alliance, and Alliance for Coffee Excellence, among others. According to Nogueira, her leadership of the main world coffee body will involve the restructuring and modernisation of the ICO and the presentation of a new direction for the entire global coffee industry. “We will seek sector coordination to work on priority issues such as prosperous incomes and wellbeing to cover costs and enable a decent life for producers, expand market transparency, propose and implement global policies and financing mechanisms, and generate focus on sustainable production and supply as well as responsible consumption,” she says.

Mitch Langston, Vice President of Marketing, Scooter Coffee Mitch Langston has joined Scooter Coffee as Vice President of Marketing. Langston will execute best-in-class marketing initiatives to differentiate the brand, increase customer engagement and advance the Scooter’s Coffee brand promise of delivering an amazing customer experience. Prior to joining Scooter’s Coffee, Langston held positions at Church’s Chicken, including Vice President of Franchise Development and Senior Director of Marketing. Langston will focus on initiatives supporting Scooter Coffee guest loyalty and driving sales and unit-level profitability for all stores. He will help meaningfully connect and engage with Scooter Coffee’s valued customers and franchisees as the company strives to deliver one of the best drive-thru interactions in the world.

DO YOU HAVE CAREER NEWS TO SHARE? EMAIL ETHAN MILLER AT ETHAN.MILLER@PRIMECREATIVE.COM.AU

M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

DIARY Dashboard COFFEE COFFEE AROUND AROUND THE THE GLOBE GLOBE

GLOBAL COFFEE EVENTS

SPECIALTY COFFEE EXPO BOSTON, UNITED STATES

7 – 10 APR I L The Specialty Coffee Expo was designed to be the coffee professional’s one stop shop for everything they need to succeed in the coffee industry. As the industry’s standard setter, the SCA has built a solid reputation over the last 30 years of providing the most up to date, qualified information and providing members the tools to succeed. coffeeexpo.org

19 – 2 1 MAY With a focus on specialty coffee, artisan food, beverages, café lifestyle, services and equipment, the International Café & Beverage Show (ICBS) will offer a world-class exhibition in a rapidly developing sector of the lifestyle economy. ICBS will also play host to the Malaysia National Coffee Championship (MNCC) where aspiring coffee professionals compete to win the mandate to represent their country at the World Coffee Championships. www.intl-cbs.com

MELBOURNE COFFEE WEEK

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL

24 SEPTEMBER – 1 OCTOBER

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA In a city fuelled by coffee, COVID-19 has no doubt challenged Melbourne’s vibrant café culture, but the coffee industry and coffee lovers are nothing if not resilient. Melbourne Coffee Week will pay homage to this resilience with a week-long celebration of all things coffee in the lead up to, and including, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo. melbournecoffeeweek.com.au

THE INTERNATIONAL CAFE AND BEVERAGE SHOW KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

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COFFEE EXPO 2022 27-3 0 S E PTE M B E R 2 022 The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) is known throughout the Asia-Pacific as the largest and most exciting dedicated coffee event. Each year, café owners, roasters, baristas, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and more gather at this trade-oriented event to network and do business. MICE2022 will host the 2022 World Barista and Brewers Cup Championship. www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com

THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA

BANGKOK, THAILAND

24 – 2 8 MAY Thaifex – Anuga Asia boasts 11 trade shows under one roof, connecting the food and beverage ecosystem within one show. The Coffee & Tea trade show is a one-stop trade show from beans to equipment, and leaves to cup, underscoring the robust business opportunities in this segment. This segment covers coffee beans, pads/capsules, instant hot beverages and syrups, tea, cocoa, and coffee machines, brewing systems, table tops, grinders, tea-brewing appliances, and roaster. www.thaifex-anuga.com

TRIESTESPRESSO EXPO

TRIESTE, ITALY

27 – 2 9 O CTO B E R Triestespresso Expo is an exhibition designed for international coffee industry professionals. The biennial trade fair devoted to espresso is held in Trieste, Italy, a city with a long tradition and a rich expertise in the coffee sector, since coffee has been a fundamental part of its trade exchanges and its artisanal and industrial expertise for more than 300 years. triestespresso.it

WORLD OF COFFEE WARSAW, POLAND 23 – 25 JUNE 2022 Travelling to a different European city each year, World of Coffee is the essential event for coffee professionals – drawing a loyal audience from the global specialty coffee community. Organised by the Specialty Coffee Association, this year’s event features Exhibitor Halls, four World Coffee Championship competitions, and so much more. www.worldofcoffee.org

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL COFFEE & TEA FESTIVAL DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

10 – 12 DECEMBER The Dubai International Coffee & Tea Festival is a onestop event showcasing all facets of coffee, tea, bar and café products, equipment and services, presenting a focused, industry-recognised platform in the region. coffeeteafest.com

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PRODUCTS Marketplace

THE ALL-NEW BELLWETHER SERIES 2 Bellwether Coffee has debuted the next generation of its award winning roasting system, enabling any business to source and roast their own incredible coffee with the touch of a button. The Bellwether Series 2 is its most consistent, durable, and efficient roaster yet – with 50 per cent more roasting capacity per hour, a state-of-the-art armless cooling tray, built-in touchscreen, and its most intuitive software to date. The Series 2 features innovative technology, integrated access to an upgraded Bellwether Marketplace, and customisable Digital Roast Profiles hand crafted by master roasters to create the perfect roast for any business. Also, it has an intuitive operation requiring less than two minutes of labour per roast with Automated Roast Control. Bellwether Coffee welcomes businesses to join in creating a better future for the entire coffee industry – one that is sustainable for the environment, equitable for farmers, and accessible to all communities. For more information, visit www.bellwethercoffee.com

CAFETTO SPECTRA DESCALER Spectra Descaler is an eco-friendly powder descaler that rapidly and easily removes limescale and calcium build-up from espresso machine water tanks, boilers, and coffee brewers with the easy-to-see colour indicator. It visually indicates whether a descaling cycle has been successful using pH-sensitive dye compounds. Colour indicators highlight the difference between an effective and ineffective descaling solution. A specific blend of pH-sensitive dye compounds will show a range of colours from red to orange, brown and blue. Orange indicates an effective descaling cycle, and blue indicates that another descaling cycle should be undertaken. Spectra is certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute and is free from phosphate and Genetically Modified Organisms. Detergents in Spectra are readily biodegradable, giving the consumers added peace of mind. Spectra Descaler comes in both 600-gram jars and 25-gram sachets of four in a box. For more information, please visit www.cafetto.com

TMR ROASTER ENERGY-EFFICIENT ROASTING TECHNOLOGY With its external heat generating unit and modular design, the TMR deploys a heat recirculation system eliminating all trace of roasting smoke and volatile compounds. Highly efficient, the TMR is also a sustainable solution emitting less CO2 with just one burner and saving up to 35 per cent on energy consumption compared to traditional roasters, achieving maximum product consistency and roast customisation. Orchestra, the new software applied to TMR is the answer to the need to obtain constant roasting results over time, especially for products such as pods and capsules, regardless of the humidity level of green coffee, the quantity of the batch entering the roaster, and environmental variables. Orchestra enables the operator setting up to 30 roasting set-points, including the temperature to reach and the time interval in which to reach it, as well as drum rotation speed and the flow rate of the heating fluid for each set point. For more information, visit www.petroncini.com 52

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RANCILIO SPECIALTY RS1 ACHIEVES SCA CERTIFICATION Rancilio Specialty RS1 has passed Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) tests and is now an SCA certified espresso machine. The quantitative temperature tests were carried out on several simultaneously operating groups. In a series of dispensing runs at different temperatures (between 90.5°C and 96°C), the RS1 achieved high thermal stability, with an average oscillation of ± 0.6°C, well below the SCA value of 1.1°C required to pass the test. In the temperature control response time test, the RS1 achieved delivery temperature stability within the required time interval (10 minutes), being highly responsive from a thermodynamic perspective. In the quantitative pressure test results, the RS1 espresso machine operated reliably, without pressure fluctuations (≤ 0.4 bar). This included simultaneous dispensing from several groups. Two different baskets were used for the extraction tests. The results met the required standards with an output extraction yield close to 20 per cent. For more information, visit www.ranciliogroup.com

WMF AUTOCLEAN Wherever coffee machines are used – from cafés and restaurants to office kitchens – they require regular and thorough cleaning. Unfortunately for the staff, this means they have to carry out daily cleaning processes before or after their actual working hours. For this reason, WMF Professional Coffee Machines has developed WMF AutoClean, the industry’s first fully automatic solution for cleaning. Both the coffee system and milk system are cleaned in accordance with HACCP requirements without any external assistance. All of the time-consuming, error-prone cleaning tasks previously performed by the user are eliminated completely and the input required from them is reduced to an absolute minimum. An integrated timer can be used to specify exactly when and at what intervals the AutoClean system should start working – everything else is taken care of by the machine. When the first staff member arrives at work, the machine will already have started up, cleaned itself and be ready to go. For more information, visit www.wmf-coffeemachines.com or contact PCM@wmf.com

CAMEO CORE Eversys has developed a machine called the Cameo Core, providing a great solution for those with big ambitions and smaller means. Named “Core” because it is a stripped-down version of the Cameo/Classic, Eversys has merely removed some non-essential parts, reduced the cost, and made it more accessible for those who aspire to own a Cameo but have a restricted budget. The C’2c/Core features a hot water outlet coming directly through the coffee outlet as well as the e’Levelling brewing unit that creates a more even coffee cake extraction. This machine remains powerful enough to produce 175 espressos per hour. There is also the C’2s/Core, equipped with a steam wand to enable the manual frothing of milk and the C’2ms/Core, with the additional benefit of a fully integrated milk frothing system for the preparation of up to 175 cappuccinos per hour. For more information, visit www.eversys.com/en/ M A R C H/A P R I L 2 0 2 2 | GCR

LAST WORD Savingspot

THE COST OF A CUP THE COST AND CONSUMPTION OF COFFEE VARIES FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY. SAVINGSPOT EXPLAINS THOSE ON TOP WHEN IT COMES TO THE MOST EXPENSIVE CUP AND THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION.

o examine which city boasts the highest population of caffeine users and which is paying top dollar for their daily cup, American finance advisor SavingSpot conducted market research across 104 countries between April to May 2021. Five cafés in each capital city participated in the study, with a total 520 café menus analysed. In its latest findings, it identified South Korea as the city charging the highest figure for a daily cup at US$7.77 on average, followed by Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Switzerland. “One of the reasons why coffee prices are high in South Korea is partly due to the ‘foreign’ premium, meaning Koreans are used to paying more for anything imported,” says Barbara Davidson, Lead Content Strategist at SavingSpot. “Also, South Koreans can afford it. The average salary in South Korea has steadily increased over the years and the monthly wage is projected to reach around US$5000 by 2040, the highest value among the leading countries.” Davidson also predicts the steep costs is associated with themed cafés that charge café customers top dollar to interact with cats while

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consuming coffee, for example. North America was found to have the second-highest volume of coffee consumers, also paying the second-highest price per cup of US$3.77 on average. Five middle eastern countries were among the world’s top 10 most expensive coffee cities. SavingSpot says this is a result of growing demand for specialty coffee, in part due to the country’s abstinence from alcohol. “Coffee shop culture is growing, especially in the Middle East, where an affinity for specialty coffees has skyrocketed demand across the region,” says Davidson. “For that reason, coffee is often seen as a luxury item, and the price tag reflects that.” The study identified Iran as the cheapest country to serve coffee. “Iranians prefer to drink tea, which could explain why their coffee is the cheapest at US$0.46 per cup,” says Davidson. Consumers from the Bahamas pay the most at US$3.91 a cup, while Hondurans pay the least at US$1.75 per cup. Additionally, coffee in Mexico costs only US$2.17 a cup, and is often filtered and served with pan dulce sweet bread. According to the research, the average cup price in Australia’s discerning market is US$3.10, while the average consumption per capita is 2.1 kilograms. Luxembourg was found to be the world’s largest consumer of coffee, drinking 11.1 kilograms of coffee per capita per year. “Luxembourg is right there in the cultural crossroads of coffee-loving Europe, so it comes as no surprise that they drink the most coffee in the world,” says Davidson. “It has a wide variety of coffee experiences inspired by the city’s many expatriate cultures.” Although Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, it was also identified to have a high coffee consumption rate, with an average consumption per capita of 6.2 kilograms, despite exporting 60 per cent more coffee than Vietnam, the second highest producing country. “Some of the world’s biggest coffee-producing regions, including Central and South America and Vietnam, are also some of the cheapest places to enjoy a coffee,” says Davidson. According to SavingSpot, popular Brazilian drinks such as the café latte or café puro on average costs US$1.89 per cup. In Luxembourg, it’s common to have an “Brazil is able to charge less for a cup of coffee because they are espresso after lunch as well as sipping lucky enough to have no hefty import costs integrated into their on a coffee during work meetings. purchase price,” Davidson says. She adds that consumers in Nepal, India and Pakistan are more likely to drink tea instead of coffee, hence the consumption rates are much lower, drinking less than 0.1 kilograms per capita per year. According to SavingSpot, the first recorded ‘coffee culture’ was in 15th century Yemen thanks to mystics, monks, and other religious leaders who would stay up and focus on prayer for long periods of time. Davidson says understanding the world’s coffee habits and costs provides insight into local history, spiritual practices, and values. “Readers can learn something about the economies of different countries by looking at the varied mix of prices for coffee,” she says. “We can also learn about the lifestyles of people from different cultures.” G C R

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Global Coffee Report Mar 2022

Articles inside

THE COST OF A CUP

MARKETPLACE

PLANS COMING TOGETHER

WHAT’S BREWING

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT

LASTING LEGACY

AN ECO-FRIENDLY ERA

OPENING THE GATES

A NEW SPIN ON COFFEE

MORE THAN A SUBSTITUTE

STRAIGHT TO THE CAUSE

AUSTRALIA, START YOUR ENGINES

SUPERCHARGING AUTOMATICS

SOURCING DIVERSIFICATION

FIGHTING FOR A BIGGER CAUSE

EDITOR’S NOTE