Like a bit of sugar in your coffee? You\u2019re in luck. Plus, grocery store coffee is getting increasingly expensive, and Rwanda aims to boost coffee production and quality.
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Government officials in Rwanda are shaking things up to improve the country\u2019s coffee sector. Specifically, the National Agricultural Export Development Board<\/a> (NAEB) is looking at updating regulations to improve quality, increase production, and boost the country\u2019s coffee exports. The changes will allow farmers more flexibility in choosing who they work with to process their coffee and incentivize specialty coffee production and fully-washed processing techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the updates, the (NAEB) repealed a 2016 policy that required producers in specific geographic zones to sell their harvests exclusively to designated washing stations or mills. The goal of the zoning policy<\/a> was to improve relationships between farmers and their local washing stations. Although the NAEB didn\u2019t give a specific reason<\/a> for the repeal, it will theoretically enable farmers more flexibility in choosing who should process their coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NAEB is also encouraging farmers to fully wash their coffees and will require a permit to use other processing methods. In 2017, only 54% of Rwandan coffee was fully washed, but the NAEB hopes to increase this percentage to 80% by 2024. Those wishing to sell semi-washed coffee will need to pay a tariff of 5% of the value of the coffee; for washed coffee, the fee will be 3%. Most significantly, specialty coffee\u2014that which scores 80 points or above in official grading\u2014will be exempt from the tariff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These revisions, the NAEB said in an announcement, will \u201cenhance quality, increase the volume of coffee, and strengthen collaboration between farmers and coffee exporters.\u201d Although one of Africa\u2019s top 10 coffee producers, with 400,000 farmers and more than 300 washing stations, Rwanda\u2019s output has fallen<\/a> in recent years. However, past regulations and rules implemented by the NAEB\u2014like a minimum price policy, along with high global coffee prices, saw Rwanda experience a jump<\/a> in export earnings from coffee in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. Regular readers of the roundup will know that most of the coffee news coming from the US has been positive. Just last week<\/a>, the head of the National Coffee Association<\/a> boasted that coffee was \u201ca powerful engine for jobs, communities, and the US economy.\u201d Earlier this year<\/a>, the NCA\u2019s consumer trends report showed that coffee is the most popular beverage in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, one area where coffee is not doing so well is at the grocery store, and if you\u2019ve been food shopping recently, you can probably guess why: prices are going up, up, up. Sales of packaged coffee from grocery stores have fallen for three consecutive years, Reuters <\/em>reports, while costs per unit increased 9.3% over the past year and 12% the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is going on in US coffee at retail is what is going on in US grocery in general,\u201d said Matthew Barry from market research firm Euromonitor International. \u201cPrices have been on the rise for a long time now and that is causing significant pressure on volumes because consumers are cutting back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that is not the only reason grocery sales are lagging: consumers are simply choosing to buy coffee through other purchasing platforms. In the same article, an analyst pointed to growth in e-commerce sales and subscription coffee models as reasons to remain optimistic about the coffee sector overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, it doesn\u2019t seem like coffee shops are suffering the same slowdowns. According to Barry, coffee shop sales are steady because, while people might be cutting back on other items, a cup of coffee \u201cis not that much money in the grand scheme of things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. Green coffee importer Cafe Imports<\/a> has launched a completely free and open-source education platform called ed+u<\/a>, offering live classes as well as video recordings and other resources. The goal of the online hub, according to the announcement<\/a>, is \u201cto create a robust, up-to-date, fact-based curriculum that dives into each step of the supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The platform will kick things off with a six-class introductory course called the \u201cCoffee is:\u201d series. Each of the six classes will focus on a particular topic within the coffee world\u2014they describe it as \u201can extended version of a traditional Seed To Cup course.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cafe Imports Coffee Educator Dylan Siemens, who leads the program, told Daily Coffee News<\/em> that helping coffee professionals access education was the driving force behind ed+u. \u201cThis program was inspired, on a personal level, by the fact that the coffee industry lacks a centralized and comprehensive coffee education that isn\u2019t behind a paywall or provided by an employer,\u201d Siemens said. \u201cThis leads to misinformation, marginalization, and gatekeeping, placing a professional development ceiling over coffee professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cafe Imports calls the program a constant work in progress and wants ed+u to benefit not only learners but educators as well. Classes will include a \u201cTrain-the-Trainer\u201d webinar \u201cdesigned to give educators the tools to teach the class,\u201d as well as supporting documents for educators that outline the slides from each presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. \u2018Starbucks CEO Touts a Plan Saving $3B, While Adding 17,000 Stores<\/a>\u2019 – via Seattle Times<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018US Labor Department Accuses a Fourth Louisville Cafe Chain of Wage Violations<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Uganda to Release New High-Yield Arabica Varieties<\/a>\u2019 – via STiR Coffee and Tea<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Thousands of Coffee Professionals Heading to Cafe Show Seoul 2023<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018ICE Certified Arabica Coffee Stocks Fall to Lowest in 24 Years<\/a>\u2019 – via Yahoo! Finance<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Butt First Coffee: TikTok Has Discovered The Coffee Enema<\/a>\u2019 – via Sprudge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Fast-Growing Scooter\u2019s Coffee Names Joe Thornton CEO<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018La Marzocco named Italy\u2019s Best Blue Collar Workplace<\/a>\u2019 – via Bean Scene Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Starbucks Gets US Sales Bump as Pumpkin Spice Latte Returns<\/a>\u2019 – via Reuters<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Fill Out Go Fund Bean\u2019s 2023 Barista Wage Survey<\/a>\u2019 – via Sprudge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018La Marzocco and Acaia Launch Brew-By-Weight Scale for Linea Mini<\/a>\u2019 – via\u00a0Daily Coffee News<\/em> We\u2019ve established that coffee is generally good for you, but what if you like to add a bit of sugar to your morning brew? Most health professionals advocate for avoiding<\/a> or at least reducing<\/a> sugar intake, but a new study suggests<\/a> that adding a little sweetness to your coffee isn\u2019t the end of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands analyzed data from nearly 3,000 men participating in the Copenhagen Male Study, a long-term health and diet survey. The analysis, published in PLOS ONE<\/em><\/a>, found no \u201csignificant risk\u201d to health for those who added sugar to their coffee compared to non-sugar coffee drinkers. The study builds on previous research<\/a> that found adding a little sugar to coffee or tea can be actively beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with all such studies, there are some caveats: the study only looked at home coffee consumption and didn\u2019t take into account coffee shop beverages, which, as Medical News Today<\/em> points out<\/a>, can contain huge amounts of sugar. Additionally, as an observational study, this one only included self-reported data, which can never be completely reliable<\/a>. The participants were Danish men, so the findings might not translate to other populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all those limitations, it\u2019s probably best to add this to the \u201cgood for you\u201d pile and wait for next week, when there will no doubt be a new study for the \u201cnot so good for you\u201d pile. Coffee and health: it\u2019s still basically a mystery. \u2018Coffee Is For Coolers: The Semiotics Of Beverages In Road House (1989)\u2019 by Jackson O\u2019Brien<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018US Grocery Coffee Sales Fall Below Pre-pandemic Levels\u2019 – via <\/strong>Reuters<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018Cafe Imports Launches ed+u Program for Coffee Learners and Educators\u2019 – via <\/strong>Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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