Your weekly round-up of the five biggest stories from across the global coffee industry...
- illycaffè and Westrock Coffee announced a major new partnership
- There are signs that Coca-Cola is pressing ahead with a reported Costa Coffee restructure
- Why NBC’s Gen Z approach is paying off in India
- A new chapter for Paris Baguette Malaysia could impact the fortunes of another major coffee chain
- Can Denmark’s Lagkagehuset attract a buyer following its latest earnings update?
1. Yes, we can: Westrock Coffee and illycaffè forge major US partnership
The US is illycaffè’s second-largest market globally by turnover, after Italy, and generates around a fifth of total group sales.
Westrock has just opened the world’s largest roast-to-ready-to-drink (RTD) manufacturing facility. Italy’s illycaffè is seeking new growth opportunities in its second-largest market. A major new deal looks like a win for both.
2. Costa Coffee reset underway as Coca-Cola appoints new senior leaders
Less than a month after reportedly engaging two restructuring firms to carry out an operational review of its Costa Coffee business, US beverages giant Coca-Cola hired new management for two senior roles at the UK coffee chain.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has appointed one of its own executives in a key role and brought in a former Starbucks and McDonald’s executive to fill another.
3. How India’s Nothing Before Coffee is winning over Gen Z with ₹300 ‘shrappes’
India’s booming branded coffee shop market has been built on affordability, with domestic operators seeking to change occasional coffee consumption into everyday café culture via low prices and accessibility.
With younger consumers increasingly viewing coffee as an accessible lifestyle choice, has this Jaipur-based operator struck the right balance with its higher-priced on-trend beverages?
4. Berjaya Food calls time on Paris Baguette Malaysia joint venture
A new filing from the Kuala Lumpur-based franchisee group shows that its licensed Paris Baguette business has incurred losses since launching in Malaysia in January 2023.
Could exiting the joint venture partnership, which sees the bakery-café chain’s Malaysia operations fully controlled by Paris Baguette Singapore, kickstart a turnaround for Berjaya’s troubled licensed Starbucks business?
5. Denmark’s Lagkagehuset delivers record revenues, but will potential buyers bite?
Private equity firm Nordic Capital’s reported bid to sell Lagkagehuset has been given a boost after the Danish bakery-café chain posted record annual earnings.
With premium bakeries in high demand across Europe, could strong results propel Lagkagehuset to the front of the shop window?
