STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 4, Number 3

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12 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 3, 2015 (June/July) NEWS Australian Wins World Barista Competition Sasa Sestic, director and bean hunter at Ona Coffee with multiple locations in Canberra, Australia, took home the top prize in the 16th World Barista Championship held at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) exposition in Seattle, Wash. Sestic beat 48 competitors for the title over a four-day period with a routine featuring a rare coffee variety (Sudan Rume) processed in a unique way (50% washed, 50% washed carbonic maceration) as a cappuccino. Other top competitors included Charles Babinski of Go Get 'Em Tiger, US, in second place; Ben Put of Monogram Australian Sasa Sestic's bold choices in coffee variety, processing, and drink type make him the world's best barista. Coffee, Canada in third place; Chan Kwun Ho of The Cupping Room, Hong Kong in fourth place; Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood of Colonna & Smalls, United Kingdom in fifth place; and Charlotte Malaval, an independent barista, from France in sixth place. According to the official announcement of the winners, more than 55,000 viewers watched the competition as it streamed live online. Learn more: www.worldbaristachampionship. org/2015-schedules/ WBC in Dublin in 2016; Seoul in 2017 The 2016 World Barista Championship will take place at the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe's World of Coffee Event in Dublin, Ireland, on June 23-25, 2016. In 2017 World Coffee Events (WCE) will bring the World Barista Championship to the Seoul International Cafe Show at the Coex Convention & Exhibition Center on Nov. 9-12, 2017. This marks the first time the WBC will be held in Asia after a 10-year hiatus, and will be held later in the year than all prior WBC events. For more information, visit the World Coffee Events website: www.worldcoffeeevents.org. EU Approves Jacobs Douwe Egberts Deal The merger of D.E. Master Blenders 1753 and Mon- delez International has received conditional approval from the European Commission to combine their operations into a $7 billion coffee venture, second only to Nestle. The joint venture brings together brands Gevalia and L'Or, Kenco, Pilao, and Senseo. Carte Noire will be divested as will Merrild in Denmark. On closing Mondelez will receive $4.47 billion and a 49% share of the company. Acom Holdings B.V., which owns DEMB, will hold a majority share. El Niño Signals Drought Weather forecasters in the US and Japan predict the existing El Niño will last through summer in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to dry conditions that will likely impact coffee yields in Central and South America. The climate phenomenon warms ocean waters in the Pacific which increases the chance of heavy rains in the southern United States, according to the US National Weather Service. In the past El Niño conditions have contributed to droughts in Central and South America. A strong El Niño last appeared in 2009-2010. Harvest estimates remain optimistic for now. Coffidential newsletter editor Carlos Brando writes that Brazilian exports reached a new record of 3 million bags in March, up 9.5% compared to the previous year. Exports for the quarter are up 4%. Production in Minas Gerais is expected to increase slightly in 2015 while robusta output will decline according to FCStone. The current estimate is 45 million 60-kilo bags. Colombia has has produced 3.8 million bags through April, up 8%. The annual total is expected to exceed 12 million bags.

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