Hamburg based, Tchibo purchased the company back in 2016, and Capitol Foods in 2018 with each operating under its own name. Recognising the strong values and reputation for quality and sustainable practices, parent company Tchibo has taken the decision to consolidate its UK & Ireland businesses under the Scottish brand’s name. 

The single business will provide customers with a wider range of products from across the entire business portfolio whilst offering improved efficiency and service to its entire customer base. 

The recently announced investment in the Glasgow roastery has expanded its production capabilities, with new coffee products coming into the Glasgow HQ over the coming 12 months.  

The winner of Glasgow’s Most Outstanding Business at the Glasgow Business Awards in 2023, the company sees this move as one of the most exciting changes to the coffee market in a decade.  

Paul Chadderton, managing director, Matthew Algie said, “This is a significant moment for our business and particularly for our Glasgow HQ which is the beating heart of our business.  

“Coupling this move with the recent investment programme we announced back in April 2023 it places the firm in a very strong position to build upon our growth strategy and at a pivitoal moment in the coffee sector. 

“The majority of the senior leadership team, including myself, have all relocated to Glasgow as we continue to expand the capabilities of the site, including launching our new fully recyclable packaging, various new product lines and our training and development hub which is an industry leading centre for training the next generation of baristas across the UK and Ireland.”  

Coffee continues to be one of the fastest moving sectors, with the post pandemic boom in coffee drinkers showing no signs of slowing down. With the single company now operating under one collective vision, the team are excited to offer an even more customer centric operation.  

Paul continued, “We are seeing new markets emerge as businesses look to grow their sources of revenue. Sectors such as garden centres no longer simply use their cafes as a footfall driver but is a critical part of their income.  

“Matthew Algie is perfectly positioned to help these businesses and our staff are experts in helping firms get more out of their coffee offering. Whether it be helping firms move to more sustainable operations by using our carbon neutral products, or simply supporting local cafes in adapting to the ever-changing trends within the market- this new announcement will accelerate our ability to support out tens of thousands of customers.” 

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Fresh from a rebrand and off winning two Great Taste awards in 2023 (for Little’s Smooth Colombian instant coffee and Little’s Creamy Caramel coffee pods), Little’s is now a thirty-strong team and is creating new jobs in Devon.

MD, Will Little, saw the potential in manufacturing in house and made the decision to champion British manufacturing and create local jobs.

Will Little, commented, “We’re so excited to announce we’re commissioning our own Nespresso capsule production line. Not only does this represent the most significant investment in the company’s history, but it also makes us the only brand of capsules in the UK to actually make their own capsules in the UK. By bringing this manufacturing in-house we’re increasing our agility, quality, profitability, and helping create jobs here in the Southwest.

“We’ve been working closely with two outstanding machine manufacturers to bring this line to life. Both based in Spain, we’re utilising the most up-to-date production technology including a cartoning machine built by renowned robotics experts IMASD. This will be the first machine of its kind in the UK and utilises cutting edge Siemens automation. This is all housed in our new 3,000 sqft facility dedicated solely to capsule production.

“The new line is now fully operational and will allow us to also offer own label and contract packing solutions in early 2024.”

Little’s flavour-infused coffee is vegan friendly, 4kcals per cup and contains no added sugar. Little’s is the first instant coffee in UK supermarkets to go 100% plastic free, instead utilising UK-made glass jars with UK-made aluminium lids, for freshness.

The Little’s range is available via the Little’s web shop or from Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Amazon, Ocado, Selfridges & Co, Harvey Nichols Harrods, Booths, Whole Foods and Holland & Barrett. Its prices vary from RRP GBP £4.99 for its 50g jar of Premium Instant Coffee, £3.50 for its flavoured instant coffees, £4.00 for a pack of ten capsules, and £3.29 for a 100g pack of ground coffee.

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Green Coffee Price
The ICO Composite Indicator Price (I-CIP) averaged 175.73 US cents/lb in December, an 8.8% increase from November 2023. The I-CIP posted a median value of 177.64 US cents/lb, having fluctuated between 163.92 and 186.04 US cents/lb. The December 2023 I-CIP is above the December 2022 I-CIP by 11.8%, with the 12-month rolling average at 165.23 US cents/lb. The I-CIP grew steadily in December 2023, reaching a nine-month high. The rise in tensions in the Red Sea has prompted some shipping lines to re-route their coffee-carrying vessels. Thus, for South-East Asian and East African coffee en route to Europe, unintended consequences include a rise in freight costs as some shipping companies have introduced surcharges to account for the now-extended transit times.

The Colombian Milds and Other Milds increased by 7.6% and 6.9%, to 210.68 and 210.76 US cents/lb, respectively, in December 2023. The Brazilian Naturals presented a growth of 9.4%, reaching an average of 185.23 US cents/lb. However, the Robustas grew the most by 10.5% to 135.47 US cents/lb, the highest level since May 1995, when they were valued at 140.90 US cents/lb. ICE’s New York market was a strong driver of the positive growth, having increased by 9.6% to 186.67 US cents/lb, whilst the London Futures market expanded by 12.2%, to 123.91 US cents/lb, also the highest level since May 1995.

Arbitrage, as measured between the London and New York Futures markets, widened by 5.0% to 62.77 US cents/lb in December 2023.

Intra-day volatility of the I-CIP expanded to 10.2% between November and December 2023. The Colombian Milds’ and Other Milds’ volatility also increased to 10.8% and 10.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Naturals’ volatility rose by 2.9 percentage points to 12.6% from November to December 2023. The Robustas presented the smallest volatility increase, with a 0.9 percentage point gain, averaging 9.2% for the month of December. The London Futures market’s volatility increased by 2.7 percentage points to 9.1%. Lastly, the New York futures market’s volatility moved in tandem to that of London, expanding by 2.4 percentage points and reaching 10.5%.

The New York certified stocks continued on their downward trajectory, retracting by 15.0% to 0.28 million 60-kg bags, one of the lowest figures ever recorded. Certified stocks of Robusta coffee reached 0.57 million 60-kg bags, a 68.4% increase since November 2023.

Exports by Coffee Groups — Green Beans
Global green bean exports in November 2023 totalled 9.79 million bags, as compared with 9.1 million bags in the same month of the previous year, up 7.6%. As a result, the cumulative total for coffee year 2023/24 to November is 18.39 million bags, as compared with 17.7 million bags over the same period a year ago, up 3.9%.

Shipments of the Other Milds increased by 17.9% in November 2023 to 1.31 million bags from 1.11 million bags in the same period last year. Peru was the main driver of the double-digit growth of this group of coffee, with the origin’s exports of the Other Milds increasing by 60.1% to 0.57 million bags in November 2023 from 0.35 million bags in November 2022, following a 28.9% increase in October 2023. The resurgence of Peru’s exports of the Other Milds is due to the return to normality of local production conditions in coffee year 2023/24 as compared with those seen in coffee year 2022/23. Irregular weather patterns negatively affected the local supply of coffee beans in 2022/23, especially in the first three months of the coffee year, when 1.15 million bags were exported. This was the lowest first three months of exports since the 0.93 million bags shipped in coffee year 2014/15, representing a 26.7% fall in the average volume of exports in coffee years 2015/16–2021/22, which was 1.57 million bags. As a result, the cumulative volume of total exports of the Other Milds also increased, jumping by 9.2% in the first two months of coffee year 2023/24 to 2.74 million bags, versus 2.51 million bags over the same period in 2022/23.

Green bean exports of the Brazilian Naturals increased in November 2023, rising by 1.6% to 3.63 million bags. For the first two months of coffee year 2023/24, green bean exports of the Brazilian Naturals amounted to 7.35 million bags, up 4.0% from 7.07 million bags over the same period a year ago. The relatively shallow positive growth rate reflects the 2.6% increase in exports of the Brazilian Naturals from Brazil, the biggest producer and exporter of this group of coffee, which rose to 3.2 million bags in November 2023 from 3.12 million bags November 2022.

Exports of the Colombian Milds increased by 34.0% to 1.15 million bags in November 2023 from 0.85 million bags in November 2022, driven primarily by Colombia, the main origin of this group of coffee, whose exports of green beans were up 35.6% in November 2023. As a result, exports of the Colombian Milds for the first two months of coffee year 2023/24 are up 18.7% at 2.1 million bags, as compared with 1.77 million bags in the first two months of coffee year 2022/23.

Green bean exports of the Robustas amounted to 3.7 million bags in November 2023, as compared with 3.56 million bags in November 2022, up 4.0%. In volume terms, these constitute the biggest November exports on record, surpassing the level set in November 2022. However, the rise was not sufficient to offset the 10.9% decrease observed in October 2023, when the 2.49 million bags exported represented the lowest quantity for the month since the 1.91 million bags in October 2011. As a result, the cumulative total for the first two months of coffee year 2023/24 is down 2.5%, at 6.2 million bags, as compared with 6.36 million bags in the first two months of coffee year 2022/23. The main driver of November’s Robustas increase was Brazil, shipping 0.86 million bags, a jump of 850.2%.

Exports by Regions — All Forms of Coffee
In November 2023, South America’s exports of all forms of coffee increased by 24.7% to 6.07 million bags. The source of the strong positive growth is mainly Brazil, which saw its exports increase by 21.1% to 4.34 million bags from 3.58 million bags in November 2022. More specifically, it was the Robustas from the origin, which in November increased by 850.2% to 0.86 million bags from 0.09 million bags, which drove the region’s positive growth. The November 2023 exports are Brazil’s highest on record for Robusta coffee, beating the 698,856 bags exported in August 2023. Brazil is one of the largest producers and exporters of the Robustas, having accounted for an 8.1% share of the group’s total exports in coffee year 2021/22, i.e. 3.94 million bags. That said, in July–October 2023, Brazil’s share of the Robustas more than doubled, increasing to 22.3%, with the country exporting 3.09 million bags in just four months. This surge was in response to the reduced volume of Robustas coming out of Vietnam, whose Robusta exports fell by 27.5% in July–October 2023 to 4.92 million bags from 6.78 million bags over the same period a year ago. The continued rampant expansion of Brazil’s Robusta exports despite Vietnam’s recovery in November 2023 suggests that its strong foray into this market may continue.

Robusta exports fell by 27.5% in July–October 2023 to 4.92 million bags from 6.78 million bags over the same period a year ago. The continued rampant expansion of Brazil’s Robusta exports despite Vietnam’s recovery in November 2023 suggests that its strong foray into this market may continue.

Exports of all forms of coffee from Africa decreased by 13.5% to 1.01 million bags in November 2023 from 1.16 million bags in November 2022. For the first two months of coffee year 2023/24, exports totalled 2.06 million bags as compared with 2.24 million bags in coffee year 2022/23, down 8.1%. This is the third consecutive month of negative growth for the region and it affected most origins, including all the major producers whose combined exports decreased by 11.4% to 0.93 million bags from 1.05 million bags in November 2022. It is speculated that the surge in Brazil’s Robusta exports is crowding out traditional exporters of the group from the market, thus broadly affecting Africa as a whole, which is a largely Robusta-producing region. Uganda, the largest producer and exporter of Robusta coffee in Africa, was also affected by a delayed harvest season which negatively impacted the supply availability.

In November 2023, exports of all forms of coffee from Mexico & Central America were up 15.7% to 0.41 million bags, as compared with 0.35 million in November 2022. As a result, total exports are up 11.0% for October 2023 to November 2023 at 0.9 million bags, as compared with 0.81 million bags for the same period a year ago. Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico are the three main origins behind the region’s double-digit growth in November, with their respective exports up 114.0%, 29.7% and 11.8%. These robust growth rates do not, however, herald the beginning of a record-breaking year for the three origins or for the region, but rather are indications that export volumes are returning to the levels of the recent past, following a sharp fall in coffee year 2022/23. Accordingly, the average October–November export volume for coffee years 2017/18–2021/22 was 0.7 million bags for the three countries as compared with 0.6 million bags in coffee year 2022/23, a 14.6% fall. This has now increased to 0.68 million bags in coffee year 2023/24.

Exports of all forms of coffee from Asia & Oceania decreased by 18.0% to 3.12 million bags in November 2023. November’s downturn was mainly due to Indonesia, with exports down 45.2% to 0.49 million bags from 0.89 million bags in November 2022. These are the lowest November exports since the 0.2 million bags shipped in 2018. The decrease can be attributed to a reduced harvest in coffee year 2023/24, which is estimated to have fallen by 16.6% to 10.0 million bags from 11.98 million bags in coffee year 2022/23 on the back of excessive rains that damaged cherries in April–May 2023. Vietnam’s exports fell by 7.7% in November, a vast improvement from the steep declines of 23.6%, 45.0% and 44.7% seen in August, September and October 2023. This may indicate that its supply issues have now started to resolve after very low in-origin stock levels were reported in Q4 of coffee year 2022/23, when the start of the harvest still remained three to four months away.

Exports of Coffee by Forms
Total exports of soluble coffee decreased by 25.4% in November 2023 to 0.77 million bags from 1.03 million bags in November 2022. In the first two months of coffee year 2023/24, a total of 1.75 million bags of soluble coffee were exported, representing a decrease of 3.0% from the 1.8 million bags exported in the same period during the previous coffee year.

Soluble coffee’s share in the total exports of all forms of coffee for the year to date was 8.6% in November 2023, down from 9.2% in the same period a year ago. Brazil is the largest exporter of soluble coffee, having shipped 0.24 million bags in November 2023.

Exports of roasted beans were down 15.5% in November 2023 to 54,379 bags, as compared with 64,324 bags in November 2022. The cumulative total for coffee year 2023/24 to November 2023 was 0.1 million bags, as compared with 0.13 million bags in same period a year ago.

Production and Consumption
World coffee production increased by 0.1% to 168.2 million bags in coffee year 2022/23. The stagnant growth rate belies the tremendous changes at the regional level, with the coffee world neatly split between the expanding Americas and the shrinking rest of the world.

Asia & Oceania and Africa’s 4.7% and 7.2% decreases in production to 49.84 million bags and 17.9 million bags, respectively, can be attributed to adverse weather conditions negatively affecting key producers in the regions, particularly Vietnam, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda. The magnitude of the fall in outputs of the two regions was entirely mitigated by the Americas, especially by South America’s 4.8% increase, which in turn was driven mainly by the biennial production-affected 8.4% increase in Brazil. The combined output of the Americas was 100.5 million bags.

The Americas versus the rest of the world split was also reflected in the production split between the Arabicas and Robustas, with the former’s output increasing by 1.8% to 94.0 million bags as compared with the 2.0% decrease of the latter to 74.2 million bags.

Looking ahead, the output for coffee year 2023/24 is expected to increase by 5.8% to 178.0 million bags, with the Arabicas’ output rising to 102.2 million bags and the Robustas’ increasing to 75.8 million bags.

The biennial production effect will play a large role in the outlook, especially for Brazil and the Arabicas, as the impact of the July 2021 frost continues to be resolved. Coffee year 2023/24 is anticipated to be an exceptional off-biennial year, feeling more like a good on-biennial following an average on-biennial year. Adverse weather conditions, first noted in 2022 and continuing into 2023, will have a negative impact on the outlook for coffee year 2023/24. The anticipated El Niño phenomenon is set to dampen the outlook in Asia, especially for origins like Indonesia. Meanwhile, Vietnam is expected to benefit from the drier/hotter weather as irrigation mitigates the reduced precipitation.

World coffee consumption is continuing to resolve through the issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the consumption trend following an established patten in response to an external shock. The expectation for coffee year 2022/23 was for a smaller positive growth rate; however, world coffee consumption actually recorded a decrease of 2.0% to 173.1 million bags.

Consumption in coffee year 2022/23 did not faithfully follow the established pattern due to the impact of the high cost of living, falling disposable incomes and a long stocks drawdown. Despite coffee being relatively inelastic, the challenging global economic environment would have had a negative impact on its consumption. The world inflation rate was at its highest in 2021 at 9.4%, while the benchmark interest rate averaged 4.9% at the end of September 2023 in the European Union, UK and USA, the highest level since an average of 5.8% in 2000. At the same time, there was a large drawdown of stocks, where combined stocks reported by the European Coffee Federation and those held at the Intercontinental Exchange’s warehouses in the USA fell by 4.8 million bags from 14.5 million to 9.8 million. This drawdown would have reduced the need for purchases on the international market, seemingly reflected as lower and anomalous global consumption rates for coffee year 2022/23.

The world coffee consumption outlook for coffee year 2023/24 is broadly framed by the assumption that the global economy will continue to grow at above 3.0%, and that the industry will respond to the large drawdown of stocks, which will be positively reflected in apparent consumption. As a result, world coffee consumption is expected to grow by 2.2% to 177.0 million bags, with non-producing countries making the biggest contribution to the overall increase. Coffee consumption in this group of countries should expand by 2.1%.

As a result, the world coffee market is expected to run a surplus of 1.0 million bags in coffee year 2023/24.

The outlook is taken from the newest publication of the Statistics Section of the Secretariat of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the Coffee Report and Outlook (CRO). For the full CRO or for more information, visit the ICO website: icocoffee.org.

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Hagen (The Hagen Project), is a premium coffee brand born out of Copenhagen and founded in London.

“Hagen is focused on delivering premium specialty coffee and committed to doing that sustainably,” said Tim Schroeder, founder of The Hagen Project. “By partnering with Bellwether Coffee to roast our coffee blends in-house on the all-electric, ventless machine, we are continuing to provide our guests with the best in Danish hospitality while reducing our carbon footprint. It allows us to strengthen our brand even further with increased quality and product control, which in turn will grow our business for the future.”

“Our partnership with Hagen marks an important step in the electrification of coffee roasting, as it is the first in Europe to implement our clean technology that is revolutionising the industry,” said Ben Ireland, European managing director of Bellwether Coffee. “Hagen will pioneer electric roasting in London and prove to discerning European coffee consumers that sustainable on-site roasting with Bellwether provides the trifecta of superior taste, quality, and sustainability.”

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Costa Coffee has revealed its uplifted Cornhill store in Dorchester, UK. The refreshed Costa Coffee experience at the Cornhill store introduces new features that are yet to be seen in its high street stores. 

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Having collaborated on numerous initiatives over the years, the SCA and ICO, bound by this MoU, aim to harness their combined outreach and expertise. This dynamic partnership sets out to design and implement interventions that will benefit coffee stakeholders worldwide through knowledge-sharing, education, and capacity building. Under the MoU, both organizations pledge to create training programs and foster skill development across diverse segments of the coffee value chain — from production and trade to roasting, brewing, and preparation methods.

Notably, the MoU outlines a joint commitment to expanding market promotion and encouraging the consumption of high-quality coffee. The SCA and ICO are united in their mission to facilitate constructive dialogue, linking ICO Members, industry experts, and coffee professionals. This collaboration and the programs to follow will actively promote sustainable practices and will provide increased visibility in specialty markets, with an emphasis on attributes, consuming markets, communication, and skill building. This program aims to empower producer organizations to access specialty coffee and embrace higher value trading models through the use of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment and its tools.

This agreement reflects the dedication of the Specialty Coffee Association to make coffee a thriving equitable and sustainable activity for the entire value chain, in tandem with the International Coffee Organization.

On this partnership, Vanúsia Nogueira, executive director of the ICO stated, “Promoting comprehensive training is not just a necessity; it is one of the most important elements to fuel the future of the coffee sector. Education and skills development are the keys to unlocking the full potential of our industry, ensuring a robust foundation for sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and empowering every actor in the value chain, from bean to cup. The specialty coffee segment is synonymous with quality and excellence, and I am confident that many stakeholders, especially in coffee producing countries, will benefit from this important partnership with SCA.”

Yannis Apostolopoulos, chief executive officer of the SCA added, “[This] signature marks a significant stride towards sustainability by creating new opportunities for knowledge transfer across the coffee sector. The SCA is committed to supporting institutions, organizations, and platforms in the coffee sector who are dedicated to building an equitable and sustainable industry, and the association believes that collaborative and diverse approaches, like this partnership with the ICO, will play a crucial role in making the rewards of the specialty coffee segment accessible worldwide.”

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Launched in 2017, Redemption Roasters has recorded a 78% rise in monthly sales growth since 2019 and is currently on target to generate £8.1m in sales in the last 12 months with annual revenues forecast to exceed £25m by 2026.

With the UK branded coffee shop market valued at nearly £5bn per year and research showing London’s market for independent coffee retailers has capacity for major growth compared to other international cities, Redemption Roasters is planning to open a further 17 shops in the capital and other parts of the UK by 2026. The company is also developing a new app to boost B2C revenues by an estimated 15% and is focused on further expanding its wholesale customer base.

Redemption Roasters’ business is built around a strong social commitment. The company’s partnership with the UK Ministry of Justice provides retraining programmes aimed at reducing reoffending rates amongst prison leavers. 20% of Redemption Roasters’ current retail staff are either prison leavers or individuals deemed to be at risk of offending.

The company also operates a roastery inside HMP The Mount where resident ‘trainees’ benefit from spending extended periods out of their cells working in a positive environment alongside Redemption Roasters’ team. The company also provides coffee training inside and outside of prison with direct pathways to long-term employment. Through 14 partnerships with UK prisons to date, over 1,500 individuals have taken part in these programmes, with participant reoffending rates sitting well below half the national average.

As well as paying an average of 120% more than the Fairtrade price to their bean suppliers, Redemption Roasters is also committed to social initiatives including supporting female farmers in Brazil and helping former civil war combatants in Colombia to retrain as coffee producers. It has also funded a new cupping lab to help an indigenous tribe in Burundi enhance the quality of its coffee.

The company was founded by Max Dubiel and Ted Rosner, who met while attending St Andrews University. Prior to launching Redemption Roasters, Max worked as a strategy consultant with large consumer brands and was also a founder of Black Sheep Coffee, the UK’s fastest growing independent coffee chain. Ted, who qualified as a solicitor, worked with Wall Street firm Debevoise & Plimpton as a corporate specialist handling M&A deals.

The company’s executive team includes chairman Jonathan Heilbron, an experienced and successful brand innovator who was former CEO at shirtmaker, Thomas Pink, and is now a partner at premium consumer fund, Redrice Ventures.

To help drive its growth strategy and support further development of its social aims, Redemption Roasters has now launched a £1.2m investment round, which includes a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube. Further details can be found here. 

The majority of the proceeds of the investment round will go towards financing the opening of new outlets.

Commenting on the investment round, Redemption Roasters founder, Max Dubiel, said: “As a purpose-driven business that has achieved phenomenal growth, we are very excited about this next chapter in our journey. This current investment round includes a crowdfund, enabling those who share our ethos to join us on our journey.

“The proceeds will drive further growth of our brand and help us achieve even greater profitability through scale. This will also enable the business to do more to help prison leavers and further deliver on our wider social ambitions to support coffee producers throughout the world.”

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A limited edition that will launch in time for festive celebrations and Dry January, the collaboration is back for the third year. MOMO X Orbit Beers Hops Kombucha is made with Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops that provide tropical fruit and gooseberry flavours, rounded out with a tart kombucha. Hops have a complex flavour base, mapping citrus tones and herbal, earthy notes, which make them a match for fully fermented tart kombucha like MOMO’s. A non-alcoholic option that beer drinkers can get truly excited about, says the company.

Co-founder of MOMO Kombucha, Josh Puddle, commented, “We could think of no better partner than Orbit Beers, we’ve admired their traditional method of making European beer with a modern twist down the road in South East London for many years. This traditional approach with a flavour focused modern spin felt like a natural fit for the way we brew. This is our third limited edition special, and we are so grateful to have partnered with Orbit. Their beers can regularly be found in our brewery fridge (for when a kombucha can’t quite cut it) and Orbit supply some of our favourite pubs and restaurants in London. Thanks also to our head brewer, Matt Canham, for the creation of this delicious kombucha – it could be our best yet.”

Robert Middleton, founder of Orbit Beers added, “We’ve admired MOMO’s traditional method of brewing kombucha down the road in South London for many years and love working with and sharing recipes and ideas with their team. Our first collaborative batch was brewed in January 2021. It was so well received, winning a Great Taste Award, that we decided to brew it for the third time, in time for Dry January 2024. One of the main reasons we fell in love with kombucha (apart from the delicious taste) is the benefits for our gut microbiome.”

For every bottle sold, MOMO will contribute 10p to Save the Children’s Gaza appeal, supporting children affected by the crisis in the region.

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We were given a tour of the facility, with its state-of-the-art materials and component testing laboratory, dedicated processing area and pilot manufacturing facility, which allows the company to simulate its customers’ factory conditions as well as test shelf life in temperature controlled stores. Eviosys was also proud to show off the manufacturing process for its Ecopeel innovation, which offers customers a lighter, easy-to-open packaging format. Eviosys also had on display its Orbit and Horizon technology, the former which allows for easier-to-open screw top jars, and the latter an impressively thin and unobtrusive resealable metal lid, allowing for a 100% metal packaging format and therefore improved recyclability.

The latter piqued my interest especially, in regards to tea and coffee applications. I have seen a fair amount of coffee, particularly instant coffee, sold in tins on the shelves, but with plastic lids. While this is better than a completely plastic tub, and certainly a step in the right direction, I can’t help but think they are so close to a truly sustainable option. The metal lid could be recycled alongside the tin, and made into something new again and again, with no degradation of quality. Meanwhile, plastic, while certain types are recyclable, the quality and application opportunities decrease the more it is done so. The visual appeal of an all metal can is also something that offers further benefit. Companies such as Eviosys can offer myriad ways to finish and decorate metal packaging, from contrasting gloss and matte areas, embossing, debossing, and holographic foils, as the company demonstrated yesterday. The image attached to this blog is one of the promotional examples Eviosys gave of its capabilities.

Specialty tea and coffee in particular, already utilises metal packaging to some extent, as it offers valuable resealable capabilities, as well as a quality feel. Tins have the fabulous quality of not just being infinitely recyclable, but infinitely reusable in their original format. I can’t be the only one who has an extensive collection of various tins alongside my hoard of jars, for storing biscuits, grains, nuts, lentils, anything from a packet that I have opened and want to keep stored fresh, tidy and stackable.

Chatting to Isabelle Le Graët, Eviosys marketing, communication and sustainability manager, yesterday, she touched on a report that Eviosys is due to publish soon about how consumers use their metal packaging and the role they play within the home. The report showed that 80% of consumers keep tins after purchase. This presents a phenomenal opportunity for brands to not only enter consumers’ homes, but to remain in them for potentially years to come, their packaging being got out of the cupboard and reused time and time again. Every time a consumer uses a brand’s tin, they are being reminded of the brand, the product, hopefully the enjoyment they got out of drinking the tea or coffee that the tin contained, and perhaps even the fond memory of the receipt of the tin if it was a gift. Highly decorative tins are much more likely to be kept and reused, and where the specialty tea and coffee industry is striving to offer quality and a memorable experience to consumers’ interaction with their products, a beautiful and repeatedly functional tin is an exciting as well as sustainable opportunity to expand this objective.

The concept has already been utilised in some categories for refillable solutions, where consumers buy a tin, and then going forward only need to buy bags or packets of their products to refill their tins, or some places even have opportunities for customers to bring their tin to be refilled. This is already beginning to have applications in the tea and coffee industry.

It will be interesting to see how metal packaging applications evolve within the tea and coffee segment, particularly for specialty, and how brands will utilise what is a great opportunity for memorable branding, consumer experiences, and unparalleled sustainability.

• Kathryn Brand, associate editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: kathryn@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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As one of the longest-standing, independent coffee roasters in the UK, Origin Coffee has built a reputation on quality, honesty, and integrity holding themselves accountable for doing better and actively seek out relationships where the common goal is the same.

Owner and CEO, Tom Sobey said, “We’re so honoured to have received this award. We’re proud to see how far Origin Coffee – and in fact the specialty coffee industry as a whole – has come over the last 20 years.

“Our commitment to paying producers fairly and promoting coffee excellence within every aspect of our
business always has and always will be a priority for us, so it’s truly wonderful to be recognised in this
way.”

The prestigious awards recognise and promote both companies and individual excellence in the European coffee and hospitality industry.

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Costa Coffee has unveiled its uplifted New George Street store in Plymouth, UK, which re-opened on 29 November 2023. Giving customers a new way to Costa by the Sundial, the uplifted store introduces a range of new features that are yet to be seen in its town centre stores.  

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Founded in the UK by entrepreneur Rahi Daneshmand, Virtue is the UK’s first all-natural, zero sugar and zero calories energy drink, according to the company. Harnessing the power of yerba mate tea to create a more sustained and all-natural energy alternative to coffee and energy drinks. Virtue is made in the UK and is available in three varieties: Tropical, Peach & Raspberry, and Strawberry & Lime (GBP £1.75 RRP per 250ml can).

Yerba mate

Each of the Virtue contains 80mg of organic caffeine (similar to a cup of coffee), no sugar, no calories and nothing artificial, and they are now all super powered by yerba mate. Dubbed ‘the drink of the Gods’ yerba mate is an adaptogen naturally high in caffeine made from the dried leaves of the South American holly tree. Yerba mate is said to have the energy of coffee, the health properties of tea and the feel-good endorphins of chocolate, it provides more antioxidants than green tea, as well as 24 vitamins and minerals, including riboflavin, thiamine, phosphorus, iron, calcium and vitamins C and B6 and 15 amino acids.

Investment & growth

Since inception, Virtue has achieved high profile backing, and the brand secured investment from English footballer, Chris Smalling, in 2021, supplemented by a recent raise of £1.2million in Autumn 2023, which will help to accelerate business growth, with further hires in sales and marketing, alongside driving key marketing activity to increase brand awareness.

Chris Smalling, professional footballer, and Virtue investor commented, “I joined Virtue as they are disrupting the energy drinks category, with clean energy drinks that support a truly healthy lifestyle, which as an athlete, is critical. From flavour to function, Virtue is game changing.”

Virtue has seen +462% growth in international revenue in the last 12 months (Q3 FY23 vs Q3 FY22). Virtue is now sold in 35 countries, with over 15,000 distribution points globally, stockists include major international chains Casino, Carrefour and Aeon. The UK energy drinks market is worth £1.85billion (source: Nielsen, WE 23 Sept 2023) and the desire for ‘better for you’ energy drinks is growing. Virtue is the fastest-selling clean energy drink product in grocery in the UK (Strawberry & Lime 17.0 ROS, Source: Nielsen – GB Grocery Multiples – Latest 13 Weeks – WE 23 Sept 2023) and is set to grow further as desire ramps up. Virtue distribution has grown 225% in the UK over the last year with new stockists including Waitrose, Asda, Tesco and Motor Fuel Group (the largest petrol station operator in the UK).

Matthew Blake, Waitrose soft drinks buyer, says of the listing, “We’re really excited to have the Virtue Yerba Mate drinks onboard as part of our offering. The range is perfect for active adults looking for drinks with functional benefits and comes packed with natural caffeine, contains nothing artificial as well as being zero sugar or calories.”

Rahi Daneshmand, Virtue founder added, “We are very excited for this next stage of growth, as we build the market leading clean energy drinks brand. Virtue is the first all-natural, zero sugar and zero calories energy drink in the UK and we plan to make our drinks accessible to even more people.”

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Measuring in at 8,000sqft, the new Starbucks location is the biggest store Starbucks has opened in the UK in recent years, spread across two floors to accommodate the busy shopping and tourist route. The first floor, where the main seating area will be, offers spectacular views of the Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street gardens.  

The 18^th century listed building used to be home to an HSBC Bank and had been vacant since 2021. The redesign and refurbishment carried out by Starbucks not only breathes new life into the building but also pays homage to the rich history and characteristic architecture of Scotland’s capital.  

Alex Rayner, vice president and general manager at Starbucks UK, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the local community and those visiting Edinburgh to our new Princes Street store. One of our largest openings in recent years, the design is all centred around highlighting the iconic local landscape, it’s an exciting way to close off the celebrations of our 25^th anniversary in the UK. 

“The store’s concept is a homage to Edinburgh – a perfect blend between old and new. The curved arch feature over the bar symbolizes the Edinburgh Vaults, but the main statement is undoubtedly the spectacular view of Edinburgh Castle.” 

The new store on 118 Princes Street represents an enhancement of the former Starbucks outlet at 120 Princes Street, which closed last month in anticipation of this relocation. All partners (employees) have been transferred from the previous store, and ten new jobs have been created in the local area. 

Repurposed from a vacant unit, the Edinburgh store is certified as a Greener Store, meeting 25 required standards, as verified by an outside auditor, across eight environmental impact areas such as energy efficiency, water stewardship and waste diversion. This brings the environmental impact of running the store as low as possible, as part of Starbucks ongoing commitment to sustainability and becoming resource positive. This also includes offering a 25p discount to all customers who bring a reusable cup when purchasing a drink.  

This latest store opening is another step in Starbucks plans for growth in the UK, with many more stores planned for communities across the UK, particularly in key city and drive thru locations and with a focus on innovative store formats such as smaller, digitally forward stores.

Customers visiting the new store will be able to choose from a range of beverages and food available from Starbucks Holiday menu. This includes the returning Toffee Nut Latte, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, Caramel Waffle Latte and the brand-new Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate. Starbucks® UK proudly serves a broad range of dairy alternative options for free.

Starbucks is committed to 100% ethically sourced coffee in partnership with Conservation International. The cornerstone of its ethical sourcing approach to buying coffee is Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices.  

The new store will be open from 07:00 to 21:00 Monday to Sunday. 

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The Pentawards, founded in 2007, has been a beacon of global excellence in packaging design, with its annual competition attracting over 30,000 entries from 95 countries over the past 16 years. eteaket’s recognition on this stage underscores its commitment to pushing the boundaries of sustainable packaging, the company says.

eteaket’s Retail Carton Sustainable Credentials

At the heart of eteaket’s success is its sustainability-focused novel construction design, which significantly reduces the use of production materials. The design allows for the creation of only six full cartons, compared to the 52+ that would have been required using traditional methods, resulting in an estimated saving of 75 square meters of aluminium in production.

The innovative box design enables sleeves to slide and lock securely in place, facilitating small manufacturing runs and eliminating overstock. This not only ensures a positive reduction in manufacturing materials but also delivers a fully finished, consistent, and professionally presented product with sustainability at its core. The award winning cartons mean they can create bespoke tea blends & retail artwork for companies including Scottish Ballet, Aberfeldy Whisky Distillery and Social Bite.

eteaket’s commitment to environmental responsibility is further evident in the materials used for the carton. Crafted with FSC certified card stock, the carton is fully recyclable, and the inner packet holding the tea is made from a biofilm called Natureflex, which is home compostable.

To reinforce their dedication to minimising environmental impact, both the packaging manufacture – J Thompson Printers, as well as the warehouse are located in Scotland, where the tea is hand packed, localising production.

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A total of thirty-six Highly Commended and thirteen Gold awards were presented by The Leafies judges, which include preeminent tea leaders from brands such as Fortnum & Mason, The Ritz London, Postcard Teas, Twinings, Lipton and more. A selection of Special Awards were also presented to individuals, estates, or institutions that were effecting positive change within the industry in areas such as education, community empowerment, innovation and environmental stewardship.

This winner of the Fortnum & Mason Best in Show award, and therefore the highest scoring tea of the entire competition, is Yame Tea Kumaen’s Gyokuro Saemidori, an exquisite steamed green tea produced by a tiny tea garden in a remote mountainous region in Fukuoka, Japan. Guests at the ceremony were able to sample this tea, brewed by Kazumi Nakatani who travelled from Japan, amongst twenty-five of the award-winning teas made available to taste.

Zealong Tea Estate were another notable winner of the afternoon, scooping three awards in total for its Aged Oolong, Aromatic Oolong and the UKTA Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising Zealong’s phenomenal efforts pioneering a tea culture in New Zealand and demonstrating a tireless commitment to environmental regeneration through its sustainable farming practice. Zealong CEO Gigi Crawford and International Marketing Manager Sen Kong were present at the ceremony to serve their teas and said “this award acknowledges 25 years of hard work bringing about a tea industry and culture in New Zealand by Zealong Tea Estate, we are deeply honoured and grateful to receive this award.”

The Leafies aims to connect primary tea producers with buyers and hospitality professionals and offer exposure to a global tea-focused market. A selection of winners will once again be selected for sale across Fortnum & Mason’s Rare Tea Counter, where six winning teas from last year are still currently being sold. Ottilie Cunningham, tea buyer for Fortnum & Mason, said, “An enormous thank you and huge congratulations to everyone for another successful year of The Leafies. The organisation that goes into the entire thing is immense and it is really exciting to see how much it has grown since last year’s launch.”

New for this year were categories for retailers who are selling tea online or in store and connecting tea drinkers with carefully selected high-quality teas. Triple award-winning Japanese tea shop, Chaki Co was started by three former tea producers in March this year. Dorothy’s Teas, a former UK Tea Academy student and retailer based in Cumbria, UK, won Gold in the BRITA sponsored White Tea category for her Shannon Estate Silver Needles White Tea.

The full list of winners is available on the UK Tea Academy website here.

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This label verifies the origin and quality of coffee produced using regenerative practices that are received in the warehouses. To acquire the certification, Expocacer’s environmental, social, and governance responsibility was evaluated, and it received 100% approval in these criteria.

“Projects and initiatives such as ‘Elas no Café,’ ‘Jornada da Qualidade,’ ‘Expocacer Teens,’ and others that work to promote sustainable actions within the coffee community were essential for this achievement, along with our exclusive department dedicated to sustainability-related matters, where we provide guidance to our members,” said Simão Pedro de Lima, executive director of Expocacer.

Regenerative coffee farming adopts practices aimed at preserving soil health, increasing biodiversity, protecting water resources, and enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems. Among the advantages of regenerative practices are the preservation of flora and fauna, cost reduction, decreased pollution, improved coffee quality, increased resilience to climate change, and reduced deforestation. This year, with support from Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses (Sebrae), Expocacer has already managed to certify 14 cooperative members, a number that is expected to grow to 24 by the end of 2023.

“We are very proud because this achievement confirms the work that has been carried out for years by Expocacer. This certification strengthens our commitment to ensuring sustainable and high-quality coffee production for our cooperative members, customers, employees, and commercial and institutional partners,” commented Farlla Gomes, sustainability manager of Expocacer.

For the cooperative, the automated traceability that utilises RFID technology (radio-frequency identification) and allows producers to know the exact location of their coffee in the cooperative’s warehouses was also a differentiating factor in obtaining the certification, recognising the care that Expocacer takes with the coffee from its members.

Recently, the world’s first regenerative agriculture-certified coffee has also begun to be distributed globally in retail by the Italian brand Illy Caffè, in partnership with the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation and Expocacer. With notes of intense caramel, the product is already available in 50 countries, with plans to expand to 140 by 2024.

“Obtaining the regenerative certification for Expocacer represents reaching a higher level of value expansion because this achievement directly influences the core of our business. It’s the conjunction of a set of ideas, strategies, and attitudes that are ecologically correct, economically viable and socially fair, ensuring a supply without compromising the one future generations,” concluded Flávia Nunes, director of operations and logistics at Expocacer.

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Nespresso customers now have two new options for recycling their coffee capsules with Royal Mail. They can arrange a free doorstep collection from their local postie using Royal Mail’s returns service. Alternatively, they can drop them off at any of the 14,000+ Royal Mail drop-off locations, including Royal Mail Customer Service Points and Post Offices.

Research commissioned by Nespresso to mark Recycle Week demonstrates just how important it is for recycling to be simple and convenient: despite 91% of Brits claiming they often recycle, many said they find recycling confusing (42%), and difficult (32%)*.

This partnership will increase nationwide access to easy and effective recycling methods for Nespresso capsules. Just over half of Royal Mails’ routes are wholly or partly on foot which helps to keep emissions low when compared to other carriers**.

Anna Lundstrom, CEO, Nespresso UK & ROI said, “Nespresso’s official partnership with Royal Mail brings recycling to the heart of the community, no matter where you live in the UK. Royal Mail is not only an iconic British institution, it also is recognised as having the lowest emissions per parcel** as their ‘feet on the street’ posties walk up to a billion steps a day. Recycling needs to be convenient, simple, and sustainable – and our partnership with Royal Mail is central to achieving that vision.”

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail said, “We’re really pleased to be working with Nespresso to support their coffee capsule recycling. Everyone knows when their postie delivers so it’s really convenient to arrange for them to collect at the same time. If customers aren’t going to be in, Royal Mail can also collect from a safe place. To make it even more convenient, if customers don’t have a printer our posties can print and bring the label to the doorstep.

“And if Nespresso customers don’t want to arrange a collection, they can drop their capsules off at one of our 14,000+ Royal Mail locations. This is part of our commitment to continuously make our services more convenient as we re-invent the way we deliver to and collect from our customers.”

A pioneer of coffee capsule recycling, Nespresso also co-founded not-for-profit coffee pod recycling service, Podback. Nespresso UK customers can still use this service and can still drop their used capsules at any Nespresso Boutique.

Nespresso’s capsules are made with 80% recycled aluminium which is infinitely recyclable. Recycled aluminium is turned into new products such as beverage cans and car components. Used coffee grounds are also used to create soil improver, used on cereal farms in East Yorkshire, and renewable energy to power UK homes.

* Research was carried out by One Poll between 4th and 6th October 2023 with 2,000 adult respondents.
** When measured in terms of the CO2e emissions per parcel reported by the UK parcel delivery companies who currently publicly report these.

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The Colombia coffee is a single origin ground blend that tastes fruity and sweet, with notes of berries and caramel and Colombian coffee’s renowned smooth taste and aroma.

Löfbergs’ launch into Waitrose also sees the brand unveil a new packaging design. The new packaging remains in-keeping with the bright colours the brand is recognisable for, but further celebrates Löfbergs’ Swedish heritage with Scandi design.

The design of Löfbergs’ offers, on average, a 450g pack, providing 15 more cups of coffee than more traditional coffee bag designs.

Löfbergs selection of coffee includes:

• Colombia Roast & Ground Coffee 450g – Fruity and sweet with notes of berries and caramel. This single origin, 100% Arabica coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified.
  Medium Roast – 3
  RRP- £7.50.
  Stockist – Waitrose
• Brazil Roast & Ground Coffee 450g – Rich and creamy with notes of milk chocolate nuts. This single origin, 100% Arabica coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified.
  Medium-Dark Roast – 4
  RRP – £7.50
  Stockist – Waitrose, Tesco and Ocado
• Brazil Whole Beans Coffee 1kg – Rich and creamy with notes of milk chocolate nuts. This single origin, 100% Arabica coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified.
  Medium-Dark Roast – 4
  RRP- £12.50
  Stockist – Waitrose, Tesco and Ocado

Löfbergs strives to be responsible in its business operations by reducing waste and supporting small-scale farmers, to respect people and the planet – “from bean to cup.” It’s also the world’s largest buyer of organic and fairtrade certified coffee.

Wilson Clarke, MD for Löfbergs UK, commented on the new listing, “Securing this new listing in Waitrose is a testament to the success we have seen in the UK since launching. In the last 52 weeks, we have seen sales volume increase by 561.9%, selling a total of 257.2 tonnes of coffee!

“We are really excited to build on the 3.1% market share the 1kg Brazil has by getting it and our other products into more homes across the UK.”

For more information, visit: Lofbergs.co.uk

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Alongside a leading judging panel, BRITA searched the UK for coffee shops that embodied innovation. The top ten most innovative coffee shops in the UK have been revealed as:

• Skinny Dip, Margate
• Qima, London
• Baffle Haus, Pontypool
• Batch Baby, London
• Effy Stores, Nottingham
• Formative, London
• Fika, Norwich
• Lowdown, Edinburgh
• Carbon Kopi, London
• Souli, London

The awards comes on the back of the launch of PURITY C iQ.

The launch of this new innovation was inspired by the strong link between creativity and coffee. Recent research from BRITA Professional revealed that 58% of UK adults associate coffee shops with creativity. Almost half (43%) visit a coffee shop at least once a month to inspire creativity and innovation. And 54% are drinking coffee when they feel most creative.

The research also revealed other elements that would make customers stay longer and return to coffee shops, including:

• Free refills (49%)
• Drinks offers and promotions (37%)
• Reward schemes (35%)
• Food options (28%)
• A dedicated workspace (24%)

Being the first award of its kind in the sector, BRITA Professional assembled an elite panel of coffee industry titans to help narrow down the shortlist and create the top 10 ranking:

• Ben Lewis – UK Latte Art Championship Finalist 2018, 2019, 2020
• Emma Haines – Director at Caffeina
• Lois and Michela Wilson – Founders of Saint Aymes
• Paul Whitehead – Business Account Manager at BRITA UK
• Peter Dore-Smith – Founder and Director at Kaffeine

Lois and Michela Wilson, founders of Saint Aymes and creative partners of the Grounds of Innovation campaign, commented, “A clear theme throughout the winners of the award was the sense of community that these locations foster. When you actually focus on innovation and creativity, you’re more likely to create a community, and you’re more likely to stand out.”

Tom Denning at Skinny Dip, the top ranked coffee shop, said “It just means a lot to all of us to have this industry recognition. Our shop opened its door five days before the first lockdown so it’s extremely satisfying to have navigated such a steep learning curve and to now be achieving this recognition. The creative community in Margate inspires us every day and it will continue to play a huge role in our business as we look to expand.”

Paul Whitehead, business account manager at BRITA UK, said, “Judging these awards highlighted the true breadth of creativity in coffee we have across the UK, all the way from South Wales to Scotland and everywhere in between. The winners had truly inspiring stories, both from how they operate their businesses in a thoughtful manner to how customers use their locations to boost their own creativity.”

For more information on BRITA Professional’s Grounds of Innovation campaign and further information on the winners, visit: brita.co.uk/grounds-of-innovation-winners.

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Tea already has a ‘health halo’ with 54% of UK consumers believing that green tea has a positive impact on their health (per GlobalData Plc, 2022). Functional teas take this one step further and combine tea with botanicals and fortifications to offer a specific benefit and create products that deliver a compelling health proposition for consumers.

Super teas arrived in the UK in 2015 when Tetley brought out the first ever range of EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) backed Super Green and Super Fruit teas. This paved the way for other brands and supermarket own brands to capitalise with new products being put on the supermarket shelf at a faster rate than in any other tea sector.

And it’s not just physical health — post Covid, consumers are increasingly seeking products that promise psychological or emotional benefits too. Claims relating to sleep or stress management attract the most activity, with one in ten new products using these claims according to Mintel’s Tea and other Hot Drinks Report, 2022.

How can brands capitalise?

The key to capitalising on this trend is for retailers and brand owners to understand the top claims and flavours that appeal to consumers. The traditional black tea market is still significant with over 85% share, but consumers are seeking variety when shopping this category and have a higher preference for healthy beverages than ever before. With a slightly higher price premium than other ‘tea’ products, not only do functional teas add choice to the fixture, but they also help to drive value into the category.

What’s next for functional tea?

In my view, this is just the start of the super tea trend. As consumer tastes evolve and demand for functional food and beverage heightens, there is huge opportunity for retailers to increase sales by looking beyond what is happening now and asking what will happen next. Tea – with its health halo – will be a mainstay, as will botanical infusions… but inspiration can be found in other categories and markets, where emerging ingredients such as mushroom tea, protein tea and adaptogens like ashwaganda are increasingly popular.

The key, as ever, is to join forces with an expert partner, who can help you stay ahead of the curve and tap into the extremely exciting opportunities within the functional beverage space.

• Rebecca Coath, category manager at Finlay Beverages, analyses the rise of functional teas in the UK and where the trend might be going next.

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