Cotti Coffee unveils A-list Global Brand Ambassador, Costa Rican coffee gets papal approval, Compass Coffee in a spin over ownership battle, major coffee chains face non-dairy surcharge lawsuit and second Nero Book Awards winners revealed
Cotti Coffee Global Brand Ambassador Wang Yibo | Photo credit: Cotti Coffee
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Cotti Coffee reveals first Global Brand Ambassador
Fast-growing Chinese coffee chain Cotti Coffee has revealed actor and singer Wang Yibo as its first Global Brand Ambassador. Wang rose to fame in 2014 as part of South Korean-Chinese boyband Uniq, before making his TV debut in 2017 Chinese series Love Actually and his film debut in 2023’s Hidden Blade. He is widely considered one of the most in-demand and influential brand ambassadors in China and has previously collaborated with luxury fashion brands Lacoste, Chanel, Loewe and Jimmy Choo. Wang is expected to feature in Cotti Coffee advertisements from this quarter.
Pope Francis confirms Costa Rican coffee world’s best
Pope Francis has endorsed Costa Rican coffee as the best in the world. Reiterating a statement he first made in 2021, the Pope told a group of delegates from the Diocese of Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica, visiting the Vatican: “You know you have the best coffee in the world?” Coffee production in Costa Rica began in 1779 and today is the Latin American country’s third largest export. Producing around1% of the world’s coffee, Costa Rica exports 80% of its coffee and produced 1.02 million 60-kg bags during the 2023/2024 harvest season.
Compass Coffee co-founder takes legal action against former business partner
Compass Coffee co-founder Harrison Suarez has taken legal action against his former business partner, Michael Haft, after alleging he was ‘forcibly’ pushed out of the company. Suarez and Haft founded Compass Coffee in Washington DC in 2013 after serving in the Marines together and grew the business to more than 20 stores. Writing on LinkedIn, Suarez said he was misled about ownership changes before being forced from the company and denied compensation in July 2021 by Haft and his father, the entrepreneur Robert Haft. Despite the legal wrangling, the Compass Coffee website still features images of the co-founders in happier times promoting coffee as a ‘ritual that brings people together’.
Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Second Cup included in Canadian non-dairy charge lawsuit
Major coffee chains in Canada, including Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Second Cup, have been named in class action lawsuit over dairy alternative surcharges. The suit alleges that the coffee chains have been ‘price gouging’ consumers who request non-dairy substitutes, such as oat, almond and soya, with surcharges of CA$0.50-A$0.80, plus taxes. Law firm LPC Avocats highlighted Dalhousie University research in its filing, which suggests dairy alternatives are cheaper than cow's milk in the provinces of Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. The suit has been brought forward by a former Concordia University student.
Caffè Nero announces winners of second Nero Book Awards 2024
The four winners of the Nero Book Awards 2024 have been revealed. Launch by Caffè Nero in 2023 in partnership with The Booksellers Association, Brunel University London and the Right To Dream charity, the awards celebrate the best books and outstanding writing from the UK and Ireland across four categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction and Children’s Fiction. The 2024 winners are Lost in the Garden by Adam S. Leslie, Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love by Sophie Elmhirst, Wild Houses by Colin Barrett and The Twelve by Liz Hyder. Each category winner receives £5,000 ($6,117) and will be in the running to win the £30,000 ($36,703) Nero Gold Prize in March 2025.