Grind’s limited edition Green Day Iced Matcha Latte RTD | Photo credit: Grind / Green Day

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UK specialty coffee roaster Grind launches RTD collab with US rock band Green Day 

London-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain Grind has launched a new ready-to-drink (RTD) Iced Matcha Latte in partnership with US rock band Green Day. Fresh from their Saviors 2024 tour landing in London at the end of June 2024, the group said the limited-edition beverage is “cool, creamy, and, crucially, very green”. The collaboration is not the first time Green Day has ventured into the beverages, with the band launching its own retail packaged coffee and capsule range under the ‘Punk Bunny' brand in 2015. 
 

Belfast’s Neighbourhood Café goes transatlantic with Texas launch 

Northern Irish specialty coffee operator Neighbourhood Café has partnered with Irish-themed pub chain The Dead Rabbit to open a site in Texas, USA. The café, known for its premium brunch offer and signature coffee beverages, such as the Piccolo Split and Iced Tiramisu, will serve single-origin coffee from San Francisco-based Andytown Coffee and develop a range of coffee-based cocktails for The Dead Rabbit’s sites in Texas, New York and Washington D.C. 
 

Gong cha partners with Final Fantasy XIV on themed beverages and experiences 

The collaboration between the Taiwanese bubble tea chain and online game will include co-branded merchandise, immersive digital experiences and a new themed menu. Beverages include the Fat Cat Purrrfect Latte – a brown sugar fresh milk tea with pearls; Fat Chocobo’s Flying Smoothie – a mango smoothie with pearls; and the Cactuar Matcha Latte – a matcha milk tea with milk foam and matcha powder. 
 

US specialty coffee chain Intelligentsia Coffee opens second Seoul outlet 

Chicago-based specialty coffee chain Intelligentsia Coffee has opened its second outlet in South Korea and is seeking to open a further two sites in the East Asian country before the end of the year. Having made its international debut with a store near Seoul’s Gyeongbok Palace in February 2024, Intelligentsia’s second site is located at the Shinsegae Department Store in central Seoul. 
 

Bluestone Lane releases 50% ‘beanless’ coffee blend in partnership with Atomo 
 

Boutique café group Bluestone Lane has expanded its partnership with Seattle-based Atomo with the release of its new direct-to-consumer Remix coffee blend – comprising 50% of its Flagstaff Blend and 50% Atomo’s ‘beanless’ coffee. In April 2024, Bluestone Lane became the first major coffee chain to sign a distribution deal with Atomo and will begin serving its ‘beanless espresso’ across its 58 US locations in August 2024. Atomo’s product is formulated from upcycled food byproducts, such as date seeds, grapes, sunflower, chicory and tea-sourced caffeine.