Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491368
26 STiR tea & coffee industry international Ethiopia New Agricultural Collaboration The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA) signed an agreement formalizing their shared objectives. "Through combining AGRA's extensive footprint across 17 sub-Saharan Africa countries, its inclusive and innovative agriculture value chain approach to agricultural development and CTA's outstanding advocacy, ICT, and knowledge-sharing capabilities, we will have extra fire power to drive a uniquely African green revolution forward," says Jane Karuku, AGRA president. CTA director, Michael Hailu, said: "The timing for formalizing this collabo- ration could not be better: there is a new positive energy around both agriculture development and ICT at the moment and this collaboration will help us to harness that energy in our joint efforts to drive a green revolution in Africa – one that will get more youthful and women farmers into the farms and in agribusiness." Learn more: www.agra.org and www.cta.int store by year's end, L.A. Style Inc. has plans for opening about 200 stores across Japan. "We are honored and proud to be able to introduce a brand with such rich history as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to Japanese consumers," president of L.A. Style Inc., Morio Sase said. "We look forward to growing this iconic American brand into one that is loved by customers throughout our country." With this expansion into Japan, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf solidifies its footprint in Asia. This deal marks the company's presence in 25 countries as it fast approaches 1,000 company-owned and franchise stores worldwide. Learn more: www.coffeebean.com Japan New Store Concept The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf signed an exclusive area development agreement with developer, L.A. Style, to introduce its premium beverages and innovative brand culture to Japan. The joint venture is a partner- ship between HOTLAND Co., Ltd., an experienced and actively growing operator in the Japanese fast-casual restaurant segment and AEON MALL Co., Ltd., Japan's largest shopping mall developer. Expected to open its first Photo Mario Habenbacher, habenbacher.tumblr.com Big Fine for Caffe Bene Caffe Bene has been growing rapidly and its chief executive officer has been candid about tactics for how he intends to erode Starbucks market share. As one of a few brands with more than 500 stores in South Korea, Caffe Bene's rapid growth seemed to be proof the company would live up to its hype. Will the fine of nearly $1.9 million by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) slow that progress down? At press time, the chain had just opened its latest New York City location near Madison Square Park. The FTC fine was levied for being unfair to franchisees when Caffe Bene modified agreements related to a promotional event involving KT Corporation, a wireless and telecom provider in Korea. The commission also found that it was too restrictive in telling shop owners what materials and devices could be used to develop new stores. Learm more: http://eng.ftc.go.kr/ Kenya Bühler Center of Excellence The Bühler Group has established a new Regional Center of Excellence in Nairobi, Kenya. Slated to open in October, this state-of-the-art facility brings Bühler's 150 years of expertise and coffee sorting know-how to key African coffee producing regions. The 19,375 sq. ft. facility, together with an expanding hub located in Togo, West Africa, underpins the company's commitment to support its customers in the region. There, they can learn how to use the latest Bühler technologies, including the SORTEX B ColorVision. Bühler is a global leader in the field of process engineering, in particular produc- tion technologies and services for making foods and advanced materials. Bühler operates in over 140 countries and has a global payroll of over 10,000. Learn more: www.buhlergroup.com Korea Protectection for the Eyes The Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) welcomed Dr. Byung-Gwon Lee as the new president. In a press release from the organization, Lee said "Concerted efforts to resolve current social issues" was the top priority for KIST. Founded in 2003, the Gangneung branch of KIST is where Sang Hoon Jung, a researcher at the Functional Food Center works. The center focuses on verifying the bioactivity and bioavailabil- ity of active components from natural products including coffee. Jung collabo- rated with Chang Y. Lee, a professor of food science at Cornell University, and Holim Jang, a graduate student in Lee's lab, on research that suggests coffee may protect against retinal damage. The compound they used in the study was chlorogenic acid extracted from Colom- bian roast and ground coffee. While promising, their results showed the compound offered protection to oxidative stresses on the retinas of mice in lab conditions. Under the leadership of Lee, KIST will continue to support studies like this with funding and technical assistance. Learn More: http://eng.kist.re.kr