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Virginia Nursing Home Appeals $1.8 Million Hot Coffee Fine
Sterling, Virginia-based Potomac Falls Health & Rehab Center has formally appealed in federal court a $1.8 million penalty tied to a resident burn case involving hot coffee, according to McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. The facility argues regulators relied on a nonexistent federal coffee-temperature standard.
La Marzocco Obtains B Corp Certification
Italian espresso machine maker La Marzocco said it has obtained B Corp certification with a B Impact Score of 84.4, meeting the 80-point threshold required. The company said it is the first espresso machine manufacturing company to earn the seal.
Nicaragua Cup of Excellence Winners
The 22nd Nicaragua Cup of Excellence finished with 29 winners from throughout the country. In the washed category, producer Samuel Zavala won first place, achieving a score of 91.44 with a Geisha variety coffee grown at El Cambalache farm. In the naturals and honey category, first place went to a natural gesha produced by Inversiones Valladarez Acevedo S.A. at Los Alpes farm, scoring 92.00. Both coffees originate from the municipality of Dipilto, in Nueva Segovia.
El Salvador Cup of Excellence Winners
The recent El Salvador Cup of Excellence also concluded this month, with 29 winners, including eight coffees scoring 90 points or higher, according to the international jury. Inversiones Santonano’s La Esperanza Bernardina Honey coffee led all submissions with a score of 91.95.
Alsea and Starbucks Renew Licensing Agreements Through 2046
Mexico City-based restaurant operator Alsea said it has renewed its Starbucks licensing agreements for the next 20 years, retaining the right to develop and operate Starbucks coffeehouses in all current Alsea markets through 2046. Alsea also said it has assumed development obligations for the 2026-2028 period.
Starbucks Mexico Launches 12th ‘Todos Sembramos Café’ Campaign
Mexico City-based Starbucks Mexico, operated by Alsea, has launched the 12th edition of “Todos Sembramos Café,” a campaign that aims to donate more than 800,000 rust-resistant coffee plants across Chiapas, Puebla and Veracruz. Starbucks said purchases of participating products from May 25 through July 5 will support this year’s plant deliveries, and that 60% of the donated plants will be varieties developed by Starbucks.
Starbucks Workers United Says It Has Reached 700 Election Wins
Starbucks Workers United said it has reached 700 election victories nationwide after two Chicago stores recently voted to unionize. The union’s website currently says it has won elections at nearly 700 locations and represents more than 12,000 union partners.
Vietnam Rainfall Triggers Automatic Crop Insurance Payouts
Willis, a WTW business, and Global Parametrics said they have delivered payouts to coffee farmers in Vietnam’s Central Highlands after high rainfall during the 2025/26 growing season triggered a parametric insurance policy. The insurance company said payouts were automatically triggered once rainfall exceeded predefined thresholds, based on NASA satellite data.
Sucafina Releases 2025 Sustainability Report
Geneva-based green coffee merchant Sucafina has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, “Connected Value,” which highlights what the company described as stronger market recognition that sustainability matters in coffee. Sucafina also said the report outlines updates to its sustainability strategy and Impact responsible-sourcing program.
Melitta to Invest More Than €100 Million in Bremen Roastery
The Melitta Group said it will invest more than €100 million in its Bremen, Germany, coffee site as part of its Melitta 2033 growth and internationalization strategy. The company said the project is intended to increase roasting capacity there by about 50% over the next five to six years through adjacent land purchases, a new building and expanded production systems.
ICYMI
Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
Researchers Propose ‘Libex’ Hybrid as Climate Change Accelerates
Researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have proposed the formal name Coffea × libex for hybrids of the liberica and excelsa coffee species, arguing that the cross could provide a commercially viable pathway for coffee production as climate change intensifies… read more
Tim Hortons Outlines CA$400 Million Investment in Canadian Stores
Tim Hortons and 340 of its Canadian shop owners have a combined CA$400 million investment — approximately US$290 million at the time of this writing — to build 80 new locations and renovate 400 others across Canada in 2026… read more
Cosori Shakes Up Automated Home Pourovers with the Juni Brewer
Home kitchen appliance maker Cosori is diving into specialty coffee with its first automatic coffee brewer, the Juni, which offers advanced controls and connectivity for sharing and downloading brew profiles… read more
Costa Rica’s Successes in EUDR Compliance Illuminates the Struggles of Others
Costa Rica’s famous coffee industry says it’s nearly ready for EUDR… read more
Sibarist Launches Immersion Filters, B2B Services and a Brewer of Its Own
Spanish paper coffee filter company Sibarist has rolled out Sibarist Professional, a category of products and services aimed at commercial customers, while introducing a new paper developed for immersion brewing… read more
The Portable Automatic Tamper Era is At Hand
The steady rise of automatic tamping machines over the past decade has transformed the equipment landscape on specialty coffee espresso bars… read more
Stolen Coffee Load Worth $132,000 Results in Insurance Lawsuit
A Community Coffee shipment was allegedly stolen while being trucked from New Orleans to Knoxville, Tennessee, in May 2025, and the fallout has landed in federal court… read more
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