Happy New Month, fellow coffee lovers,
Keep Up with Coffee News This Year
At Roast Love, we love coffee so much that we’ve decided to share this love and commitment to the crop with you this year. From 2024, if you are searching for a reliable monthly news source for coffee, look no further than Roast Love.
We released our first issue in February 2024 and intend to continue. Our monthly newsletter wants to share everything there is to know about coffee every month - from monthly news updates to product launches, trending topics, and the most exciting coffee events worldwide. You can also visit our blog for more detailed resources.
March ushers in more exciting news in the coffee world - including the final preparations for the upcoming SCA 2024 EXPO in early April. As we look forward to what’s in store for March, here’s a recap of February 2024;
The Coffee World in February 2024
Robusta coffee experiences record-high price hikes. For the first time in nearly three decades, Robusta coffee has experienced a record-high price increase attributed to increased global demand. Back in October 2021, robusta coffee prices hit their all-time high for the first time in 10 years - although this increase was associated with shipping container shortages due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the market continued to face this exponential price increase, with prices recorded at an all-time high for the first time in 29 years in January 2024. It looks like prices will stay the same for a while. Several factors have been suggested to contribute to the increasing demand for robusta coffee beans. These include the rise in popularity of specialty coffee blends.
On the other hand, the burdened Vietnamese robusta exports (the world’s largest producer of robusta) and Brazil’s arid conditions due to climate change (Brazil is the world’s second-largest producer of robusta) have fueled a decline in supply. The increased demand and supply shortages due to transportation difficulties linked to East Asia have contributed to the record-high price hikes. The ongoing Red Sea crisis has significantly impacted trade shipping routes and supply chains that connect the East Asian region to Europe and North America.
(Source: Perfect Daily Grind)
Just weeks after a triumphant lawsuit win filed by Hawaiian coffee farmers, lawmakers in Hawaii have introduced a bill to protect the prized coffee. Hawaiian lawmakers have launched a bill that enforces strict coffee labeling to deter retailers and other coffee sellers from mislabeling their coffee. This move comes just a few weeks after a lawsuit was filed by Hawaiian coffee farmers who alleged dishonest practices by coffee sellers that labeled blends as the prized “Kona” coffee. As a result, the farmers won the US$33 million lawsuit that penalized over 20 companies named in the suit.
(Source: Hawaii State Legislature and MauiNow)
Fairtrade shared updates in Coffee Standards earlier in February to help curb further damage caused by deforestation. According to the organization, the updated standards are intended to foster more practices of preventing deforestation, monitoring, and mitigation by certified producers and traders. These updates are also in accordance with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation, which was passed in June 2023.
(Source: Fair Trade)
Product Launches, Mergers and Acquisitions in February 2024
AeroPress, the revolutionary coffee brewer maker, announces the launch of the limited-edition Clear Pink Brewer. The Brewer joins the company’s list of several newly introduced limited-edition brewers. It is made from the brand’s signature clear, shatterproof Tritan™ material and comes with a unique 3-in-1 brewer technology, affording several brewing methods within minutes.
(Source: Aeropress)
Great news for coffee lovers who happen to be fans of Robert Downey Jr. Rober Downey Jr. has partnered with entrepreneur Craig Dubitsky to launch happy™ Products. According to the brand, it aims to “help consumers rediscover the magic in the every day” through its products. The products are made from 100% arabica coffee and come in light, medium, and dark roasts—in whole bean, ground, instant coffee, and coffee pods.
(Source: Sprudge and Happy Products)
If you were in the market for a coffee machine that’s a beast in performance and design, what you are looking for may have just hit the market. The ECM, in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG, has released a special edition of the Synchronika Espresso Machine and S-Automatik 64 Grinder. According to the makers, the espresso machine is built with “performance that meets design.” The impressive machines feature an elegant contrast brushed stainless steel housing, retro-style black and red pressure gauges, and superior professional brewing power.
(Source: Communicaffe and ECM)
Ally Coffee adds another coffee beverage offering to its product line up. The curated green coffee purchasing platform has added Colombian Galeras Decaf sourced from farms around the Galeras Volcano near Nariño. The coffee then undergoes ethyl acetate decaffeination and is sold in small green or roasted samples or 25 lb of green coffee.
(Source: Ally Coffee)
Black-owned coffee brand Win Win Coffee will launch CoffeePLUG, a B2B platform for farmers and buyers. CoffeePLUG is intended to cut out the middlemen in the coffee supply chain. The platform will make it easy for buyers to connect directly with farmers to get the best deal while farmers earn more.
(Source: Technical.ly)
Pilot Coffee Roasters has acquired Bridgehead Coffee from Aegis Brands for US$2.6 million (C$3.5 million). The Canadian brand now controls Bridgehead Coffee’s roasting facility, wholesale channel, and 22 retail stores.
(Source: Ottawa Citizen)
Unusually Interesting January Coffee News
Coffee lovers who closely follow climate change trends will love this news about Liberica coffee’s viability. In mid-February, the YouTube channel Context released a short documentary exploring Liberica coffee’s potential comeback due to its ability to survive climate change. The documentary further explores how climate change affects the growth and production of the world’s most prized coffee varietal, Arabica.
(Source: .
