Each Friday, Excellent Every day Grind rounds up the highest espresso business information from the week. 

Editor’s observe

Costa Espresso, not too long ago voted the UK’s Favorite Espresso Store for the sixteenth consecutive yr in World Espresso Portal’s survey, has lengthy dominated the UK market.

However based on WCP’s newest Venture Café report, Greggs has overtaken Costa to turn into the UK’s largest branded espresso operator. The bakery chain, finest recognized for its sausage rolls and pasties, operates roughly 2,737 retailers throughout the UK, versus Costa’s 2,707 shops.

This indicators that UK shoppers are more and more in search of “non-traditional” choices for out-of-home espresso. As per the Venture Café report, the typical worth of a regular-sized latte within the UK’s branded espresso store market has risen to £3.76. Worth-focused manufacturers like Greggs, which provide each scorching espresso and RTD choices, will due to this fact proceed to see larger success as margins stay tight.

The bakery chain additionally simply launched its first-ever matcha vary, a strategic transfer as gross sales of the intense inexperienced drink skyrocket and Gen Z proceed to affect market tendencies.

Prime tales of the week

• Mon, 2 Feb – Vietnamese authorities seize counterfeit espresso comprised of soybeans. Legislation enforcement in Lam Dong province confiscated about 4.1 tonnes of counterfeit floor espresso and roughly 3 tonnes of uncooked elements following raids on a facility allegedly producing blends of soybean and components bought as espresso, the nation’s Public Safety Ministry reported. Investigations are ongoing. (Lam Dong, Vietnam)

• Thu, 5 Feb – Arabica futures slide to lowest since August. New York arabica contracts dropped to round US$3.08/lb, the weakest since August 2025, as enhancing Brazilian climate and ample crop forecasts weighed on sentiment. (London, UK)

Trade information

• Mon, 2 Feb – Starbucks unveils AI ordering companion and relaunches rewards programme. The chain is integrating AI into the digital ordering course of to assist prospects construct customised drinks by “pure, intuitive prompts,” as a part of its turnaround plan. Starbucks will revamp its rewards scheme on 10 Mar with three tiers providing stepped advantages and personalised perks to its 35.5m members. (Seattle, Washington, US)

• Tue, 3 Feb – Curious Roo Espresso Roasters will increase capability by 50% after opening new roastery. The brand new 5,000-square-metre facility in Chiswick, which additionally homes a coaching college, has elevated UK wholesale and retail operations by 50% to help extra impartial operators. House owners Edwin and Magda are additionally trying a world document espresso supply, crossing 25 international locations over six months. (London, UK)

• Thu, 5 Feb – IWCA appoints new world board management. Emily Bollinger was named president, and Shelby Colley was vp. Bollinger leads inexperienced espresso logistics at Peet’s, and Colley is VP of promoting at Equator Coffees. The brand new board will give attention to governance, strategic development, and strengthening chapters throughout 36 international locations. (Springfield, Illinois, US)

• Fri, 6 Feb – Nestlé UK & Eire appoints three senior leaders. Katya Simmons turns into managing director for espresso, shifting from Nestlé Skilled. Martin Krohn is known as head of technical and manufacturing. Lorenzo Vigano will lead Nestlé Skilled UK and Eire, specializing in high quality, security, and B2B development. (London, UK)

• Fri, 6 Feb – Centurium features extra management over Luckin Espresso. The funding agency acquired 136.2 million Class B shares from Fortunate Cup Holdings. This permits Centurium to streamline its possession construction with out altering its stake in Luckin. (Beijing, China)

Companies on the market

• Thu, 5 Feb – Schuil Espresso acquires Leelanau Espresso Roasting in Michigan. Grand Rapids-based Schuil has purchased the Glen Arbor roaster and café, bringing all 25 Leelanau employees into its wider operation and plans to take care of key choices whereas updating packaging and on-line gross sales. (Glen Arbor, Michigan, US)

New launch

• Mon, 2 Feb – Eversys launches redesigned web site. The rebuilt platform provides streamlined product and business pages, expanded technical sources, group storytelling, and improved navigation to help operators and preview upcoming product and repair rollouts. (Sierre, Switzerland)

• Tue, 3 Feb – Australia’s award-winning Wooden Fired Espresso to develop into UK. The Sydney-born model, which slow-roasts in a custom-made wood-fired roaster fuelled by a mix of Ironbark, Yellow Field, and Mahogany hardwoods, plans to launch within the UK to help retail companions throughout premium grocery, impartial retail, and specialty meals channels. (London, UK)

• Wed, 4 Feb – The Venti opens its first espresso retailer within the Center East. South Korean value-focused chain launched its first outlet in Jordan’s capital, that includes a tailor-made menu as a part of a technique to broaden its presence within the area following openings in Canada and Vietnam. (Amman, Jordan)

• Thu, 5 Feb – New season of A Historical past of Espresso on Filter Tales podcast launched. The podcast, out there on Apple, Spotify, and different platforms, will cowl 4 predominant matters by historic reporting and on-the-ground documentary work: Hamburg as a espresso port, Ethiopia and the origins of espresso, espresso surrogates and substitutes, and land, energy, and low in Guatemala.

Milestone

Commerce & manufacturing

• Wed, 4 Feb – Robusta espresso exports from Sumatra climb 52% in December. Information from the Indonesian Espresso Exporters Affiliation present shipments from the area rose sharply in contrast with the identical month within the prior yr, supported by agency demand from key Asian and African markets. (Medan, Indonesia)

• Thu, 5 Feb – World espresso exports grew 5.5% within the early 2025/26 crop yr. New knowledge present shipments of inexperienced beans climbed versus the prior season within the first three months by December, with strong will increase from main producers serving to offset logistical challenges and help availability overseas. (London, UK)

• Fri, 6 Feb – Brazil forecast to reap 66.2 million luggage in 2026, Conab says. The primary Conab survey initiatives a 17.1% rise versus 2025, pushed by a 4.1% space growth and a 12.4% improve in productiveness to 34.2 sacks/ha. Arabica and conilon volumes are each anticipated to extend, doubtlessly setting a nationwide document. (Brasília, Brazil)

Analysis

• Thu, 5 Feb – Breeding might make robusta the espresso of the long run. A Frontiers in Plant Science evaluation by 14 authors states that coordinated world breeding, trendy genetic instruments, and demand-led targets can increase Coffea canephora yield, illness resistance, and cup high quality. The evaluation urges shared networks, funding, and quick supply of improved varieties to farmers. (Kampala, Uganda)

Occasions & competitions

• Mon, 2 Feb – Ceado would be the Certified Espresso Grinder Sponsor for the World Barista Championship 2026-27. WBC rivals for the 2026 and 2027 competitions will use the Ceado REV Zero and E37Z-Bare grinders. The REV Zero minimises grind retention and options RSZ83 burrs with Crimson Velocity coating. The only-dose E37Z-Bare delivers extraordinarily low retention, that includes DLCB83 burrs with Diamond-Like Carbon coating, screw-free design, and three-stage geometry. (Venice, Italy)

• Tue, 3 Feb – Cooxupé holds eleventh Cerrado Honest in Minas Gerais. The cooperative’s Feira do Cerrado occasion in Monte Carmelo showcased machines, inputs, and applied sciences, and debuted a brand new components help area to assist producers reduce prices and increase productiveness forward of the espresso harvest. (Monte Carmelo, Brazil)

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

• Thu, 29 Jan – Trade leaders donate main espresso collections to UC Davis library. Three collections from Jerry Baldwin, Russ Kramer, and the Specialty Espresso Affiliation embody uncommon books, images, early Starbucks data, and commerce paperwork, increasing the first sources out there to the UC Davis Espresso Centre and supporting archival analysis. (Davis, California, US)

• Thu, 29 Feb – 7 Leaves Café selects Sq. to help growth. The Vietnamese-American beverage chain has chosen Sq.’s commerce platform, together with in-store registers, handheld ordering, and loyalty instruments, to streamline operations and improve customer support because it expands to 44 US places. (Backyard Grove, California, US)

Photograph credit: Eversys

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