Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the week.
Editor’s note
Specialty coffee is always looking out for the latest varieties and species, and there’s a new addition to the list.
Researchers at Kew Gardens have identified a natural hybrid of excelsa and liberica, formally named Coffea × libex, or Libex. Published in Scientific Reports, the study examined 113 hybridised accessions from three continents and found that the two parent species cross with relative ease and grow across Southeast Asia, Central America, Africa, and India.
Libex yields more than liberica, with potential direct implications for producers’ income. Its thinner pulp and parchment also make post-harvest processing more efficient. The seed size is closer to arabica, which could simplify roasting and grinding, and early taste tests suggest it’s more palatable to consumers than liberica. It also appears to carry liberica’s resistance to leaf rust, a disease that excelsa doesn’t typically have.
Perhaps most significantly, Libex may be viable in regions where arabica and robusta can’t grow. As the climate crisis puts established coffee-growing areas under increasing pressure, the potential to expand cultivation into new geographies is huge.
Top stories of the week
- Mon, 18 May – New rules announced for 2026 World Barista Championship. SCA said this round of updates introduces changes to the water served to the judges, clarifies language regarding the number of espresso shots competitors must prepare for the signature beverage course, and explains that competitors may override the drink evaluation protocol for the espresso and milk beverage courses by not serving spoons. (Panama City, Panama)
- Mon, 18 May – Two Coffee Masters Champions crowned at London Coffee Festival. A total of 16 competitors went head-to-head across a series of disciplines, including cupping, brewing, latte art, The Order, and The Signature Drink. Alejandro T. Griffin-Diaz and Sharon Ip both claimed the winning title. (London, UK)
- Tue, 19 May – Indonesian coffee production set to fall by 8%. According to a new USDA report, excessive rainfall in Sumatra and Java, high-volume robusta growing regions, disrupted flowering and cherry maturation. Arabica output was also revised down due to floods in Aceh and North Sumatra. (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Thu, 21 May – Brazil expected to post record export volume in 2026/27. The Brazilian arm of ECOM said producers would be incentivised to sell quickly since the market is inverted, meaning prices are higher now than in the future, and estimated that exports of green coffee would probably reach around 50 million 60kg bags. (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Fri, 22 May – Starbucks to cut 300 US jobs, Nestlé plans to axe 16,000. This marks Starbucks’ third round of job cuts, affecting 300 employees in the US, as the company continues its strategic turnaround efforts. Meanwhile, Nestlé announced plans to cut 16,000 global jobs over the next two years – its largest reorganisation in the company’s recent history. (Seattle, Washington, US and Vevey, Switzerland)
Industry news
- Fri, 22 May – Oceana Coffee selects three non-profits for its Cup of Kindness programme. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, African Orphan Educational Foundation, and Vita Nova are the three featured nonprofits for Oceana’s May to July Cup of Kindness programme. Since its launch, Oceana Coffee has distributed more than US $20,000 to nonprofits serving Palm Beach County and communities worldwide. (Palm Beach, Florida, US)
Businesses for sale
- Mon, 18 May – vendinGO completes acquisition of Portuguese roaster Caffier. The Lisbon-based vending operator gains an annual production capacity of 960 tonnes, plus a coffee pod range. Clients across Portugal, Spain, and France can now access coffee optimised for vending machines. (Lisbon, Portugal)
New launch
Trade & production
- Wed, 20 May – Vietnamese coffee producers receive payouts after heavy rainfall. WTW business Willis placed the high-rainfall parametric solution with Bao Minh Insurance Corporation in Vietnam, protecting coffee farmers’ revenue against yield losses due to excessive rainfall. The solution uses NASA satellite data to measure rainfall levels in three areas of Gia Lai Province. (London, UK)
- Thu, 21 May – ICO April composite price fell to lowest levels in 19 months. Robusta dropped 7.1% to a 26‑month low, while arabica declines were milder, as the supply outlook outweighed Middle East tensions. Global exports rose 1.6% to 13.59m bags, driven by a 21.3% surge in robusta. (London, UK)
- Fri, 22 May – Brazil’s arabica CEPEA/ESALQ price index drops 7%. A cold front raised frost concerns as the harvest has reached only 3-5% of the expected crop, limiting price declines. The CEPEA/ESALQ Index for type 6 closed at BRL 1,637.88/60kg bag on 15 May. (Piracicaba, Brazil)
- Fri, 22 May – Soluble coffee drives Indian exports while arabica declines. Production forecast falls 4.5% to 6.14m bags, with arabica yields hit by erratic weather. Exports are set to rise by 3% to 6.22m bags, supported by demand for soluble coffee and new trade deals with the UK and EFTA countries. (New Delhi, India)
Research
Events & competitions
- Mon, 18 May – Hotelex Shanghai 2026 attracts record 303,576 visitors. A total of 18,431 foreign visitors attended, marking a 48.08% year-on-year increase and representing 189 countries and regions, with Malaysia, South Korea, and Russia leading. HOTELEX Shanghai 2027 will run from 30 March to 2 April. (Shanghai, China)
Here are a few coffee news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look:
- Thu, 14 May – Paris Baguette opens 18 new cafés and secures 60 units. The bakery café chain continues its North American expansion as part of a strategy to reach 1,000 stores by 2030, following six consecutive years of positive comparable sales growth. (Moonachie, New Jersey, US)
Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association
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