Coffee News Recap, 30 Oct: China’s Pan Wei is the 2026 World Barista Champion, coffee now accounts for up to 20% of sales at China’s leading tea chains & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the week. 

Editor’s note

On 25 October in Panama City, Pan Wei of Parking Coffee became the 2026 World Barista Champion, a historic result for China. Two years earlier, he finished 27th at the same competition. This year, however, he came out on top of a field of 49 national champions, building his routine around Gesha coffees from Panama and Colombia.

His win comes as coffee gains ground in a country long associated with tea. According to a new Rabobank report, coffee now makes up as much as 20% of sales at Goodme and around 15% at Mixue, two of China’s leading tea chains. The bank argues that the shift makes commercial sense, since tea and coffee share customers, locations, and operating models. In addition, growth at tea chains has slowed as the sector matures, which puts pressure on sales per store.

The wider figures point in the same direction. Rabobank forecasts that China’s coffee market will grow from US$36.9bn in 2025 to US$72.8bn by 2030.

Taken together, these trends make China a market to watch for anyone in coffee. China has already overtaken the US as the world’s largest branded coffee shop market by number of outlets, according to World Coffee Portal. At the same time, Chinese chains have built their success on low prices, product innovation, and digital ordering, and Rabobank expects them to take those strengths into Southeast Asia next, although adapting to local tastes will decide how far they scale.

Top stories of the week

• Mon, 26 Oct – Rabobank report finds coffee accounts for 20% of sales at China’s tea chains. A new Rabobank report on China’s coffee market found that per capita consumption remains low compared with more mature Asian markets such as South Korea and Japan. Even so, the market reached US$36.9bn in 2025, more than 2.5 times the US$13.9bn recorded in 2020. As a result, coffee has become a key growth category for leading tea brands, including Mixue and Guming. (Beijing, China)

• Mon, 26 Oct – China’s Pan Wei wins the World Barista Championship. Pan Wei, representing China, has won the 26th World Barista Championship, held in Panama from 23 to 25 October. A total of 49 national champions competed for the title. Shing Win from Malaysia finished second, while Frederick Ruben from the UAE took third place. (Panama City, Panama)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Tata Starbucks India reports its strongest quarter and returns to store growth. Tata Starbucks, the second-largest operator in India’s branded coffee shop market, grew revenue by 15% in the quarter to 30 September. The company said the figure was a multi-quarter high, driven by strong store sales. It ended the quarter with 505 stores across 81 cities, after opening seven net new stores, including two Reserve stores. (Mumbai, India)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Espírito Santo coffee exports pass 5 million bags as conilon volume reaches third-highest level. Coffee exports from Espírito Santo, Brazil, totalled 748,000 bags in September 2026. This represents a 16% fall in volume and a 15% fall in revenue compared with August. Exports included 652,000 bags of conilon (down 15%), 73,000 bags of arabica (down 20%) and 22,000 bags of soluble coffee (down 26%). Compared with September 2025, however, total exports grew by 55%. Over the same period, conilon exports rose by 70% and arabica by 14%, while soluble coffee fell by 40%. (Espírito Santo, Brazil)

• Thu, 29 Oct – Producer Roaster Forum to host webinar on Mexico as a coffee origin. PRF will host a webinar on 3 November about Mexico as a coffee origin. The session will cover the country’s developing coffee sector and the role of Chiapas in the international industry. Attendees will also meet PRF guests and hear what to expect at PRF Mexico, taking place on 18 & 19 March 2027. (Mexico City, Mexico)

• Fri, 30 Oct – La Marzocco and Porsche launch limited-edition 911 Carrera RS espresso machines. La Marzocco has partnered with Porsche to release the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 collection, a limited range of espresso machines in Porsche colours. The company has produced 911 machines in Grand Prix White with green and in tangerine with black, sold only through Porsche channels. In addition, a Grand Prix White with blue version is available only in Germany, with 150 units made. (Berlin, Germany)

Industry news

• Mon, 26 Oct – Groupe SEB reports modest Q3 growth and confirms full-year targets. French appliance group Groupe SEB said its Rebound Plan is progressing in line with expectations. Revenue for the first nine months of 2026 reached €5,707m, up 1.1% on a like-for-like basis and 0.8% as reported. Third-quarter sales totalled €1,964m, flat like-for-like and up 2.5% as reported. (Écully, France)

• Mon, 26 Oct – Simonelli Group publishes second Beyond the Cup paper on umami in coffee. Simonelli Group has released the second paper in its Beyond the Cup series, titled “What if Umami is more than a taste?” The paper combines chemistry, sensory analysis, and post-harvest research to examine how umami-like sensations form and intensify in coffee. It also links aromatic compounds and biochemical changes to sensory perception, offering new ways to assess cup quality. (Belforte del Chienti, Italy)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Blueprint Coffee to return tariff refunds to partners and customers. St Louis roaster Blueprint Coffee will pass the green coffee tariff refunds it has received back to the wholesale partners and customers who ultimately paid them. Over recent months, the company has collected refunds from its green coffee importers one by one. Now that the process is complete, Blueprint will begin returning the money. (St Louis, Missouri, US)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Italian coffee exports to Germany rise by 28.4%. German imports of Italian coffee reached €350.5m in the first seven months of 2026, up 28.4% on the same period in 2025, according to SIGEP World. Germany also ranked second among international visitor markets at the most recent SIGEP World exhibition. (Rimini, Italy)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Panera Bread appoints new chief operating and supply chain officers. Panera Bread has appointed Chris Finazzo as Chief Operating Officer and Victor Siqueira as Chief Supply Chain Officer, with immediate effect. Chris will lead operations, focusing on operational standards and growth across the business. Meanwhile, Victor will oversee the supply chain. Both will work from Panera’s Boston headquarters and report to Chief Executive Paul Carbone. (Boston, Massachusetts, US)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Coffee futures fall as Brazilian real weakens. New York arabica futures dropped to a two-week low on concerns that Brazilian exporters will increase sales. The move followed a 9% fall in the Brazilian real on Monday, after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s unexpected win in the weekend’s presidential election. Although the currency has recovered some ground, it remains 8% lower on the week. A weaker real typically encourages exporters to sell, as they receive more in local currency for each dollar of sales. (New York City, New York, US)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Tchibo names new managing director for Poland. German coffee group Tchibo has appointed Zofia Korecka-Rejczak as managing director for Poland, one of its main European markets. Tchibo entered Poland in 1992 and opened its first shop in Warsaw in 2005. It now operates 53 coffee bars in the country. (Warsaw, Poland)

• Thu, 29 Oct – Bodum recalls 5.9 million French press coffee makers sold in the US over 52 years. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of Bodum’s 8oz and 12oz French press coffee makers. The regulator received more than 70 reports of glass carafes breaking during use, including 48 reports of burns. The CPSC also warned that damaged or cracked carafes can shatter without warning and cause serious burns. (New York City, New York, US)

• Thu, 29 Oct – Blue Bottle drops oat milk as its default in the US. Blue Bottle has switched its US default back to dairy milk, reversing the oat milk policy it introduced in May 2022. The company said the decision reflected changing customer preferences and higher demand for dairy. (Oakland, California, US)

• Fri, 30 Oct – Black Sheep Coffee’s largest franchisee agrees 20 more stores. Glasgow-based SUR Group, Black Sheep Coffee’s largest franchisee, has signed a development agreement for at least 20 stores across West Yorkshire, northern England, and southern Scotland. The deal will take the London-based robusta specialist into Northumberland, Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway, creating about 300 jobs over five years. In total, Black Sheep has signed agreements for more than 100 new stores in the past nine months. (London, UK)

Businesses for sale

• Mon, 26 Oct – Odeko completes first cross-border deal with Nantel McDiarmid acquisition. Odeko, which provides operations and technology services to more than 30,000 US coffee shops, cafés, and food businesses, has acquired Nantel McDiarmid. The Montreal-based distributor has more than 65 years of experience supplying retailers, cafés, restaurants, and foodservice operators across Canada. (New York City, New York, US)

New launch

• Mon, 26 Oct – Groundwork and Swiss Water launch Regenerative Organic Certified decaf. Groundwork and Swiss Water have released ROC Decaf Peru, sourced from Finca Churupampa in Peru. The companies describe it as the first Regenerative Organic Certified decaf made using the chemical-free Swiss Water Process. The coffee has notes of pomegranate and chocolate. (Los Angeles, USA)

• Mon, 26 Oct – Shardor launches KM805 dual-brew coffee maker in the US. Shardor has added the KM805 to its US range, a coffee maker that brews single cups or a full carafe. It makes cups from 6oz to 16oz or fills a 32oz stainless steel thermos. In addition, the machine accepts both K-Cup pods and ground coffee. (Los Angeles, USA)

• Mon, 26 Oct – Costa Coffee opens its first Cineworld store. Costa Coffee has opened its first store inside a Cineworld cinema, the first site under a new partnership between the two companies. The agreement will bring Costa to up to 26 Cineworld locations across the UK, as the chain expands into leisure venues with high footfall. (UK)

• Tue, 27 Oct – De’Longhi relaunches its All-in-One coffee and espresso machine. De’Longhi has updated its All-in-One Combination machine, a model it has sold for more than a decade. The new version is 20% smaller and includes a built-in retractable cold frother. As a result, users can make drinks ranging from filter coffee and espresso to iced lattes, cold brew and matcha with cold foam. (New Jersey, USA)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Cumulus launches cold coffee machine at Target. Cumulus has made its countertop cold coffee machine available in selected Target stores and on Target’s website, with delivery across the US. The company says the single-serve system is the first designed specifically for cold coffee. It is also Cumulus’s largest retail launch to date. (New York, USA)

• Tue, 27 Oct – La San Marco launches La 125 Element at TriestEspresso Expo. La San Marco, the Italian espresso machine brand owned by SEB Professional, launched the La 125 Element at TriestEspresso Expo 2026. Alongside the new machine, the company presented its Espresso Station, a connected system designed to help baristas work more consistently and efficiently. (Trieste, Italy)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Roasters Pack launches 12-coffee advent calendar.
  Roasters Pack has released an advent calendar with 12 rare and competition coffees from 12 roasters. These include the coffee Jack Simpson used in his 2025 championship-winning routine, roasted by Axil Coffee, and the Granja La Esperanza Sidra that won the 2023 World Brewers Cup. The calendar also features Poma coffee, grown in Denmark in conditions designed to replicate Costa Rica, and Sky Project’s Rose coffee from Switzerland, one of the highest-grown coffees recorded. (Toronto, Canada)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Honoroast presents new branding at World of Coffee Panama.
  Honoroast, the roastery behind Flat White, introduced new branding and packaging at World of Coffee Panama. The company said the identity reflects its growth and its values of honour, passion and community. (Doha, Qatar)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Wood Fired Coffee secures Whole Foods Market UK listing. Australian brand Wood Fired Coffee will launch in Whole Foods Market UK by the end of October as part of its UK expansion. The company, which started on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and uses wood-fired roasting, will also exhibit at Manchester Coffee Festival from 20 to 22 November 2026. (Sydney, Australia)

• Wed, 28 Oct – Bialetti launches Cuor di Zucchero holiday collection. Bialetti has released its holiday 2026 collection, Cuor di Zucchero (Sugar Heart). The range includes a three-cup Moka Express with red and pink candy cane stripes and a Mini Express with two matching espresso cups. It also features hand-painted espresso cups with twisted rope rims, a six-piece stackable set on a gold wire rack, mugs and a sugar bowl. The pieces come in mint, apricot, red and blue, and each one is painted individually. (Lombardy, Italy)

• Wed, 28 Oct – SEB Professional Beverage launches Coffee & Beverage Competence. SEB Professional Beverage has set up Coffee & Beverage Competence (CBC), a cross-brand team that helps operators add new drink trends to their menus. CBC will work across WMF, Schaerer, Curtis, La San Marco and Zummo, combining drinks expertise, market data and customer research. The unit forms part of SEB’s One Connected System. (Steige, Germany)

• Thu, 29 Oct – Sodexo Live! brings Caravan coffee to UK sports venues. Sodexo Live! has partnered with London roaster Caravan to serve its coffee across UK sports, hospitality and events venues. The rollout begins at Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground before extending to 12 major stadiums and venues. After that, Sodexo Live! will expand the partnership across the rest of its portfolio. (London, UK)

• Thu, 29 Oct – %Arabica opens first store in Iraq. Japanese coffee brand %Arabica has opened its first store in Baghdad, its tenth market in the Middle East and North Africa. The opening forms part of a franchise agreement with Dubai-based Al-Handal International Group. (Baghdad, Iraq)

• Thu, 29 Oct – New Balance and Todd Snyder release coffee-themed trainers. Todd Snyder and New Balance have launched The Coffee Pack, two versions of the New Balance T500 inspired by coffee. The Espresso colourway uses brown suede, pebbled leather and a gum sole designed to resemble crema. Meanwhile, the Milk colourway pairs cream suede with a dark brown gum sole. (New York, USA)

Milestone

• Mon, 26 Oct – Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea Company named in 2026 Inc. 5000. Denver-based Luna Gourmet Coffee & Tea Company has appeared in Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the US. The business, which owns Boyer’s Coffee, Boulder Organic Coffee, Luna Roasters, Boca Java and CoffeeAM, grew by 57% over three years. New and expanded partnerships with national grocery and club retailers contributed to that growth. The company runs a 40,000 sq ft roastery in Colorado, where it roasts coffee and blends whole-leaf tea. (Denver, USA)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Old Spike opens seventh London café with live impact dashboard. Old Spike, a London roaster and social enterprise, has opened its seventh café, on Great Suffolk Street in Southwark. The site features what the company calls the UK hospitality sector’s first live impact dashboard, built on data from payments platform Square. The screen shows customers how their purchases across all seven cafés fund Old Spike’s training and paid work placement programme. The company plans to install the dashboard at every site. (London, UK)

Trade & production

• Mon, 26 Oct – ITFC and SCOPI conclude Coffee MUG programme in Indonesia. The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), part of the Islamic Development Bank Group, and the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI) have concluded the five-year Coffee Master Trainer Upgrade (Coffee MUG) programme. The organisations marked the end of the scheme at a ceremony in Karo, North Sumatra. Since October 2021, the programme has trained 5,156 farmers across four provinces in Good Agricultural Practices through a network of local Master Trainers. (Jakarta, Indonesia)

• Mon, 26 Oct – Rainforest Alliance certifies Expocacer farms. The Cerrado Coffee Growers Cooperative (Expocacer) has completed Rainforest Alliance audits under the Sustainable Agriculture Standard and the Regenerative Agriculture Standard. Following certification, the Rainforest Alliance Expocacer Group now covers 99 farms and 12,993.94 hectares of Arabica in the Cerrado Mineiro region. According to the Rainforest Alliance, this makes it the largest certified volume under the regenerative standard worldwide. (São Paulo, Brazil)

Research

• Mon, 26 Oct – UC Davis joins Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Coffee and Cacao. The University of California, Davis will become a sub-recipient of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Coffee and Cacao (CCIL). The US Department of State awarded the multi-year cooperative agreement to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with Clemson University as co-lead. Under the programme, UC Davis will work with other universities, trade groups and a global food company on coffee and cacao research. (Davis, USA)

• Tue, 27 Oct – Study finds alkalinity, not hardness, shapes the taste of coffee. A University of Copenhagen study found that magnesium and calcium had no measurable effect on coffee flavour in any sensory test. Instead, alkalinity had the greatest influence on the cup. The university and Danish technology company DesignWater ApS hold a joint patent on a process to control it, producing water designed to deliver the same cup in any location. DesignWater is now looking for partners to scale the technology. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Wed, 28 Oct – ODI Global paper examines EUDR risks for Ethiopia. A new ODI Global briefing paper assesses Ethiopia’s economic, financial and smallholder exposure to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Titled “The case of EUDR in Ethiopia: How to secure climate, trade, and development goals, and overcome risks of market exclusion”, the paper argues that trade-related climate measures can cause serious unintended harm to low-income commodity exporters. (London, UK)

Events & competitions

• Mon, 26 Oct – Singapore Coffee Week to run from 5 to 8 November. Singapore Coffee Week 2026 will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 5 to 8 November. The programme includes an exhibition, competitions, the Bean Discovery Bar, the Golden Bean Hunt, an interactive board game and the Café Hopping Adventure. (Singapore)

• Mon, 26 Oct – Brussels Coffee Show to take place from 6 to 8 November. The 2026 Brussels Coffee Show will run from 6 to 8 November at Gare Maritime, 11 Rue Picard. The event, the first dedicated to coffee in the Belgian capital, includes talks, a trade show, Dalla Corte’s Roasters Village, a roasting masterclass and cuppings. It also gives professionals a chance to meet buyers and taste new coffees. (Brussels, Belgium)

• Tue, 27 Oct – MICE announces Filter Bar for 2027 event. The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) will introduce a Filter Bar at its 2027 edition. Roasters will brew and serve filter coffee to café owners, professionals and consumers on Modbar pour-over equipment in half-day sessions. The organisers have made 12 sessions available over three days, with two roasters sharing the bar at a time. (Melbourne, Australia)

• Wed, 28 Oct – TriestEspresso Expo draws more than 9,300 professionals from 67 countries. TriestEspresso Expo has closed after three days, attracting more than 9,300 coffee professionals from over 67 countries. More than 60 participants from 19 countries took part in the B2B matchmaking programme, holding pre-arranged meetings at exhibitor stands and in a dedicated area. In addition, visitors from Austria, Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans made up 47.4% of international attendees. (Trieste, Italy)

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, La Marzocco

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