Weekly Coffee News: ‘Roasted at Origin’ Program + 53 Coffee Workers Rescued

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Go Get Em Tiger Introduces ‘Roasted at Origin’ Program

Los Angeles coffee company Go Get Em Tiger launched a new “Roasted at Origin” program through which select coffees will be roasted in the countries where they were grown, using roast profiles developed collaboratively. The GGET homepage currently says the company plans to move 20% of its roasting to coffee-producing countries by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2027.

Brazil Rescues 53 Coffee Workers from Slave-Like Conditions

Brazilian authorities rescued 53 coffee workers from conditions legally defined as analogous to slavery during a nationwide August enforcement operation. The Ministry of Labor and Employment said coffee cultivation had the second-highest number of rescued workers among individual sectors, behind construction. In total, 479 people were rescued. In 2024, Brazilian authorities rescued 214 coffee workers from slavery-like conditions.

Private Auctions Fetch Extremely High Prices in Ethiopia and Bolivia

Ethiopian producer Alo Coffee drew 6,457 bids at its private Echoes of the Peak online green coffee auction, with a top price of $1,739 per kilogram ($788.80 per pound). Meanwhile, a coffee from Testi Specialty Coffee founder Faysel Abdosh fetched $2,376.50 per kilogram ($1,077.96 per pound) at the Sept. 14 Faysel Abdosh Signature auction. A third auction featuring coffees from Bolivia’s Finca Takesi produced a $3,100-per-kilogram ($1,406.14-per-pound) winning bid for a Gesha lot, organizers told DCN. All three auctions were held on the M-Cultivo platform. 

Bad Ass Coffee Moves Headquarters to Kentucky, Names New President

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has moved its headquarters from Denver to Lexington, Kentucky, while opening an East Coast distribution center and promoting Tom Wylie from chief operating officer to president. The chain, which has grown to 48 locations, said the moves are part of a broader infrastructure buildout supporting franchise growth. Bad Ass Coffee announcement Wylie joined the company as COO earlier this year.

Verve Workers Reach Tentative First Union Contract

Workers at numerous Verve Coffee Roasters cafes in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California, have reached a tentative first contract with the company, according to UFCW Local 5. The deal includes wage progression, scheduling guarantees, a path to full-time work and a provision requiring final employment decisions involving AI systems to be made by people, the union group told DCN. 

Starbucks Picks Chennai for New Global Tech Hub

Starbucks has selected Chennai, India, for a new global technology hub designed in part to bring work currently handled by third-party providers in-house. Reuters reported that the initial phase could create about 800 technology jobs. 

SEB Professional Beverage Names William Yates Commercial SVP

Germany-based SEB Professional Beverage has appointed William Yates senior vice president commercial. Yates, a Groupe SEB executive for more than a decade, will oversee commercial and service functions across the WMF, Schaerer, Curtis, La San Marco and Zummo equipment brands. 

Mexico Expands Direct Sales Channels for Coffee Farmers

Mexico’s federal government is expanding direct-to-consumer channels for small-scale agricultural producers, including coffee farmers, according to a Mexico Business News report. The effort complements the government’s Café Bienestar coffee program, which buys coffee from small-scale Mexican producers for sale through Tiendas Bienestar stores.

Lavazza Launches First US Loyalty Program

Italian coffee giant Lavazza has launched My Lavazza, its first U.S. loyalty program. Members earn one point, called a “Bean,” for each $1 spent on eligible purchases online and through participating retailers, with additional benefits for subscription customers. The program follows Lavazza’s recent U.S. rollout of the Tablì single-serve brewing system.

ARKO Refreshes Coffee Program Across 1,000+ Stores

Virginia-based convenience retailer ARKO Corp. has upgraded coffee service across more than 1,000 stores with a new Coffee Creations customization program, according to C-Store Dive. ARKO operated 1,057 convenience stores in more than 30 states as of June 30.

ICYMI

Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…

New Mexico Experiment Brings Solar Heat to the Roasting Drum

A Sandia National Laboratories proof-of-concept with Michael Thomas Coffee used photovoltaic energy stored as heat in rocks to roast coffee, pointing toward solar-thermal retrofits for existing drum roasters… read more

New Coffee Resilience Paper Calls for Investment Beyond the Farm

A new Sustainable Coffee Challenge position paper urges coffee-sector investors to look beyond individual farm projects, arguing that long-term supply also depends on household livelihoods, ecosystems, local institutions and markets… read more

Study Finds Coffee Associations with Fat, Muscle and Testosterone

A study of more than 2,200 middle-aged people in Finland found that those drinking five or more cups of coffee per day had less body fat and more muscle than light or non-coffee drinkers, despite similar BMIs… read more

Atomic Coffee and Overpotential Combine for Electrified Cold Brew

Atomic Coffee Roasters is launching Potential, a cold brew passed through a low-voltage electrochemical treatment created by Overpotential to alter flavor compounds without adding ingredients… read more

Variety Coffee Roasters Consistently Delivers with 10th New York Location

Variety Coffee Roasters reached 10 shops with a Greenpoint opening inside the Astral building, extending 18 years of slow, steady growth across Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens… read more

SCA Gives UC Davis Coffee Center $1 Million for Research Fellowship

The Specialty Coffee Association is giving UC Davis $1 million to establish an endowed graduate coffee-science fellowship, with approximately $40,000 expected to support a fellow annually… read more

Cafe Imports Now 100% Employee-Owned Through a Stock Plan

Minneapolis-based green coffee importer Cafe Imports became 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan designed to protect the company’s independence and long-term direction… read more

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