Category: Tea, Coffee & Cocoa

Starbucks makes 3 executive appointments to support purpose-driven growth

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US – American multinational chain Starbucks has announced three new changes to its top leadership in an effort to fill vacant positions and to help the company achieve what it describes as “Purpose-driven growth”. In the new appointments, John Culver who previously served as Starbucks’ group president of international, channel development and global coffee, tea, and cocoa, has been promoted to the chief operating officer at Starbucks Corp. Culver succeeds Roz Brewer, who exited Starbucks in February to become chief executive of Walgreens Boots Alliance. In addition to being named…

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JDE Peets to expand in Australia following acquisition of specialty coffee leader Campos Coffee

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AUSTRALIA – JDE Peet’s, the world’s largest pure-play coffee and tea group by revenue, is set to acquire Campos Coffee in an effort to bolster its presence in Australia’s coffee market. Founded in 2002 in Newtown, Sydney, Campos Coffee is a specialty coffee leader in Australia, with its award-winning Signature Blends now being brewed in over 600 cafes nationwide under the Campos and Sacred Grounds brands. In 2020, Campos generated revenues of approximately $50 million AUD (US$38.52 million) and expanded its availability to coffee lovers at home, offering premium whole…

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TechnoServe entices Ethiopian coffee farmers to use cost effective, production stimulating technique

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ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia is one of the world’s leading coffee producers, but farm yields are relatively low as coffee growers harvest 40% less per hectare than their counterparts in Uganda and just one-third of what farmers in Colombia produce. According to a report by TechnoServe, the low productivity is attributed to the aging stock of coffee trees in the country, as the plants tend to produce less coffee over time. The non-profit organization has identified that stumping, in which an old single-stem coffee tree is rejuvenated by cutting its stem…

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Nespresso invests US$178m in expansion of Swiss facility to meet rising demand for premium coffee

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SWITZERLAND – Nespresso, a coffee brand owned by the Nestlé Group, has invested US$178m in expanding its Romont coffee manufacturing facility in Switzerland to meet the increasing demand for premium coffee. According to a statement from Nestlé, work has already started at the site with the first new production lines expected to be fully operational by June 2022. The Romont factory, inaugurated in 2015, is the center of production for Nespresso’s Vertuo coffees, now available in 24 countries across North America, Europe and Asia. The new capital injection will see…

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Uganda coffee exports projects to enter 500,000 bags mark in June 2021 rise from May’s 494,050 bags

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UGANDA – Uganda Coffee exports for the 12 months to end May 2021 amounted to 5,881,905 60-kilo bags worth US$ 540.72 million. This, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), was a 17.02% rise in quantity compared to 5,026,612 bags sold in the previous year and 10.76% increase in earnings from US$ 488.19 million earned in 2019/2020. Meanwhile, a look into the final month’s performance, Uganda fetched US$ 47.16 million from the export of 494,050 bags, an increase of 11.01% and 12.90% in value and quantity respectively compared to…

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Kenya’s coffee export projected to rise by 3% on back of increased production, favorable prices

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KENYA – Kenya’s most valuable cash crop, coffee, is projected to register a 7% rise in production in Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22 from 700 to 750 thousand bags. The rise, according to a report by USDA, will be realised on the back of good weather, better crop husbandry practices, and an anticipated high-producing period in Kenya’s coffee production cycle. Additionally, yields are projected to increase due to improved crop husbandry practices by farmers as growers rehabilitate their farms and increase inputs in response to improved prices. MY 2021/22 is also…

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Ivory Coast to add value to cocoa waste, invests US$244m in cocoa-powered bio-diesel plant

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IVORY COAST – Ivorian specialist in the biomass sector, Société des Energies Nouvelles (SODEN), has partnered with US Trade and Development Agency to establish a cocoa-powered renewable energy plant. The project, which will innovatively put to use the cocoa-waste is expected to cost about 131 billion West African CFA francs (US$244m). Ivory Coast is the world’s leading producer of cocoa beans contributing over 40% of the global supply. The cocoa beans which are exported to power the US$130billion per annum cocoa and chocolate industry, make up a small portion of…

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Processor of Kenya’s premium tea brand Kericho Gold gets backing from European financiers Si, IFU, Proparco

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KENYA – Global Tea & Commodities, one of the fastest growing and fully integrated tea, coffee and macadamia producing companies with operations in Kenya and Malawi, is set to receive growth capital from three European financiers. The three firms – French development finance institution Proparco, Danish sustainable investment fund IFU and London based investment and advisory firm Si Advisers LLP, have inked a financing agreement with the packer of premier tea brands, Kericho Gold and Baraka Chai. Global Tea founded in 1992, trades in Kenya through its subsidiary Gold Crown…

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Smallholder tea farmers to get direct ownership of Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings

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KENYA – Individual smallholder tea farmers affiliated with the Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings PLC (KTDA Holdings PLC) will now own direct shareholding of the company alongside their respective 54 tea factory companies, further cementing their ownership and proprietorship in the organisation. This comes after KTDA shareholders amended the company’s Articles of Association to enable the allotment of the company’s shares to individual farmers under a new category of shareholders known as “Tea Farmers.” Each of the 54 Tea Factory Companies, through their respective portions of their 5 million bonus…

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Bellweather Coffee, Heifer International pioneer fair coffee pricing model to boost farmer incomes

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US –  Bellweather Coffee, a leading commercial coffee roaster, has partnered with global development organization Heifer International and specialty coffee importer Sustainable Harvest to launch a new pricing model for coffee called Verified Living Income. According to a press release, the model will help farmers receive fair pricing for their coffee  in addition to equalizing evolving procurement practices to address sustainability and increase cooperation throughout the supply chain. The launch of Verified Living Income comes at a time when there is a growing effort across the industry to provide greater…

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