Some interesting articles on coffee got our attention this month.

People Pick Coffee Over Their Spouse.

If you think a good cup of coffee in the morning is really important to you, you’re not alone. In a study of 2000 people it was reported that about half would rather go thirsty than let someone else prepare their coffee!

About 18 percent don’t trust their partner to make coffee. They were strongly concerned about how hot it was, how much sugar or cream was in it and…. of course, whether it was fresh ground or instant!

“Cappuccino came out as the most sought-after coffee type, with almost two fifths selecting that as their drink of choice, closely followed by latte, flat white, Americano or the classic black coffee.”

from: The Independent

Coffee Keeps Getting More Expensive

Covid and weather continue to wreak havoc on coffee prices. The two biggest coffee producers in the world, Brazil and Vietnam are struggling with Covid related problems. What coffee is available is in high demand and transportation costs have added to a low yield in Brazil to push prices up with no end in sight so far.

“Arabica coffee prices in New York were near the highest in seven years this week, as the market deals with the outlook of a reduced supply in top grower Brazil after drought and frosts.

“We believe in a deficit of around four million bags, other analysts see it as high as seven million bags,” said Carlos Mera, head of agri commodities market research at Rabobank, adding that exports from Brazil and other producing countries have been slow due to shipping bottlenecks.”

Vietnam is expecting good output numbers but companies have had a hard time getting that coffee out of the country in part because Vietnam’s main export hub, Ho Chi Minh City is still under strict Covid restrictions.

from: The Independent

Giants in the Foodservice Industry Want Sustainable Cups

Starbucks, McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Panera Bread all want sustainable cups. The four companies are working together to address climate issues by using more sustainable cups and packaging.

Recently Starbucks and McDonald’s committed an additional $10 million to the NextGen Consortium. The organization was started in 2018 to find sustainable solutions for fiber, hot and cold to-go cups. NextGen now works with paper mills, recycling facilities and municipalities to expand recycling access and recovery of fiber cups.

Wendy’s, another supporting partner in the NextGen Consortium, separately announced a collaboration with Berry Global and LyondellBasell to improve cup recyclability and to introduce a new, clear drink cup.

“The collaboration will support Wendy’s move from plastic-lined paper cups with limited recyclability to single-substrate, clear plastic drink cups that more consumers will be able to recycle. The cups also will use 20% ISCC-certified, recycled plastic across all North America restaurants with the potential to increase the amount of recycled plastic used in the future.

The new cup set will launch in the U.S. and Canada early next year with the initial set of large cups using recycled plastic. All drink cups will use recycled plastic in 2023, according to the brand.”

from: Fermag