Everyone loves specialty coffee. Plus, new research investigates how coffee copes with one of its major foes, and a unique competition gives coffee technicians their moment in the spotlight.
‘US Report Highlights Growing Interest in Specialty Coffee’ – via Global Coffee Report
In April, the National Coffee Association (NCA) released its National Coffee Data Trends report, a biannual review of how Americans drink coffee. Every year, the NCA partners with the Specialty Coffee Association to produce a spinoff version that focuses specifically on specialty coffee.
The latest report shows an impressive rise in the popularity of specialty coffee: the number of people who drank specialty coffee in the last day had increased by 84% since 2011, when just 25% of survey respondents reported drinking specialty coffee. The NCA defined specialty as a beverage that “consumers perceive to be brewed from premium coffee beans/grounds.”
Of nearly 2,000 survey respondents, 46% said they drank specialty coffee in the past day, higher than the 42% who drank “traditional” coffee. Specialty coffee was most popular among younger drinkers aged 25-39, 64% of whom reported consuming a specialty coffee beverage in the last day.
“These findings affirm what our community has long believed—specialty coffee isn’t just growing; it’s becoming a defining part of how people experience coffee today,” said SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos in the press release. “From origin to café, consumers are seeking quality, connection, and meaning in every cup.”
Read the full story on specialty’s growing popularity here.
‘Groundbreaking Coffee Leaf Rust Study Offers Insights Into Resistance’ – via Daily Coffee News
Coffee production is under threat from factors like climate change, agricultural diseases, and pests. Researchers worldwide have been working on solutions—including developing high-tech software powered by drones—to help coffee survive.
On June 13, World Coffee Research unveiled the results of a groundbreaking global study on coffee leaf rust (CLR) aimed at equipping farmers with the knowledge they need to choose the most resilient coffee varieties for their unique growing conditions.
CLR is one of coffee’s deadliest foes. Since the 19th century, it has spread globally, devastating producing regions from Sri Lanka to Hawaii by covering leaves with fungus and causing them to fall off plants and disrupting flowering and cherry production. To fight the disease, scientists have spent decades breeding and developing coffee varieties resistant to CLR.
This study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, investigated how plants respond to CLR under various growing conditions. Researchers examined 29 different coffee varieties grown on 23 plots across 15 countries.
The study found that no single variety was entirely immune to CLR—even those explicitly bred to be resistant—but several exhibited “high resistance” across different countries.
The varieties that showed the most promise were Parainema, Kartila 1, and IPR107. According to a WCR announcement, these varieties “offered a promising balance of high resistance to coffee leaf rust and stable performance across environments, making them good all-around choices for rust resistance.”
The researchers found that genetics weren’t the only deciding factor in what made a variety perform well—or poorly—in the face of CLR. Location played a role, as did the care given to the plants and the specific strains of CLR they were competing against. Over 55 types of CLR have been identified, and the pathogen is constantly evolving; therefore, these kinds of broad studies are essential in helping producers counteract it.
“Understanding rust can be complex for farmers,” said Albertino Meza Ojedas, Agricultural Research Manager at the Peruvian cooperative CENFROCAFE. “By identifying which varieties really work against rust in real-world conditions, this research gives farmers better tools to sustain their crops, their incomes, their dignified life, and their future.”
Ojedas also noted the collaborative nature of the study. “It’s an honor to participate in this global study that brings together scientists from around the world to solve a shared problem.”
Read more about the fight against coffee leaf rust here.
‘Nuova Simonelli Technicians Competition: The Story Behind the Event’ – via Comunicaffe
Over the past decade, coffee competitions have experienced a surge in popularity—baristas, roasters, and cuppers can all showcase their skills in international competitions. Green coffee competitions, such as the Cup of Excellence, celebrate coffee producers. There’s even a whole network of competitions dedicated to brewing coffee on a specific piece of gear, the Aeropress. But what about those unsung heroes of the industry: coffee technicians?
In an effort to highlight the people who maintain your coffee brews and keep your espresso machines running, Nuova Simonelli, the espresso machine manufacturer, created the Nuova Simonelli Technicians Competition. The competition aims to provide a platform for technicians to demonstrate their skills and showcase the profession as a whole.
“Creating a competition dedicated to technicians was a natural decision,” Nicolas Poirot Crouvezier, general manager of Nuova Simonelli’s French division, said in a press release. “They have the expertise and pressure-handling skills that deserve a spotlight.”
The inaugural competition took place in April in Dubai, featuring eight technician competitors from around the Middle East. The competitors faced off in head-to-head battles tackling various espresso machine-based challenges: they had to take machines apart at speed, diagnose malfunctions, and fine-tune equipment in what the company called “a true test of speed, precision, and professionalism.” Judges assessed the competitors’ knowledge, organizational skills, and ability to work safely and efficiently.
In the end, John Paul Alcantara from the equipment distributor Boncafé came out victorious. “Our work is often solitary, but competitions like this allow us to feel part of a community,” Alcantara said. “It was stimulating to come face-to-face with other professionals, push my boundaries, and share my passion for this trade.”
The next event will be held in September at the Paris Coffee Show.
Read more about the coffee tech competition here.
More News
‘Lavazza Group Exploring Merger with Germany’s Dallmayr, Report Says’ – via World Coffee Portal
‘ICO Relaunches Coffee Sustainability Support Database’ – via Global Coffee Report
‘Houston Restaurants and Bars Are Opening As Daytime Coffee Shops To Bring In More Business Amid Uncertainty’ – via Houston Chronicle
‘Cotti Coffee Signs Deal with Rwanda’ – via Global Coffee Report
‘SCA’s World of Coffee Trade Show Heading to Brussels in 2026’ – via Daily Coffee News
The Week in Coffee Unionizing
- Blue Bottle Coffee workers in the Bay Area are unionizing. Following the formation of the Blue Bottle Independent Union in Boston in 2024, staff from four locations in Berkeley and Oakland have requested voluntary recognition to join BBIU. “We, workers, are the face of the company. We make the product and interact with people from behind the bar,” said organizer and barista Alex Reyes. “Support will be high when it spreads.”
- Less than a year since announcing their bid to unionize in September 2024, workers at Quills Coffee in Louisville, Kentucky, have ratified their first contract with the company. In an unusual move for the coffee industry, Quills’ CEO, Nathan Quillo, voluntarily recognized the union immediately. The new contract gives workers raises of up to 23%, depending on their role, as well as paid family and bereavement leave, improved holiday pay, and increased paid breaks.
- After Anodyne Coffee workers in Milwaukee filed to unionize in April, the company’s private equity-backed owner, Fairwave, declined to voluntarily recognize the union. Workers unanimously won their subsequent union election, but now Fairwave has challenged the vote, citing that workers used “intimidation,” among other allegations. Regarding the accusations, Matt Bruenig, a lawyer representing the union, told Sam Woods of WUWM that, “I am being fully straight forward with you when I say I have yet to figure out what they’re talking about.”
- In March, Chilean Starbucks workers agreed on a second union contract after a 25-day strike (we just found this out but felt it was worth sharing with you despite this news being a few weeks old). They had been protesting for better pay, benefits, and protections for trans workers.
Is Coffee Good For You?
Drinking black coffee may help you live longer, according to a new study. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, found that drinking at least one cup of coffee daily was associated with a lower risk of premature death from all causes—especially when coffee was consumed without milk or sugar. Those additions, however, appeared to reduce the health benefits.
For the study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, researchers examined data from more than 46,000 U.S. adults who participated in national health surveys between 1999 and 2018. Their coffee consumption was categorized by type (caffeinated or decaf) and any additives like milk or sugar.
Drinking at least one cup of coffee per day was associated with a 16% lower risk of death; consuming 2-3 cups increased that risk by 1%; above that, the benefits plateaued. The health benefits of drinking coffee decreased when milk and sugar were added.
“Coffee is among the most-consumed beverages in the world, and with nearly half of American adults reporting drinking at least one cup per day, it’s important for us to know what it might mean for health,” said Fang Fang Zhang, senior author of the study, in a press release. “The health benefits of coffee might be attributable to its bioactive compounds, but our results suggest that the addition of sugar and saturated fat may reduce the mortality benefits.”
Beyond the Headlines
‘What To Do When ICE Comes to Your Coffee Shop’ by Eric Grimm
‘Colombia’s Sustainable Coffee Sector and its Lessons for Climate Solutions’ by Carmen Caballero
