Peet\u2019s and Nespresso kiss and make up. Plus, climate change means fewer pollinators and thus less coffee, and three new shops unionize.
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Coffee faces many challenges due to climate change, from unpredictable weather patterns to increased disease risk. Now, new research from the University College London<\/a> points to yet another threat, as climate change and habitat loss combine to reduce the umber of insect pollinators in the tropics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study, published in Science Advances<\/em><\/a>, examined data on thousands of pollinating insect species from crop-growing sites worldwide, such as bees, moths, hoverflies, and more. The authors found that increased temperatures and shrinking habitat from land use changes decreased the total number of pollinators by 61%. Robusta coffee requires cross-pollination to grow<\/a>, which means robusta needs insects to carry pollen from one plant to another. While the Sprudge <\/em>article <\/em>notes that arabica coffee is self-pollinating, previous studies<\/a> have shown that<\/a> insect pollination increases coffee yields<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur research indicates that the tropics are likely most at risk when it comes to crop production from pollinator losses, primarily due to the interaction of climate change and land use,\u201d lead author Dr Joe Millard said in a press release<\/a>. The authors cite Brazil, Indonesia, China, India, the Philippines, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa as countries most at risk from pollinator loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study\u2019s authors point to coffee, along with cocoa, as being particularly vulnerable to pollinator loss. \u201cSimilarly to cocoa, coffee production provides income to millions of small-scale farmers and their families in the tropics,\u201d the authors write. \u201cTherefore, the increased production risk due to loss of pollinators could lead to increased income insecurity for some of the most vulnerable people globally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. A longstanding trademark fight is finally coming to an end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2022, Nespresso USA, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s high-end coffee subsidiary, sued California-based coffee chain Peet\u2019s<\/a> Coffee over pod design: Nespresso claimed that the design of Peet\u2019s coffee pods was \u201cnearly identical\u201d to the ones they make. Nespresso claimed the design could \u201ccause consumer confusion with its competing capsules,\u201d according to Reuters<\/em>. The similarities, Nespresso says in the lawsuit<\/a>, included \u201cthe opaque color, frustoconical top portion, angled and straight sides connecting to the flange of the capsule, circular bottom, and inverted frustoconical indentation at the top\u201d of Peet\u2019s capsule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nespresso also accused Peet\u2019s of purposefully confusing customers with its marketing, citing online reviews that mixed the two brands up. Peet denied copying the capsules’ design, arguing that Nespresso\u2019s pod design didn\u2019t warrant trademark protection. They also accused the company of trying to \u201cextend a monopoly it had lost when patents covering its capsule system expired.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The capsule copyright wars have been raging for years, with Nespresso on both ends of lawsuits. At one point, the company had a monopoly<\/a> on the pods people could use with its machines, and it sued<\/a> multiple third parties to block them from selling<\/a> compatible capsules. \u201cEach time it has tried to stop one of [these companies] from selling similar, often cheaper, versions of its coffee pods,\u201d a 2014 article in Quartz<\/em><\/a> <\/em>noted, \u201cit has been forced to retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, on October 18th, Nespresso and Peet\u2019s \u201cagreed to amicably resolve and dismiss all claims and counterclaims in their federal lawsuit concerning single-serve espresso capsules,\u201d the two companies said in a statement<\/a>, \u201cas well as Peet\u2019s opposition to Nespresso\u2019s trade dress application in connection with the shape of single-serve espresso capsules. Nespresso and Peet\u2019s cannot further comment on that resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. \u2018Crunch Time for Brazil Ports as Coffee Flow Hit, Sugar Vessels Delayed<\/a>\u2019 – via Reuters<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Buoyant US Branded Coffee Shop Market Exceeds 40,000 Outlets for the First Time<\/a>\u2019 – via World Coffee Portal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Roast Magazine Announces 2024 Roaster of the Year Winners<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018New Sustainability Center Promotes ‘Circular’ Paradigm for Coffee Supply Chain<\/a>\u2019 – via STiR Coffee and Tea<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018\u2018It Was a Plague\u2019: Killarney Becomes First Irish Town to Ban Single-use Coffee Cups<\/a>\u2019 – via the Guardian<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018ILO\u2019s Vision Zero Fund and GCP Promote Occupational Safety and Health<\/a>\u2019 – via\u00a0Global Coffee Report<\/em> A specific plant alkaloid found in coffee could help with memory as we age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trigonelline is a plant alkaloid found in coffee as well as fenugreek seeds, garden peas, potatoes, and oats, among others. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba<\/a> in Japan studied the effects<\/a> of trigonelline on the memory of mice and found that it led to \u201csignificant improvement\u201d in their performance navigating clinical memory tests. Trigonelline is present in both arabica and robusta coffee and \u201chas been shown<\/a> to possess hypoglycemic, neuroprotective, anti-invasive, estrogenic, and antibacterial activities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the study, published in GeroScience<\/em><\/a>, researchers gave specially-bred accelerated-aged mice trigonelline for 30 days and then tested their memory and spatial learning skills using the Morris water maze. This test involves putting mice into a tub of cloudy water with a raised platform under the surface. The mice must locate, swim to, and climb out of the water using the platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers then performed analyses of the mice\u2019s brains, finding that \u201cthe levels of neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin were significantly increased in the hippocampus.\u201d Overall, the mice that had consumed the trigonelline showed \u201csignificantly improved\u201d spatial learning and memory and less neuroinflammation, a \u201ccommon phenomenon of cognitive aging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s plenty of research linking drinking coffee to improved memory.\u00a0One study<\/a>\u00a0showed that coffee positively affects long-term memory, while\u00a0another found that<\/a>\u00a0\u201cmoderate coffee consumption may provide neurological benefits.\u201d In 2002,\u00a0researchers found<\/a>\u00a0that caffeine may be a protective factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. Of course, health findings about coffee tend to swing back and forth, and\u00a0some studies<\/a>\u00a0have noted<\/a>\u00a0coffee\u2019s negative impact on memory and brain health, including one study in 2021,\u00a0which found that<\/a>\u00a0too much coffee could raise the risk of dementia. \u2018Is the End of the Disposable Coffee Cup in Sight?\u2019 by Aline Maigret<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018Nespresso Ends Trademark Fight With Peet’s Over Coffee Pods\u2019 – via <\/strong>Reuters<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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