Global Coffee Report September 2023

September/October 2023

On the move

5 to go Co-Founder Radu Savopol on becoming a giant of the Romanian coffee industry, making brave choices, and the mathematics behind its rapid acceleration

Cold brew, hot success

Roasters transform a simple brew into a menu mainstay

The migration multiplier

Why the next generation of producers is at risk unless immediate action is taken

Building an empire

Allana Group on becoming one of the largest exporters in India

Single-serve solutions

Why customer demand is driving customisation and adaptations

www.gcrmag.com

COVER STORY

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

10 COVER STORY

5 to go Co-Founder Radu Savopol on his strategic plan to target 1000 coffee shops in Romania over the next four years

15 COLD BREW, HOT SUCCESS

Why cold coffee beverages are dominating café sales with roasters investing in creative and quality-driven methods

21 THE GREAT HARVEST MIGRATION

Why origin migration will remain a threat to the next generation of coffee producers unless immediate action is taken

TECHNOLOGY PROFILES

27 THE EVERSYS ECOSYSTEM

How Eversys intends to use its three pillars of milks, beverage menus and IoT to drive performance

30 MAX EXTRACTION

Flavourtech discusses the continued growth of the Ready-to-Drink sector, and the future of flavour

32 WALK THE LINE

Franke Coffee Systems talks Mytico line through the eyes of a WBC finalist

34 BUILDING AN INDIAN EMPIRE

Allana explains how it became one of the largest coffee exporters in India

36 A TELEMETRY SOLUTION

Vendon supports premium coffee and machine operators with global IoT, telemetry, and payment solutions

38 KOREAN CALLING

Why Neumann Kaffee Gruppe is expanding in the Asia Pacific region

40 A NEW CHAPTER

Unic on why it’s determined to become the best in-class for both traditional and fully automatic coffee machines under the one brand

SINGLE SERVE

FEATURE

42 THE FULL PACKAGE

Cama Group discusses recent trends in the coffee packaging industry, and why all-in-one units are needed more than ever

44 CAPPAC CHRONICLES

Why Cappac has seen epic growth for its Nespressocompatible capsules

46 A COMPLETE CAPSULE APPROACH Modern Process Equipment Corporation

explains its complete plant systems for capsule manufacturing

48 FILLED WITH INNOVATION

IMA Coffee provides filling and sealing technologies for every type of capsule, and explains how its technological laboratories can be a valuable support

50 ALL IN ONE

Rychiger explains how its manufacturing operations offer a complete line of coffee capsule production

52 MILAN GETS SET TO HOST

The world’s reference exhibition for professional hospitality, out-of-home and retail gets set to take over Milan

LAST WORD

58 A DEGREE WITH A DIFFERENCE

Starbucks’ new sustainability learning and innovation lab scales solutions for the world’s most challenging social and environmental issues

REGULARS

04 EDITOR’S NOTE

06 NEWS DRIP BY DRIP

54 MARKETPLACE

5 to go Co-Founder Radu Savopol on becoming a Romanian coffee giant, making brave choices, and the mathematics behind its rapid acceleration.

“A LEADER SHOULD BE THE ONE TO BRING NEW PERSPECTIVES, TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE THEIR TEAM… A RELAXED ENVIRONMENT FAVOURS TRUST AND COURAGE TO EXPRESS BRAVE IDEAS AND DARING PROPOSALS.”

Radu Savopol 5 to go Co-Founder

WALKING A FINE LINE

SOME

PROFESSIONS

HAVE

BECOME

extinct over the years due to the evolution of technology and a constantly changing world. The craftsmen that used to make horse carriages were replaced by automobiles and trains. Lamp lighters lit street lamps by hand each day before electricity, and switchboard operators connected callers before automated systems were introduced.

Coffee growing is an agricultural profession dating back to the 15th century. The method in which coffee beans are grown, picked and processed has evolved over the years. Mechanical harvesting is one such advancement, but for origin countries like Colombia where 90 per cent of coffee is grown on hilltops at high elevation, hand picking is dominant.

Now imagine if the profession became obsolete. Not because coffee growers were replaced by AI or robots, but because the next generation of growers had a better offer: the lure of city lights, less labour intensive work, and financial security. Who will be there to care for the coffee trees? Who will continue to pick the beans for an industry that once supported some 700,000 jobs, and a profession half a million families depended on? The mere thought provokes a reality that’s too real to comprehend, but it’s an obstacle that’s no longer a future prospect. It’s happening now.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2022 there was a recordbreaking 2.4 million migrant apprehensions at the United States-Mexico border, with 43 per cent coming from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador where coffee is a prominent export.

The question of “why” is extensive and

complex, but as I discover in this edition, there’s no singular cause, and therefore no singular solution. Until I scratched the surface of this topic, I had no idea immigration lawyers marketed their services to help immigrants transition to the US, nor that there had been deaths at the border for those who attempted their escape in vain.

Glimmers of hope can be found in education and individuals who are passionate about advocating for a profession that their great-grandparents, grandparents and parents once did, and one they have fallen in love with, and hope their children will one day too.

Money does not guarantee happiness. Simply obtaining a good price for your coffee is not enough. What’s needed, is for producers to be part of the solution.

If we can begin to provide the support and structures needed to have producers stay in rural areas, nurturing a generational profession they enjoy and see themselves and their family doing for years to come, then maybe we can start to convert the thousands of migrants calling the US home in search of the “American dream”. Instead, let’s foster a dream where they stay in the fields growing coffee, are paid a good price, and are supported by their family and community. Right now, that dream is slipping away, and if we’re not careful, those bright city lights will become a permanent home away from the nautral beauty of origin.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

EDITOR

Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au

JOURNALISTS

Hayley Ralph hayley.ralph@primecreative.com.au

Dominic Morrell dominic.morrell@primecreative.com.au

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGN

Daz Woolley

HEAD OF DESIGN

Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au

DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER

Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING ACCOUNT MANAGER

Adele Haywood adele.haywood@primecreative.com.au

CLIENT SUCCESS

Ben Griffiths ben.griffiths@primecreative.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sorin Stana

HEAD OFFICE

Prime Creative Pty Ltd 379 Docklands Drive, Docklands, Victoria 3008 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.

COPYRIGHT

Editor, Global Coffee Report

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.

Excellence in the cup

Beyond expectations

A full new experience

Designed for efficiency and serviceability

ASIA PACIFIC

Flavourtech Global Sales Manager

Paul Ahn says ready-to-drink beverage sales are growing at a significant rate. In response, Flavourtech, a global technology manufacturer specialising in aroma recovery, extraction and evaporation solutions, has worked towards incorporating more automation and innovation into its systems, as seen in its Integrated Extraction System and Spinning Cone Column.

See page 30.

AMERICAS

Cold coffee accounts for more than half of Starbucks’ beverage sales. In the US, cold beverages account for 76 per cent of beverage sales at companyoperated locations.

US roaster Blue Bottle Coffee says interest in cold coffee has been growing at a steady rate and has become a menu mainstay, and Saudi Arabian roaster Camel Step producing a Nitro Cold Brew product line in 10,000-can batches using water, 100 per cent Arabica coffee, and nitrogen.

In the United Kingdom at Blank Street coffee shops, cold brew sales accounted for less than 1 per cent in 2022. It now accounts for 30 per cent of the entire business.

See page 15.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2022 there was a record-breaking 2.4 million migrant apprehensions at the United StatesMexico border, with 43 per cent coming from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador where coffee is a prominent export.

Due to a 10 per cent increase in droughts throughout Honduras, the Honduras Technical Unit of Food

apprehensions will also increase by 90 per cent.

See page 21.

MPE’s innovations in single-serve coffee capsule production for preserving aroma and flavour are available to coffee capsule producers around the globe. President Daniel Ephraim says MPE’s degassing silo technology employs a variety of tubes and channels inside a silo to solve two of the biggest problems facing coffee capsule production.

See page 46.

Starbucks is building on its more than 10-year partnership with Arizona State University to develop an environmental education lab at Hacienda Alsacia, the company’s global agronomy headquarters for research and development in Costa Rica. The lab will serve as a hub for hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for Starbucks employees, students, researchers, and industry leaders to expand the capabilities and collaboration needed to cultivate positive social and environmental change beyond coffee, including climate adaption and agricultural economics.

See page 58.

Allana Group received such uptake for its coffee that in 1982, it decided to diversify into coffee exports and create the Coffee Division, based in Bangalore. The divisional office is situated in the heart of the city in close proximity to the Coffee Board of India. According to Allana CEO Ratnakar Mishra, Allana has held the distinction of being India’s leading exporter of green coffee for a number of years consecutively, with exports in the range of 24,000 to 30,000 tonnes per annum.

See page 34.

48.7 per cent

5 to go’s market share as the largest branded coffee chain in Romania.

Eversys’ telemetry system allows customers to gather data from its machines to optimise solutions.

Neumann Kaffee Gruppe is focused on helping produce high-quality coffee.

Experience the perfect fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern automation. Designed in Italy and made in Switzerland, Mytico offers an unparalleled coffee experience. Our attention to the smallest detail ensures that you can prepare a delicious cup of coffee every time.

Discover more at mytico.franke.coffee

Establishing Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) Korea is an important next step in Neumann Gruppe’s evolution. NKG Korea will offer all types of coffees from commercial mainstream to specialty qualities. NG Chief Operating Officer Ruben Scholz says NKG’s global network of 60 companies in 27 countries and more than 3200 highly skilled employees makes the green coffee service group particularly strong and flexible in responding to changes.

See page 38.

EUROPE

Five to go opens an average of 13 locations monthly, with the company’s transition into a franchise model key to helping reach approximately 500 coffee shops. The brand is tracking 150 store openings this year, with 64 opened as of August. Co-Founder Radu Savopol says the Romanian brand is on track to have reach 1000 cafés over the next four years.

See page 10.

To demonstrate how Eversys is catering to the needs of customers in various markets, different Internet of Things technology partners will rotate on the Eversys stand at HostMilano in October to share their Application Programming Interface solutions. It includes Bibe Coffee, Sm Vend, Specter, and Iovent.

See page 27.

Franke Coffee Systems has released a new product category, BeyondTraditional, and unveiled a new Mytico range that celebrates the modern needs of today’s coffee shop operators. Its Mytico Due machine has a daily capacity output of 300 cups, while Mytico Vario contains a higher daily capacity output of 360 cups. The Mytico product line is currently available in Europe and the Middle East and launched in Asia-Pacific in Q3 of 2023. See page 32.

Latvia-based multi-service tool provider Vendon is determined to make the daily operations of coffee businesses easier with useful tools and solutions, provided by reliable telemetry data. Vendon’s goal is to provide advanced telemetry solutions and revolutionise the coffee-making process, empowering operators to create the perfect drink recipe of the best quality.

See page 36.

Until 2019, Electrolux Professional was part of Electrolux home appliances. In 2019, the company's shareholders decided to spin-off Electrolux Professional to accelerate its growth. Using the expertise of Electrolux Professional, Unic’s logo underwent a refresh, as did the design of its machines, starting with the Tango XP series of fully automatic coffee machines: the Tango XP Duo, Tango XP Solo, and Compact models, which will be on display at HostMilano in addition to Unic’s Traditional Classic line.

See page 40.

Cama Group is beginning to experiment with how its flagship capsule packaging monoblock IF 318 machine can cooperate with more sustainable materials. In response to constant customer changes and to provide an alternate to traditional side-loading technology, Cama Group has also released its All-in-One machine, an evolution of its monoblock model, specifically for the coffee industry to pack all possible formats

See page 42.

Dutch manufacturer Cappac’s vision for a greener future extends to using a minimum of 80 per cent recycled material, and achieving carbon neutral Nespresso-compatible capsules by early 2024. The company actively engages in recycling efforts, such as one it conducts with the community of Blokker in the northwest of the Netherlands. Last year, it reclaimed and recycled more than 40

million capsules alone.

See page 44.

IMA Coffee has strengthened its commitment to reduce the environmental impact along the coffee production chain in collaboration with OpenLab, IMA Group’s network of technological laboratories and testing areas. This commitment applies through adapting filling and sealing technology to the new packaging materials and testing alternative processes to preserve the resources and minimise the packaging waste.

See page 48.

Rychiger acquired packaging machine manufacturer Nuspark in September 2019, now known as Rychiger Canada. The opportunity to acquire Nuspark has helped enlarge Rychiger’s footprint in the North American market for other branches. It now offers customers single-serve capsule machinery in one complete production line.

See page 50.

To date, some 1826 exhibitors are registered for biennial expo HostMilano 2023, representing 40 per cent international from 50 countries. According to HostMilano, recent Future Market Insights research estimates that, for food service equipment alone, the value of the global market will reach US$44 billion this year, and will achieve US$76 billion in 2032 thanks to a compound annual growth rate of +5.6 per cent.

See page 52.

51 million

The number of international migrants the United States hosts worldwide

Cappac Founder and CEO Carel Rouweler (right) participates in a coffee cupping session with Master Roaster Elderick Vegter.

Radu Savopol says 5 to go is now one of the largest branded coffee chains in Romania, with a market share of 48.7 per cent.

On the move

5 TO GO CO-FOUNDER RADU SAVOPOL ON BECOMING A ROMANIAN COFFEE GIANT, MAKING BRAVE CHOICES, AND THE MATHEMATICS BEHIND ITS RAPID ACCELERATION.

By Sarah Baker

or years, Radu Savopol was used to getting home at 6am as the owner of nightclubs and restaurants. These days, the role is reversed as he wakes at the crack of dawn to begin his day managing one of Romania’s largest coffee chains.

“Moving into the coffee industry was one of the biggest bets I’ve taken in my life. I had to trust my feelings and my vision to create 5 to go, the brand, and the business where all my Hospitality, Restaurant and Catering (HoReCa) expertise came together with my inherited passion for art and architecture,” says Co-Founder Savopol.

“When I first decided to take a step into the coffee industry, I attended the 2015 HostMilano expo. At that stage, I had just opened six or seven shops. I remember going through the expo and seeing everything the industry had to offer. It was like being a kid at Disneyland. It was an amazing atmosphere. Nobody knew who I was or what 5 to go was. Fast forward to this year’s HostMilano [in October] and I’ve already got a lot of invitations, private meetings, and events to attend. The experience couldn’t be more contrast.”

Savopol established 5 to go in 2015 with then 20-year-old business partner Lucian Bădilă after mapping out their business plan on a café napkin. Savopol describes his role as the “mathematician mind” while Bădilă is the “ultimate salesperson”, a complementing partnership that has so far proven successful.

They were excited to bring the coffee-to-go concept to Romania after observing its fast uptake and ease of implementation in other countries. Up to that point, Savopol says Romanians enjoyed traditional Turkish coffee amongst a landscape “dominated by very poor-quality coffee from vending machines”.

“There was no well-developed coffee culture back then. Even now, there is a lot of room for improvement,” Savopol tells Global Coffee Report. “We wanted to come up with a business model that responded to the modern consumer [who is] constantly on the move, who needs quality and tasteful products at an optimal price and a simplified purchase process, and a brand to resonate with. And we succeeded.”

In order to get closer to customers and respond to a need it detected, 5 to go espresso-based drinks were first priced at 5 Romanian leu (about USD$1.10) with a goal to deliver “simple, fast and efficient” coffee. That price point has changed for the first time in six years due to rising inflation and operational costs, however, Savopol says the company still aims to offer customers quality products at a fair price, and customers have remained loyal.

The brand started with a small coffee shop out of a garage in the old centre of Bucharest, but Savopol’s plans were big from the beginning.

“MOVING INTO THE COFFEE INDUSTRY WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BETS I’VE TAKEN IN MY LIFE.”

Radu Savopol

5 to go Co-Founder

Images: Sorin Stana

“From the first 5 to go coffee shop, which was no more than 12-square-meters in size, the pace of development has accelerated. At the end of 2022, we reached almost 450 stores nationwide, and each month we break our records and set new benchmarks,” Savopol says.

“It’s been an amazing journey. It’s only natural for a brand to be proud of its accomplishments, but we are 100 per cent entitled to be proud for reaching a strong position in the HoReCa segment in Romania in record time, and an outstanding 90 per cent brand notoriety in our country.”

Five to go opens an average of 13 locations monthly, with the company’s transition into a franchise model key to helping reach approximately 500 coffee shops. Around 420 of those venues fall under the brand’s ‘classic concept’, with others representing ‘coffee corners’ thanks to partnerships with retail and local businesses including Carrefour, Donuterie, and more.

“[As of August 2023] we are the largest branded coffee chain in Romania, with a market share of 48.7 per cent, and the largest chain of cafés in Eastern Europe, but also the most accessed franchise in Romania. We already have operations in France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Hungary and we are still targeting important international markets such as Spain, Germany, Poland, Republic of Moldova,” Savopol says.

“Each venue is strategic. I don’t just open one location internationally. It has to be accompanied by 10 to 20 locations and needs one to two years to really access its validity and market position.”

The biggest challenge as the company scales, Savopol notes, is how to transfer his business know-how and vision to his 235 franchise partners who contribute to winning the trust of tens of thousands of consumers each day.

“Ensuring all our partners embrace our vision and remain happy is very important. I try to visit each store after it opens and spend up to an hour building a connection with the franchisee partner,” he says.

In July 2023, 5 to go announced the opening of a flagship store in the historical centre of Brașov. Savopol says regional development is an important strategic pillar for the brand.

by reaching a total of 1000 cafés in Romania in the next four years,” he says.

To do that, the brand will track 150 store openings this year, with 64 opened as of August. The rest, Savopol says, is mathematics.

“Romania has a population of 20 million people and it’s a population that enjoys its coffee,” he says.

“Our growth strategy is not very complicated. We look at a map, we analyse the population numbers of each city, and how many high schools and hospitals there are in the area, then introduce a 5 to go store. Our brand becomes a meeting point for a city, a place for friends, parents, and children to gather.”

A key reason for its consistent growth, Savopol says, is the fact it’s a Romanian business that started from scratch and has a commitment to quality and diversity of products backed by a consolidated team.

“Our brand is more than a product customers appreciate. It is an experience provider, defined by the barista who we continuously train to be a source of information and inspiration for

5 to go opened its flagship store in the historical centre of Brașov in 2023.

to go’s coffee, a blend of Arabica from Cerrado, Brazil, and varieties from the high plains of Colombia. About 160 tonnes of coffee is roasted each year thanks to Bristot Coffee, with the aim to be roasting 200 tonnes by end of year. Savopol says the rate of uptake is strong, with venues averaging 33 kilograms of coffee per month, compared to 20 kilograms per month in 2015 when 5 to go launched.

“The taste of coffee is among our top values, and it cannot be found anywhere else because it is a distinctive blend with an intense, fullbodied, creamy aroma, created especially for 5 to go,” Savopol says.

“But certainly, [our customers] want more than a coffee. They want a tasting experience and an environment that’s comfortable, social, and has a good energy. We are trying to always exceed their expectations.”

Meeting those expectations is something Savopol takes seriously and is why the brand launched its own specialty coffee brand called Lucky Cats, available in-store and

in retail markets.

“Staying flexible and focused on the market’s current needs is a must. For instance, 5 to go is a global brand with a presence in the hospitality industry, but also with an accelerated growth in retail,” he says.

“I strongly believe that nowadays, the only constant is change. What we can all notice is that people’s passion for quality is constantly growing, and this also applies to coffee drinkers. We have a younger coffee audience. We try to keep up with them and their preferences, and to surprise them with innovations, from the launch of new ranges and products to creative campaigns and special offers.”

The last few years haven’t been easy for Romania’s HoReCa industry. The restrictions of COVID-19 resulted in large periods of uncertainty, while the war in neighbouring Ukraine forced the brand to adapt and make location and portfolio changes. Savopol says 5 to go has come through the other side thanks to making brave choices, which included being one of the first coffee brands to open additional cafés after lockdown.

“We used those difficult times constructively and worked more on strategy improvement, but what mattered the most, was that Lucian, I, and the entire team can rely on each other and completely trust our business model, so we were confident that together we can come back strong, no matter how difficult the situation,” he says.

“A leader should be the one to bring new perspectives, to inspire and motivate their team. Positivity and patience are very important. Because a relaxed environment favours trust and courage to express brave ideas and daring proposals.”

Those daring proposals include increased regional and international expansion where 5 to go intends to constantly increase turnover and market share. By the end of the 2023 financial year it had exceeded its estimated turnover by 5 per cent and is experiencing a 55 per cent increase on last year’s results.

In January 2023, it was estimated that more than 1.65 million customers drink at least one coffee in 5 to go’s network per month, and that 72 per cent of the Romanians have heard of the brand.

“In 10 years’ time, I hope every single person in Romania will know about 5 to go and I hope [our portfolio] numbers will make us proud even internationally,” Savopol says.

“Coffee has changed my life in so many ways. What I appreciate most, is my team and their success. Sometimes, I go to visit a 5 to go shop and sit there with my laptop and listen to the client’s interaction with the barista. For me, seeing customers come to our shop every, and happy, is the best reward.”

Lucian Bădilă and Radu Savopol founded 5 to go in 2015 after observing the rapid uptake of convenient coffee shops that were yet to exist in Romania.

Cold brew, hot success

COLD COFFEE BEVERAGES ARE DOMINATING CAFÉ SALES WITH MANY INTERNATIONAL ROASTERS INVESTING IN CREATIVE AND QUALITY-DRIVEN METHODS THAT ARE TRANSFORMING THE SIMPLE BREW INTO A MENU MAINSTAY.

hen Australian-trained barista Jai Lott moved to New York in 2015, he’d been working in the specialty coffee industry for five years. He recalled seeing cold brew on Stumptown Coffee’s menu, but he’d never heard of it. When he joined the Bluestone Lane team as its Coffee Director later that year however, cold brew was “definitely an established thing”.

“In New York, you could set your calendar so that on the first day of spring, every coffee shop would flip to selling iced coffee and cold brew, like clockwork. Then, when the first leaf falls, it would flip back to hot beverages, like muscle memory. Now it’s different. Cold coffee represents a good third, if not half of our business the whole year round. It doesn’t change,” says Lott, now Blank Street Vice President of Product and Customer Experience. “There’s something about New York specifically that’s really embraced the cold brew movement that I find really interesting.”

“As the specialty industry in the United States has bloomed into the beast that it is now, there’s demand for quality, and like everything in coffee, as everyone’s gotten better and better and pushed each other to produce the best cold brew, it’s gotten pretty competitive.”

Strong competition and curiosity has led to industry bodies diving further into the science and research behind cold coffee. In June 2022, the National Coffee Association (NCA) USA released a first-of-its kind safety guide for retailers of cold brew coffee, with NCA President and CEO William “Bill” Murray commenting in a press statement that “cold brew coffee has seen explosive growth since NCA began

tracking it in our exclusive consumer research, and is now the third most popular method of brewing coffee”.

In November 2022, the Coffee Science Foundation alongside the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announced a new publication from its Cold Brew Extraction research project, with the study finding floral flavour to be a higher sensory attribute in cold brewed coffee. The results substantiated the general belief that cold brew is less sour, per descriptive analysis, but not necessarily less acidic chemically.

“Historically, there hasn’t been much research dedicated to cold brew, so it’s great to see scientific data that will further our understanding about how cold brew differs from traditional heat-brewed coffee,” said SCA Board of Directors member, Julia Leach, in a press statement.

Blank Street’s Brown Sugar Cold Brew is the roaster’s best seller.

STARBUCKS COLD BREW STRENGTH

One such company that has helped spread awareness of cold beverages is Starbucks, which first introduced cold brew to its menu in the summer of 2016. It now offers a range of cold coffee beverages including Iced Coffee, Cold Brew, Nitro, Iced Espresso, and more.

In the US, Starbucks launched the White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew in time for the US summer on 9 May. While in Asia, customers enjoy unique and locally relevant cold coffee beverages like the Okayama Peach Apple Cold Brew, and Belgium Chocolate Nitro Cold Brew.

Currently, cold coffee beverages accounts for more than half of Starbucks beverage sales. In the US, they account for 76 per cent of beverage sales at company-operated locations.

In a Starbucks 2022 Investor Day transcript, Brady Brewer, Starbucks Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President said cold coffee beverages are more frequently customised, and customers are increasingly adding modifiers like cold foam.

“They commanding a premium price, they’re driving our sales, and they are among our highest margin products. And they are also more frequently customised,” Brewer said.

“When you think about that elevated handcrafted experience at Starbucks, cold, customised, plant-based beverages is where it’s at.”

In response to the growing popularity of handcrafted cold foam on Starbucks beverages, the coffee company is introducing portable cold foamer machines to its stores, which were designed and created thanks to its barista partners.

“This investment in equipment improves the partner experience by allowing partners to conveniently make cold foam at any station behind the bar, no matter where they are crafting beverages,” Brewer said.

BLUE BOTTLE AND BEYOND

For US roaster Blue Bottle Coffee, cold coffee beverages are served every day, year-round, on café menus. “Quality and innovation have always been a part of Blue Bottle’s journey, and we continue to let curiosity guide our exploration in cold coffee. Our ongoing exploration of cold coffee beverages for our

During Starbucks FY23 Q2 Earnings call on 2 May, Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan stated that Starbucks beverage innovation “is strong”.

Cold coffee beverages account for 76 per cent of Starbucks’ beverage  sales.

Blue Bottle Coffee will continue to explore cold coffee as part of its range.

its cold brew blend, cold brew single origin, and New Orleans-Style Iced Coffee (NOLA). It also serves its seasonal beverages iced to meet guest demands.

“Knowing there is a strong interest in cold beverages, we also look for opportunities to offer products for guests to enjoy coffee outside of our cafés cold,” Brewer says, pointing to Blue Bottle Coffee’s Craft Instant Espresso and limited-edition Exceedingly Rare Costa Rica whole bean coffee, as examples.

“Both are delicious hot, but we believe they’re event better when enjoyed cold,” Brewer says.

This year, Blue Bottle Coffee also released its Cold Blend No. 1, a seasonal whole bean coffee that it designed “to shine brightest when sipped cold”. Additionally, it offers ready-to-drink options for guests with its single origin cold brew cans, and NOLA cartons, providing customers with more ways to enjoy cold coffee wherever they may be.

This extends to Blue Bottle Coffee’s Samra Origins Craft Instant Coffee. Customers can simply combine one teaspoon (four grams) of one single-serve sachet with one-ounce hot water, stir, and add ice and six-to-eight ounces of cold water for a tasting profile of floral and fruit notes.

“Cold coffee has become an income driver for businesses due to the increasing demand of consumers,” Brewer says. “There are several reasons why demand for cold coffee has increased. For some, a preference for cold coffee may be a matter of taste, but it’s also versatile and refreshing. Additionally, many guests get cold coffee in the morning but it’s an option they gravitate towards during afternoons when looking for a refreshing pick-me-up later in the day.”

As such, and given the interest around cold coffee, Brewer says innovation in the cold coffee space will only continue.

“Despite constant innovation in indulgent cold coffee beverages, there is still opportunity for advancement of the cold coffee experience in the pure coffee space. For Blue Bottle, we will continue to explore cold coffee as part of our dedication to crafting the perfect cup of coffee for our guests,” Brewer says.

Blue Bottle Coffee says its Craft Instant Espresso is best enjoyed cold.

ONE STEP FURTHER

Saudi Arabian roaster Camel Step first started producing cold brew in-house in 2017 using manual brew tools. It noticed huge customer uptake in the country’s hot climate, before other market players and cafés followed suit.

“Saudi Arabians considers coffee a major representation of their cultural activities. They drink light-roasted coffee and enjoy coffee on average three times per day: morning, noon and night,” says Mohammed Alfaify, Head of Partners Management at Camel Step Co.

After a while of producing cold brew batches, Camel Step noticed a need for more consistent product preparation as it scaled its stores, with the product having an initial three-day maximum shelf life. As such, the company decided to invest in RTD canned products.

“We looked to other countries to see what opportunities were available because in Saudi Arabia, the main RTD ingredient was a coffee powder, not ground coffee, and flavour additives. Our goal was to produce a healthy and organic product to the market,” Alfaify says.

To create its own RTD cold brew product, the Camel Step team determined three key characteristics it needed to perfect: preparation, extraction, and filtration.

While the preparation was deemed easy enough, Alfaify says working through five stages of filtration to achieve 0.2 microns of particle size proved the challenge to achieving the desired “silky, smooth, light, juicy coffee profile with a sweetness of floral and fruitiness”.

“We changed the cartridge filters every batch, which is expensive but necessary to ensure the consistency level of the flavours in each batch,” Alfaify says.

“We tried many different coffee origins including Ethiopia and Colombia, honey processed, natural, and different ratios, but what was most beautiful for us, was the Colombian, fermented natural processed coffee named La Milagrosa, a direct traded coffee from Chalo farm. It tends to be heavier bodied and more floral. It’s a profile lots of people in Saudi Arabia like.”

The result is Camel Step’s Nitro Cold Brew product line that was launched in 2022. The production line produces 10,000-can batches. The 250-millilitre cans contain just three ingredients: water, 100 per cent Arabica coffee, and nitrogen. Nitrogen gas is added before the coffee cans are filled, with additional liquid nitrogen used during

Lott says he’d like to think Blank Street has “changed the way Londoners think about coffee”, noting other larger coffee chains including Pret a Manager and Costa Coffee launched their own cold brew products a month later.

Lott says after working on the perfect concentrate ratio for cold brew, developing an entire category and menu around the top-seller was the next stage of product innovation.

“During the nine months we took to develop the concentrate with the right roast profile and extraction refinement, we questioned how to use cold brew as a product, an ingredient more than an end-state product. I started thinking about it as if it were espresso and what could we do,” Lott says. “I haven’t been this excited about innovation in the coffee space in recent memory.”

The result, albeit a little serendipitous, Lott says, was a dedicated cold brew menu that resulted after two hours with 45 drink options using Blank Street’s signature cold brew shot as a base.

“It was proven by our numbers that all our customers consistently love and are loyal to cold brew as a final beverage, but we questioned what else we could do with it,” Lott says.

The result was a final menu catered to different beverage personas: a cold brew cortado – two and a half times the caffeine of a double espresso with four ounces of milk; Shaken Brown Sugar Cold brew –a sweet, delicious ‘treat day’ drink that marries the molasse of the brown sugar and cold brew; Shaken Chai Cold Brew – devoted to dirty chai drinkers; and Grapefruit Spritz Cold Brew – a clean, refreshing and surprisingly well paired combination that ticks a lot of boxes according to Lott.

The Brown Sugar Cold Brew turned out to be a best seller, with chai and cortado tied in second place. While cold brew is arguably more expensive when measured by ounce, Lott says Blank Street can charge a small premium because the product is harder to produce, twice the caffeine level, and offers

Camel Step’s Nitro Cold Brew embraces Arabica coffee, water, and nitrogen.

more theatre to the customer. To ensure cold brew operation and workflow was streamlined in Blank Street venues, Lott says the preparation needed to be no more than seven steps in 70 seconds.

“When creating new formulas, I evaluate drinks through the “milk crate” exercise. Hypothetically, a barista should be able to stand in a milk crate while making a drink. When they have to run around or move all over the place to make a single drink, it starts to affect barista morale,” Lott says.

Lott adds that cold brew is entering an exciting period of creativity among the international coffee community, and for someone who’s “innovation obsessed”, he’s determined to continue pushing the envelope to see how he can continue to make drinks better and better.

“We’ve definitely gone all in on cold brew,” Lott says. “We pushed espresso so far through automation, making blends better and sourcing better, and espresso hasn’t hit its ceiling, but I feel like I have this weird playground to enjoy. Anything that was ever done with espresso in the past, in the cold space, has already validated that it can be done with cold brew too.”

GCR

Blank Street says cold brew drinks represent 30 per cent of its UK stores’ coffee orders.

The great harvest migration

ORIGIN MIGRATION IS IMPACTING EVERYONE ACROSS THE COFFEE SUPPLY CHAIN AND WILL REMAIN A THREAT TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF COFFEE PRODUCERS UNLESS IMMEDIATE ACTION IS TAKEN.

hen Olga Alvarado left her Honduran home and son at 18 years old to move to the United States, she did so with the intention to earn enough money to buy a coffee plot in Honduras and provide a better future for her son.

In an interview Alvarado shared with Fairtrade International, she said the situation when she left Honduras was “very difficult” because of low coffee prices. Alvarado stayed in the US eight years to save enough money to buy six acres (about four hectares) of land. She returned to Honduras in 2015 and joined the Coaquil coffee cooperative in the Masaguara area. Today, Alvarado is one of the 760,000 smallholder coffee farmers that are part of Fairtrade.

“My hope for my children is to get them ahead, that they would be professionals, that they don’t migrate to another country,” Alvarado tells Fairtrade International. “[I] teach them what I am learning, so that in the future they can do what I am doing now.”

Alvarado’s case is one of thousands, with about half of the members of the Coaquil cooperative having previously migrated to the US.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2022 there was a record-breaking 2.4 million migrant apprehensions at the United States-Mexico border, with 43 per cent coming from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador where coffee is a prominent export.

Significant arrivals were also felt by Brazilians, Ecuadorians, and Haitians, with arrivals representing a 37 per cent increase compared to 2021 figures.

“During this season’s harvest, Central America reported mass labour shortages, higher costs, and fleeing youth from coffee communities. Some cooperatives have seen 10 to 15 community members disappear in a matter of weeks, all of whom were former coffee pickers,” says Lauren Jones of the University of California, Berkeley, studying a bachelor of science in environmental economics and policy.

“While we may see short-term impacts on labour during harvest season, the drivers and resulting implications of migration on coffee are interconnected with climate change, food

insecurity, low wages, and insufficient income. In addition, it is one of the main causes of next generation farmers leaving their communities.”

Jones says additional historic drivers of migration for coffee farming communities include poverty, violence, inequality, water insecurity, natural disasters, political instability, family ties in destination countries, and lack of access to work. In recent years however, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and low coffee prices have contributed to worsened living and farming conditions.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Instituto Hondureño de Café, says a drop in coffee prices from US$1.60 to US$1.40 would estimate a 22 per cent increase in migration in a non-coffee producing municipality and 120 per cent increase in migration in a coffee producing municipality. It also predicts a 5 per cent decrease in coffee prices would result in a further 14,400 more Honduran migrants, where currently one million people depend on coffee to sustain their livelihoods.

The National Institute of Migration in Honduras says approximately 400 people intersect irregular border crossings between Nicaragua and Honduras on a daily basis.

Due to a 10 per cent increase in droughts throughout Honduras, the Honduras Technical Unit of Food Security and Nutrition predicts migrant apprehensions will also increase by 90 per cent.

A Mixed Migrant Centre survey of 212 migrants in August 2020 responded that the pandemic had resulted in a lost income, reduced access to work, increased stress, lack of mobility and reduced access to basic goods.

STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE

Blanca María Castro, International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Chapter Relations Manager says while the economic price challenges of coffee production are a significant contributor to harvest migration, it is not the primary cause.

“Receiving a good price for coffee without structure does not mean it will change the situation. Suppose that a small producer of one year, one crop, receives good money for their coffee, they won’t invest. They will most probably hire a coyote to bring their kids to the [United] States. If they can, they would do that immediately. They will use that money to move,” Castro says.

What the market needs to understand, Castro adds, is that the right economic structures need to be in place, with human development programs and projects that allow businesses to be sustainable.

“There needs to be a plan and structure where farmers can ensure not only their kids, but their grandkids, can follow the farming profession and take care of the land. It’s not a matter of buyers and the roasters paying more. Yes, that can be done. But we need to create awareness and say, ‘hey, this is a red flag, what’s going on?’ If the governments or entities are not really involved and not really putting their heads together and doing something about it, it won’t change. We need to raise our voices and make some noise. It’s not a matter of money. It’s about creating structure,” Castro says.

She notes that issue stems back to a lack of leadership, security, and structure in Central American governments, with drug trafficking difficult to control. Castro says the situation is not gender specific. Rather, it’s an issue impacting whole generations of families, and those countries directly near the United States.

“They are promised the American dream. The opportunities of work in the US are real. I’m in Texas right now. If I look out to the people on the street, I see people repairing roofs or doing work on the streets, most of them are Latinos,” Castro says.

The other type of prevalent immigration is that of producers moving from rural areas to urban areas, which is also affecting production.

“A lack of governmental structure is also involved in this scenario. What are they doing to entice kids to stay in the rural area and get the support they need for education and technical access? All they need is to really fall in love with their ancestor’s coffee, and not dream about being a lawyer or doctor, or impossible dreams,” Castro says.

“Coffee farming is so vulnerable. It can be wonderful one year, and messy the next. The biological behaviour of coffee plants has shown that one year could produce high yields of cherries, and the next it doesn’t, not to mention climate change effects.”

For Castro, all these factors equate to a reality she’s genuinely concerned about.

“We all depend on agriculture, and coffee brings a lot of money into the market, so I don’t know why Latin American governments are not investing and creating the structures and develop better programs for improving rural activities and making the agricultural sector better as a whole, not just for coffee,” she says.

Brazil Specialty Coffee Association Executive Director Vinicius Estrela says rural migration to urban

Blanca María Castro is the International Women’s Coffee Alliance Chapter Relations Manager.

IWCA Colombia Chapter members are passionate about coffee growing and sharing that passion with the next generation.

environments in Brazil, is common, as is migration from the less developed north and northeast regions of the country to the more developed south and southeast regions.

“This does not affect only coffee, of course. Youth from coffee producing areas often move to larger cities seeking better opportunities,” Estrela says.

He adds that the impact of harvest migration is a sad reality for the lost potential of coffee varietals.

“When people abandon coffee for economic reasons, we lose much in terms of the diversity of terroirs that produce the various sensory profiles that captivate coffee lovers around the world,” Estrela says.

“Ultimately, responsibility lies with the consumer voting with his or her money for a sustainable, equitable supply chain to guarantee availability of high-quality coffees from diverse origins into the future.”

Thankfully, Estrela says the world’s largest producer of coffee has more registered coffee producers today, than ever before.

“According to the National Coffee Council, there are over 330,000 coffee farmers in the country, 78 per cent being small producers, and coffee is responsible for 8.4 million direct and indirect jobs in 1983 municipalities,” he says.

“That said, we are indeed concerned about the coffee producers of the future. The succession of coffee farms to the next generation is a frequent topic of discussion.”

What’s needed, Estrela says, is consumer education.

“Lack of attention or care at any point [in the coffee chain] can ruin everything. But it all starts with the hard work of the coffee producer in the fields. Without the producer, the rest of the value chain falls apart,” he says.

“Unless we can ensure that people can proudly say they are coffee producers in their regions, that it’s not just an economically viable activity, but rewarding, something their children want to carry on, we face a future in which coffee is overwhelmingly dominated by a few big players offering less diverse, less interesting coffees at higher prices.”

Outside of immigration movement is a rising market of business immigration into the US, according

Law Office in Portland and Miami.

“Since COVID-19 and change in administration overall [in the US], in the past three years we have seen an increase in business and investor immigration in general,” Batrakova says.

“Our clients are businesses and individual business people who often come to the US to open start-ups or new affiliate offices, trying to make a living in the US.

“They call [the US] a land of opportunities for a reason and probably it’s the ability to make a living

IWCA Colombia Executive Director Lina Maria Granados Uribe is a fourth-generation coffee producer who wants to lead by example.

here and succeed, as well as the quality of life.”

The Batrakova Law Office has represented many clients in the coffee industry in the past 18 years who want to immigrate to the US, most recently a Guatemalan coffee producer and roaster in Portland. On average, the fee for an individual going through the employment migration process can be upwards from US$8000, for either an E-2 treaty investor visa or an L-1A intracompany transferee visa.

“I’m originally myself from the former Soviet Union. I think my ability to empathise with the clients because I understand what the process is like, I’ve been through it myself, makes me passionate about immigration law. And of course, I love to strategise with businesses and individuals on their ability to come to the US and start their life here,” Batrakova says.

HOPE AND CHANGE WILL COME

Before producers question leaving their farming communities, IWCA Colombia Executive Director Lina Maria Granados Uribe says empowerment, education and awareness is needed, especially for female producers who, over the country’s 57 years of conflict, have seen their husbands killed, kidnapped or disappear, forcing them to stay in fields and maintain coffee crops.

“That’s why 30 per cent of the coffee growers in Colombia are women. It’s not that common in other countries,” Uribe says.

“Already people from the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and other violent parts of the country are focused on growing coffee, not cocaine. So for us as Colombians, coffee is a positive solution to our conflict.”

Uribe is a fourth-generation coffee producer in Quindío. She is the first in her family to speak English, obtain a Master of Business Administration, and “really believe” that coffee is more than the picking, harvesting, and selling of green beans.

Once Uribe finished her university degree in 2016, she returned to the Central Andes, far from the capital city of Bogota in Colombia where 50,000 people live. In Colombia, 95 per cent of coffee grown comes from small producers who own one to five hectares of coffee, with 5 per cent large roasters who make up 95 per cent of the country’s coffee production.

Of the cooperative Uribe is part of, only 10 per cent of 101,500 members are under 30, with the average age 65. If no action is taken to motivate the next generation, Uribe says the cooperative

will disappear in 20 years’ time. As such, it was always her intention to stay in the coffee fields and use her education to help her community. Uribe and IWCA Vice President Ana Maria Donneys started the IWCA Colombia Chapter, and begun working with to empower women to stay in the coffee fields.

“Women are perfectly capable of running a coffee farm, and coffee can open doors and opportunities,” Uribe says.

One of the first projects Uribe undertook on her return was to find direct trade relationships for Colombian coffee due to the number of farmers who struggle with free market prices where “the prices are going nowhere”.

“We are working on having direct relationships with the consumer. It’s the only thing that can help us to stay in their business,” she says.

“At this moment, our numbers are in red because picking and operational costs are more expensive, and market prices are going down. There will be challenging times over the next two years, however my dad told me the other day, ‘this is not the first time I’ve had hard times, but I love my job.’”

Like Castro, Uribe says the solution to reduce producer migration is not about increasing coffee prices or having consumers pay more. It’s about helping young people fall in love with the business of coffee, and ensuring producers and consumers are staying close to one another.

“My purpose is to be the bridge between the consumers in the consuming countries and the producers here so that we can get a ‘bigger slice of the cake’ and not see it taken by the middleman. Our main goal is to give opportunities to small and medium-sized producers to go direct to coffee shops, little roasters, and for people in consuming countries to know our history, our families, and all the effort and people involved behind a cup of coffee. We have to start being conscious about the people behind it, because consumers really do have the power in their hands when they make their buying decision,” Uribe says.

In the five or so years since the IWCA Colombia chapter started, Uribe says she’s amazed at the change she’s witnessing in her producing region. More women are involved in production with their families, promoting themselves, making agreements, becoming baristas and Q graders, and even requesting English classes for the rural town to better connect with the world.

“We are planting a little seed for people to measure their actions and success to help improve their lives. Coffee has to be a trap for young people to stay in the fields. They need to know they are part of a global community, that they belong to something, and coffee can open the doors to that sense of belonging,” she says.

Uribe is under no pretention that the challenges ahead are large. But when people question why she stays farming, amongst the mosquitos, rain and daily obstacles, passion overrides.

“I am really proud to tell people that my family are coffee growers, and that I am a grower myself,” she says. “When I become a mum one day, I will teach the same love for coffee as the generations of my family’s coffee farmers have to me, because this is how we preserve the profession.” GCR

Members of the IWCA Colombia Chapter are committed to direct trade relationships and connecting with consumers.

Make it smarter

Making a mark in coffee encapsulation and packaging

Global Co ee Report is the leading business magazine covering the international co ee industry. In-depth features explore on-the-ground developments at origin, co ee pricing issues, technology updates, research breakthroughs and much more.

www.gcrmag.com/subscribe

UNLIMITED ONLINE CONTENT

The Eversys Ecosystem

EVERSYS EXPLAINS HOW IT WILL USE ITS THREE PILLARS OF MILKS, BEVERAGE MENUS, AND IOT TO DRIVE PERFORMANCE, NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE.

hen it came to deciphering the direction of Eversys’ presence at the HostMilano exhibition in October, it was a strategic decision in line with market shifts and customer needs.

“One of the first fundamental goals in exhibiting at HostMilano is to show to the market that our super traditional machines can deliver the exact same in-cup quality as traditional espresso machines. Next, we want to celebrate Eversys’ modularity and how the machines have been designed to make the life of a technician as easy as possible. The third fundamental goal is to celebrate innovation,” says Eversys Marketing Director Andre Eiermann.

“HostMilano is where we showcase to the commercial universe and large roasters and companies how we can drive their performance even more by looking at current key trends in our industry.”

The three trends the Swiss manufacturer identifies are dairy and dairy alternatives, innovative hot and cold beverages, and the advantageous possibilities of connectivity and software-assisted features.

Eiermann estimates that 80 per cent of all coffee beverages served globally are milk-based. As such, Eversys has three dedicated options to cater to all dairy and dairy-alternative needs: its 2-Step, 1-Step

“It’s about flexibility and showing to our key commercial partners that anyone can perfect dairy and

“Our technology has the ability to own the dairy milk alternative space, and to demonstrate this, Eversys will feature two machines on its stand at Host: one texturing dairy milk, the other, dairy alternatives, to

To demonstrate its flexibility and adaptation to Asian beverage innovations, Eversys will also create

Renowned latte art professionals will rotate and present their texturing prowess and what’s possible

HostMilano visitors to see how they can leverage their menus and embrace coffee as an ingredient for desserts, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

“We want to inspire people and stimulate new items, and thanks to two baristas and mixology specialists from Switzerland and China, they will demonstrate four crafted recipes and mixed coffee beverages,” he says.

To celebrate the future of innovation, Eversys’ tech team will provide on-site training at HostMilano. Eiermann says this is a clear sign to the market that investing in Eversys is not a oneoff investment, but about working in partnership to harness potential even further, from after sales support to technical expertise.

The tech team will also officially unveil the Légacy espresso machine, and demonstrate its capabilities including the latest precision grinding module. Users can configure up to four grinders

Eversys’ telemetry system allows customers to gather data from its machines to optimise solutions.

Eversys is a solutions-oriented company with mechanics, electronics, interface, cloud-based services, and IoT partnerships.

to produce and choose between four different types of beans. To put this to the test, Eiermann will serve 30 espresso tonics and 30 affogatos on the new Légacy machine while talking to the crowd to indicate how baristas can unleash their creativity while maintaining efficiency.

“The idea is to show the audience how the role of the barista has transformed from simply making coffee to becoming a creative expert in coffee and coffee-based beverages, with a major focus on customer service as well as innovation,” Eiermann says.

The Eversys exhibition stand will also feature an open corner where it will host Internet of Things (IoT) technology partners to present their Application Programming Interface (API) solutions.

“Since the beginning of Eversys, we’ve always been quite technology driven. Now, we want to show potential customers a bigger perspective of what it will mean to work with us,” says Stephan Zink, Eversys Software and Electronics Director.

AN IOT WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

Previously, Zink says software solutions for Eversys customers were fairly standardised: use an interface and payment solution that is only accessible in the regions of Switzerland, Germany, Austria; use an API payment extension that connects to Bluetooth; or allow a customer to integrate their own API payment ecosystem.

“More and more, chain operators don’t only want to buy coffee machines that are isolated from a payment and telemetry solution. They want to integrate it into their ecosystem,” Zink says.

To demonstrate how Eversys is catering to the needs of customers in various markets, different IoT technology partners will rotate on the Eversys stand to share their API solutions. It includes Greek software company Bibe Coffee, and Latvian company Sm Vend, who both specialise in telemetry and payment solutions; Danish under-counter coffee solution and ordering company Specter, and German smart vending solution company Iovent, who offer turnkey operations with software and hardware for telemetry payment solutions.

“The payment world is becoming so complicated that we cannot alone create a keystone solution for each market, each country,” says Jonathan Besse, Eversys Research and Development Director. “We really want to make a custom fit for each country, and encourage our partners to work with us to develop tailor-made solutions, even if it means helping customers change their business model.

“It’s not about coffee consumption or technical ability. It’s about taking a customer-oriented approach

and really presenting a final solution to the customer. We want to see what problems we can solve for them.”

Such payment solutions could mean using the Alipay smart vending machine solution in China, integrating QR codes into the machine interface, or enabling tap-and-go transactions.

Eversys points to Irish coffee chain Frank and Honest under parent company Musgrave Group, who worked with Eversys in the past to develop payment solutions.

“We can really unleash full potential if we understand the needs of the key account, then develop the solution together, and that’s what we did with Frank and Honest. We understood their needs and said: ‘that’s possible, let’s develop it together’,” Besse says.

The end result involved using Eversys telemetry system to gather data from its machines to calculate the volume of coffee made per Frank and Honest location, and how much milk and sugar was used.

This information was then passed onto its logistics company to ensure enough stock was ordered at each store according to specific volume needs.

Another option is to combine Eversys’ telemetry system and integrate it with a company’s own payment portal and backend to present everything in one portal.

“Big companies have their own Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system and they don’t necessarily want to use different systems in parallel. They want to combine the data and aggregate them, and have an overview at a glance. That’s the trend everywhere, integration. That’s when you have a solution that’s tailor made to your needs,” Zink says.

“We care about the last mile. We know how to bring the data from the machine to the backend using lots of sensors to measure and monitor. We bring all that data into ‘the cloud’, then it’s about the interface and combining different services where the possibilities are endless.”

For a long time, Besse says Eversys’ telemetry solutions represented pie charts and statistics for businesses to automatically measure and compare performance and KPIs, but what Eversys is focused on now, is how to optimise service from data available.

“We are different to other telemetry solutions out there in terms of the depth of data we offer. That’s where we are really strong. From the beginning, that was the focus. I’m convinced

Eversys will officially unveil the Légacy espresso machine at HostMilano and demonstrate how it aids workflow efficiency and barista creativity.

it’s a strength we want to concentrate on in the future,” Basse says.

The future, Eiermann says, is thinking of Eversys beyond its coffee machine manufacturing abilities, and more as a solutions-oriented company that offers the strength of its mechanics, electronics, interface, cloud-based services, and IoT partnerships.

“We are opening up our ecosystem of solutions to our partners. We can’t do everything ourselves, so we believe in building strong partnerships with our clients. We are ready and open-minded to go to the next step together and create new and exciting solutions,” he says.

“No longer are we just talking about coffee making. We’re looking at the supply chain side of the business, using telemetry to analyse data, and going far beyond a simple cup of coffee. This is what our customers expect now. They are clearly emphasising in-cup quality, but they expect more than tasty coffee, and that’s what we can deliver thanks to the software side of our business. It really is a dealbreaker in today’s market.” GCR

For more information, visit www.eversys.com/en/

Swiss Latte Art Champion 2019/2020 Greg Raymond will demonstrate the texturing abilities of dairy and dairy alternatives at HostMilano.

Max extraction

FLAVOURTECH TALKS TO GLOBAL COFFEE REPORT ABOUT THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF THE READY-TO-DRINK SECTOR, AND THE FUTURE OF FLAVOUR.

he desire for convenience and simplicity is growing in the beverage market for both manufacturers and consumers alike according to Flavourtech Global Sales Manager Paul Ahn. Ready to Drink (RTD) beverages have become a popular solution since their creation, and Ahn is confident their presence on market shelves is only set to continue.

“What we’re seeing worldwide is that RTD sales are still growing at a significant rate,” he says. “This is mainly due to the younger generations since they are looking for something convenient, but the convenience also has to be natural and healthy.”

Ahn says the rising popularity is also a result of younger generations moving away from fizzy beverages and more towards clean label products and healthy alternatives, many of which are RTD-produced.

“I’m glad that the younger generation is driving this so that we can get more natural products into the RTD space. Kudos to them for making this happen,” says Ahn.

Ahn says the increase of diversity among coffee flavourings has also played a role in RTD’s expansion. He says it was not long ago when coffee lovers were limited with their flavour options.

“In the tea market, we’ve seen fruit flavours come through for years, but now were seeing it in the coffee market as well,” he says.

In response to customer feedback, Flavourtech, a global technology manufacturer specialising in aroma recovery, extraction and evaporation solutions, has worked towards incorporating more automation into its systems.

“We implement safety and automation efforts so people working on the line are producing the best quality product in a consistent manner,” Ahn says.

This level of innovation can be seen with the Integrated Extraction System (IES), which Ahn says helps develop the richest, natural flavours.

“The IES is designed for the coffee and tea industry in the aim of producing the highest quality RTD beverage, full of the natural aroma from the raw material itself, the roasted coffee beans or tea leaves,” Ahn says.

“Before the IES, these natural, desirable aromas were typically lost or damaged through processes that were not designed to capture or maintain them. The result, as you can guess, is a RTD coffee or tea extract lacking flavour.”

Ahn says the system is a culmination of previous advancements in the flavour extraction field.

“Back in early 2000, one of our customers asked us for an automated, continuous and inline process that would allow a transfer of the desirable notes of the roasted beans from the raw material to the final extract,” says Ahn.

“Rather than forklift tanks around its factory which risked product inconsistency, the IES was a great leap

forward for this particular customer. It brought together the technologies necessary, such as the Slurry Preparation module, the Spinning Cone Column (SCC) and the Centritherm evaporator, combining all from the very start of the process to the end for a premium RTD extract full of natural aroma.”

Ahn says the result is product with more flavour and antioxidants, ensuring manufacturers have the upper hand over their competitors.

The success of the IES has allowed Flavourtech to develop alternate machines to better accommodate the specific needs of customers. One such example is a smaller version of the SCC.

More than 90 SCC units from Flavourtech are now used in the global coffee industry.

“Going smaller can be a challenge for engineers,” Ahn says. “We’ve made changes by listening to our customers and what they want, so we built a smaller unit called the SCC100, which allows smaller runs to happen.

“Many of our customers worldwide have large production facilities producing large volumes of RTD consumed all around the globe. But we also see smaller, specialised customers who want to enter the market, and having a smaller system allows them to do that.”

Flavourtech released the Spinning Cone Column SCC100 in 2021. Ahn says the smaller design gives the RTD producer the ability to capture aroma from coffee or tea extract, and coming soon, from the slurry itself, or what Flavourtech describes as “a slurry capable SCC”.

“The engineers did a great job in redesigning the whole system from the ground up,” Ahn says.

“The slurry capable SCC used in the IES performs two tasks simultaneously. The first is what we call the aroma strip, where the volatile coffee or tea notes are captured and stored. The second is the brewing of the coffee or tea in 30 seconds as the slurry flows through the SCC. The spinning cones are the key here. They perform the aroma capture and extraction in this short time while producing a high quality extract.”

Both the IES and the SCC have taken lessons learned from flavour extraction systems used for other beverages in the tea and coffee industry.

“For example, you may have citrus or berry notes in the roasted coffee beans and tea leaves, but when they go through the extraction process, these delicate notes are either lost or damaged,” Ahn says.

“The IES process, on the other hand, captures these desirable notes upfront through the SCC, and at the same time, undergoes extraction to produce a premium coffee or tea extract.”

Flavourtech also remain committed to helping the environment, with sustainability a key feature of its SCC systems, which are used to minimise waste and recycle products for the benefit of the environment.

Together with its sustainable objectives, Ahn says Flavourtech has plenty of RTD-based projects on

Flavourtech specialises in aroma recovery and extraction in a number of beverages, including RTD tea and coffee.

“It’s all about providing a means to keep everything natural,” Ahn says. GCR

High quality, high reward

FRANKE COFFEE SYSTEMS BRAND AMBASSADOR WOJCIECH TYSLER DESCRIBES HOW THE MYTICO LINE MEETS THE END CONSUMERS’ NEEDS BY CREATING A CONSISTENT CUP OF COFFEE EVERY TIME.

ojciech Tysler is a 2021 World Barista Championship finalist. He’s worked in the hospitality industry for more than 17 years, has a wealth of industry knowledge and skills, and is what many would consider a credible source for finding a quality espresso machine. His passion for the perfect cup may have led him to Franke Coffee Systems, but the machine manufacturer’s new Mytico line is what influenced him to become the brand’s ambassador.

“When we’re talking about good coffee, we need good beans, good quality water at the right temperature, a good barista, and the right coffee machine. This is where the Mytico line comes in,” Tysler says.

Franke Coffee Systems’ new product category BeyondTraditional features its first product line Mytico, which Tysler believes is a one-of-a-kind machine.

“Franke’s innovative technologies paired with my barista skills are the perfect recipe to delight customers. Once set, Franke’s automatic coffee machines consistently create delicious coffee beverages. Baristas can focus on maintaining eye contact, offering a friendly smile, and engaging in small talk while signature coffee drinks are being prepared,” he says.

Franke Coffee Systems CEO Marco Zancolò says the BeyondTraditional product category “perfectly complements” the brand’s broad product portfolio of fully automatic coffee machines, while the new Mytico line unlocks even more potential for today’s coffee businesses.

“Different demands and segments require a flexible, modular system. This new product category shows our ability to constantly improve and adapt technologies and offer new products that meet the ever-changing needs of consumers,” Zancolò says.

The first two products in this product line, Mytico Due and Mytico Vario, include a large variability of beverage options on two eight-inch touchscreens. Tysler appreciates the programmable Barista Levers on both group heads, which give the user direct access to the most frequently used beverages or features.

“For example, if you pull the lever down you can set it up to produce a single espresso and pull the lever up to offer a double espresso,” he says.

Tysler says the patented Franke iQFlow extraction technology, available in both machines, allows baristas to control the flavour output while maintaining a consistent, high-quality coffee.

“iQFlow allows the user to personalise multiple flavour profiles and efficiently extracts the full aroma, flavour, and body from every roasted coffee bean, revolutionising the traditional extraction concept. This intelligent technology distils more flavour under constant, uniform pressure throughout the

entire extraction time, thus enabling consistent, individual taste profiles,” says Tysler.

“iQFlow is very precise with extraction time. What consumers look for in a good coffee is consistency, and the Mytico machines give you just that. Plus, when I start steaming milk on it, it’s absolutely amazing.”

Each machine has two coffee modules, allowing two operators to run the machine at once.

“With minimal effort and training required and a compact design that fits easily on your countertop at an ideal height for better customer interaction, Mytico maximises efficiency and effectiveness for a more streamlined service,” Zancolò says.

Zancolò says while the machine models look similar, the two possess distinct qualities.

“Mytico Due prioritises barista-quality service with a two-step preparation using fully automated or traditional steam wands and a modern design. Its automated operation and intuitive design, coupled with a low machine height, enable baristas to easily engage with customers,” he says.

The automatic machine has a daily capacity output of 300 cups. The Franke automatic cleaning system supports this volume by maintaining hygiene standards.

Mytico Vario, on the other hand, contains a higher daily capacity output of 360 cups. It features a simple configuration, automated operation, and

The Mytico Vario contains a daily capacity output of 360 cups and an integrated milk system.

an integrated milk system. Different milk and milk alternatives can be prepared at the same time on both the left and right coffee module.

The integrated milk system helps reduce milk waste and opens up an additional beverage range, while the steam wand allows more variety with milk or plant-based alternatives.

“Franke’s FoamMaster technology provides the unique ability to pre-set a custom foam profile for each beverage and milk selection, allowing your customers to enjoy barista-style coffee at the touch of a button. Whether they choose hot coffee with milk or a milk alternative, light foam or more, every cup can be consistently executed to suit their preferences,” Zancolò says.

The machines come in six different Franke colours: Onyx, Cotton, Sand, Burgundy, Blueberry, and Basil. The range is intended to suit any environment, from a classic style restaurant to a modern coffee bar.

“Today’s consumers expect excellent coffee, as if prepared by a barista. Drinking a cup of coffee out-of-home is meant to be a memorable and enjoyable experience, yet the shortage of skilled staff in the industry has become a

concern on a worldwide scale. Thus, it is a challenge for owners of coffee businesses to consistently satisfy their customers’ demand for high-quality coffee experiences every single day, cup after cup,” says Zancolò.

“Franke’s new product category in professional coffee making, BeyondTraditional, is the perfect response to such challenges. It combines existing concepts and technologies with new trends and demands and brings to life solutions that go beyond industry standards. The first result of this new approach is the ground-breaking product line called Mytico.” GCR

For more information, visit mytico.franke.coffee

The Mytico line includes a variability of beverage options on two eight-inch touchscreens.

The Mytico line creates consistent quality in every cup of coffee.

Building an Indian empire

ALLANA EXPLAINS HOW IT BECAME ONE OF THE LARGEST COFFEE EXPORTERS IN INDIA AND CATERS TO THE NEEDS OF ALL TYPES OF BUYERS: SPECIALTY, SINGLE ESTATE, AND COMMERCIAL-GRADE COFFEE.

hen the Allana Group began trading in agricultural commodities in 1865, Founder Abdulla Allana and his family had no idea that the company would receive so much uptake that it would need a dedicated coffee division, nor that it would become one of the largest coffee exporters in India. But it did.

“Allana is a very entrepreneurial company. Despite earning a position of prestige in the Indian commodities market, the founding family allow us the freedom to input ideas, creating a stimulating working environment,” says Allanasons Director MP Devaiah.

“Through more than 158 years of inspired leadership, the Allana Group has emerged as a multi-product conglomerate of companies with wide-ranging interests. The company exports coffee, wheat, processed food, frozen buffalo and sheep meat, and is also making strides in the edible oils segment, along with a host of other products in the domestic market.”

After forming the subdivision, Allanasons, in 1973 to manufacture and supply processed food products, the company decided to diversify into coffee exports in 1982 and create the Coffee Division, based in Bangalore.

“The divisional office is situated in the heart of the city in close proximity to the Coffee Board of India. With the state of Karnataka producing 70 per cent of the coffee grown in the country, it is ideally located,” Devaiah says.

“Headed by a team of professionals well versed in the field and backed by the support of Allanasons, the Coffee Division soon made its presence felt, and found itself at the forefront of the industry.”

To complement this activity and gain control over the curing of the coffees sourced, Allanasons acquired its own curing factory in 1992.

“Gradually, this coffee curing unit, which was strategically located in Hassan in Karnataka and situated midway between the two major coffee growing districts of Chikkamagaluru and Coorg, became one of the hubs of activity in the industry,” says Devaiah.

“In turn, this required the expansion of the facilities and modernisation of the plant and machinery to meet the additional requirements of the Coffee Division. It also boasts an inhouse cup-tasting facility for evaluating the characteristics of coffee.”

Allanasons owns two large warehouses at the port cities of Cochin and Mangalore where cargo is unloaded prior to shipment, ensuring that all operations come under its effective control. The company exports all grades of washed and unwashed Arabicas and Robustas, and owns and operates a dedicated facility in Mangalore where coffee monsooning is carried out.

This is the 12- to 16-week process of spreading beans across the warehouse floor during India’s monsoon season, allowing the beans to absorb moisture, swell in size, change colour, and shed their acidity.

“We are a supplier of quality coffee known for fulfilling commitments on schedule,” says Devaiah.

“In recognition of the Coffee Division’s performance, the Coffee Board of India has

Coffee beans are handpicked and sorted at Allanasons’ processing facility.

awarded Allanasons many accolades. Allanasons has won the APEDA Golden Export Trophy each year since 1992, reflecting its premier position in the export of agricultural products and processed foods. The Government of India has recognised Allana as a Premier Trading House, the highest achievable export performance recognition in the country.”

“We hold the distinction of being the country’s leading exporter of green coffee for a number of years consecutively, with exports in the range of 24,000 to 30,000 tonnes per annum.”

According to Devaiah, Allana sources beans directly from coffee plantations, enjoying preferential status with many growers who offer the best of their harvest in view of reliable transactions and assured uptake.

“The lush green hills of South India provide the world with much more than scenic beauty. They are the home of India’s largest coffee plantations and situated in the hills of Baba Budan, Biligiri, Kodagu, Mysore, Nilgiris, Palani and Shevaroy. These plantations produce fine coffee grown under natural forest shade,” he says.

“We value our associations with buyers and growers which have been nurtured over a four decade period. Trust and confidence in Allana is

due to dedicated customer service, with instant round-the-clock response systems.”

Devaiah continues that the favourable climate, fertile soil, scientific cultivation – much of it organic – and stringent quality control, all contribute to producing the finest mild coffee in the world today — rich, smooth, and full of flavour.

“Over the years, we have gained expertise in dealing with all the major specialty coffees from India, including Monsooned Malabar AA and Monsooned Robusta AA,” he says.

“We have also developed two specialty coffees under our own brand name. Allana Mild Plantation AA and Royal Robusta Cherry AA. In addition, we are now offering our own exquisite signature coffees Arabica Monsooned Malabar AAA Screen 19/20 and Robusta Monsooned AAA Screen 19. We also provide buyers with customised special coffees to suit their needs.”

Devaiah looks forward to Allana remaining at the forefront of green bean coffee business in the Indian coffee market.

“Our strong network in sourcing the finest beans as well as our inhouse quality control differentiate and bring out the uniqueness in our coffee,” he says.

Devaiah says over the years coffee has become a mainstream consumer drink, especially amongst the vibrant young generation in India.

Keeping this in mind, Allana is also moving into downstream products.

“Our foray into the domestic coffee market is our commitment to provide one of the highest grades of coffee to our consumers. Being a veteran player in the industry, our extensive experience and expertise along with our world class infrastructure, we aim to create a superior and healthy domestic coffee market in India,” he says.

Devaiah says Allanasons is a trusted name, and the best bet for any requirements of quality coffee.

“We aim to grow through partnerships and maintain an uncompromising approach towards excellence which includes teaching an indomitable drive, a relentless determination and a persistent delivery standard in every aspect of the business,” he says. GCR

For more information, visit allana.com/coffee

Allanasons acquired its own coffee curing factory in 1992 in Hassan, Karnataka.

A telemetry solution

PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW

THE GLOBAL

atvia-based multi-service tool provider Vendon is determined to make the daily operations of coffee businesses easier with useful tools and solutions, provided by reliable telemetry data.

“In today’s competitive coffee market, staying ahead requires more than guesswork. Our goal is to provide advanced telemetry solutions and revolutionise the coffee-making process, empowering operators to create the perfect drink recipe of the best quality,” says Vendon CEO Kristians Vebers.

“With detailed reports and real-time data at their fingertips, users can make informed decisions, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive business growth.”

These objectives can be achieved through Vendon’s latest addition to its telemetry solutions, preventative maintenance. Vebers says this has been a long-awaited feature for the hotel, restaurant, and café (HoReCa) segment.

“Our team has developed this new solution with office and co-working space (OCS) operator’s most crucial need in mind – to have an easy and automated tool for coffee machine upkeep,” Vebers says.

“The new preventative maintenance solution takes care of all maintenance work monitoring and ensures automatic management of upcoming, planned, and completed repairs or upkeep of the coffee machines.”

Telemetry data is first collected from coffee machines and then integrated into the Vendon Cloud interface. This allows the user to schedule maintenance, either after a certain number of dispensed products, a particular time period, a certain level of water consumption, or a set amount of ingredient consumption.

“We have taken [this solution] a step further, as our tool not only monitors the machine’s maintenance but also forecasts the date of planned upkeep based on the chosen criteria. For example, upon choosing to carry out machine maintenance after a certain number of dispensed cups, the tool will automatically forecast the date when it will be due,” says Vebers.

He says without Vendon, the way water filters are maintained and replaced is based solely on how many days have passed since the installation date.

“This leaves room for error, as companies may change their filters too early or too late. With Vendon’s solution you can precisely know when to change the filter down to the last cup,” Vebers says.

“It is a helpful feature for OCS operators for planning machine upkeep works and maintaining the necessary stock of spare parts, avoiding unnecessary supply and therefore improving cash flow.”

Vebers says the key to increased revenue is that well-maintained equipment can sell products and operates more efficiently, consuming less energy and resources.

“With a centralised tool for scheduling and tracking maintenance works, the planning and allocating of resources is effortless while the operator stays informed about ongoing tasks and keeps accurate records of maintenance activities. It already saves money on costly repairs and minimises lost sales as there are no more unexpected breakdowns,” he says.

“By implementing proactive preventative maintenance, this ensures the coffee machines run flawlessly, establishing a positive reputation for the business.”

Vebers adds that proper calibration of machine parts, routine cleanliness, and sanitation also help maintain consistent coffee profiles for customers.

“They will acquire a fresh and tasty product, made in a hygienic environment, thus building loyalty to the product and increasing satisfaction. This also results in increased revenue thanks to clients who return for a delicious drink, and attracts new customers more easily,” he says.

Vendon’s Downtime Report is an additional

VENDON

OF

IOT, TELEMETRY, AND PAYMENT SOLUTIONS IT OFFERS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, AND HOW IT SUPPORTS PREMIUM COFFEE AND MACHINE OPERATORS.

Vendon telemetry helps ensure machine longevity and makes invoicing more convenient.

Kristians Vebers CEO, Vendon

monitoring and reporting tool that operators can use to quickly identify machines that require attention due to technical issues. Through this report, they can also receive a timely alert for a technical maintenance visit when sensors deviate from standard parameters.

“Without telemetry data, operators have next to no information about the machine’s technical status, until the next on-site visit or when getting a call from an unsatisfied customer. Plus, technicians have to bring a lot of unnecessary tools when visiting machines for repair, as they can’t know the exact problem beforehand,” Vebers says.

“Instead of receiving a call from the client, this feature allows operators to take proactive action in any problematic situation and resolve it immediately. Timely alerts about technical issues are delivered by email or the Vendon mobile app, which lets operators react quickly and more efficiently. Sometimes the problem can even be resolved remotely without visiting the machine, saving extra labour costs.”

Vebers says customers can even access reports that display lost sales due to downtime.

“Users must pay attention to issues that render the machine unable to perform and take action.

Always keeping the machines in working condition can help increase sales and maximise revenue,” he says.

Vendon also provides an employee loyalty platform and mobile payment app called QuickPik. With the app, Vebers says it is easy to create an adjustable bonus system for employees or customers, increasing their satisfaction by rewarding them with special discounts or free items.

“QuickPik can also be used to track how many products have been dispensed to each employee, helping to keep track of invoicing in workplaces where products are subsidised by the employer,” he says.

“One of our customers even identified trends of what their employees like to consume and when, allowing them to tailor their offering based on employee preferences. Another customer used this data to move the designated lunch break to a later time, as they learned that a lot of sandwiches were bought after 12pm as people preferred to eat later.”

When using QuickPik, Vebers says operators have ample options to offer adjusted benefits for diverse business models, adapting to particular needs and sales strategies.

“The dynamics of consumer behaviour are ever-changing, and coffee businesses must continue to monitor what’s appealing to customers to become a solid part of their daily routine. This can be achieved with rewards and bonuses in exchange for customer loyalty. QuickPik has almost limitless options to customise the discount or bonus system to a particular business,” says Vebers.

“Discounts or free products can be conveniently applied in closed-loop spaces where drinks are consumed daily by a particular group of people, be it office staff or visitors. It is possible to allocate basic products like black coffee or espresso for free, while still charging the full price for more expensive drinks with milk or syrups. This provides rewards to particular consumer groups, while still earning a profit on more expensive products.”

Vendon continues to work on improving existing telemetry products and solutions to add more features and functionalities that assist vending and coffee operators on a daily basis.

“At the moment, we are working on two-way communication with machines, as well as media file sending to provide an even larger range of options to operators,” Vebers says.

“We are constantly looking for options to add new features to our existing product range. We are also working on a traditional telemetry solution and are quite eager to release a new data visualisation feature in September this year.”

Vebers says the Vendon team highly evaluates feedback from customers when considering new upgrades to the existing solutions to make them as useful and convenient as possible.

“We are always finding ways to improve payment technology to provide the most convenient user experience, as well as top-level security,” he says. GCR

For more information, visit vendon.net

“BY IMPLEMENTING PROACTIVE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, THIS ENSURES THE COFFEE MACHINES RUN FLAWLESSLY, ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE REPUTATION FOR THE BUSINESS.”

Kristians Vebers is the CEO of Vendon.

Korean calling

HOLDING COMPANY NEUMANN GRUPPE EXPLAINS WHY NEUMANN KAFFEE GRUPPE IS EXPANDING IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION, AND HOW THE GROUP IS RESPONDING TO INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS AND CHALLENGES.

uben Scholz is a strong believer that the establishment of Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) Korea is an important next step in the group’s evolution. The Neumann Gruppe (NG) Chief Operating Officer says the new green bean trading company under the NKG Asia Hub will contribute to its overall growth ambition and increase its share of Arabica sales in the region.

“The Korean coffee market has experienced significant growth and transformation in recent years, becoming a vibrant and dynamic industry. Coffee consumption in Korea has been steadily increasing, with coffee becoming a popular beverage choice among consumers. The Korean coffee market has embraced the specialty coffee movement, characterised by a focus on high-quality beans, precise brewing techniques, and artisanal coffee experiences,” he says.

“We are convinced at NKG, that through our strong coffee origin setup, we will be able to add value to our clients in Korea from major roasters, wholesalers to small- to medium-sized roasters to respond to these trends.”

As its first Korean-based company, NKG Korea will be offering all types of coffees from commercial mainstream to specialty qualities.

“The Korean coffee market is relatively well-balanced, consuming a good mixture of Arabica and Robusta coffees with an interesting split of commercial and specialty coffees, while the most recent trends are heading towards consuming premium coffees. We expect to have a wide range of origins available following the main imported origins such as Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam and Ethiopia to highend specialty, single estates from Central America or East African origins,” says Scholz.

“In our procurement, we will focus on our NKG exporters network and market their respective qualities and brands to our clientele in Korea.”

The new NKG office is located in the Mapo-gu district in the western part of Seoul with easy access to both the Incheon and Gimpo airports. Scholz says the location in the industrial and younger generation area is close to some of the company’s main, and potential new customers.

“Korea is a very exciting market because of the continuous growth in consumption and diverse landscape of customers, who expect proactive communication and innovation. NKG Korea is a local business with a focus on client communication, importing, and the distribution of coffee. In order to deliver these services, we established a team of professionals who are from the community and have a great understanding of the culture. With this setup we can respond to all types of clients who ask for full container loads

NG COO Ruben Scholz (left) and NKG Korea COO Changsu Woo at the Seoul International Café Show 2022.

to one-kilogram green coffee online shopping,” Scholz says.

NKG is working with local warehouse partners and other service providers to distribute coffee country-wide in the near future.

“Currently, we are in a stage where we can deliver coffee in original bags, by pallets, or a whole container load. At a later stage, we will consider entering the online distribution of smaller sized packaging to respond to even the smallest size of customers,” Scholz says.

As a growing global network, Scholz states NKG is committed to continue playing a leading role in global coffee supply chains. He is eager to apply his knowledge of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) coffee markets to further support the company’s growth in his new role as COO.

“The transition [into my new role] has been smooth in terms of coming back to my hometown and our headquarters in Hamburg, Germany after three years in Singapore,” says Scholz.

Scholz has worked for NKG for more than 25 years. He has operated as Co-CEO of Bernhard Rothfos and Managing Director of Bero Coffee Singapore, both NKG brands, and played a leading role in developing the Asia and Oceania region for NKG.

He has joined the Board of Management of NG as Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for the global business operations of NKG. With a wealth of experience under his belt, Scholz declares he is ready to put his in-depth knowledge to the test.

“In my previous roles within NKG the focus was directed towards Latin America and Europe. Therefore, my time at Bero Coffee Singapore complemented my coffee knowledge on two of the main Robusta producing origins, Vietnam and Indonesia, and it allowed me to learn more about the growing potential of APAC consumer markets,” Scholz says. “My time in Singapore also complemented my understanding of leadership and work attitude in a different cultural context.”

Scholz was able to deepen his knowledge of the Asian coffee markets and came to understand the vast potential that the region had to offer the global coffee industry.

“My main takeaway is that there is no one Asian coffee market. It is an aggregation of many individual consumer markets with completely different levels of consumption behaviour, distribution channels, and consumer sophistication. To manage this diversification in a growth strategy is a great challenge but makes

our business much more interesting and rewarding when you achieve a milestone like this,” Scholz states.

“We have a very strong setup of companies in Southeast Asia, with NKG Vietnam, Berindo Jaya in Indonesia and Bero Singapore under one commercial roof that we call the NKG Asia Hub. When I worked as Managing Director of Bero Coffee Singapore in 2020, we developed a three-year strategic growth plan and vision for NKG in the region, which included the incorporation of the company in Korea.”

Scholz says the challenging part in managing his new role is the pure amount and importance of topics the NKG is currently dealing with.

Some of those matters include strategic planning, operations management, and performance monitoring. Scholz also oversees departments that address changes in the global coffee industry, such as climate change and providing smallholder farmers with the services and resources they need to continue to make a living from coffee.

“We have developed our NKG Responsible Business Program, which defines strategic objectives for our work, building a robust framework for our group’s sustainability efforts.

The consideration of social, environmental, and economic needs is an integral part of our business model and contributes to our long-term success,” Scholz says.

“To positively impact smallholder coffee farmers’ livelihoods, we have created NKG Bloom. This initiative focuses on safeguarding the future of green coffee supplies by ensuring that coffee farming is a financially viable business that can provide economic security to families. We are currently active in Uganda, Honduras, Kenya, and Mexico and already work with more than 81,000 smallholder farmers, some through farmer organisations.”

Another initiative the company has launched to support the coffee industry is NKG Verified, which intends to provide traceable coffees produced on farms that comply with specific social, environmental, and economic criteria.

“As of December 2022, NKG Verified has reached 12,958 farmers in Mexico, India, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Brazil. We are currently working on further supply chains,” adds Scholz.

Scholz says NKG’s global network of 60 companies in 27 countries and more than 3200 highly skilled employees makes the green coffee service group particularly strong and flexible in responding to changes.

“While we operate globally, we have our own teams on the ground in most important exporting and importing markets, which gives us a local view of developments, and enables us to respond to challenges on short notice,” he says.

The green bean trader is focused on helping produce high-quality coffee.

A new chapter

UNIC DISCUSSES ITS SYNERGY WITH ELECTROLUX  PROFESSIONAL AND WHY IT IS DETERMINED TO BECOME THE BEST-IN-CLASS FOR BOTH TRADITIONAL AND FULLY AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINES UNDER THE ONE BRAND.

hen guests visit the Unic stand at HostMilano in October, one of the largest Hospitality, Restaurant and Catering (HoReCa) exhibitions in the world, they will witness a new look and feel to the 100-year-old brand. They will embrace the heritage of the French-based espresso machine manufacturer, and get a glimpse into the future possibilities of the company under the direction of Electrolux Professional.

“Host is a very international exhibition which will be an opportunity for us to expose and show the entire business community that Unic has turned a new page in its history,” says Philippe Zavattiero, President Business Area Food Preparation and Beverage – Electrolux Professional.

“It will be the first Host exhibition since the global pandemic. We do believe it will be a fantastic edition with lots of activities and people looking for partners to do international business with.”

To fully appreciate Unic’s new chapter, visitors to Host Milano can expect to see a very active booth that displays Unic’s Tango XP and other traditional machine lines, and workshops to demonstrate their ease of service and repair.

“Visitors can participate in workshops to see how quick it is to change the electronic dashboard or access the brewing group and grinder inside the machine. We will have a workshop pulling back-to-back espresso shots from automatic and traditional machines, and have guests taste the same coffee from both machines,” says Zavattiero.

“I think we will see some very surprised faces and good reactions about the cup-quality from our fully automatic machines. After tasting our coffee I believe we will convert some people from traditional machine users to fully automatic ones.”

Visitors can even use visual reality goggles to immerse themselves into the magic of manufacturing with a virtual factory tour.

“We are not an artisanal company, but we continue to have home-made products made by people and not made by robots. It means we have

Philippe Zavattiero is President BA

Food Prep & Beverage –Electrolux Professional.

The Tango XP Duo produces up to 440 espresso cups per hour via the two independent pistons.

The Tango XP series features a 10-inch interface for users to set default beverages and change parameters.

a direct interaction between people and product,” Zavattiero says.

“We also want to clearly demonstrate that Unic has a strong heritage, which we want to preserve, and we want to continue to build its future based on the foundations of product, technology, and cup-quality. It’s time to write a new page, a new chapter in Unic’s 100-year-story, and expand our business with strong partnerships.”

Those partnerships are set to strengthen under the guidance of Unic’s parent company, Electrolux Professional. Until 2019, Electrolux Professional was part of Electrolux home appliances. In 2019, the company’s shareholders decided to spin-off Electrolux Professional in order to accelerate its growth.

“It was a significant step within Electrolux Professional’s history to develop a completely independent company,” says Zavattiero.

Electrolux Professional is organised by business areas, including food and laundry, one of the most significant and historical foundations of the company, and more recently, the beverage sector.

The strategy of Electrolux is to provide a full system of equipment for hospitality business through various acquisitions. This first occurred through United States-based company Grindmaster Cecilware, a strong player in the cold beverage dispensing market, which Electrolux Professional acquired in 2016. The second, was Italian manufacturer SPM Drinks Systems in 2018, focusing on frozen beverage and icecream dispensing. The third, was the acquisition of French espresso machine manufacturer Unic in 2019.

“We bought Unic for two main reasons: we were looking for a strong company with long heritage that performed well with a large product portfolio, and a company with which we can create synergies,” Zavattiero says.

He says Electrolux Professional recognised the position of Unic in the specialty coffee segment, and approached the acquisition with full support of the Unic’s development.

“We didn’t want to change the brand. It is clearly an asset of the company. We identified that Unic represents high quality in terms of technology and the coffee it produced. But, it was a little old fashioned in terms of design, and not very active nor dynamic from a marketing point of view. This was not a problem for us, because it is the strength of Electrolux. Unic was the perfect match we were looking for.”

Using the expertise and support of Electrolux

Professional, Unic’s logo underwent a refresh, as did the design of its machines, starting with the Tango XP series of fully automatic coffee machines: the Tango XP Duo, Tango XP Solo, and Compact models. Zavattiero says the new Tango XP product line is a clear example of the innovation possible thanks to a passionate team.

“In terms of the speed and trends of the market, we do believe that fully automatic coffee machines are the future,” Zavattiero says.

He adds that Unic is equally determined to continue a strong presence in the traditional machine category. As a result, a design refresh has been undertaken on Unic’s Traditional Classic line, of which a prototype will be unveiled at HostMilano.

“There are many strong companies offering only fully automatic coffee machines, but we want to be different. The key is to have your own personality and be different to your competitor,” Zavattiero says. “We want to become the company offering the best in-class for both traditional and fully automatic coffee machines under the one brand. We do believe the quality of the product we have today, and those we offer customers tomorrow, will be best-in-class in terms of service ability, connectivity, and in-cup quality, which is clearly what people are looking for.”

In both cases of redesign, Zavattiero says the Unic team has worked hard to achieve a “family feeling” with design similarities.

“We are not in competition between these categories. We have the possibility to offer the two best options for whatever the customer is looking for. Regardless of their choice, they want a good quality coffee which we can deliver,” Zavattiero says.

Part of that delivery includes accelerating Unic’s market reach beyond Europe, where it is recognised as a specialist of coffee, and into the Asia Pacific and North America where it can leverage Electrolux Professional’s position as an international business.

“Through Electrolux Professional, we will be able to target large chain accounts and larger hotel chains. We do believe that customers who are already Electrolux customers in the food sector, will also become Electrolux customers for beverage and coffee,” Zavattiero says.

After 25 years working with Electrolux Professional in its electronics division, Zavattiero is excited about the company’s next phase, and the passion his staff have for the global coffee industry.

“The beverage market is very challenging with lots of competitors, and it’s moving faster and faster. We believe there is a lot of good opportunity we can capture, but we have to be fast because our competitors are not sleeping. If we want to convert customers to our technology, and to attract them to Unic, we also have to be better, and we will,” he says. GCR

For more information, visit www.unic-espresso.com/en/

Stella Epic, Unic’s flagship multi-boiler machine, will be on stage at HostMilano.

The full package

CAMA GROUP DISCUSSES RECENT TRENDS IN THE COFFEE PACKAGING INDUSTRY, AND WHY ALL-IN-ONE UNITS ARE NEEDED MORE THAN EVER.

emands and expectations for the packaging of coffee are constantly evolving. For packaging machinery manufacturer Cama Group, this is nothing new.

Cama Group Key Account Coffee Industry Manager Renato Dell’Oro says surveying the coffee industry for new preferences in the packaging stage of production is part of the job.

“There are trends on the market that we have to be compatible with,” Dell’Oro says. “Flexibility is a priority for our customers because the market is forever changing. Often, they have alternate targets so they need different configurations or counts in the boxes.”

Dell’Oro says more customers are factoring in environmental concerns when planning their coffee packaging.

“Nowadays, one of the major trends is material reduction,” he says. “Carbon reduction is important, and all parts of the supply chain can give their contribution to this.”

Cama helps minimise carbon emissions by using efficient motors and reducing the usage of compressed air and adopting the latest pneumatic components. For coffee capsules in particular, Dell’Oro says a return to original materials in the packaging world has become more common in recent years.

“There is a comeback [in market preference] towards using aluminium because it is a more environmentally-friendly option,” he says. “For us, this is good because we are aluminium experts.”

Cama Group is beginning to experiment with how its flagship capsule packaging monoblock IF 318 machine can cooperate with more sustainable materials.

“Many customers are moving towards using recycled or thinner cartons, so we have to find a compromise between carton quality and machine operations in order to keep up with efficiency,” says Dell’Oro.

The IF 318, used in all the industries Cama Group serves, is a representation of how the company has evolved over time to adjust to market demands while staying true to its successful heritage.

“Our history in handling aluminium capsules at high speed dates back to first projects with Nespresso where we started in capsules,” says

Cama Group Key Account Coffee Industry Manager Renato Dell’Oro stands beside the IF 318 robotised monoblock top loading unit.

Dell’Oro. “When we approached other projects with Nespresso compatibles in plastic and biobased materials, we simply adopted the same [packaging] technology we had before, giving extra care and setting a new level in produce handling.”

Dell’Oro says the voices of clients were at the forefront of Cama Group’s team’s minds when designing the IF 318.

“The IF 318 machine is absolutely an answer to customer needs. Its development was driven by the market and by our clients,” he says.

“In the beginning, the first machines were side loading machines, and then with the evolution of the market and new packaging styles were required, we had to switch to a top loading solution which is more flexible. It’s not that top loading is new and side loading is old, but top loading is just more versatile.

“It is a solution where we combine a box forming machine, robotic product loading, dispensers, and a box closing all in one machine. It has multiple purposes in terms of loading patterns of the capsules.”

In saying this, Dell’Oro says side loading was and is, the most effective solution to handle and pack capsules in carton tubes in high-speed packaging lines.

“It is good to work with side loading capsules,” he says. “It is faster and very effective, but it is not as flexible as when you can use robots to pick up the capsules [and place them into the right configuration].

“Eighty per cent of our projects involve top loading because it allows for higher flexibility, however nowadays we have a good number of enquires on side loading because of the impact

of Nespresso compatibles.”

In response to constant customer changes and to provide an alternate to traditional side-loading technology, Cama Group has also proposed its All-in-One machine, an evolution of its monoblock model, specifically for the coffee industry to pack all possible formats from nested capsules to those with carton interleaves or separators.

“The new All-in-One machine can make a tube or any kind of configuration so that the customer is not obliged to buy two different machines,” Dell’Oro says.

Dell’Oro says the All-in-One gives users the chance to use the same machine to load the capsules into multiple formats.

Regardless of the machine preference, Dell’Oro says Cama Group has an option to suit all customer needs and uses its market expertise to guide them into the best possible outcome.

“Based on our experience, we show different box configurations in order to work with [the client’s] marketing department, and together with our packaging department, we can define what is the best way to move forward,” he says.

Usability is one of the key drivers behind the machine’s engineering stage. Dell’Oro says Cama Group strives to make its machines easy to use for anyone in the coffee industry, regardless of professional background.

“A good machine is a machine that protects itself from human mistakes. One of the more common requests is ‘easy-to-use machines’ because customers may invest lots of money on our machines to have engineers use it, but we need to accommodate anyone who may need to access it,” Dell’Oro says.

He adds that tutorial videos have become a recent priority for Cama Group to further aid the customers’ operational knowledge of the equipment and help visualise how the machine works before beginning any operations.

“Simulation is important to us, both in the engineering phase and with the final product,” Dell’Oro says.

Just as Cama Group has evolved its IF 318 robotised monoblock top loading unit and released its Allin-One machine, Dell’Oro says the company will continue to innovate and grow by investing in new machines and constantly upgrading older designs.

“Every year, Cama Group invests 5 per cent of its turnover into research and development, which leads to more machine upgrades that will allow the company to work better with different materials,” he says.

Through this, Cama is investing in a new research and development building which is three times larger than its current department, while also committing to hiring new staff.

“This is possible because we are a solid company that can benefit from economic cycles, growing fast when the market is pushing, and getting ready for the new step by investing in infrastructure when the market slows down,” Dell’Oro says. GCR

For more information, visit camagroup.com

The IF 318 is a box forming machine, capsule top loader, dispenser, and a box closing all-in-one.

Cappac chronicles

IN PURSUIT OF EXPLORATION AND DIVERSIFICATION, DUTCH MANUFACTURER CAPPAC HAS ZEROED IN ON A WINNING FORMULA THAT’S SEEN EPIC GROWTH OF ITS NESPRESSO-COMPATIBLE CAPSULES.

Soon after, Rouweler says several Dutch retailers replaced their plastic capsules with Cappac’s recyclable aluminium capsules.

The inception of a factory wasn’t originally intended, but it became essential to catering to Cappac’s burgeoning customer base. Cappac procured its first high-speed capsule filling machine in July 2020. By August, it had secured its own factory space, which was fully operational within a month. By October, the production line was fully established, and Cappac commenced test production for its own brand, Epic Coffee.

The name, Epic Coffee, was conceived thanks to Rouweler’s two sons. One suggested “Epic”. The other added “Coffee”. Rouweler says Epic Coffee gained global recognition under the guidance of its coffee experts, and is now available as a stock brand at private label prices.

He says a profound understanding of unique degassing times for each coffee blend have contributed to Cappac’s success.

“Our ultimate goal is to find the unique optimal time to grind a particular coffee blend to preserve all its aroma, and create the most beautiful crema that’s 100 per cent airtight sealed to secure the perfect foil dome,” Rouweler says.

y definition, Cappac is still relatively a newcomer to the market having launched in 2020, however it has swiftly established itself as a private label and co-packing specialist of aluminium, Nespresso-compatible capsules.

Founder and CEO Carel Rouweler has led Cappac’s journey into the coffee world thanks to his strong background in sales.

“I come from the world of large international retail, having served importers and manufacturers dealing in fast-moving consumer goods,” he says.

The next step for this emerging enterprise was to secure specialised personnel who are well-versed in the intricacies of Nespresso-compatible aluminium capsules, and the coffee market. Rigorous experimentation with various capsule materials came next, but it was aluminium that emerged as the victorious choice for private label production.

“The transition of Nespresso capsules from plastic to aluminium was catalysed by Starbucks granting perpetual rights to Nestlé to market Starbucks Nespresso Capsules,” Rouweler says.

“At that moment, when I informed a German retailer about our aluminium capsule for the private label industry, their immediate query was how soon we could deliver the product. This confirmed our trajectory.”

From its initial production run, Rouweler says the quality of the product was satisfactory, however, customer demands necessitated a robust response.

“Our initial plan was to acquire a single production line, possibly adding another within the first six months,” Rouweler notes. “We ended up with four.”

Cappac was able to overcome a challenging volume requirement with a very small team, and although its growth posed some initial challenges, Rouweler says it fuelled Cappac’s expansion, which was vital for attracting international retailers. The company’s capsule manufacturing services, initially limited to the Dutch market, then extended to roasters in Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Rouweler says experienced professionals were

The Cappac factory is located in Boxtel, the Netherlands.

drawn to Cappac due to its specialisation approach.

“Despite 25 years at their previous employer, they joined Cappac to be part of a transformative capsule industry journey. They found inspiration in entrepreneurship and sought to contribute,” he says.

Although compostable capsules are gaining traction, particularly as assortment add-ons, Rouweler says Cappac remains firmly committed to aluminium products. The company actively engages in recycling efforts, such as one in collaboration with Blokker, a customer of the company. Last year, it reclaimed and recycled more than 40 million capsules alone.

Aligned with the national advocate of Dutch coffee companies, Koffie & Thee Nederland, Cappac and fellow capsule manufacturers strive to elevate the recycling of aluminium Nespressocompatible capsules. In the near future, Rouweler says every aluminium capsule placed in a regular garbage bin in the Netherlands should be recovered and recycled.

“We like to call this true sustainability,” Rouweler says.

legacy that continues to pay off,” he says.

Rouweler adds that the vibrant culture that has developed at Cappac since its inception has become a point of pride.

“A positive energy pervades the company, creating an engaging atmosphere that resonates with our valued customers,” he says.

The company’s factory is located in Boxtel, a remote municipality in the Netherlands, strategically positioned near borders with European access points through nearby Eindhoven Airport. Rouweler

Founder and CEO Carel Rouweler (right) participates in a coffee cupping session with Master Roaster Elderick Vegter.

Cappac’s staff has grown considerably since starting with three employees in 2020.

A complete capsule approach

MODERN PROCESS EQUIPMENT CORPORATION PRESIDENT DANIEL

EPHRAIM AND DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT SCOTT WILL EXPLAIN

MPE’S COMPLETE PLANT SYSTEMS FOR CAPSULE MANUFACTURING.

ince 1957, Modern Process Equipment (MPE) has been dedicated to leading in the invention, development, and manufacturing of the global coffee industry’s most advanced processing equipment, including offerings into value for customers through its professional solutions and services.

“Our holistic approach is based on a customer-focused system in that we’re constantly innovating so we can produce the most modern solutions for our customers,” Ephraim says.

“We’re committed to creating a workplace where people are inspired to be the best that they can be both professionally and personally. We don’t believe in being number two in anything.”

MPE Director of Business Development Scott Will says the Chicago-based company is an industry pioneer in single-serve grinding equipment, degassing silo technology, and tubular drag conveyance thanks to its Chain-Vey equipment.

“These three core products compose an unmatched complete capsule coffee grinding system from the point of leaving the roaster to the endpoint of reaching the capsule filling machines,” Will says.

MPE’s innovations in single-serve coffee capsule production for preserving aroma and flavour are available to coffee capsule producers around the globe. Ephraim says MPE’s degassing silo technology employs a patented system inside a silo to solve two of the biggest problems facing coffee capsule production.

“First, no longer will off-gassing require waiting for such a slow process to happen. Instead, this technology promotes the release of carbon dioxide from the bean structure, speeding up the process significantly,” he says.

“Secondly, the degassing technology prevents oxygen from coming into contact with your coffee; therefore, inhibiting staling and making for a fresher capsule. The result is an improvement that your end-user can really taste.”

To further retain coffee aroma and improve extraction, Will says coffee grinding is a crucial step in coffee processing, and when done properly, can optimise the brewed coffee quality.

“As the leading grinding equipment manufacturer, it’s our job to lead the industry in the research and development of grinding technology. We build the most sophisticated and reliable coffee grinding equipment for every application,” he says.

“We’ve offered single-serve grinders since the inception of the capsule industry, with continual improvements to particle size reduction, programmability, densification, aroma preservation, and cooling technology.”

MPE’s Chain-Vey tubular drag conveyor is designed for the superior transport of coffee products. Chain-Vey gently and efficiently conveys whole bean roasted, ground and green coffee with minimal product breakage or degradation.

“Its flexible design and compact footprint will fit virtually any configuration. You can be sure your coffee product maintains its aromatics and is protected from the surrounding environment with Chain-Vey’s dust-tight, enclosed design. Chain-Vey is one of the most popular coffee bean conveyors in the world for roasters big and small with installations on all major continents,” Will says.

“Once you’ve ground the coffee well, and degassed well, the conveyor preserves the coffee by preventing exposure to oxygen, retaining aroma and volatiles inside a sealed system, without any declassification during transport.”

In 2019, Belgium-based Beyers Koffie presented MPE with a task: to package its larger-grinder performance into a much smaller size to fit the roaster’s needs.

“We developed the Mini.Max and Super. Max series grinders to deliver the exact same performance of our larger machines in a more compact solution,” Will says.

“The goals were clear. The first was to guarantee Beyers Koffie that the performance was great.

The Super.Max performs at an ideal grinding rate of up to 220 kilograms per hour.

We needed to ensure the same uniform grind profile, density control, and a consistent product, with the same brew times hour after hour. The second was offering a capacity between the range of 150- and 220-kilograms an hour. The third and final goal was to make it affordable and easy to use.”

The Mini.Max performs at an ideal grinding rate of up to 150 kilograms per hour, while the Super.Max has an ideal grinding rate of up to 220 kilograms per hour.

“The 2-high Model 600 Mini.Max was one of the world’s first ‘in place’ roller mills for capsule and pod manufacturing, which could deliver roller grinder perfection while sitting on top of the packaging equipment. We then introduced the 3-high version, as well as the new Super.Max Series grinders, which are larger capacity versions of the Mini.Max Series,” says Will.

Together, the Model 600 Mini.Max and Super.Max Series grinders are specifically designed for use with single-serve coffee packaging machines. These all-in-one grinders produce the optimal grinds for K-Cup, Nespresso-compatible capsules, espresso, and any other grind required for singleserve capsule packaging.

“The quality grind that was previously only achieved with a large roller-style grinder can be

installed, economically, in tandem with a capsule filling machine. It is no longer necessary to compromise by using a disc-style grinder,” says Ephraim.

“The equipment has grind and density control and different parameters depending on the single-serve medium, be it compostable, plastic, or aluminium. This allows for higher extraction strength and greater consistency in quality.”

Will says MPE strives to be the company customers go to for all their grinding needs.

“We have the largest portfolio offering of industrial coffee grinders, which is an advantage for both us and the customer because we can tailor fit to the customer’s needs, exactly, not stretch our equipment to their requirements,” he says.

“We wanted to provide the customer with a custom solution based around their needs. That is one way working with MPE is different, as we don’t force the customers into a one-size-fits-all system. We have both the engineering and manufacturing capabilities at MPE to deliver what the customer wants.”

Ephraim says MPE’s close relationships and interaction with its customers have provided the manufacturer with a treasure chest of ideas over the years.

“That includes the motivation for MPE to expand many years ago into designing and installing processing systems, a complete solution to take coffee beans from the dock, to silos, to cleaners, to roasters, and then to the grinder,” he says.

“We believe that our company has attained a stellar reputation for designing and manufacturing high quality products for the coffee industry because we are engineering centric. Nearly all of our staff have engineering degrees, from our salespeople to our engineers, factory workers to management staff.”

To Ephraim, the integrity of MPE has always been of paramount importance.

“Integrity is not something you build in a day. It is something you can lose pretty quickly if you’re not careful,” Ephraim says.

“We strive to maintain our culture and practices and make sure that we keep up the integrity of the business for our customers – perhaps that’s part of the secret sauce of why our customers feel comfortable working together with us on projects to help make their lives easier.” GCR

For more information, visit www.mpechicago.com

MPE’s tandem system design provides a holistic capsule packaging approach.

Filled with innovation

IMA COFFEE DETAILS HOW IT PROVIDES FILLING AND SEALING

MA Coffee strives to answer the needs of the global coffee industry and engineer quality solutions to enhance the performance of its customers. To meet the needs of a rapidly evolving market, IMA Coffee’s Packaging Division covers all aspects of the packaging process, from consultancy and design to production planning and turnkey solutions, providing equipment for dosing, filling, sealing, and cartoning. At the core of IMA Coffee’s offerings is the single-serve capsule filling equipment  that can respond to market demands with high, medium, and low-speed capsule packaging solutions.

“Thanks to a high degree of automation and flexibility, every filler from the IMA Coffee portfolio can handle all types of capsules, whatever material they are made of, be it compostable materials, aluminium, or plastic,” says Giacomo Spreafico, Sales Director of IMA Coffee, Packaging Division.

Spreafico says coffee capsules are complex structures where the capsule body, lidding, and filter must be precisely designed to deliver a consistently high-quality experience. He says before the capsules even reach final consumers, it’s key that these components perform well during assembly and filling, during brewing, and on the shelf.

“Nowadays, some companies are investing in sustainable packaging techniques to offset the environmental effect of traditional plastic packaging on the planet,” he says. “Demand for compostable coffee capsules is expected to grow as customers become more health conscious and aware of negative environmental repercussions.”

Spreafico adds that companies frequently adopt aluminium material that follows a recyclability stream, combining the criteria of sustainability and reuse, and says its a “hot topic” in these times of updating packaging waste legislation.

“Some capsule manufacturers are also developing paper capsules that could represent an additional

material alternative for the market,” he says.

IMA Coffee has strengthened its commitment to reduce the environmental impact along the coffee production chain in collaboration with OpenLab, IMA Group’s network of technological laboratories and testing areas dedicated to research on sustainable materials, technologies and production optimisation processes. This environmental commitment applies through adapting filling and sealing technology to the new packaging materials and testing alternative processes to preserve the resources, and minimise the packaging waste.

“OpenLab analyses new sustainable and innovative materials such as compostable, paper-based or ultra-thin film, before they are commercially available, developing projects to respond to customer needs and studying alternative processes and material specifications,” Spreafico says.

IMA Coffee, thanks to the IMA OpenLab,

TECHNOLOGIES FOR EVERY TYPE OF CAPSULE, AND HOW IMA GROUP’S NETWORK OF TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORIES CAN BE A VALUABLE SUPPORT.

IMA OpenLab aims to improve knowledge and skills coming from machines, packaging, and customers.

partnered with NatureWorks, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of low-carbon Ingeo PLA biopolymers, to accelerate the market for K-Cup compatible compostable single-serve coffee pods in North America.

“By bringing together NatureWorks’ material and application knowledge with IMA Coffee’s machinery expertise, the partnership aims to deliver a turn-key compostable coffee pod solution to the global coffee industry. This will make it simple to have a great cup of coffee and dispose of the used pod in the most sustainable way possible,” Spreafico says.

IMA Coffee’s research and development team carried out tests and used dedicated tools to simulate filter and top lid film sealing phases, and adjust parameters concurring to testing results. According to IMA Coffee, the microleakage detection testing performed at OpenLab gave encouraging results, allowing a significant step towards the coffee extraction testing phase.

“The focus on sustainable K-Cups is increasingly high in the North American market. We have sold several complete packaging lines for K-cups over the years to the biggest North American coffee producers and, thanks to IMA Coffee’s North American branch that provides excellent customer service and specialised technicians, we are ready to respond to the evolving needs of North American, which is now more receptive than ever to sustainability and innovation,” Spreafico says.

IMA Group’s OpenLab also supported the development of a paper based outer envelope for filter paper pods.

“Since 2021, IMA has followed and supported a coffee producer in Italy’s project based on the conversion of IMA Coffee’s CA3 machine to ensure the best sealing of the filter paper pod wrapping material, perfecting the sealing technology with the aim of creating a product that is completely recyclable after its separate collection as paper,” says Spreafico.

IMA OpenLab aims to build a connection between knowledge and skills from machines, packaging manufacturing, and customers.

“This is accomplished by the implementation of modern digital infrastructures, think tank spaces, environments dedicated to the generation of ideas, and the prototyping of materials. OpenLab staff are dedicated to support proofs and tests, helping customers to try new materials and test the productivity directly on the machines,” says Spreafico.

“Compatibility testing on capsules, filter, and top lid films are performed at the IMA OpenLab with the aim to identify and achieve optimum material sealing parameters and limits, as well as a suitable set up of IMA packaging machineries to handle the capsules successfully.”

This scientific approach is evident in the capsule transfer system applied to SYNKRO. This latest generation machine for coffee capsule filling and sealing combines high productivity with an efficient sealing process, especially for compostable material.

“Thanks to its innovative capsule transfer system based on the use of independent magnetic shuttles, SYNKRO guarantees high flexibility, allowing different dwell times at each operating station. This ensures that even compostable materials requiring longer sealing times can be optimally sealed without reducing the speed per cycle,” says Spreafico.

“That’s a unique solution on the market, especially in the case of compostable material. It improves shelf life of product without compromising its quality and at comparable speed with respect to standard materials.

“At HostMilano, we will be officially presenting our latest projects developed at IMA OpenLab, along with our low-medium speed filling technologies for compostable materials.”

Apart from the IMA OpenLab, Spreafico says what makes IMA Coffee different from other packaging machine manufacturers is its complementary side, IMA Petroncini.

“IMA Petroncini has more than 100 years’ experience in coffee processing. Thanks to IMA Coffee’s dualism, process and packaging travel on the same track, this results in being able to offer the customer a complete plant solution, as well as an in-depth knowledge of coffee, from the green bean to the ground powder inside the package,” he says.

“The dualism that characterises IMA Coffee converges in the IMA Coffee Lab, a coffee laboratory installed at IMA Petroncini production site in Italy covering all processing stages, from green coffee receiving and cleaning to roasting and grinding up to capsule packaging.”

Spreafico says IMA Coffee Lab technicians and consultants are always ready to find the ideal processing and packaging solutions to achieve the desired quality and taste.

“We can develop a tailor-made coffee plant examining all aspects on site at the Coffee Lab. [We] study the maximum production efficiency for the customer by carrying out trials and getting immediate answers, thus evaluating the processing stages and final coffee quality prior to commissioning the plant,” he says.

“We view each and every project as an opportunity to turn every part of the process into an advantage for coffee businesses.” GCR

For more information, visit ima.it/coffee

Every filler from the IMA Coffee portfolio can handle all types of capsule materials.

All in one

RYCHIGER EXPLAINS HOW ITS MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS OFFER A COMPLETE LINE OF COFFEE CAPSULE PRODUCTION.

wiss packaging machine manufacturer Rychiger is a company that has made its global mark through innovation and evolution. From the moment Founder Rudolf Rychiger opened a small repair shop in the backyard of his apartment block in 1918, to the development of packaging machines in the 1950s, and coffee capsule processing machines in the 1970s, Rychiger has been committed to industry service.

The next phase of this commitment has been a devotion to upholding the latest packaging and sealing technology available for the single-serve market.

While Rychiger’s filling and sealing capsule machines are developed and manufactured in Switzerland, its secondary packaging engineering and development is conducted in Canada, after the company acquired packaging machine manufacturer Nuspark in September 2019, now known as Rychiger Canada.

Rychiger Canada started manufacturing packaging machines for the food and drink market, including coffee, years before the acquisition.

Rychiger Product Manager Phillippe Lehmann says the acquisition of the packaging machine manufacturer was vital for the company.

“Rychiger mainly does primary packaging, but in the last year we had more and more requests for turn-key solutions out of one hand,” he says. “With the acquisition of Nuspark, we enlarged the portfolio to fulfil market needs.”

Lehmann says the opportunity to acquire Nuspark has also helped enlarge Rychiger’s footprint in the North American market for other branches.

Thanks to the new acquisition, Rychiger now offers customers single-serve capsule machinery in one complete production line, including filling and sealing, cartoning, case packing, and palletising.

In Switzerland, a variety of primary packaging capsule machines are manufactured, starting with a low output machine of 120 capsules per minute, and others reaching 2000 capsules per minute. The most popular model is the FS 190, a compact machine that can produce up to 400 capsule per minute on a footprint of four square metres.

Regardless of the choice of the primary packaging machine, the secondary packing machines manufactured in Canada effectively work in tandem. This includes the cartoning, case packing, and palletising before the boxes are glued.

“The line is aligned so that the two stages don’t have different levels of production and output,” Lehmann says.

He says that while the two sides of the coffee capsule manufacturing process are constructed independently, they both come together to form a complete union that assists customers regardless of output expectations.

of Rychiger,” Lehmann says. “No matter if they’re in Europe or the States, they have someone close to the market to guide them and help with problem solving.

“One of the biggest benefits is you have one single point of contact for your turn-key solution.”

Rychiger Canada Head of Sales Alex Bialler adds that the two branches have been effective in the collaboration, embracing knowledge and experience from both sides of the production line when talking to prospective customers.

“We have a really good synergy working together with the Swiss team when we service a particular customer,” says Bialler.

This process includes having the two sides of capsule production and packaging present side-byside in Rychiger’s Switzerland factory so customers can see both the filling and sealing equipment in combination with packaging at the factory.

The coffee capsules are filled in Switzerland before being shipped to Canada for packaging.

This allows for thorough testing and debugging of equipment, ensuring the customer receives a more refined and optimised product.

With this, Bialler says the full picture can be analysed from a customer’s perspective. This way, they can envision how the two types of machines will work once installed in their respective facilities, and from a communication, product conveyance, and buffering point of view.

“When a request from a customer comes in, [the Swiss and Canadian branches] collaborate on how our machines interact and how it works with the requirements of the client in terms of the rate and format that they’re looking to run,” Bialler says.

He says having the entire production system under the one umbrella has a number of benefits for the buyer.

“Having standardised equipment across the line in your facility brings quality service,” he says. “You only need one technical operation from the one brand looking over the entire production line.”

Bialler says the flexibility of the line combined with the shared construction means clients don’t have to deal with too many extra staff.

“Your technicians will only need to be trained on the one system given that the line shares a lot of components [between stages of production],” he says.

“Our machines are adaptable. We work with a lot of converters and material suppliers, as well as our customers to create smaller and more efficient packaging when needed.”

One of the more common pieces of feedback Rychiger receives is customers wanting to become more sustainable in their operations. Bialler says the manufacturer is more committed to environmental concerns than ever.

“The market [for single-serve capsules] has been pretty consistent, but we see quite a bit of change as customers push to use less materials,” he says.

“With the secondary packaging market, we really look at efficiency when it comes to the use of materials. There is a huge drive to be more sustainable, and to use more sustainable materials.

“Right now, aluminium is the best option. We are starting to see some paper based materials made, but that has not yet been brought to mass market.”

Bialler says the priority is to use as little material as possible, regardless of whether it’s aluminium, plastic, or cardboard, to reduce waste at the end of production.

Rychiger also applies energy-saving methods of operation to its machines and considers the way it discards certain materials. The company is also experimenting with new materials to minimise waste and have a more compact final product.

“We’re trying to decrease the surface area of the cartons, while making it damage-proof at the same time,” Bialler says.

He says the next phase of sustainable action is to educate consumers on how to recycle coffee capsules.

Bialler says the popularity of the single-serve market remains stable and that Rychiger’s complete production line provides an organised system for roasters looking to entering the single-serve market.

“The quality of the coffee in capsules is growing by the day, and the customers really enjoy the convenience,” he says. “There’s consistency, but there’s no mess.

“The consumers seem to enjoy the final product, and that’s what really drives [Rychiger] forward.”

For more information, visit rychiger.ch/en

The Rychiger line is presented in its complete form to customers before installation.

Milan gets set to Host

THE WORLD’S REFERENCE EXHIBITION FOR PROFESSIONAL HOSPITALITY,

OUT-OF-HOME AND RETAIL IS SET TO OVERTAKE MILAN THIS OCTOBER FOR THE 57TH BIANNUAL BUSINESS EVENT AND GLOBAL MEETING, BRINGING TOGETHER THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN.

very two years, there’s an event that unites the global coffee industry like none other. Considered the “ultimate playground” of the latest, greatest, and most advanced coffee equipment, products, and technology to propel the international coffee industry into the next phase of development, this year’s HostMilano expo is expected to return in grand proportion.

“This year, we will see a lot of breakthrough technologies, from Artificial Intelligencebased intelligent interfaces and automation to robots, up to responsible and sustainable solutions with an eye on the circular economy. We will also see diverse formats meeting the consumer’s need for meaningful experiences, in line with their lifestyle,” says Simona Greco - Exhibitions Director of HostMilano.

As is tradition, this year’s event will see machine unveilings, software releases, new packaging and ready-to-drink consumption methods, and embrace tractability, sustainability and environmental methods of production like never before.

According to HostMilano, recent Future Market Insights research estimates that, for food service equipment alone, the value of the global market will reach US$44 billion this year, and will achieve US$76 billion in 2032 thanks to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +5.6 per cent. As for Italy, according to the ANIMA-Assofoodtec Study Office, food service equipment ‘Made in Italy’ ended 2022 at €4560 million, with a CAGR +4.5 per cent.

To date, some 1826 exhibitors are registered for HostMilano 2023, representing 40 per cent international from 50 countries. The United States is among the most represented non-European areas, alongside the traditional presence of European manufacturers including Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, as well as Turkey and China.

In addition to the thousands of professional operators attending, Italian and international exhibitors will use HostMilano to meet buyers from 63 countries, particularly from Canada, the United States, Central and South America and the Gulf countries, and with a comeback of Asian countries following pandemic

restrictions. Greco says the scouting and selection effort was made even more effective this year thanks to ongoing collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency. To aid the experience, HostMilano has looked to enhance digital solutions to ensure buyers and sellers stay connected.

“We have certainly learned from the 2021 edition about the increasing importance of digital tools. We’ve implemented our proprietary business matching app and I think this will be the most valuable tool to navigate the exhibition, have a satisfactory visit experience, and make meaningful contacts,” Greco says.

HostMilano is returning to its usual October dates from 13 to 17 in Fieramilano Rho as a standalone event, after it shared the venue with TuttoFood in May 2021. Greco says the layout will embrace the entire fairgrounds, testimony to how much exhibitors deem it important to meet with their trade contacts and stakeholders in person.

The historic SIC - International Coffee Week returns, where major players in the supply chain – from traders to roasters, green bean traders to machinery manufacturers – will present their

innovations, and national and international competitions throughout the expo.

“SIC is an unparalleled opportunity to meet all the players along the coffee value chain under one roof. In terms of trends and technology, we will see more automation, more user-friendly interfaces, and more connected, remotely operable devices. Both specialty coffee and espresso are growing market segments and we expect to see more and more diverse formats and concepts to meet the different emerging consumption habits,” Greco says.

CONNECTIONS TO COMPETITION

Adding to the character of this year’s expo is the Milan Latte Art Challenge, now in its fifth edition. Twelve of the best baristas in the world will compete with simple and traditional patterns and gradually move to increasingly complex designs and techniques. This year’s contender to beat is 2016 World Latte Art Champion, Korean Um Paul, and current holder of the Milan Latte Art Challenge title.

“It’s a face-to-face latte art challenge based on various levels and patterns within a system regulated by a precise disciplinary,” Greco says. “You have to be very good to reach the finals and all contestants will be serious competition for Um Paul.”

From latte art to traditional brewing, the Moka Challenge 2023 aims to reward those who can extract the best coffee using the “Moka” method. Competitors will have 10 minutes to prepare and serve three 10-millilitre cups of their moka interpretation.

The National Association of Coffee Roasters

Allanasons

Hall 18P, Stand M91

Brambati Stand P47, P57, R48, R58

Cafetto Hall 14P, Stand H43, H47

Cama Hall 1P, Stand L03

Eversys Hall 14P Stand E22, F21

Electrolux Professionnel SAS (UNIC) Hall 24P, Stand D21, E22

Franke Coffee Systems Hall 24P, Stand F03, F09, G04, G10

Gruppo Cimbali SPA

IMA

Neuhaus Neotec

Probat AG

Rychiger AG

Simonelli Group

Hall 24P, Stand P22, L11, L21, P12

Hall 22P Stand K47, K57, L48, L58

Hall 22P, L59

Hall 22P Stand C59, C65, D60, D66

Hall 22P Stand K59, L60

Hall 24P, Stand B23, B33, D24, D34

Vendon Hall 24P E01 G02

WMF

Hall 22P, Stand R45, S46, H10

and Importers and Food Wholesalers in partnership with Latte Art Grading System (LAGS) will also host The LAGS and The World Championship WLAGS Battle, considered one of the most important circuits in the sector of latte art competitions, which has thousands of certified baristas in more than 50 countries. Each year, LAGS’ national championships are held in various member states, followed by a world championship. Last year it was held in Abu Dhabi, and in 2023 it will be at HostMilano, where the system’s first historic championship was held.

Also returning to HostMilano after 2021’s huge success is Coffee Addition. The competition, in a “roadshow” format, will move through the various exhibition stands. The event is set to bring customers to booths to engage them with coffee-related mixology drinks.

Within the context of SIC, is the eighth Italian Cafeteria Grand Prix, which will test competitors with a timed challenge. Contestants must take into consideration the methodologies for the preparation of coffee and its derivatives, and prepare two cappuccinos, two espressos and two cold coffee-based drinks in 13 minutes, using Italian food and wine products.

After several selections held around Italy, 15 baristas will compete in the semi-finals at HostMilano on October 13, and eight will advance to the finals the following day, where will be declared the “2023 Best Italian Maestro del Caffè”. GCR

For more information, visit host.fieramilano.it/en

Must-see exhibitors at HostMilano 2023

Cama Group

According to Cama Group, the coffee industry is incredibly challenging, with market forces and brand competitiveness demanding constant innovation from suppliers. Businesses need a packaging partner that can assist in not only keeping up with these market demands, but also setting the pace, confident that new packaging styles and formats are within the capabilities of packaging technology.

Capsules, pods, cans, sticks, and bags all present unique challenges and demand different capabilities. With many successes in all formats – and not just in coffee – Cama Group can help design eye-catching packaging concepts, and then deliver the means to fill them, accurately, repeatedly, and at speed. And customers don’t need to stand still. When they change, the machine changes with them. Cama Group’s state-of-the art packaging solutions are developed to meet each customer’s precise needs. Cama Group pours its experiences from multiple industries into every machine it makes.

For more information, visit www.camagroup.com/industry-brochure/

Flavourtech Small-Scale Aroma Recovery

The newest member of Flavourtech’s Spinning Cone Column (SCC) family, the SCC100, is ideal for research and development applications or small production runs of high-value, lowvolume materials. SCC technology is established around the world for aroma recovery in both instant and RTD coffee production. The SCC100 has a throughput of 25 to 115 litres per hour and is capable of processing liquid products, such as coffee and tea extracts, wine, milk, and fruit juices. It is manufactured on a compact skid with lockable castors, has an easy-to-use touchscreen, and is quickly assembled, operated, and maintained by the user. This smaller model provides coffee companies the opportunity to discover new aroma profiles using smaller volumes which they can then take through to their production process. It also allows reconcentration of aroma to minimise dilution add-back prior to drying. The SCC100 slurrycapable version, with the ability to capture aroma from slurries and purees (where the aroma is freshest and best), is due for release in 2024.

For more information, visit www.flavourtech.com

Franke BeyondTraditional and Mytico line

Think classic Italian espresso machine revamped. The new product line Mytico combines the sleek traditional Italian look with the simplicity and speed of Franke professional coffee machines. Mytico keeps up with the best baristas and their craft without the need for extensive training, allowing employees to focus on customers while easily creating their favourite beverage. Delivering highest in-cup quality every time is effortless with Franke’s patented iQFlow technology and individually programmable brewing temperatures in two different brewing units. With its perceived values of ease of use, customisation, and productivity, Mytico creates those memorable coffee moments that will keep guests coming back for more.

For more information, visit mytico.franke.coffee

Preventative Maintenance

Vendon, a global leader in providing IoT and telemetry products and payments, has developed a new Preventative Maintenance solution to address one of the necessities of the hospitality industry — an easy and automated tool for machine upkeep. The Preventative Maintenance solution ensures smooth management of upcoming, planned, and completed repairs or maintenance works of coffee machines, and forecasts the due date for the next machine checkup.

A coffee machine equipped with the IoT device vBox is capable of collecting data on the Vendon Cloud platform, transforming them into meaningful insights, and providing precise data and insights into machine downtime, technical status, cleaning, ingredient consumption, and sales data. What makes Vendon unique as an IoT solutions supplier is its ability to connect to a multitude of machine models from a variety of manufacturers and an extensive telemetry solution range for the HoReCa industry.

For more information, visit www.vendon.net

Slayer Steam LP

The Slayer Steam LP is the ideal tool to maximise the coffee experience on every level. One of the best things about this machine is its intuitive interface. The user can manually dial in, and when they like how the coffee is pulling, they can quickly and easily record the last shot and use a button to repeat the same shot consistently. This intuitive machine can record settings while the coffee is made, making it easy to produce the same shot all day without fail.

The Steam LP permits the barista to shift between two different pressures throughout a shot’s duration, and easily extract delicious espresso every time with programmable pre-infusion and volumetric output settings. It’s a dream come true for those seeking accuracy through pressure profiling and repeatability functions. Slayer Espresso machines are designed and crafted in Seattle, United States.

For more information, visit www.cimbali.com

SYNKRO

The new SYNKRO is IMA Coffee’s fastest technology for coffee capsule filling and sealing based on an innovative capsule transfer system using independent magnetic shuttles.

With its high degree of automation in a compact design, it can handle all types of capsules, whatever material they are made of – aluminium, compostable materials, or plastic. Thanks to its innovative capsule transfer system based on the use of independent magnetic shuttles, it guarantees high flexibility, allowing different dwell times at each operating station. The SYNKRO is equipped with an innovative, precise, and accurate dosing system guaranteeing an extremely gentle product handling. The cantilever design ensures great accessibility for maintenance and cleaning operations.

According to the machine configuration, SYNKRO is able to reach up to 1200 capsules per minute.

For more information, visit www.ima.it/coffee

Global coffee:

World Coffee Conference

BANGALORE, INDIA

25

— 28 September

For the first time, the World Coffee Conference (WCC) & Expo arrives in Bangalore. The fifth edition of this global congregation will bring together leaders and decision-makers from more than 100 countries to discuss, debate, and collaborate towards building a sustainable coffee industry. The theme of this year’s event is “Sustainability through circular economy and regenerative agriculture”. The event will include a conference and B2B exhibition, skillbuilding workshops, a global CEO conclave, and networking events.

www.wccindia2023.com

Specialty Coffee Association of Japan

TOKYO, JAPAN

27

— 29 September

SCAJ was founded in 2003 with the goal of raising awareness of and popularising specialty coffee in Japan. This year’s exhibition theme, “Celebrating 20 years of SCAJ with you”, will feature seminars and exhibits including producing countries, competitions, and other opportunities for direct interactions, as well as the latest information on the specialty coffee industry. More than 250 exhibitors, 380 booths, and 45,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s expo.

scajconference.jp

Coffee Shop Innovation Expo

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

10 — 11 October

The Coffee Shop Innovation Expo will become Europe’s central hub for café business owners looking to capitalise on the growing market. Gain insights into the industry and speak with other like-minded entrepreneurs. The Coffee Shop Innovation Expo will provide the latest updates within the sector, including hundreds of suppliers with tools to enhance businesses. Filled with educational and exciting features, discover new trends guaranteed to give business, and its target audience, the coffee hit it needs.

www.coffeeshopexpo.co.uk

HostMilano

MILAN, ITALY

13

— 17 October

Now in its 43rd edition, HostMilano is the world’s leading platform for professional hospitality and out-of-home technologies, products, formats, and services. It is held biennially at the FieraMilano district in Rho. The expo offers everything needed to build a successful business, from raw materials to semi-finished products, machinery to equipment, with one eye firmly focused on trends, technologies and innovation. Selected roasters, importers, producers and industry players come to HostMilano to do business. To date, some 1826 exhibitors are registered for HostMilano 2023, representing 40 per cent international from 50 countries.

host.fieramilano.it

events around the globe

8

Specialty Coffee Expo

CHICAGO, UNITED STATES

12 — 14 April 2024

The Speciality Coffee Expo will be returning to Chicago for 2024. The event is for everyone in the coffee world, from roasters to retailers to industry decision makers. Professionals can learn from the industry’s most innovative and cutting-edge coffee products while also expanding their careers and networks. Coffee enthusiasts from all professional background are welcome to participate or view the expo.

www.coffeeexpo.org

Coffee Fest Orlando

ORLANDO, NOVEMBER

10 — 11 October

Coffee Fest is a specialty coffee B2B event that attracts owners, operators, and anyone interested in growing a specialty coffee and tea business career. Many attend Coffee Fest to get start-up education, resources, and access to companies they need for a smooth café or restaurant opening. For more seasoned coffee professionals, Coffee Fest is a source for networking, deepening existing supplier relations, finding new products, services, and education to build on what they already know. Coffee Fest and its network of resources brings expert advice to help evolve businesses and discover what is trending and relevant.

www.coffeefest.com/orlando

Taiwan International Coffee Show

TAIPEI, TAIWAN

17 — 20 November

Every year, the Taiwan International Coffee Show is also held in conjunction with the Taiwan International Tea Show, Wine & Spirits Festival, and Food Industry Show.

The event includes an extensive trade show, several showrooms, and an online exhibition. Taking place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the show will also host the 2023 World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and World Coffee Roasting Championship in partnership with the Taiwan Coffee Association.

www.chanchao.com.tw/coffee

World of Coffee

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

21 — 23 January 2024

World of Coffee Dubai is the premier coffee trade show for visitors and exhibitors from the Middle East and around the world. The event caters towards those looking to break into the emerging coffee industry in the Middle East. Show features include the Roaster Village, lectures, cupping room, the UAE National Championship, Brew Bar, SCA Community Lounge, and more than 300 exhibitors for those looking to establish their business in the coffee world. The 2023 World of Coffee Dubai gathered over 233 exhibitors from all over the world and welcomed over 10,000 visitors.

dubai.worldofcoffee.org

A degree with a difference

STARBUCKS IS OPENING A SUSTAINABILITY LEARNING AND INNOVATION LAB, OFFERING A CHANCE TO SCALE SOLUTIONS FOR SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST CHALLENGING SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

hen Starbucks discovered many of its employees wanted to finish college, but often didn’t have the means due to financial challenges, it came up with a sustainable solution.

The United States coffee giant is building on its more than 10-year partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) to develop an environmental education lab at Hacienda Alsacia, the company’s global agronomy headquarters for research and development in Costa Rica.

From spring, the lab will offer the first wave of educational programming to select ASU students and Starbucks employees participating in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP), a first of its kind affiliation with ASU. The SCAP provides an opportunity for eligible US employees to earn their first-time bachelor’s degree with 100 per cent tuition coverage for all four years.

“The first wave will leverage ASU’s leading educational technology and world-class faculty to enrich the student experience, including study abroad opportunities tied to existing ASU degree programs, such as Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Global Agribusiness, Environmental and Resource Management, among others. Starbucks’ lab is expected to physically open within the next three years,” says Michelle Burns, Executive Vice President of Global Coffee, Social Impact and Sustainability at Starbucks.

The lab is an extension of Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks’ first and only company-owned and operated coffee farm, dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by coffee-farming communities.

“The lab will serve as a hub for hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for Starbucks employees, students, researchers, and industry leaders to expand the capabilities and collaboration needed to cultivate positive social and environmental change beyond coffee, including climate adaption and agricultural economics.”

For more than a decade, Hacienda Alsacia has helped create new coffee varieties, test disease-resistant coffee trees, and develop agricultural practices to produce a higher yield and ensure the future of coffee farming.

“We know we cannot innovate and solve climate change alone. With our longstanding partnership with ASU and our goal to expand our collaboration with other world-class leaders, we know this lab has the ability to serve as a global hub for innovation and endless possibilities,” Burns says.

“As a company that buys 3 per cent of the world’s highest quality and ethically sourced Arabica coffee from more than 400,000 farmers in more than 30 countries, we understand our future is inextricably tied to social and environmental challenges. This lab offers Starbucks the opportunity to scale results, partner with thought leaders and serve as a global hub for innovation.

“We not only want a seat at the table in solving the challenges of climate change, but also want to

ensure other organisations and leaders are invited to think more broadly about the solutions needed for the wide range of social and environmental challenges we’re facing across the globe.”

Starbucks has a strong commitment to work alongside communities to become a resource positive company, including cutting carbon, water, and waste footprints in half by 2030. In partnership with others, the coffee company is committed to identifying new ways to build a great business that scales for good and has a positive impact on the future.

“We hope this becomes a space where people and organisations from around the world feel inspired and challenged to find solutions and think beyond their specific industry of why this work matters,” says Burns.

It is Starbucks’ hope that this lab, with the help of the next generation, will play a significant role in identifying solutions to curb the climate change crisis and ensure the long-term sustainability of coffee.

“We see a great opportunity for our employees to leverage this lab to continue their education, whether they are SCAP participants or lifelong learners, and hope it inspires future leaders to drive and weave sustainability throughout their work,” Burns says.

“At Starbucks, our environmental promise is to give more than we take. This is our opportunity to give and create a meaningful space to do just that.” GCR

Starbucks is building an environmental education lab with Arizona State University.

mice is returning 12—14 may 2024

MELBOURNE CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

BOOK YOUR STAND TO TAKE PART IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE’S LARGEST DEDICATED COFFEE TRADE SHOW.