25 Magazine: Issue 01 by Specialty Coffee Association

No. 01 | Summer 2017 | sca.coffee

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Contents

In This Issue... Welcome 05 Introducing 25 Coffee Recap 06 News from the Coffee Community Spotlight 12 Genebanks Under Threat: Protecting Coffee’s Wild Heritage Interview with Mbula Musau Research 26 Know Your Consumers: Adopters V Supers Insight 32 Lessons from New Zealand’s Craft Brewers Design 39 Seoul’s Cutting Edge Cafés Events 44 The Route to the World Championships Destinations 46 Exploring Barcelona’s Coffee Scene

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

No. 01 | Summer 2017 Publisher: Specialty Coffee Association Editor: Sarah Grennan Advertising: Keith Amos, Susan Gates Contributors: Matthew Curtis, Karen Castillo Farfán, Erin Meister, Hanna Neuschwander, Skandia Shafer, Isa Verschraegen, Seo Young Youn Sub-Editing: Elizabeth MacAulay Printed by: RNB Group © 2017 Specialty Coffee Association 25 is the magazine of the Specialty Coffee Association. Editorial submissions are invited. Please email editor@sca.coffee To advertise please email advertising@sca.coffee Specialty Coffee Association sca.coffee @specialtycoffee @specialtycoffeeassociation @specialtycoffeeassociation US OFFICE

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For 25 Million Coffee-Growing Families It is my great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the inaugural pages of 25. With this publication, we will seek to connect, inform and inspire the specialty coffee community around the world, always cognizant of the reach of the work performed by the estimated 25 million coffee-growing families that depend on our industry for life, for joy, for fulfilment. Central to SCA’s work is our community: the passionate members of our producer, technician, roaster, barista and ancillary communities. We have the challenging but exciting task to be truly global in our outlook while keeping our deliverables relevant at local and individual levels. Our goal with 25 is to achieve the balance between both, sharing the latest stories and trends from the coffee community worldwide. As our world is under threat of becoming increasingly fractured and insular, we must redouble our efforts to include and give a voice to all in our global community. In this inaugural issue we are delighted to share news from World Coffee Research at one end of the value chain and updates from national coffee championships at the other. With findings from our first SCA consumer study, as well as insight from the craft beer sector in New Zealand, I hope 25 has plenty to pique your interest. Thank you for being part of the SCA family and welcome to 25!

Reproduction in whole or in part, including photocopying or storing by any electronic means, is prohibited without the prior written permission of SCA. Views expressed in 25 do not necessarily represent those of its Editor or the Publisher, Specialty Coffee Association. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, SCA and it s agent s accept no responsibilit y for any inaccuracies that may arise. All rights reserved.

Enjoy. Paul Stack President, Specialty Coffee Association

25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Coffee Recap

Our pick of the top news and events making waves in the coffee community this season.

Stories

Lempira, a coffee variety widely planted in Honduras because of its resistance to coffee leaf rust, is no longer resistant to the disease, reports World Coffee Research. According to the Honduran national coffee institute, Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE), as of April 2017, the incidence level of rust nationally was only 6% (below the level of economic damage). However, 18% of Lempira farms surveyed in March had an incidence level higher than 10%. IHCAFE is alerting farmers of the possible development of a severe attack once the rains are established. World Coffee Research is checking sites in its 24-country International Multilocation Variety Trial to determine if Lempira is affected in countries other than Honduras.

Is cascara, the husk from the dried skin of the coffee fruit, banned in the UK? James Hoffmann is advising retailers to take it off the shelves. “It’s not illegal, it’s just not legal yet,” he warned in a recent video. A Novel Food Application by Panama Varietals has brought cascara to the attention of authorities, James explained, adding that the approval process is both expensive and lengthy.

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José Dauster Sette began his five-year term as Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization in May. José previously served at the ICO from 2007-2012 where he held roles as Executive Director ad interim and Head of Operations. He returns to the organization from the International Cotton Advisory Committee where he also held the role of Executive Director. Sales in British coffee shops are expected to leap by close to a third over the next five years, according to Mintel. The research analyst predicts that sales in the UK market will increase to £4.3bn by 2021, up from £3.4bn in 2016. Mintel’s 2016 Coffee Shop Report found that 65% of all British consumers visited a coffee shop in the last three months, with usage highest among 16–24-year-olds (73%).

The Ethiopian government has approved a trial to allow coffee be sold outside the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX), reports Trabocca. From the end of April, exporters possessing a valid export licence will be allowed to sell directly to international buyers on condition that trucks of parchment coffee will be sold within three days of arrival at processing warehouses. The ECX was established in 2008 in a bid to reduce price volatility, however, the resulting loss of traceability “did not meet the consumer demand for more traceable, farmer-specific or organic certified coffees,” claimed Trabocca.

OFFEE -

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JAB Holding Company’s march on the global coffee market continued in April with the news that the investment giant has acquired the US bakery chain, Panera Bread, for approximately $7.5bn (including $340m of debt). With more than 2,000 outlets across the US and Ontario, Canada, Panera is the latest in a long line of acquisitions by JAB and its subsidiaries, including Krispy Kreme Doughnuts last May and Keurig Green Mountain and Stumptown Coffee Roasters in 2015. JAB’s subsidiary, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, acquired a majority stake in Intelligentsia in 2015.

Michelle Johnson of The Chocolate Barista and Tracy Ging of The Coffeewoman moderated one of the most popular panels at the SCA’s Global Coffee Expo 2017 in Seattle. The panel, titled “Building Influence and Changing Power Structures”, included Meister of Café Imports, Liz S. Dean of Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, Phyllis Johnson of BD Imports, Tymika Lawrence of Genuine Origin, and Jenn Chen, a freelance coffee marketer. Visit facebook.com/ groups/baristahustle to find a link to the article and to join the conversation on intersectionality in the coffee industry.

Starbucks is to open its first EMEA roastery in the Palazzo Delle Poste building in Milan

Starbucks' first roastery in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region is set to open in Milan next year. The 25,500 sq.ft retail space in the historic Palazzo Delle Poste building on Piazza Cordusio, is one of 20–30 new roastery locations planned for the brand. Developed with local partner, Percassi, the Milan roastery will be followed by a small number of Starbucks stores in the city. “Each new store will be carefully designed and curated to respect the local community and unique Milanese context. Taking a respectful and measured approach to store openings is at the heart of the Starbucks strategy in Italy,” said Starbucks.

Coffee Recap

The challenges faced by coffee producers are up for debate at the World Coffee Producers’ Forum. The event takes place in Medellín, Colombia, from July 10–12. worldcoffeeproducersforum.com

The International Women’s Coffee Alliance Convention heads to Puebla City in Mexico on August 3–5. Find out more on iwcaconvention.com Roasters from around the globe will gather in Atlanta this August 17-20 to take part in the 2017 Roasters Guild Retreat. If you’re a roaster and want to rub shoulders with the world’s best, the Guild’s Retreat is not to miss. Visit roastersguild. org/retreat for registration information.

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Coffee Recap

SCA’s Research Center is to team up with UC Davis Coffee Center to evaluate the scientific assumptions, measurement tools, sensory information and consumer research that form the foundation of the coffee industry’s understanding of coffee brewing. The two-year research program will be co-led by Dr William Ristenpart, a Chemical Engineer and founder of the “Design of Coffee” curriculum, and Dr Jean-Xavier Guinard, a Professor and Sensory Scientist, who helped design the new Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. The research is fully funded by Breville.

The World Coffee Championship season commences at World of Coffee Budapest in June. Pictured: Tetsu Kasaya of Japan, World Brewers Cup Champion 2016, with the WBrC finalists.

SCA’s annual European event, World of Coffee, heads to Eastern Europe for the first time this summer. See you at Hungexpo, Budapest from June 13–15. The event includes Re:co Symposium at Pesti Vigadó on the eve of the show, and the new Re:co Interactive, which debuts at the exhibition. Hasbean opens London pop-up, [H]AND

Following a 14-year hiatus from the shop floor, wholesale roaster Hasbean returned to the high street in March with a threemonth pop-up filter coffee and tea bar at Uniqlo’s new flagship store on London’s Oxford Street. Coffees at [H]AND by Hasbean were changed daily and were brewed on hand-made brewers produced in Tsubame, Japan. The store was managed by 2014 Irish Barista Champion, Pete Williams. The SCA has partnered with Pacific Bag to conduct the second iteration of the Roaster/ Retailer Financial Benchmarking Study, a tool that offers roasters and retailers a way of measuring their company performance against the objective industry standard. Results of the survey are expected to be released in June 2017. To learn more visit sca.coffee/scafbs2017

The 2017 World Championships season also kicks off at World of Coffee Budapest. This year’s World Brewers Cup, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, and Cup Tasters Champions will all be decided at the event. You can stream the competitions live on worldcoffeeevents.org/budapest To see the crowning of the 2017 World Barista Championship, head to CafeShow Seoul from November 9–12. The final world championship of the year, to decide the World Coffee Roasting Champion, will be held at Hotelex Guangzhou in December. The SCA’s Field Trip to Java and Bali, Indonesia, taking place from July 13-20 in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia, is completely sold out. A group of lucky coffee lovers will take part in day trips to East Java and Bali’s coffee plantations and processing plants, among many more exciting activities in the beautiful islands. Keep an eye on the SCA’s social media accounts for pictures from the trip.

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World AeroPress Championship season is now in full swing. Don’t miss the world final in Seoul this November. worldaeropresschampionship.com

The Barista League heads to The Barn in Berlin for the final event of Season II. Join the party on September 23–24 in the German capital thebaristaleague.com

Onyx Coffee Lab from Arkansas took first prize in the US Brewers Cup Championship, US Roasting Championship and second place in the US Barista Championship – an unprecedented performance from a small roaster.

Coffee Recap

Guido Bernardinelli, Gordon Chang, Lorenzo Carboni and Chris Salierno at the launch of La Marzocco’s new China base

La Marzocco launched its new China base at Hotelex, Shanghai. The Italian espresso machine maker opened the office and showroom in Shanghai’s Tong Ren Road district with local partners Gordon Chang, Douglas Chang and Ivy Yuan.

James Wise has been named London’s Coffee Master, scooping a £5,000 cash prize with the title. The Head of Coffee at Hyde Restaurants in the UK triumphed in the four-day Coffee Masters competition at London Coffee Festival, where an expanded field of 20 baristas were tested in seven disciplines, including cupping, brewing, latte art, origin tasting and signature drinks.

Four-time Irish Barista Champion, Colin Harmon, has published a new book detailing his experiences of growing 3fe from a oneman coffee cart in a Dublin nightclub lobby to an internationally-renowned coffee business. What I Know About Running Coffee Shops offers advice and insight into running a successful café business. Leaders in sustainability, as well as the best new products and designs for the coffee and tea industry, were recognized by the SCA at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo 2017. Make sure to visit coffeeexpo.org/awards to check out the full lineup of award-winners in the Best New Product Competition.

James Wise wins the Coffee Masters at London Coffee Festival

Jorge Raul Rivera of Santa Rosa triumphed in the 2017 El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition. His honey-processed coffee came out on top with a score of 91.28 points. For more see allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org

Michelle Johnson, MC at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo 2017 in Seattle, with Angel Mario Martinez Garcia, Executive Director of Progreso Foundation. Progreso Foundation won the 2017 Sustainable Business Model Award.

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Spotlight

Good Genes:

Protecting Coffeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wild Heritage By HANNA NEUSCHWANDER

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Spotlight

Many of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coffee genebanks are underfunded and under threat, yet the future of coffee depends on protecting these precious genetic resources. So what would a better global conservation system look like in the future and how can the industry support it?

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Spotlight

In a humid tropical forest that shrouds a sacred mountain on the African island of Madagascar, a man named Prince can lead you to the last six plants of Coffea montis-sacri known to be growing in the wild. But first, you must go to nearby Ambolotara and sit down with the village chief to ask permission to visit this sacred site.

If he grants permission, you must first honor the ancestral tomb in the forest with a ceremony. Then you can walk into the understory on Mount Vatovavi and see for yourself: One, two, three, four, five, six. The last wild C. montis-sacri on earth. Sarada Krishnan knows this because she went there, and she counted. Krishnan is Director of Horticulture at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and an expert in wild coffee. She made this journey in 2007 when she was completing her PhD on Madagascan coffee species, known collectively as Mascarocoffea, of which there are nearly 59 species known. Montissacri means “sacred mountain”. Like many sacred things, it is profoundly rare — C. montis-sacri is critically endangered. Yet, it could be worse. The forest that C. montis-sacri calls home is still standing because of its status as a sacred site. If the forest were gone, C. montis-sacri would likely be extinct.

There may yet be hope for C. montis-sacri and the many other threatened species of Mascarocoffea. In fact, besides the six plants that live in the Mount Vatovavi forest, a few copies of C. montis-sacri live nearby at the FOFIFA Kianjavato Coffee Research Station (FOFIFA is the Malagasy acronym for National Center of Applied Research and Rural Development), one of the most important coffee genebanks in the world. Its importance to coffee is not lessened by the fact that almost no one in coffee has heard of it. To reach Kianjavato, you first have to fly to Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo. Then it’s a 12-hour drive on winding, pockmarked roads (five years ago the drive took eight hours, but road conditions have declined precipitously). Then, in the pitch black of night in the jungle, you have to pick your way across a river on a log with no handrails (the bridge washed out a few years ago, and there is no money to rebuild it). The next

morning, when it’s light, you can set out to find C. montis-sacri among the rows and rows of different coffee species housed in light forest understory. To find which row to look in, you consult the research station’s handwritten log. There is one copy. Genebanks like FOFIFA in Kianjavato are, essentially, libraries for coffee’s genetic diversity, storing and making accessible the precious information encoded in a given plant’s DNA the same way a library protects and democratizes the knowledge housed in great books. But imagine if your local library were this hard to reach.

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Coffee’s Vulnerable Cousins Kianjavato’s remoteness and its reliance on outdated technologies (handwritten catalogs) aren’t the only challenges it faces. In the last three years, miners digging for precious minerals have appeared in the region and begun illegal digging on the station’s grounds. The coffee trees at FOFIFA in Kianjavato are kept alive through the dedicated efforts of a small staff. But even with their Herculean efforts, the station does not have secure funding. Indeed, between 1982 and 2002, the Malagasy government ceased all funding to support the site. Without it, many trees died and were not replaced. What is in danger of being lost? FOFIFA’s genetically diverse collection of coffee trees includes not just C. montis-sacri, but also 43 other endemic Madagascan coffee species — many of which are not housed in any other genebank collections in the world. It’s highly unlikely that most of the species found at FOFIFA would ever be farmed or consumed by people as coffee. Most of them would be undrinkable. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of these wild coffee species. Mascaracoffea are all “crop wild relatives” — cousins to the species we are more familiar with because they are in widespread cultivation around the world. Coffee is just one of dozens of crops — from wheat to rice — that will likely need an infusion of genes from these cousins able to withstand disease and drought as the climate changes.

But these cousins are threatened. In recent years, species including C. buxifolia, C. humblotiana, C. mauritiana, C. vohemarensis and nine others have been lost in the genebank collections. Many of them died because they evolved in the arid regions of western Madagascar and don’t grow well in the humid climate of Kianjavato. These, then, are special losses. Now more than ever, coffee researchers are looking to understand the mechanisms that help some plants tolerate droughts, and to do so they are looking to species that evolved in dry climates. With climate change, droughts are predicted to be the future in many current coffee regions. Saving coffee’s wild relatives from destruction also might have impacts closer to the cup: Madagascan species are well known to researchers because — unlike C. arabica and C. canephora — they are naturally caffeine-free. For years, various efforts in Brazil, Japan and elsewhere have been made to use Mascarocoffea to breed new caffeine-free varieties that are as tasty as arabica and produce yields high enough to merit cultivation. So far, efforts have failed. As technologies for studying coffee’s genetics evolve and become cheaper, it’s possible that future researchers will be able to unlock the mysteries of Mascarocoffea, and, through breeding, use them to benefit the coffees we do consume. →

Spotlight

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The global system for protecting coffee’s precious genetic resources looks less like a system, and more like something barely held together with spit and tape. Preserving Coffee, Forever Kianjavato isn’t the only coffee genebank in the world struggling to protect its resources. Similar banks in Cote D’Ivoire and Ethiopia are underfunded and under threat. “User collections” — genebanks located where coffee is actively cultivated, like Brazil and Colombia — tend to be more secure, but they also contain fewer wild relative species. Information is not shared widely across the collections. Only one, CATIE in Costa Rica, has a publicly available list of the coffees in its collection. Very few of the coffees in any of the collections have been widely studied. Some have barely been described. Many of the coffees in them are not “backed up” (duplicated in second sites) meaning that if a site were destroyed in a cyclone or other major weather event, some of the plants could be lost to humankind forever. The global system for protecting coffee’s precious genetic resources looks less like a system, and more like something barely held together with spit and tape. Yet the future of coffee depends on protecting these genetic resources. So what would a better global conservation system look like in the future? In 2016, World Coffee Research and the Global Crop Diversity Trust came together to try to imagine this. World Coffee Research engaged Dr Krishnan to lead the effort, which included a study of published information about the world’s coffee genebanks, a survey of all the major banks, and site visits to eight key collections, including FOFIFA and CATIE. Together with experts from Crop Trust, which has worked to preserve dozens of crops including maize and rice, a strategy to preserve coffee’s genetic resources forever was crafted and launched at the Re:co Symposium in Seattle in April.

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The origin collections at the heart of the global conservation strategy for coffee require constant and long-term maintenance in the field, and even brief disruptions in funding — as often occur now — result in permanent losses. The vehicle for such funding is already in place: Crop Trust operates a global endowment fund into which donors place money that pays out over time to ensure funding in perpetuity. Crop Trust and WCR estimate it will cost about US$1m a year to support the most important collections. A global endowment of US$25m, paying out 4% per year, could provide that ongoing funding forever, without the need to scrape together funding year to year. Such endowment funding can and would only support collections that meet certain conditions: that the accessions held in the collection are of global significance, supportive of a rational, cost effective, and sustainable global system, and that the accessions held are available to users with appropriate benefit sharing. Currently, only one coffee collection, CATIE, meets all these eligibility criteria, but other origin collections could meet the criteria with some assistance.

Collecting C. kianjavatensis in Mt. Vatovavy Forest

The largest roadblock currently to broader participation, and one of the high priority actions identified in the strategy, is the need to work out a system for fairly and equitably sharing the benefits that result from these genebanks’ collections. For example, if a coffee from one of the collections is used to create a new variety that is subsequently commercialized, →

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Spotlight

There are more than 125 species in the Coffea family. We drink only two — C. arabica and C. canephora (Robusta) — but the others may have important traits that could be used in breeding Kianjavato Village

the genebank should receive a share of that value. Historically in coffee and many other crops, especially in the colonial era, valuable plants were simply “removed” or “collected” (a polite way of saying “stolen”), without compensation ever being paid to the countries or institutions where those plants originated. Fortunately, today there is widespread international recognition that this is not an appropriate approach. Establishing a benefit-sharing system is complex, but essential for ensuring that genebanks would participate in a global system of genetic resource preservation. Other priorities include making sorely needed upgrades to operations and facilities at origin genebanks to meet international standards and to facilitate their routine operations, and then bringing those collections into the 21st century by collecting and storing essential information about them in open-data systems. It’s also essential to create “safety backups” of the collections in case of catastrophic events capable of wiping out an entire collection in one fell swoop, for example a devastating cyclone. We are used to thinking of the coffee value chain starting at the farm. But it does not. It starts long before the farm — in the forests where these unique genetic resources originate. If we do not preserve coffee’s wild heritage, the genetic legacy that is essential to the future of the crop, every part of the value chain that comes after is profoundly risked. ◊

HANNA NEUSCHWANDER is Communications Director at World Coffee Research

There are over 50 genebanks in the world that contain plants in the Coffea family — half hold significant collections There is currently no international system of sharing to link up these genebanks and enable shared knowledge and use of the genetic resources they contain In a survey of 16 key coffee genebanks, WCR found that only 1% of the coffees held in those banks is used by researchers and breeders outside the host country each year. World Coffee Research is a global coffee R&D nonprofit funded by coffee roasters, importers/exporters, and allied businesses of all sizes. Through its Checkoff Program, coffee companies large and small can be involved in creating coffee's future – safeguarding precious genetic resources, and using them to create the next generation of coffee varieties. You can support this work at worldcoffeeresearch.org/donate

Have Your Say: To express your views on this issue and other topics covered in 25, please email a letter to the Editor, editor@sca.coffee

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A FEW MOMENTS WITH MBULA MUSAU

As a talented taster, Q grader, barista trainer, sensory judge, soon-to-be roaster and tireless campaigner for gender equity, Mbula knows a thing or two about coffee. In a quick chat with 25, we asked her about her work in the industry throughout Africa and her outlook on the future of coffee on the continent.

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You have expertise in many parts of the coffee business. What do you do today? I recently set up Utake Coffee, the first SCA Premier Teaching Campus in Kenya. We run coffee courses, calibrate existing Q graders and run consultancy on coffee-related issues such as gender and coffee, climate change, and productivity. I work in collaboration with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and the International Trade Centre. I am also a member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). I plan to start roasting and trading Africa's best coffees in the very near future. What direction do you see African coffee moving in? We are the origin of coffee and we are privileged to be able to share it with the world. But the sharing should transform this continent through meaningful trade and development. Production-wise, there is a lot of unexplored potential in areas that can produce coffee. There is room for growth in productivity if best agricultural practices are taught, implemented and upheld as the norm. Value addition can ensure more economic value remains in Africa to help grow the continent. The market for domestic consumption has great potential and in addition to ensuring product knowledge and understanding, it can engage more young people with the coffee industry in Africa, which makes it more sustainable in the long run. Much of your work has focused on empowering women in African coffee. How can this empowerment change coffee in Africa? Women are the backbone of any economy, especially if it is agriculture-driven. When they understand their role and potential and feel included and fairly treated, the results are tangible. The development and implementation of gender equity programs in Africa have raised the flag on existing inequalities, which is the first step to ensuring they are addressed. Women in coffee in Africa, and around the world, should be aware of the impact of their actions or inaction when participating in the industry. This gives reason to every activity – from the farm tended, to the cherry picked, the defect selected, the coffee cupped, to coin earned. The formation and development of recognized IWCA chapters in Africa that bring coffee women together and allow them to learn from each other, compete with each other and grow together has been phenomenal. In a male-dominated industry such as coffee, and especially in Africa, it has been particularly

Mbula Musau Image: Karen Castillo Farfán

“Women are the backbone of any economy, especially  if it is agriculture-driven. When they understand their role and potential and feel included and fairly treated, the results are tangible.” important to understand the concepts of gender equity and culture in order to strike the right balance. With equal opportunity for knowledge, resources and remuneration, both genders can thrive and grow the sector together. Striking the right balance can ensure the best of both worlds. You’re an experienced and talented coffee taster and Q grader. How do you see this profession changing in the future? I have seen recent inventions that mechanically “taste” and record perceptions of coffees. I have nothing against technological advancement, but there is no replacing a human being. The sipping and spitting is so unique! The difference in every slurp gives you an idea of how each is processing their perceptions, and calibration is what evens out the cupping field. The future might increase the range of flavors and fragrances we can choose from, as witnessed in the recent edition of the Flavor Wheel, and new recording and communication apps and devices might also change. What I see in professional cupping sessions, however, is heart. That’s what will keep it both simple and complex, but never mechanical. ◊

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Research

Adopters v Supers

Image: Skandia Shafer

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The findings of a major new consumer study commissioned by the SCA are not only eye-opening, but potentially market-opening also.

ERIN MEISTER reports We know we know coffee, and we think we know our customers, but for the past several years, the Specialty Coffee Association has been determined to parse the complicated relationship that consumers have with the specialty coffee industry. These continuing efforts aim not only to better understand our current share of the market, but also where the largest opportunities for growth lie among self-identified “coffee lovers” who are valuable potential converts to the next level of engagement with what we understand as true “specialty”. The research was initiated with a manin-the-street experiment in 2011, when a camera crew interviewed people holding coffee cups with one seemingly simple question: “What does specialty coffee mean to you?” The incredible diversity of responses sparked a more in-depth investigation, exploring the responses of six focus groups in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, and even analyzing the groups’ expression of their relationship with coffee through the creation of collages. The results were clear on at least one thing — coffee lovers feel a deep emotional connection to the drink and to their individual culture of coffee — but raised many more questions about the effectiveness of specialty coffee marketing and the penetration of new

or fringe markets by the most commonly utilized and popular messages within the industry. In 2016, the Specialty Coffee Association commissioned the first quantitative study of self-identified coffee consumers by hiring a third-party research company (Marketing General Inc.) to conduct an internet-based survey of 250 respondents, as well as to compile and analyze the data for use by those in the specialty coffee sector. By determining consumer preferences, behaviors, motivating factors, and specific demographic information, the report aims to shine a light on the areas where specialty coffee has the greatest potential for growth, especially through more effective capturing of those customers who appear to be on the cusp of becoming more engaged with this segment of the global coffee business. Through a series of questions aimed at current consumer practices, the researchers classified respondents into two primary categories: Specialty Adopters and Super Specialty Consumers. While both identified themselves as coffee lovers, true distinction between the groups is slightly complicated, and does not merely come down to interest and engagement with the more nuanced elements of coffee →

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Research

It’s clear that the messages, products, and experiences which appeal to Supers don’t resonate with Adopters — the group with the greatest potential for growth as specialty consumers, and arguably where the majority of the opportunity lies for retailers. Q. When you visit a coffee shop, what type of shop do you frequent? A large national coffee shop (e.g., Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, Caribou Coffee) 53% 67% 46% A mid-size national, high-end coffee shop focused on quality (e.g., Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Intelligentsia) 9% 3% 12% Local coffee shop known for being warm & friendly 21% 25%

connoisseurship. Age, income, drinking habits inside and outside of the home, taste preferences, and familiarity with coffee “jargon” all contribute to marking a respondent as an “Adopter” or a “Super”, but of course we all know that people, like coffees themselves, are complex beings, and may display behavior and preferences that straddle the line between market segments. That being said, the results of the study are fascinating, and not only eyeopening, but potentially market-opening as well: By peering into people’s cups, we are able to understand where our marketing falls short, which products and experiences resonate with consumers and which miss the mark, and make informed strategies to actively increase the appeal of our brands and our beverages in order to effectively boost the specialty coffee signal. Perhaps the most striking elements of the data are where it’s made clear what messages, products, and experiences which appeal to Supers don’t resonate with Adopters — the group with the greatest potential for growth as specialty consumers, and arguably where the majority of the opportunity lies for retailers. The groups’ similarities provide initial clues — e.g. both groups strongly prefer to drink coffee at breakfast or during the morning; both groups rank flavor, roast level, and coffee origin as the most important factors influencing purchases — but their differences are where the real detective work happens. For instance, while both report a greater likelihood to drink coffee at home than in a café or coffee shop because they prefer to “make it exactly how I want it,” 67% of the Adopters also expressed preference for “the ambiance of being at home”, as opposed to 26% of Supers. Does this speak to the comfort of a kitchen, or →

18% Local, high-end coffee shop focused on quality 18% 5% 24%

Total Adopter Super

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

to discomfort in the coffee shop? Alongside this data is more context-providing information about where consumers do visit when they head to the café: While both Adopters (67%) and Supers (46%) regularly visit large national chains like Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee or Caribou Coffee, Adopters are more likely to patronize a “local coffee shop known for being warm and friendly” (25%) than one with a reputation for being high-end and quality focused (5%). Adopters are also less likely to order more than one drink per visit to a café, as opposed to the two drinks a Super averages. Does the Adopters’ interest in ice-blended coffee drinks, which are typically richer and more expensive than brewed coffee or espresso-based milk drinks, lead them to buy fewer, and is there an opportunity to be found there? Another telling response is in Adopters’ and Supers’ interest in “secondary aspects” of the coffee itself, such as origin specifics and certifications. For both groups, flavor is significantly more important than details such as farm identification and processing, but Adopters respond more positively to description of flavor combinations and expectations (60%) than Supers do (46%). What the data captured here is able to provide is the view from 30,000 feet that’s difficult, if not impossible, to glean from the up-close but limited conversations we have across the counter or at the threshold of our cafés, as we try to convince new customers to take that first step inside toward the queue. How do we marry our ideals of quality, price, and experience in a way that enhances the emotional connection consumers long to have with their coffee? The reach of this research is beyond what most retailers are capable of compiling, and by closely studying these data points and comparing them with our individual experiences in the industry, we have a better chance of connecting the dots between new segments of the consumer population and our growing specialty coffee businesses — since, after all, more people drinking better coffee means more better coffee for people to drink. ◊

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Research

Q. When choosing a coffee, what type of description resonates most with you? Description of flavor combinations expected in the brew 50% 60% 46% Description of the coffee origin, sourcing, and roasting processes 27% 18% 32% Description of the coffee’s sustainability in terms of social, environmental, and economic standards 22% 23% 22%

Another telling response is in Adopters’ and Supers’ interest in “secondary aspects” of the coffee itself, such as origin specifics and certifications. To learn more about the research and to order a copy of the report, please visit sca.coffee/consumerresearch

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Insight

Brewing in the Land of

The Long White Cloud A Study of New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Craft Beer Movement

25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Insight

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Words and photographs: MATTHEW CURTIS Within the beer industry, New Zealand is heralded as one of the great hop growing nations. The new world varieties of hop it produces are typically big in both flavor and aroma with most varieties grown in the Nelson region at the North of the South Island. Nelson Sauvin is prized for its passion fruit and gooseberry characteristics that are not dissimilar to the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc grape and makes it one of the most sought after varieties of hops in the world. Hops are grown the world over, and the region they are cultivated within often defines the flavors they produce. British hops are known for their earthy, spicy characteristics while the European noble hops are famed for their green-tinged herbaceous edge. North American hops provide big, boisterous notes of citrus fruit and Australian hops are loved for their juicy, tropical fruit flavors. Both brewers and beer drinkers alike particularly love New Zealand hops for the breadth and variety of flavors they are capable of producing. From the mellow spice and soft melon notes of Motueka, to the fiercely bitter Green Bullet – New Zealand has a hop variety for every occasion and this has helped them to rise up the ascendency on the global beer map. The craft beer movement is considered to have emerged in the US within the late ’80s and early ’90s before really gathering steam in the early 2000s. Once President Jimmy Carter repealed the ban on homebrewing in 1978, a raft of brewing businesses began to emerge across the US. These new breweries took much of their inspiration from the traditional ales

of Belgium and the United Kingdom along with the classic lagers of Germany and the Czech Republic. However it was the vibrantly aromatic American hop varieties such as the grapefruit-tinged Cascade, which gave those early US craft beers their signature. These modern, bitter and highly aromatic pale ales would eventually go on to become the mainstay of craft beer culture and popularize the movement the world over. The emergence of craft beer in New Zealand has many parallels with that of the US. It began in the ’80s and ’90s with pioneers such as Terry McCashin, founder of McCashin’s Brewery and Richard Emerson of Emerson’s Brewery establishing the first wave of breweries that would inspire the boom that followed. Both have steadily rose to become household names in their home nation. From these beginnings a vibrant homebrewing community emerged and many of these homebrewers would eventually go on to establish breweries of their own. Thanks to Kiwi ingenuity and the outright refusal to accept poor quality beer, the standard of beer this new wave of craft brewers would go on to produce is very high. Before craft beer became popular, the New Zealand market was dominated by light lagers such as Steinlager and its own ubiquitous style known as “NZ draught”, a collective of light beer styles with very little flavor, which includes brands such as Tui and Lion Red. New Zealand is now a hot spot for great beer, with some of its most popular craft breweries, such as Garage Project and Tuatara, beginning to establish a presence →

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all over the world. New Zealand’s hops are also a prized export for brewers all over the world, with breweries contracting these hops years in advance. It’s reported that the UK’s BrewDog buys approximately 40% of the entire Nelson Sauvin crop annually. With the population of New Zealand being relatively low – approximately four million people – this allowed craft beer to proliferate much more quickly than in other countries. But what can coffee learn from the success of New Zealand’s craft beer industry? I spoke to New Zealand beer writer and coffee fan, Jono Galuszka, to try and get a handle on the difference between the two scenes. “For me, the coffee and beer cultures in New Zealand have developed the same as our wine culture,” Jono says. “We used to be very low brow – instant coffee, NZ draught, chateau d’cardboard – but ended up drinking better as producers started making products that actually tasted good. “The best thing about New Zealand’s coffee scene is how normal getting a good espresso is. Even the big gas station chains put a lot of effort into making sure their baristas are up to scratch and able to serve you a killer coffee at 2am. It’s very hard to get a bad coffee here, even in the smallest of towns.” Jos Ruffell is one of the co-founders of Wellington’s Garage Project Brewery – one of New Zealand’s most successful craft breweries. Jos is a coffee fan himself and Garage Project regularly put out coffee infused beers, including Dark Arts – a Bock (strong European-style lager)

that’s conditioned with “a huge amount of cold drip coffee per batch”. I asked him what coffee culture could possibly learn from beer. “The parallels between the coffee and beer culture in New Zealand would be the willingness to explore, experiment and try something new,” Jos notes. “I would also say that our remote location forces us to look outwards for ideas and inspiration to search the world for the best, and to then bring it back to New Zealand to put our own unique twist on it." He continues: “The main thing that New Zealand – and the world’s – coffee culture could learn from the New Zealand beer culture is that you need to constantly reinvent yourself to some capacity. It’s not good enough to be excellent at just one thing as well, you need to have a complete package and build an audience that becomes truly passionate about your approach and philosophy.” Beth Brash is one of the organizers of New Zealand’s popular Beervana craft beer festival – but before that she worked in the coffee industry. For Beth, the thing that makes the beer industry stand out when compared to the coffee industry is its sense of camaraderie and togetherness. “The stark difference I see between the two industries is that with beer you can go into a bar and there are at least five or six different breweries on tap at one time,” she says. “This means they’re not competing against each other – they’re friends, they help each other out; they borrow gear, knowledge and malt! Coffee doesn’t have this.” →

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Insight

“You’re normally competing to be the coffee supplier for one café. This has meant over the years instead of the cream rising to the top, it’s the bullies or those who are usually making a lot more money through unfair trading practices, so they can offer cafés free machines and grinders, for example.” Sure, the beer industry isn’t without problems such as those in Beth’s example – often posed by bigger breweries with bigger budgets muscling in on the scene – but it’s the togetherness and support the craft beer industry shares that sets it apart from coffee. It’s a sentiment Garage Project’s Jos Ruffell agrees with too. “The collegial nature of the craft beer culture is fantastic. It feels like one big family with a lot of energy and passion injected from both ends of the industry – at the brewer, and at the drinker level.” “It’s the people that make it,” Beth Brash concludes. “It’s the people that serve it, the places it’s served in and most importantly it’s the people who drink it. One thing I love about NZ craft beer culture is that it's fun! It doesn’t take itself too seriously, whether that’s the way it’s made, the people that serve it, the places it’s served in and most importantly the people who drink it!” ◊

New Zealand’s hops are a prized export for brewers all over the world, with breweries contracting these hops years in advance. It’s reported that the UK’s BrewDog buys approximately 40% of the entire Nelson Sauvin crop annually.

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Design

Seoul Spaces Ahead of the World Barista Championship in November, SEO YOUNG YOUN brings 25 on a tour of Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most cutting-edge coffee spaces.

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Cafés play an important role in the social lives of Koreans. While Americans, Europeans and Australians tend to spend more time in their homes with their loved ones, Koreans often opt to go out to cafés to socialize, not only during the day, but also at night.

Design

As a result, most cafés stay open until 10–11pm and are full of people drinking coffee after dinner. Following Starbucks’ successful penetration of the Korean market approximately 20 years ago as a third space for people to escape from their highly standardized, cube-like apartment dwellings and offices, individual specialty cafés now lead the way with new types of spaces. As the average staying time in the café lasts more than an hour, a space worth “staying” and “visiting” (new, hot and distinguishable) has become a crucial element to gain popularity in Korea. It’s worth noting that Korea’s cafés per capita largely out number the most caffeinated city in the US – Seattle – making it a highly competitive market.

This competition has been healthy for design. Specialty coffee players create aesthetic cafés that are both charming to drink and relax in, with some noticeable trends. 1A nthracite Jeju. Image: Anthracite 2 Center Coffee 3 Bean Brothers Starfield 4 Orer 5 Café Onion Images 2-5: Seo Young Youn

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Regenerated Spaces Still Rule A long-standing trend in Korea has been to transform former factories into cafés, beginning with Anthracite Hapjeong’s opening in 2010. Regenerating architecture is a mainstream of café space design and they are loved mainly for two reasons: the vast impression of space that they provide and the nostalgic vibe. The traditional Korean space has low ceilings which makes the high, spacious factory buildings even more appealing.

Cafés on Trend Column (Daelim Changgo), which opened last year, was previously a warehouse for nearby factories. Its vast space, with a beautiful indoor garden, is beloved by many. Café Onion was a metalwork factory and had been abandoned for six years before it was renewed. The designers explored cement materials for tables and seating, matching the original interior of the spaces. Anthracite Jeju is a renewed starch mill factory in Jeju Island, with a unique bar using basalt rocks from the island.

More Emphasis on the Bar and the Barista In the past, conventional Korean cafés had a distinct separation between the coffee bar and the hall space, which meant that the customer experience with the barista ended promptly after ordering and collecting the coffee. Now specialty cafés in Korea try to reach out to the customers more, reducing the barrier between them and the barista. This usually accompanies minimal, Nordic-style coffee bars which highlight the barista’s performance.

Cafés on Trend Center Coffee, the recently opened café from former Square Mile roaster and 2015 World Coffee in Good Spirits Finalist, Sangho Park, emphasizes the barista with white and minimal, simple interiors. On the first floor it has only a few places to sit down, all facing the coffee bar, encouraging visitors to watch the barista while they work. At our café, Bean Brothers Starfield, there is literally nothing between you and the barista, allowing customers to stand side-by-side with the barista at the espresso machine. The idea is to make you take a good look at the espresso shot you’ve ordered. →

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Design

A Role Model for Home Interiors When Kinfolk hit every metropolitan city around the world as the bible of living well and decorating your home well, Seoul was equally inspired. Now cafés in the city have become a great reference – like an interior design magazine – for people’s living spaces. The furniture, home accessories and kitchenware that cafés use are creating a buzz among interior lovers and this is motivating specialty cafés to make more of an effort in aesthetic table settings.

Cafés on Trend Orer is directed by a textile design PhD, Jaewon Kim, and shows how a café can be a good reference for home styling. It has a small outdoor garden room that makes it even more adorable. A homeware store opened nearby in response to customer requests to buy the items featured in the café. ◊

SEO YOUNG YOUN is Marketing Director of Bean Brothers Korea.

25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Design

As the average staying time in the café lasts more than an hour, a space worth “staying” and “visiting” that is new, hot and distinguishable has become a crucial element to gain popularity in Korea. 10.

Images 6 + 7 : Column (Daelim Changgo) 8 + 9: Orer 10: Café Onion

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Events

The journey to find this year’s coffee champions began in autumn 2016 when the first of more than 75 competitions was held in Mexico. 25 traces the steps that lead coffee’s top competitors to the world stages of Budapest, Seoul and Guangzhou.

The Making of Champions The world of competitive coffee is wide. Over 60 different licensed bodies put on at least one sanctioned championship event each year – on average, that’s a single event, often a Barista Championship, but each year more and more countries are staging additional championships, including the Brewers Cup, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits, Cup Tasters, and Cezve/Ibrik Championships. The scale of these events can vary, from elaborate heats and preliminaries over many days to more intimate productions of championships fitting into the schedule of an allied trade show or community host. The 2017 World Coffee Championships begin in June at World of Coffee Budapest with the World Brewers Cup, World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, and World Cup Tasters Championships. By that point over 75 different national events will have been held with various combinations of competitions. Some of these events have histories stretching all the way back to the first World Barista Championships in Monaco in 2000 where 14 countries competed, while some of them are newer

Chad Wang competes in the Taiwan Brewers Cup. Image: Jerry Chang for Taiwan Coffee Association

organizations or new competitions that have been added to respond to growing competitor interest. The first event of this year’s cycle of coffee competitions was the Competencia Mexicana de Baristas, produced by the Asociación Mexicana De Cafes Y Cafeterias De Especialidad at the Expo Café trade show in Mexico City last September 1–3. Ecuador was next, with the Asociación de Cafés Especiales del Ecuador putting on the fourth edition of their Barista Championship. The very same weekend, the Taiwan Coffee Association held the 13th Taiwanese Barista Championship (one of the longer running competitions), alongside

the Taiwan Latte Art and Coffee in Good Spirits Championships at the Taiwan International Coffee Show. The next weekend was another veteran competition: the 15th annual National Barista Championship of Puerto Rico, at the Coffee & Chocolate Expo. From there, the championships start stacking up quickly, with a brief pause at the end of the year leading up to a spring overflowing with global competition. In April, there were 12 different championship events, with multiple competitions each weekend. One of the most exciting stories to develop out of the nationals season is Gabriel Céspedes, 2015 and 2016 World

Events

Costa Rica’s Gabriel Céspedes will compete for his third successive win at the World Cup Tasters Championship in Budapest this June

Cup Tasters Champion, once again winning El Campeonato de Catadores de Costa Rica. This means he will be heading to Budapest to compete for his World Cup Tasters Championship crown for an incredible third year in a row. With three simultaneous competition stages for the in-person attendees at World of Coffee, and the over 75,000 people expected to tune in to watch live online, Budapest is going to be full of competitive action to watch.

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this year based on standardized roaster protocols, and greater streamlining and flexibility. The first World Barista Championship was held in Monaco in 2000, and in the nearly 20 years since, the esteem and spirit of global specialty coffee has skyrocketed. Through the hard work and dedication of national event organizers, judges, volunteers, and of course the incredible dedication and effort of competitors, global coffee competition has grown along with the industry, capturing the incredible transnational appeal of coffee and the people who come together around it. Join the world in Seoul in November to see the Championship’s next evolution, or watch online at worldbaristachampionship.org. ◊

Where to Watch the Action...

WBC Evolution

- World Barista Championship: www.worldbaristachampionship.org

The year of coffee competition comes to a head with the 2017 World Barista Championship, which heads to Cafe Show Seoul November 9–12 with title sponsor, Ediya Coffee. There are a number of exciting evolutions being made to the WBC format in 2017, spearheaded by the competition veterans on the WBC Evolution Working Group. As the competition prepares to crown the 18th World Barista Champion, one of the more exciting evolutions is the new stage layout selection. For the first time, competitors will be able to choose from one of nine different station layouts, including multiple height and seating options, opening up many new service potentials. The format changes in 2017 are exclusive to the World Barista Championship, and not the many national championships taking place. Every competitor will face a brand new set of challenges and opportunities in Seoul as they compete in front of the massive CafeShow crowds, and the more than 100,000 people expected to watch online. The last competition of the year will be the World Coffee Roasting Championship, which will take place at the Hotelex show in Guangzhou. Headlining the Hotelex Guangzhou show is a great opportunity for focus and energy around this newer competition, which is seeing updates in evaluation procedures

- World Brewers Cup, World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, and World Cup Tasters Championships: www.worldcoffeeevents.org/budapest - World Coffee Roasting Championship: www.worldcoffeeroasting.org

The Ukraine Brewers Cup, image: SCA Ukraine

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25 Issue 01 Summer 2017

Destination

ISA VERSCHRAEGEN visits

Barcelona Catalunya’s vibrant capital is worth a visit at any time of year, and for any reason. For me, the warm autumnal weather in November proved the best time to explore Barcelona's blossoming coffee scene, and add some exciting food stops along the way. I was there for CoLab, Barista Guild of Europe’s bi-annual interactive event, which connects a local coffee community to an international audience of baristas and café owners, and proves the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas, get inspired, and explore rising coffee scenes in Europe. Although the event planning consumes most of my available time, I always try to add some time to immerse myself in the city. While a bit off the touristy track, I started my day at Cooccio, the event space where CoLab was held, and where Miguel Lamora hosted the excellent Atmans Coffee. Miguel and I used to work together in London, so call me biased, but he's one of the most talented baristas I know. The site at Cooccio has closed, but he's already brewing on other coffee projects, while also focusing his attention on organising the competitions as the SCA Spain National Coordinator. Hidden Coffee is another multi-roaster café in the same area, within walking distance to Sants station, focusing on a variety of beans offered on a wide array of brewing methods. Having been open only for a few months, I was very impressed by the quality and excellent service. Moving towards the east, onto the touristy GÒtic district in the center of Barcelona. If you're on a tight schedule and want to avoid getting lost in the tangle of narrow curvy streets, make sure to mark Satan's Coffee Corner on your map. Having heard so much about the iconic brand, I was excited to finally make it here. The Right Side Coffee was excellently prepared, both on espresso as on filter, but it's the food that has me craving to go back. A Japanese breakfast so delicate yet bold in flavors, it's a rare treat to get in a top-notch coffee spot.

Strolling through the trendy El Born, filled with small boutiques and cute tucked-away cafés with terraces, you can't miss stopping by Cafés El Magnífico. Started as a traditional coffee roastery in 1919, Salvador Sans has developed his family business to cover a range of singleorigin specialty coffees alongside popular blends for a loyal customer base. Ending my quick west-to-east walk through the city, I was happy to make it to Poble Nou, just in time to pop into Nømad Roaster's Home and Skye Coffee Co. Nømad is a local roastery, owned by Jordi Mestre. As a previous Barista Champion of Spain and having worked in London's Nude Coffee, Jordi developed an internationally known leading brand, based in Barcelona, and focused on the best quality beans. Operating out of a CitroenHY van parked in an industrial-style office space, Skye Coffee is probably the most unusual of the spots I visited. With a pared down, simple menu offering Right Side Coffee and a beautiful bright space with wifi, it's the perfect spot to wind down for a minute, or spend the rest of my rainy autumn afternoon. Barcelona took me by surprise. Of course, there's the abundance of places to go for traditional tapas at the bar (I tried El Vaso De Oro and Quimet & Quimet, both incredibly tasty, and incredibly traditional) or for a plate of paella (Barraca); even natural wine (my favourite alcoholic beverage) is making its appearance (Bar Brutal is a must-visit), but it's the exponentially growing coffee scene that we need to keep our eyes on. This includes a wide range of concepts, from small high-volume spots, over geeky slow-coffee-only cafés to neighbourhood hang-outs with excellent brunch, or a counter in a cycle shop; from local roastery outlets to multi-roaster cafés... Barcelona seems to benefit tremendously from a scene that is ready to move beyond the traditional dark-roasted cortado and robusta blends, and is building on the modern, creative, and inspiring ideas from across the globe, to develop a diverse, passionate, young coffee scene worth exploring. Any time of year. ◊

Nømad Roaster, images: Silvia Conde

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