Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/716988
28 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2016 (August/September) Coffee Report: Jenny Neill 2016 World Coffee Champions Three dozen coffee professionals competed in the in the World Brewers Cup (WBC). The World Barista Champi- onship (WBrC) attracted more than 60 competitors. According to World Coffee Events, the number of entrants to these tournament-style events held in Dublin marks the highest rate of participation to date. The organizers also reported more than 70,000 unique viewers watched these events on the competition's livestreams. Berg Wu of Simple Kaffa in Taiwan won the top spot in the WBC with a total score of 583. Yoshikazu Iwase of Rec Coffee in Japan and Ben Put of Monogram Coffee in Canada placed second and third with Iwase at 553.5 and Put at 545.5. In the WBrC, Tetsu Kasuya of Coffee Factory in Japan narrowly took first place with a score of 155.59. Mikaela Wallgren of the Coffee Collec- tive in Finland scored 155.51. Chand Wang of Jascaffee China in Taiwan was in third place with a score of 149.33. Changes at this year's competitions included team competitions in WBC and the replacement of the cappuccino course with the milk beverage course. To see all scores and rankings: www. worldcoffeeevents.org/coffee-champi- ons-crowned-rankings-released/ Fair Trade Seeks Global CEO Harriett Lamb, long-term head of Fairtrade International will leave her position Nov. 6 to direct International Alert, Europe's largest non-profit dedicated to attaining world peace. Fair Trade spokesman Greg Brown said "we're looking for an exceptional person who combines leadership, strategic vision, experience and a great sense of humour!" The new c.e.o. will lead a newly reorganized global leadership team. "This is a great opportunity to lead a globally-recognized organisation and help it deliver real impact for millions of farmers and workers world-wide," said Brown. flying robot just delivered us food and drinks in a matter of minutes." 7-Eleven operates 10,800 stores in North America and 59,500 worldwide. In late August the US Federal Aviation Administration is expected to make rule changes that allow the operation of small, unmanned aircraft in the national airspace. Learn more: flirtey.com BRAZIL Low Stocks Raise Prices Two years of drought in Brazil and this year's heavy rains led to poor harvest conditions in Brazil. The export association Cecafe reported the country has had to draw down on its reserves in order to meet export expectations. This scenario has been a boon to Vietnamese coffee concerns. Many there capitalized on price pressures and also released coffee stocks to take advantage of this volatility. In a Credit Suisse press release, Christopher Burton, senior portfolio manager for the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy, added: "The potential for a La Niña event later this summer may further tighten supply expectations across agricultural com- modities." Even with better-than-expected reports on harvest levels, futures pricing for arabica and robusta continued to be dynamic through June and early July. Living Wage in Minais Gerais? A benchmark study released in June estimated what a living wage should be for coffee workers in Minais Gerais. The Global Living Wage Coalition announced the availability of "Living Wage Report: Rural Brazil, Minais Gerais/Southwestern Region Coffee Growing Industry." The authors of the report include Alexandre de Freitas Barbosa, Marina Barbosa e Silva, João Paulo Candia Veiga and Murilo Alves Zacareli. In it, the authors detail how they analyzed what wageworkers earned and defined what they need to earn to be above the poverty line. An important caveat to this report is that it considers permanent wageworkers living in urban areas not workers who live on farms. (On-farm workers who have in kind benefits covered by collective 2016 World Coffee Championship Home delivery by drone Coffee Delivery by Drone Convenience retailer 7-Eleven and Flirtey, an independent delivery drone service, completed the first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer's residence. The event was in part to test the feasibility and safety of using drones for customer deliveries. It also served, of course, as a publicity stunt for the now 89-year-old conve- nience store chain. "This delivery required special flight planning, risk analysis, and detailed flight procedures ensuring residential safety and privacy were equally integrated," said Chris Walach, director of operations for Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems. The Flirtey drone delivery container carried hot and cold items, including a chicken sandwich, donuts, and hot coffee to the backyard of a family who participated in the trial. "My wife and I both work and have three small children ages 7, 6, and 1. The convenience of having access to instant, 24/7 drone delivery is priceless," said Reno resident Michael, who received the Flirtey delivery. "It's amazing that a