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Screenshot of episode 1 of the “Room for Cream” series, which included a cupping at Jones Coffee Roasters in Pasadena, California. Grant Garry YouTube: @GrantGarry
“Room for Cream” Coffee Docuseries Launches on YouTube
Filmmaker and performer Grant Garry has launched Room for Cream, an unscripted documentary web series framed around human connection and coffee, with episodes filmed at Pasadena’s Jones Coffee Roasters and on farms in Guatemala. New episodes are releasing weekly on Grant Garry’s YouTube channel.
Two New 2026 U.S. Coffee Champions
Two U.S. Coffee Championships went down last week, with Marco Monzon (Mandarin Coffee) winning the 2026 U.S. Latte Art Championship and Hugo Cano (Texture Coffee) winning the 2026 U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship.
Spirit Tea Expands to Australia Through Proud Mary Partnership
U.S.-based tea importer Spirit Tea is expanding distribution into Australia through a partnership with Proud Mary Coffee. Spirit Tea will be featured at the Roast Summit Melbourne, hosted by Proud Mary Coffee on March 24-25.
Paris Brothers Moving Parisi Coffee and HQ to Downtown Kansas City
Kansas City-based Paris Brothers is relocating its corporate headquarters and Parisi Coffee operations to the Power & Light District under a seven-year lease for a 16,000-square-foot space, according to a Startland News report.
Luckin Coffee Opens 30,000th Store With “Origin Flagship” Concept in Shenzhen
China’s Luckin Coffee says it has opened its 30,000th store in Shenzhen as the company’s first Origin Flagship, a two-story, 420-square-meter space featuring an “Origin Lab,” a premium single-origin menu and the chain’s first deployment of high-end semi-automatic machines.
Café Collectif Festival Returning to Montreal May 1-3
Montreal’s Café Collectif specialty coffee festival is scheduled to return May 1-3 at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), with organizers promoting 30-plus Quebec roasters and additional programming to be announced.
Glasgow Coffee Festival 2026 Expands Following Last Year’s Sold-out Success
Organizers of the Glasgow Coffee Festival say the 2026 event will take place April 18-19 at The Briggait while expanding into Clydeside Halls, following sellouts in prior years.
Rainforest Alliance Names Harper McConnell Chief Impact and Growth Officer
Rainforest Alliance has appointed Harper McConnell as chief impact and growth officer, effective Feb. 3, 2026. McConnell previously held senior manager and global director roles at Starbucks and most recently served as global VP of sustainability at Mars.
Franke Coffee Systems Americas Names New President
Tennessee-based Franke Coffee Systems Americas has named Chris Kennedy president, effective December 1, 2025. Kennedy has served as interim president and vice president of finance and operations.
ICO Releases Monthly Coffee Report for January 2026
The International Coffee Organization’s January 2026 market update reported the ICO Composite Indicator Price averaging $2.9689 per pound in January, a 2.6% decrease from December.
New from CoffeeIndustryJobs.com
- Director of Coffee — Coffeebar
- Corporate Controller — Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA
- Quality Control Manager — Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA
- Eastern Roasting Supervisor — Counter Culture Coffee
- Quality Assurance Associate — La Marzocco
ICYMI
Here are some of DCN’s top stories from the past week…
CQI Expands 2026 Global Coffee Fund, Launches Matching Grants
The nonprofit Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) announced an expanded 2026 Global Coffee Fund program, saying it aims to mobilize $500,000 to expand access to coffee quality education and related initiatives… read more
Passenger Coffee Releases Coffee Harvested 10 Years Ago
In a move that challenges both quality control and marketing norms in specialty coffee, Pennsylvania-based roaster Passenger Coffee is releasing a high-end coffee harvested 10 years ago… read more
Report: Sustainability Must Be Embedded Into Core Buying Practices to Drive Change
A new “living document” from the civil-society coalition VOCAL Coffee Alliance argues that project-based corporate sustainability is doing little to shift value chain imbalances and promote long-term sustainable coffee production… read more
Spin the Wheel at Counter Culture Coffee’s New Brewing Competition Brewlette
North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee is launching a free manual brewing competition series called Brewlette, designed to remove some common barriers to participation among coffee pros and home enthusiasts alike… read more
Different Hospitality Acquires Boomtown Coffee in Houston
A newly formed Houston hospitality group called Different Hospitality has acquired local specialty coffee roaster Boomtown Coffee, according to a firm that brokered the deal… read more
New CafeClima Platform Supports Climate-Smart Coffee Replanting
World Coffee Research (WCR), along with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, today announced the launch of CafeClima, a free web platform designed to help farmers, agronomists, funders and investors make climate-smart coffee replanting decisions… read more
Pre Amp Coffee Studio Boosts Brews and Beats in Pittsburgh
Pre Amp Coffee Studio, a new coffee-and-vinyl concept from the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, opened in November, blending specialty coffee service with the energy of a listening bar… read more
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