STiR coffee and tea magazine

18 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 1, 2018 (February / March) The B20 blend includes a 20% bio-component containing coffee oil. "Our coffee logs have already become the fuel of choice for house- holds looking for a high-performance, sustainable way to heat their homes – and now, with the support of Shell, bio-bean and Argent Energy have created thousands of liters of coffee- derived B20 biodiesel which will help power London buses for the first time," said Arthur Kay, bio-bean founder. "It's a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource." Converting coffee grounds to biofuel also diverts that waste from landfills. The grounds are dried and processed before coffee oil is extracted. Argent Energy then works with bio-bean to process the oil into B20. Enough B20 has been produced to power the equivalent of one London bus for a year, bio-bean said. This effort was part of Shell's #makethefuture energy initiative, which supports entrepreneurs turning energy innovations into working solutions. Coffee Shops Still Growing Sales in coffee shops across the United Kingdom grew 7.3% during 2017, according to a new report by Allegra World Coffee Portal. The report, Project Cafe2018 UK, indicates the $13.2 billion (£9.6 billion) UK coffee shop market added 1,215 stores – a 5.3% increase – to bring the total to 24,061. And while executives surveyed expressed serious concerns about the effect of the country's Brexit issues, they remained optimistic. Falling value of the pound sterling has increased costs for equipment and imports. That cost, however, is counter-balanced with better sales thanks to tourism and residents taking "staycations" and remaining in the domestic market. Costa Coffee (2,326 shops), Starbucks (956), and Caffè Nero (675) accounted for nearly 53% of all branded chain coffee shops, the report stated. Learn more: www.worldcoffeeportal.com US Paper Cups Recycled Recyclers do not like paper coffee cups. The plastic inner lining causes problems in the recycling process. The situation is so severe in the United Kingdom that Parliament is considering a 25-pence "latte levy" and a possible ban on disposable cups. Smart Planet Technologies, a California-based engineering company, has developed a working solution with its mineral-based EarthCoating, a thinner film that the company says breaks down much easier than tradi- tional plastic linings. The disposables, called reCUPs, already are in circulation and making their way through recyclers in Southern California. "We believe the first step to getting paper cups recycled is to make paper cups that are worth recycling," said Todd Gasparik, Smart Planet's director of marketing. "Our reCUPS look the same, feel the same and function the same as a traditional paper cup. But when you're finished using it they are valuable to collect and profitable to recycle." Smart Planet Technologies provides its EarthCoating to approved cup suppliers who then produce the recyclable cups, Gasparik said. Two companies were licensed in January to use EarthCoating. Detpak provides products in Australia and New Zealand while CupPrint manufacturers custom printed cups for the global market with manufacturing locations in United States and Ireland. Learn more: www.recup.earth, us.cupprint.com and www.detpak.com Starbucks Serves New Espresso For the first time in 40 years, Starbucks began serving a new core espresso New reCUP products are lined with mineral-based EarthCoating. Starbucks began serving a second espresso blend in January. choice to US customers in January. Blonde Espresso now can be requested in a variety of drinks. Blonde Espresso, described by the company as a "smooth and subtly sweet" light roast, serves as a permanent menu alternative to the bolder standard roast the coffee giant has been serving since the 1970s. The new blend com- bines beans from Latin America and East Africa. Starbucks has offered espresso options to international customers since 2013 and began serving Blonde Espresso in Canada last year, the company stated. "We set the standard for a dark, boldly roasted coffee and in this case, we broke a few of our own rules by taking a lighter approach to espresso which created a bright taste with sweet citrus notes and a smooth body," said Andrew Linnemann, Starbucks' v.p. of global coffee. Investment Advice A third of survey respondents "invest" more of their money in coffee than their annual spend for stocks, bonds, and other moneymaking vehicles. The financial app Acorns reports that on average Americans spend about $1,000 per year on coffee. More than one third (34%) of the 3,010 people ages 18 to 44 surveyed say that sum is greater than what they invest. About half (46%) said they felt "confident and hopeful" about their financial future.

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