Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/612330
24 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 6, 2015 (December/January) Peet's on Acquisition Binge The Emeryville, Calif. based Peet's Coffee & Tea made two major acquisi- tions in October. First, the specialty coffee company announced plans to buy Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The press release associated with this buy-out suggested Portland, Ore.-based Stump- town would operate independently. "Stumptown's journey has been about creating a coffee experience that surpasses all expectations," said Duane Sorenson, founder of Stumptown Coffee Roasters. "I'm excited and confident that Peet's will continue to support our journey in a way that uniquely reflects who we are." A few weeks later, another Peet's announcement heralded the company's intentions to buy a majority stake in Chicago, Ill.-based Intelligentsia. Again, the early spin is that Intelligentsia will maintain independence and retain its brand identity. Book your time on an Android and iOS app, but be quick, they are already running out of capacity Melik–Karako- zova, 33, co-founded Double B Coffee & Tea, now with 23 locations, and she owns Rainbow Coffee Roasters. She is an experienced roaster and green coffee buyer with a true sense of innovative adventure. She is a four-time champion barista in Russia. Learn more: www.smartroaster.ru - Alf Kramer Blue Mountain capsule selection as being "extraordinary" because of its heritage dating back to the 18th century and that it comes from "a distinctive micro-climate featuring the perfect mix of rainfall, shade, altitude and mineral-rich soil" for growing coffee. "Hayman created a coffee of pure pleasure. Both subtle and involving, it immediately conquers the senses and confirms Jamaica Blue Mountain as the best coffee in the world," said Jean- Pierre Beauchamp, master roaster. The capsules are currently available in luxury hotels and restaurants across Europe, as well as through Hayman's store online. For those ordering from the website, the coffee is presented in a handsome case that includes nine capsules and tasting note cards. Learn more: www.haymancoffee.com US New Look, New Team for ICT Intercontinental Coffee Trading, based in San Diego, Calif., debuted a new logo and a redesigned website this fall. No official name change has been an- nounced, however, the URL for the website and the logo feature the acronym "ICT" prominently. The site, in addition to being more visually appealing, includes an updated organization chart. The ICT team has grown to include three more employees than last year. Jason Remmer, the director of trading is now listed as a vice president making room for two new traders, Alice Peters and Harris Hasse, and one junior trader, Zach Erick. Chris Oakley stayed on in one of two logistics positions, with Steve Von Kolkow also joining the company as a logistics coordinator this year. In addition, the company has added Daniel Green in the new role of marketing director. Learn more: ictcoffee.com "Intelligentsia is built on the vision of creating a remarkable coffee experi- ence," said Doug Zell, founder of Intelli- gentsia Coffee. "Peet's respects our vision and shares our same values. Emily and I both spent many years in the Bay Area and watched first-hand as Peet's scaled their business while staying committed to their quality and craft. Peet's is where I started my career in coffee and I'm delighted to be working with them again." JAB Holdings also owns Caribou Coffee and $7 billion Jacobs Douwe Egberts, making it the largest pure-play coffee company and the second largest coffee company in the world. Will access to the scale of Peet's resources help Stumptown and Intelligentsia reach more consumers while holding true to their roots? It will likely be a year or two before the full impacts of these back-to-back acquisi- tions will be known. Learn more: www.peets.com Rwanda Women Smallholders Connect Sustainable Harvest returned to Rwanda in November to host Let's Talk Coffee Best of Rwanda. International coffee industry members visited the Twongere Umusaruro cooperative of women farmers in Rwanda's Kayonza district. The meetings, panels, and workshops for the main event took place in Kigali. According to a spokesperson, the event "…celebrated the 4,000 women smallholder coffee farmers in our Sustainable Harvest Rwanda program, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, who in the last two years have connected with the global coffee marketplace to engage as businesspeople and move up the value chain." Continuing with the spirit of the "Let's Talk" model, the event encour- aged 100 farmers to interact with green buyers and others in the coffee industry. Programs included a latte competition, panels on storytelling and how to build a coffee tourism brand, and trainings to develop greater financial literacy. Learn more: www.letstalkcoffee.org UK Luxury Capsule Release London-based Hayman announced availability of a Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in Nespresso-compatible, recy- clable capsules. The release accompany- ing this announcement lauds this coffee Cupping in Rwanda