United States
Kombucha Now $2 Billion
Kombucha is already the fastest growing segment of the beverage market in North America with accelerating sales in Asia Pacific regions. Reports predict a 15-25% compounded annual global growth rate. Read more
Inexplicable US Withdrawal Forces ICO Reorganization
The withdrawal of the United States from the International Coffee Agreement has forced the International Coffee Organization to reorganize due to a funding gap. Read more
US Coffee Retail Growth
The US continues to lead global coffee shop innovation across quality and product development, with Allegra World Coffee Portal recording healthy annual outlet growth of 3.8% in a fiercely competitive market. Read more
New Hybrid in Hawaii
After 20 years of development, a new coffee hybrid has been created on the Hawaiian island of Kona. Read more
China Raises Import Duties on US Coffee and Tea to 35%
In September the US began taxing $200 billion worth of Chinese goods at 10%, a rate that may rise to 25% in 2019. Read more
Coffee Shops Assist with Florence Recovery
Coffee comfort was all that many shops could offer in the aftermath of devastating Hurricane Florence. Read more
Tea Spared in Escalating China/US Trade War
Tea was not among the $200 billion in Chinese imports subject to a 10% US tariff announced Sept. 24 but coffee will be taxed by China in retaliation. Read more
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Straw Ban Bothers Boba Fans
Bubble tea aficionados respond strongly to the idea of drinking bubble tea without a straw. Read more
Tea Tariffs Unlikely
Tea was not among the $200 billion in Chinese imports subject to a 10% US tariff announced Sept. 24. Read more
Alliant, CBTL Produce Sustainable Pods
Alliant Coffee Solutions, office product provider for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL), is producing sustainable packaging for CBTL’s soft coffee pods. Read more
Sanctions force Iran to find tea import answers
Iran is beginning to feel the effects of renewed economic sanctions imposed by the United States and one of its first problems is adequate tea imports. Read more
Starbucks Lid Replaces Straw
Starbucks’ global research & development division has designed a straw-less lid allowing the company to eliminate plastic straws by 2020. Read more
Bigelow Becomes Benefit Corp
Family-owned Bigelow Tea is now a registered Benefit Corporation, a category of firms that designate social responsibility as a core business goal in the pursuit of a positive social and environmental impact. Read more
CBTL Makes NYC Comeback
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a coffee chain with more than 1,200 retail outlets around the world, announced in late June that it plans to open 100 new locations in New York City. Read more
Coffee Gateway to the USA
Nouvelle-Orléans remains the steadfast companion of coffee, weathering 300 years of storm and strife as the coffee gateway to the USA. Today it is the No. 1 US port for imported coffee, exceeding tonnage landed in New York. Read more
American Specialty Tea Alliance
The American Specialty Tea Alliance registered in June in the US as a non-profit supporting the tea industry’s small business segment. Read more
Loring’s Shared Profile Software
Loring Smart Roast has introduced a Windows-based software application that allows roasters to design and edit roast profiles on their computer. Display of post-roast data is presented as a graph along with detailed diagnostic information. Read more
Finlay’s New U.S. Lab
Finlay Extracts and Ingredients' announcement of a new $17 million R&D lab highlights several rapidly accelerating trends in the convergence of tea and flavored coffee. Read more
Roasted Coffee Tangled in Tariffs
Canada levies a 10% surtax on a large selection of U.S. products - including coffee - in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. Read more
Coffee Consumption On The Rise
Coffee drinkers in the US reversed a six-year decline as past-day consumption rose to 64% among adults, according to the National Coffee Association. Read more
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