Each Friday, Good Day by day Grind rounds up the highest espresso business information from the week. 

Editor’s word

Sometimes called the “Oscars of meals”, the James Beard Awards recognise excellence within the US unbiased restaurant business. However this yr, alongside cocktail and wine bars, they’ve shortlisted a specialty espresso store.

Pioneering Arkansas roaster Onyx Espresso Lab has been named a semi-finalist within the Excellent Bar class. Onyx’s 1907 location, a three-story, 30,000-square-foot café and roasting house that additionally serves as its headquarters, has been nominated for its deal with distinctive espresso and hospitality.

It’s a milestone second not only for Onyx, however for the complete specialty espresso business. Nationwide recognition at such a prestigious stage brings legitimacy to an business that works tirelessly to highlight high quality espresso, traditionally undervalued, and intentional customer support. 

The 2026 James Beard Award finalists can be introduced on March 31, and winners can be celebrated on June 15 in Chicago.

Prime tales of the week

• Mon, 26 Jan – Brazil instantaneous espresso sector seeks readability on US 50% tariff. Nearly all espresso merchandise have been exempted from tariffs in November 2025, together with flavoured instantaneous espresso, however the steep 50% levy remained in place for Brazil’s common soluble espresso merchandise. The nation’s instantaneous espresso exports fell 35% in December, so ABICS says it’s working with US counterparts to revive shipments. (São Paulo, Brazil)

• Tue, 27 Jan – UK’s Caffè Nero makes £2.9m bid for US’ Compass Espresso. The provide seeks to amass Compass’ belongings and choose shops as a part of Caffè Nero’s US technique. Compass, which operates 25 places within the Washington DC space, filed for Chapter 11 chapter in early January. (Washington, DC, US)

Business information

• Tue, 27 Jan – La Colombe plans US$479m West Michigan growth. The specialty espresso roaster will put money into its Norton Shores manufacturing and roasting facility to scale manufacturing, add about 100 jobs, and help progress in processing, filling, and packaging operations. (Norton Shores, Michigan, US)

• Wed, 28 Jan – Neumann Kaffee Gruppe appoints Marten Sievers as CEO for EMEA. Sievers will oversee regional management, buyer engagement and organisational transformation, coordinating industrial operations and technique throughout Europe, the Center East, and Africa because the group strengthens its regional empowerment method. (Hamburg, Germany)

• Wed, 28 Jan – Keurig reported to regulators over Ok-Cup recycling claims. The grievance alleges that Keurig misled customers by advertising and marketing Ok-Cup pods as recyclable regardless of their restricted recyclability in apply, probably breaching promoting requirements and prompting scrutiny of its sustainability messaging. (Burlington, Massachusetts, US)

• Thu, 29 Jan – Espresso Holding reviews full-year gross sales up 23% to US$96.3m. Web revenue fell to US$0.25 per share. Tariffs and an underperforming Empire Espresso integration dented income, prompting facility closures and anticipated annual financial savings of US$750k–$1m. (New York Metropolis, New York, US)

• Fri, 30 Jan – illycaffè turns into the official espresso provider of Valencia CF. The heritage Italian model will provide espresso blends, present barista coaching, function in-stadium retailers, and launch co-branded fan activations and retail packs to boost matchday hospitality and merchandising. (Valencia, Spain)

• Fri, 30 Jan – JDE Peet’s launches Nature Transition Plan. A science-based roadmap aligned with TNFD, GBF, and SBTN targets an extra 200,000 ha of regenerative espresso by 2030 and 100% responsibly sourced inexperienced espresso by 2028, constructing on Widespread Grounds farmer programmes. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

Companies on the market

• Wed, 28 Jan – Odeko acquires District Distribution and companions with Union Kitchen. The transfer expands Odeko’s Mid-Atlantic footprint, provides native suppliers entry to its nationwide ordering platform, 24/7 help, financing and broader distribution channels, and creates scaling alternatives for rising meals and beverage manufacturers. (New York Metropolis, New York, US)

New launch

• Mon, 26 Jan – Sure Espresso launches 111 Cans – Espresso Chronicles mission. The mission brings collectively unbiased Chilean artists and illustrators, specialty espresso manufacturers and roasters, and native espresso communities. Every version will function a special artist and specialty espresso model, reflecting a special stage of the availability chain and low’s cultural impression. There can be 11 limited-edition releases, each with 111 cans. (Santiago, Chile)

• Tue, 27 Jan – Melitta North America opens state-of-the-art M-Lab in New Jersey. The brand new facility will function a hub for product innovation, sensory analysis and brewing science, enhancing R&D capabilities and supporting high quality improvement throughout Melitta’s espresso portfolio, the corporate says. (Cherry Hill, New Jersey, US)

• Wed, 28 Jan – Espressolab launches in East Asia with Bali debut. The Turkish specialty espresso chain opened its Bali outlet as a part of a speedy world growth focusing on 1,000 shops by 2027, leveraging vacationer hotspots and regional footholds. (Bali, Indonesia)

• Thu, 29 Jan – Bacardí and Bigface Espresso broaden Rum Room Domino Membership. The occasion featured the Café Con Ocho cocktail, customized domino tables, a residency at Sq.’s Nook Retailer by mid-April, co-branded merchandise, and an look by NBA star and Bigface founder Jimmy Butler. (San Francisco, California, US)

Milestone

• Tue, 27 Jan – Groupe SEB confirms its excessive EcoVadis rating. The corporate maintained a excessive sustainability rating from EcoVadis, reflecting improved efficiency in environmental administration, moral practices, and social accountability throughout its world operations. (Écully, France)

• Wed, 28 Jan – Barista Espresso hits five hundredth café milestone in Patna. The brand new outlet brings the community to over 165 cities, marking 26 years for the reason that first retailer in Delhi, and narrows the hole with Tata Starbucks. Analysts say market management hinges on quick execution and worth competitiveness. (Mumbai, India)

Commerce & manufacturing

• Tue, 27 Jan – Jamaica launches US$15m mission to empower girls espresso farmers. The federal government-funded Ladies in Espresso Help Venture will present focused help to feminine farmers to spice up productiveness, strengthen their participation within the provide chain, and help entrepreneurship within the nation’s espresso sector. (Kingston, Jamaica)

Analysis

• Mon, 26 Jan – Stingless bees increase arabica yields in Brazil by 67% in area trials. Area trials on six arabica farms discovered branches inside 50 m of Scaptotrigona depilis colonies produced 67% extra fruit. Colonies positioned at 10/ha confirmed wholesome brood regardless of prior label-compliant neonicotinoid use, indicating sensible pollinator administration can elevate yields sustainably. (São Paulo, Brazil)

Occasions & competitions

• Tue, 27 Jan – Worldwide India Espresso Competition expands 2026 programme. The second version will happen in Marakata from 12 to 14 Feb, focusing on 20,000 guests with a full farm-to-cup expertise, nationwide championships, cuppings, brewing training, and an innovation hub targeted on know-how, expertise, and enterprise improvement. (Marakata, India)

• Tue, 27 Jan – Rhea wins 2025 Good Design Award with Barista on Demand. The automated espresso station delivers customised drinks through an intuitive interface, combining mobility, operational effectivity, and sustainability to help versatile retail codecs and improve hospitality experiences. (Milan, Italy)

• Thu, 29 Jan – Jazan celebrates Saudi Arabia’s espresso tradition and storytelling. A 3-day public occasion mixed literature and low, providing workshops on specialty espresso preparation, interactive artwork with espresso cups, and hands-on coaching in brewing and machine use to have interaction folks of all ages in cultural and low experiences. (Jazan, Saudi Arabia)

Listed here are a couple of espresso information tales from earlier weeks that you simply would possibly discover fascinating. Have a look:

• Thu, 22 Jan – Tatu Espresso wins prime Kenya high quality awards. The producer’s micro heaps excelled in sensory and post-harvest classes, strengthening market popularity, boosting purchaser curiosity, and supporting export prospects. (Nairobi, Kenya)

• Thu, 22 Jan – Eighty jobs impacted as Synge & Byrne ceases buying and selling. The chain has closed a number of retailers and laid off 80 employees. Directors cited unsustainable prices and weak footfall and have notified redundancy help and native employment providers. (Belfast, Northern Eire)

• Fri, 23 Jan – Paulig provider discussion board introduced collectively 160+ world companions. The occasion convened suppliers from a number of areas to debate sustainability targets, high quality enchancment, provide chain collaboration, and innovation priorities to help espresso and associated classes throughout Paulig’s portfolio. (Helsinki, Finland)

Picture credit: 200 Levels Espresso, Yunnan Espresso Merchants

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