Guillaume Le Cunff, current CEO of Nespresso, has been announced as the new Nestlé CEO of Zone Europe, effective 1 July 2024. The announcement follows the resignation of Marco Settembri (pictured above), who is stepping down on 30 June, marking the end of a 36-year career. “On behalf of our Board of Directors and our Executive Board, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Marco for his many years of outstanding service to Nestlé. We wish him great success and fulfillment in this new phase of his life,” says Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider. “At the same time, we are delighted to announce that ..read more

JDE Peet’s has expanded its global effort to combat coffee-related deforestation by signing three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Peru, Honduras, and Rwanda. This ensures continued access to the European market for smallholder farmers upon implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and fosters climate change resilience for coffee, ensuring JDE Peet’s’ customers and consumers have continued access to high-quality coffee products. “We are very proud to further progress our efforts to combat deforestation through these new MOUs with Honduras, Peru, and Rwanda,” says Laurent ..read more

From 12 to 14 April, about 17,000 coffee and tea professionals from over 85 countries gathered in Chicago, United States for the 35th annual Specialty Coffee Expo, North America’s largest coffee trade show and host of the World Coffee Championships. The Expo, owned and produced by the Specialty Coffee Association, saw a 23 per cent increase in attendance from the previous largest show which took place in 2019, and an exhibit hall featuring 602 companies, the most to ever participate in the history of the event. This year Specialty Coffee Expo offered two new features areas. The Green Coffee Co ..read more

Cup of Excellence (CoE) has announced the record-breaking Ethiopian CoE competition is scheduled to return to Addis Ababa in mid-July after a year hiatus. “Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of arabica and is renowned for its heirloom varieties so it was no surprise when farmers winning Cup of Excellence in 2022 broke records. The highest scoring coffee sold for $400.50 per pound (about US$498.54), the highest price ever paid for an Ethiopian coffee,” says Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of both CoE and Alliance for Coffee Excellence. “Over 600 samples have already arrived in the re ..read more

On 13 April, National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), JDE Peet’s, and Enveritas announced that they had entered an agreement to protect Rwanda’s forests and preserve access to European markets for smallholder coffee farmers in the country. The new European Union Deforestation Regulation that comes into effect in December 2024 will ban the export of coffee grown on land deforested after 2020 to the EU. As a result of this agreement, NAEB, JDE Peet’s, and Enveritas will take joint action to remediate any coffee that infringes the new regulation. “Rwanda has been set a daunting task ..read more

Swiss coffee machine manufacturer Schaerer has collaborated with wearable technology company Turnpike to offer smartwatch integration for its smart coffee machines. Users can now connect Schaerer’s Internet of Things to the smartwatch software to receive updates on upcoming service tasks direct to their wrists. “The collaboration with Turnpike underlines our ambition to inspire the world of coffee enjoyment,” says Sandro Bianchi, Customer Success Manager at Schaerer. “By connecting our coffee machines to Turnpike’s technology, we are helping our customers to optimise their coffee business and ..read more

From 11 to 14 April, Italian coffee equipment manufacturer Cimbali Group will unveil its new corporate branding at London Coffee Festival in the United Kingdom (UK). The company’s new look was first revealed at HostMilano in Italy in 2023, but the team are excited to share it with the local and international coffee community that will gather at the Truman Brewery in East London for the 13th edition of the London Coffee Festival. As well as debuting its fresh branding, the company will also showcase its LaCimbali, Faema, Slayer, and Casadio brands. The Cimbali Group plans to use the festival pl ..read more

Electric coffee roasting manufacturer Stronghold Technology will attend the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo in Chicago, United States from 12 to 14 April. As the Official Roasting Equipment for the US Roaster Championship (USRC), Stronghold introduces its flagship S7Pro. Competitors will harness the capabilities of the S7Pro to demonstrate their expertise. Stronghold is also Official Roasting Partner for the World Cup Tasters Championship. Along with Stronghold S9X’s appointment as the official roaster for the World Coffee Roasting Championship, this partnership signifies Stronghold’s ..read more

International grinder manufacturer Hemro has expressed its gratitude to the organisers of Hotelex 2024 in Shanghai, China, following a successful event. The hospitality, equipment, and foodservice tradeshow, which took place at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre between 27 to 30 March, featured over 3000 exhibitors from around the world. “At Hemro, we’re all about pushing the boundaries and bringing game-changing solutions to the table,” says Ziya Boro, Chief Sales Officer at Hemro. “Hotelex 2024 gave us the chance to do just that and more. Big thanks to the organisers for putting t ..read more

Green coffee merchant Volcafe has joined the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Child Labor Platform (CLP) as part of its efforts to eradicate child labour in the coffee industry. The CLP initiative brings together businesses from across the coffee supply chain to work towards a shared goal of ending child labour. As part of its membership, Volcafe will work alongside industry peers such as Tchibo and Nestlé. “Volcafe is excited to be part of the ILO’s Child Labour Platform and its coffee sector initiative,” says Tim Scharrer, Chief Operating Officer and Regional Director Europe and Nort ..read more