California-based Urth Caffé is preparing to open its first store in Europe in Covent Garden, London, at the beginning of 2027. The brand, which offers organic and heirloom coffee, baked goods, and healthy meals in the same format, is entering Europe with the potential for broader licensed growth rather than just a single store.
Lavazza has extended its collaboration with the Toronto International Film Festival, which began in 2023, to 2028 and will also take on the role of Gala Presenting Partner in 2026. The brand's red carpet coffee bars and urban pop-up locations demonstrate a model that shifts coffee brands' sponsorship budgets from visibility to direct product experience.
El Cerro, which opened in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, builds its coffee program around Puerto Rican-origin beans, Caribbean-inspired drinks, and cultural narratives. The model demonstrates how 'origin' information can shape brand, sourcing, and customer experience beyond the menu in specialty coffee businesses.
In a new study involving 49,414 participants using UK Biobank data, filter coffee consumption was associated with lower biological aging indicators, while instant coffee consumption was linked to higher biological aging indicators. However, the study is observational; it does not prove that the type of coffee directly accelerates or slows down aging.
In specialty coffee, packaging is no longer just a bag that protects the beans; it is part of price perception, brand story, and user experience. An assessment by Perfect Daily Grind with industry professionals shows that tactile surfaces, unique formats, a real story, resealable structures, and reliable sustainability approaches must work together in strong packaging design. The criteria of the SCA Coffee Design Awards also evaluate innovation, usability, consistency, and sustainability as part of the design.
China Eastern Airlines is renewing its in-flight coffee service in collaboration with Starbucks and Nestlé. While Starbucks coffees will be offered in First and Business Class, Nestlé products will continue in the economy cabin. This partnership represents a new example of the Starbucks–Nestlé Global Coffee Alliance established in 2018, showing how coffee has transformed from a service product to a brand and passenger experience tool in airlines.
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe has based its strategy in the 2026 Sustainability Report on "Nature, Resilience, and Livelihoods." The company addresses regenerative agriculture and climate risks alongside coffee supply security.
In the first quarter of its fiscal year 2027, J.M. Smucker's U.S. retail coffee sales rose by 13% to reach $807.8 million. The results indicate that coffee volume can grow despite price increases.
California-based Sanctuary Coffee Roasting has created a small public tasting room inside its production roastery in Clovis.
New York-based coffee and matcha chain Blank Street has completed a new capital transaction of approximately $105 million. The deal consists of $75 million from new funding entering the company and about $30 million from existing shareholders' secondary stock sales. It is reported that the company's valuation reached approximately $650 million in the round led by General Atlantic. The financing coincides with Blank Street's entry into the West Coast of the U.S. The chain opened its 106th global store in Studio City on August 12; Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Malibu are next. The real question now is not how many stores will be opened, but whether the small format, automation, and matcha-heavy menu model will work with the same efficiency in a market like Los Angeles, which has a strong independent coffee culture.
Bakers + Baristas completed the transformation of its coffee operations across 62 locations in the UK and Ireland in eight weeks. The five-year agreement with Miko Coffee covers not only bean supply but also espresso machines, grinders, automatic tampers, technical service, barista training, menu development, and quality audits. Considering the chain's annual coffee volume of approximately 4 million cups, the main issue is not purchasing new machines, but maintaining the same recipe and service standard across 62 different locations. Miko's 30 field engineers and the 'Train the Champion' model demonstrate that the continuity of maintenance and training after rollout is as important as the equipment itself.
The American drive-thru coffee chain Dutch Bros opened 48 new stores in the second quarter of 2026, bringing its total network to 1,225 locations. Same-store sales at company-operated stores increased by 8.3%, and transactions rose by 3.4%; total revenue grew by 32.5% year-over-year, reaching $550.9 million. At least 185 new stores are planned to open throughout 2026. The more remarkable aspect of the growth is the preparation of the human and customer infrastructure before the number of stores. Dutch Bros has over 525 operator candidates ready to manage new stores, and the average tenure of these employees is about eight years. During the same period, Dutch Rewards members accounted for 73% of all transactions, while the mobile Order Ahead channel made up approximately 16%.
South Korean coffee chain Hollys has partnered with the five-member K-pop group RESCENE, using a celebrity model for the first time since its establishment in 1998. The brand plans to launch its first advertising campaign featuring the group at the end of August, followed by various customer engagement activities. The significance of this decision goes beyond just a celebrity collaboration. For the first time, Hollys chooses to convey its brand identity through a consistent human face, rather than through product, store design, membership programs, and seasonal brand collaborations. This move indicates that coffee chains in South Korea are increasingly using K-pop and popular culture in a more systematic way to attract young customers, drive store traffic, and enhance digital engagement.
Coffee-producing countries in Africa are creating a new regional program aimed at having more control over post-harvest processing, quality control, traceability, logistics, and direct market access. The foundation of the initiative was laid at the Regional Forum on Coffee Value Chain Development in Africa held in Marrakech on May 5–6, 2026. The program covers producer countries such as Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda, while Nigeria is also joining the process through private sector investment; Morocco is taking on the role of a logistics hub through Tanger Med. However, public sources indicate that this is a series of MoUs and regional programs rather than a single agreement signed by nine governments.
Raleigh-based The Left Hook Coffee has moved its brand, which it has grown through years of pop-up and various service points, to its first permanent café. The approximately 800 square foot shop, which opened on August 1, 2026, operates in a 1920s building that was previously used as a laundromat in the Olde East area of the city. What stands out about the opening from a business perspective is the investment in production infrastructure before the store. The Left Hook states that it used the $47,000 it raised with community support for a separate roasting area, a higher-capacity roasting machine, café equipment, and permitting processes. For the permanent store, it sought an additional $50,000 in funding.
A new study by researchers at Chuo University shows that touching a smooth surface can reduce the perceived acidity of black coffee under certain conditions. The effect does not have to be limited to the cup; it can also come from another object touched simultaneously. The findings suggest that cups, sleeves, tables, and service equipment should be considered not only as aesthetic but also as sensory design elements in the café experience.
The 12th Istanbul Coffee Festival will be held at Tepe Nautilus from September 10–13, 2026. The event serves as an important meeting point for coffee lovers, roasters, cafes, baristas, and suppliers in terms of product discovery, networking, and brand visibility.
A new JRC study by the European Commission examines how trade and prices could be affected if the residue limits for 18 dangerous pesticides banned in the EU are lowered in imported products. Coffee is among the 235 agricultural products covered.
ALDI SÜD has become the first major investor in the Resilient Coffee Program launched by IDH. The program aims to reach 300,000 producers across four countries and support the production of approximately 500,000 tons of regenerative coffee annually by 2030.
The 2026 World AeroPress Championship global final will be held on December 6 in Mexico City. A coffee festival featuring roasters, tastings, and equipment experiences will be set up around the competition.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia disrupted logistics between coffee production areas and the port of Buenaventura. Although exports have partially resumed, the disaster has brought back into focus the coffee supply chain's dependence on port and road infrastructure.
Anaerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration, and co-fermentation methods offer producers in the specialty coffee market different flavor profiles and potential price premiums.
The UK government is preparing to implement mandatory supply chain reviews for companies using commodities at risk of deforestation, including coffee.
The 100-point cupping system in the specialty coffee sector has provided a common language for quality in green coffee purchasing for years. However, rising coffee costs, climate risks, varying consumer preferences, and producer economics are reopening the debate on how much a single score can convey the true value of coffee.
Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, organic certifications, and new “responsibly sourced” systems do not guarantee the same thing. Some focus on physical traceability, some on producer income, some on agricultural practices, or continuous improvement.
IDH has launched the Resilient Coffee Program, which will encompass coffee producers in Vietnam, India, Colombia, and Uganda. The program, covering the period from 2026 to 2030, aims to reach 300,000 producers and generate approximately 500,000 tons of coffee produced using regenerative methods annually.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10 affected the country's major coffee-producing regions and the export infrastructure leading to Buenaventura.