Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/737343
22 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 5, 2016 (October/November) trend and start having it on the shelves in the US." Supporting the effort are Chromatic Coffee and Seva Coffee, two California- based firms, New Vision reported. Betty Namwagala, executive director of the Uganda Coffee Federation, said Uganda needs to expand its brand as a coffee-producing country. The nation ranks 10th globally but is not recognized in the consumer market. Nucafe is a social enterprise that supports and smallholder coffee farmers who are not in position to individually market their products. Nucafe now is expected to deliver coffee samples for analysis before processed and branded Ugandan coffee can be sold in the United States. Learn more: www.newvision.co.ug Uganda Sees Strong Exports Officials in Uganda are expecting strong coffee exports during the 2016-17 season. David Muwonge, head of marketing at the National Union of Coffee Agribusi- ness and Farmer Enterprises, said Sept. 9 that projections show as much as a 13.5% increase thanks to favorable weather. Shipments during the 2016-17 crop year are expected to reach 4.2 million (60 kg) bags. That tops the 2015-16 revised forecast of 3.7 million bags. Robusta is the dominant variety in Uganda, which exports more of that coffee than any other country, according a Reuters report citing data from the International Coffee Organization. "If we have good rains now, and not a prolonged January-March drought, then the southwestern (robusta) crop should be good," Muwonge told Reuters. About 6% of Ugandan coffee is consumed locally, Muwonge said, as coffee drinking is a growing fashion among Uganda's growing middle class. Philz barista drink Nucafe's Joseph Nkandu, left, shows Uganda's coffee beans at US expo Based on projections, local consumption could grow to as much as 10% during the next five years. UK Tim Hortons Expands into UK Tim Hortons, the Canadian restaurant chain synonymous with coffee and donuts, is expanding to the United King- dom next year. Tim Hortons, which merged with Burger King in 2014 to become Restau- rant Brands International, brings its breakfast sandwiches, pastries and grilled panini along with coffee and doughnuts into a U.K. market already featuring McDonald's, Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. The company did not provide a timeline for the move or the number of outlets planned but a spokesman described the initiative as "aggressive." In an interview with Bloomberg News, Daniel Schwartz, c.e.o. of Restaurant Brands International, acknowledged that "larger competitors" already have several hundred restaurants in the market. "Our plans are quite ambitious," he said. Restaurant Brands International held 4,413 Tim Hortons restaurants at the start of 2016, including 3,650 in Canada, 650 in the United States and 113 in the Middle East. US Philz Gets Expansion Capital San Francisco Bay Area roaster/retailer Philz Coffee plans to open new stores throughout the US thanks to a $45 million investment. The company recently closed on Series C funding round with plans to add stores in major metropolitan markets throughout the United States. Philz c.e.o. Jacob Jaber, who made the announce- ment, said the effort was led by TPG Growth investment firm. Philz added two key TPG people - co-founder and co-c.e.o. Jim Coulter and partner Sanjay Banker – to the Philz Board of Directors. The company has raised more than $75 million since 2012. Philz currently operates 29 retail locations in the San Francisco Bay Area with another eight operating or in development in Southern California. There are two stores in Washington, D.C., and expansion into the Boston market is coming soon. Jaber told Inc.com the expansion will carefully orchestrated as they open one new coffee shop at a time. "We don't think in terms of num- bers. We think in terms of success in every community that we're in," said Jaber. "We're expanding to Boston next year, and we want to do a good job there. If we do a good job, we want to maybe enter another city, and then, another one after that. It's really just one at a time." Starbucks' 'Upstanders' Series Starbucks has launched a 10-part video series featuring inspiring individuals whose actions are emblematic of the American spirit. The 'Upstanders' featured in this series represent what is missing from so much of today's national dialogue, according to Starbucks c.e.o. Howard Schultz. "We have always been storytellers at heart, and more of these stories need to be heard. We are using our scale to share them as broadly as possible," he said. The series is written and produced by Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a former senior editor of The Washington Post and now Starbucks executive producer. "We've asked ourselves what is the role and responsibility of a public company and, as citizens, how we can catalyze hope in a time when we need more optimism, empathy, compassion, and leadership," Schultz said. "Upstanders" is available in written and video form.Audio versions of each story launch weekly through download- able podcasts and can be found on the website. Learn more: www.Starbucks.com/ Upstanders