Coffee News | Prism Hobbies

Centurium Capital, Luckin Backer Buys Blue Bottle Stores from Nestlé for $400M

Centurium Capital, Luckin’s backer, agreed to buy Blue Bottle’s global stores from Nestlé for around $400 million while Nestlé keeps capsule and packaged lines.

Sam Ortega•3 min read•08:23 AM

Read Full Article →

More News

Updates

São Paulo Adds 1,500 Coffee Plants to World's Largest Urban Farm

São Paulo's Biological Institute planted 1,500 coffee plants at its urban farm to trial pest- and climate-resilient varieties for future coffee cultivation.

Sam Ortega2m read

News

Coffee Shops Use AI to Monitor Barista Performance and Customer Wait Times

A café-level deployment uses AI to track baristas' cup output, customer wait times, and staff performance in real time, while Starbucks says it has rolled AI inventory counting into thousands of locations.

Sam Ortega2m read

Updates

Lavazza to Serve Coffee on Qantas and American Airlines from 2026

Lavazza will serve coffee on Qantas and American Airlines starting in 2026, with Lavazza blends on American flights and in Flagship and Admirals Club lounges.

Nina Kowalski3m read

News

RFK Jr. Demands Dunkin' and Starbucks Show Safety Data on 115-Gram Coffees

RFK Jr. challenged Dunkin' and Starbucks to "show us the safety data" that an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar is safe for a teenage girl, and Massachusetts pushed back on X.

Sam Ortega3m read

Updates

Starbucks to Open Nashville Corporate Office, Move Some Seattle Teams

Starbucks has added a corporate operations office in Nashville's Davidson County and says Seattle will remain its North America and Global Support headquarters.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Releases

Costa Coffee launches Spring 2026 menu featuring ube, matcha and seasonal snacks

Costa Coffee will roll out a Spring 2026 menu across the UK and Ireland on March 5, adding Sweet Ube Hot Chocolate and Frappe, a limited Cherry Vanilla Iced Matcha Latte, and two seasonal snacks.

Jamie Taylor2m read

News

Royal Coffee Pledges $125,000 Match to Reach $250,000 for Grounds for Health

Royal Coffee will match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $125,000, pushing a $250,000 goal for Grounds for Health Week (March 8–15) to expand cervical cancer programs.

Sam Ortega2m read

Releases

Starbucks unveils Spring 2026 menu with lavender, toasted coconut, ube, and matcha

Starbucks pushes ube and toasted coconut nationwide, with toasted coconut syrup slated to be year‑round and a newly reformulated chai built for customization.

Sam Ortega3m read

Updates

SCA Publishes 2025 Re:co Spotlight Outcomes, Announces 2026 Focus on Roast Color

Specialty Coffee Association published the 2025 Re:co Spotlight outcomes report and announced the 2026 Spotlight will put roast color center stage.

Sam Ortega2m read

Community

PRF El Salvador 2026 Forecasts Record Attendance, Competitions and Packaging Showcase

PRF El Salvador expects over 4,200 visitors and more than 500 roasters, projects US$15.7 million in business, and will stage a packaging contest sponsored by MTPak with competitions and matchmaking.

Nina Kowalski3m read

Community

Taiwan Specialty Coffee Festival Opens in Kaohsiung Showcasing Southeast Asian Coffee Innovation

The Taiwan International Specialty Coffee Festival opened March 6 at Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, a four-day expo spotlighting Southeast Asian origins and expecting tens of thousands of visitors.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Releases

Arrowroot Coffee Opens Downtown Springfield Shop Targeting Local Specialty Market

Arrowroot Coffee Co. has opened an 1,800-square-foot roastery and lounge at 625 E. Adams St., turning the former Recycled Records into a specialty-focused community cafe and wholesale roastery.

Nina Kowalski2m read

News

Royal Cup to Acquire Farmer Brothers for $1.29 Per Share, Take Private

Royal Cup will take Farmer Brothers private in an all-cash deal paying $1.29 per share, a transaction Insidearbitrage pegs at $89.62 million with a Q2 2026 close expected.

Jamie Taylor2m read

News

Centurium Capital reportedly signs deal to buy Blue Bottle cafes from Nestlé

Centurium Capital reportedly agreed to buy Blue Bottle’s global café operations from Nestlé for roughly $400 million, while reports differ on which packaged or machine businesses Nestlé will keep.

Sam Ortega3m read

Releases

Shenzhen’s IKAPE unveils K2 Pro professional portable espresso solution

IKAPE’s K2 Pro pairs a full 58mm brew head with a battery rated at 49.95Wh, under the 100Wh airline limit, and the company claims the thermos-sized unit can pull 6–8 shots per charge.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Releases

Volcano Coffee expands Rise Up blend across WeWork UK, supports women's cooperative

Volcano Coffee Works has scaled its Rise Up blend across WeWork’s UK estate, supplying barista stations and bean-to-cup machines while channeling DRC beans from Rebuild Women’s Hope.

Jamie Taylor3m read

News

Leramo Coffee Corporation Acquires Chauvin Coffee, Third-Generation St. Louis Roaster

Leramo Coffee Corporation bought Chauvin Coffee, a third-generation St. Louis specialty roaster, and said the deal will boost Leramo’s production capacity and broaden its product portfolio.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Updates

Mexico Officially Grants Denomination of Origin Status to Café Nayarit

IMPI published the Declaration of Protection establishing “Café Nayarit” as a PDO for Coffea arabica grown in Compostela, Ruiz, San Blas and Xalisco.

Sam Ortega3m read

Releases

Dunkin’ launches Spring 2026 banana-forward menu with $6 meal deal return, rewards

Dunkin’ rolled out a banana-forward Spring menu on March 4, 2026, adding banana syrup and Banana Cold Foam across drinks, debuting Dunkin’ Zero, and bringing back the $6 Meal Deal.

Sam Ortega2m read

Releases

Bulletproof launches instant Coffee + Creatine with 5g creatine for strength, cognition

Bulletproof's Coffee + Creatine delivers 5 g creatine monohydrate per instant cup, paired with toxin-tested Arabica and added electrolytes for hot or cold mixing.

Nina Kowalski3m read

News

Supreme Court May Allow Refunds for U.S. Coffee Importers; Ethiopia Seeks UNESCO

Supreme Court’s 6-3 IEEPA decision raises the prospect of refunds for tariffs that could total US$134 billion, a development that may affect importers and roasters who paid duties last year.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Community

IWCA Taps Dean’s Beans CEO Beth Spong as Keynote at NCA Breakfast

IWCA has named Beth Spong, President and CEO of Dean’s Beans, to keynote the IWCA Networking Breakfast at the NCA Convention in Tampa on March 13, 8:00–9:00 a.m.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Releases

Brazil's CONAB unveils Plataforma Parque Cafeeiro to certify zero-deforestation coffee for EU

CONAB launched Plataforma Parque Cafeeiro, a free public system on its website that uses satellites and AI to certify Brazilian coffee as compliant with the EU’s Dec. 31, 2020 zero‑deforestation cutoff.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Releases

BrainMood.Coffee Launches Cultural Platform Exploring Coffee Through Colour, Mood and Perception

BrainMood.Coffee launched March 2, 2026, created by Mariano Peluso and collaborators, and bills itself as an independent cultural and educational platform exploring coffee through colour, mood and perception.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Releases

Starbucks Latin America Announces Summer Beverages and Single-Origin Coffee Return

Starbucks’ Latin America channel announced a regional summer beverage roll-out and the return of single-origin Peru Mujeres de Junín, with Pistachio and Strato Frappuccino items signaled in regional posts.

Nina Kowalski3m read

Releases

Ellianos Coffee Opens 75th Drive-Thru in Eufaula as Southeast Expansion Continues

Ellianos opened its 75th drive-thru at 113 Meadow Drive in Eufaula, Alabama, and says the store is now serving its full menu while more than 200 locations remain in development.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Releases

Rob Hoos' Roasting Lab Launches iOS, Android Apps and Roasting-Specific AI

Roasting Lab rolled out native iOS and Android apps in late February 2026 and added a roasting-specific AI trained on Rob Hoos’ books, training materials, and community content.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Updates

Coffee Project NY Launches Women Roasters Scholarship in Medellín; Applications March 1

Coffee Project New York will run its 2026 Women Coffee Roasters Scholarship in Medellín, Colombia - six female-identifying applicants will be chosen March 1–31 to take the SCA Roasting Foundation course with fees covered.

Sam Ortega3m read

Releases

Casabrews to showcase new home espresso models and accessories at IHA 2026

Casabrews announced it will preview new machines at IHA 2026 in Chicago, including the Ultra MAX (1650W, 5-second Flashheat), Marenza, 5418 variants, Tornado Basic grinder, and the Origin Series.

Jamie Taylor2m read