In November, the CEPEA/ESALQ Index for the Arabica coffee type 6, delivered to São Paulo city, averaged BRL 2,245.16 per 60-kg bag, only 0.5% above that in October. Over the month, the Index oscillated between BRL 2,100 and BRL 2,300 per 60-kg bag, similar to the range observed in October.

For robusta, the CEPEA/ESALQ Index for the type 6, screen 13, Espírito Santo, averaged BRL 1,384.46 per 60-kg bag in November, up 1% from October. Minimum and maximum quotations were BRL 1,300 and BRL 1,400 per 60-kg bag, also close to those of the previous month.

In the first half of November, the Brazilian sector welcomed the removal of the 10% tariff applied in April to coffee imports into the United States, while monitoring the possible elimination of the additional 40% tariff. That tariff had reduced the competitiveness of Brazilian coffee in the U.S. market, historically the top destination for the national product.

The removal of the additional tariff on Nov. 20 brought optimism to the sector, which now expects higher shipments to the U.S. in December and, at least during the first six months of the season, export volumes similar to those sent to Germany.

Regarding weather, in Vietnam, heavy rains, floods, and typhoons have interrupted crop activities and may reduce yields. In Brazil, rainfall has been better than in recent seasons, and temperatures remain milder in most producing areas.

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The Scooter’s Coffee location in Ogallala, operated by franchise owner Tracy Bouwens and Freedom Enterprises, raised the most funds for Make-A-Wish through the sale of Courage Cookie Sandwiches and customer donations.

In total, Scooter’s Coffee will donate $206,716.19 to Make-A-Wish through the campaign and additional customer donations.

From late September through the month of October, customers could Scoot On Around® to any Scooter’s Coffee location to purchase a Courage Cookie Sandwich, a sweet and buttery rainbow sprinkled sugar cookie sandwich with a creamy vanilla buttercream filling. A portion of the sale of each cookie sandwich, along with additional donations made by customers, led to the final amount donated.

“The only thing sweeter than our Courage Cookie Sandwich was being able to support the incredible mission at Make-A-Wish and the families who need a special moment in the midst of a challenging time,” Malorie Maddox, chief brand and marketing officer at Scooter’s Coffee said. “We are honored to donate more than $200,000 to help Make-A-Wish make even more wishes come true for children nationwide.”

Studies show that wishes can boost resilience, improve treatment compliance, and lead to better medical outcomes. Most wish kids go on to survive their illness, underscoring the life-changing power of hope. Through this campaign, donations will help expand the organization’s reach into more communities and bring it closer to its goal of ensuring every eligible child experiences the healing impact of a wish.

“We are deeply grateful for our collaboration with Scooter’s Coffee, whose generosity and dedication have amplified our mission and enriched the lives of the wish kids we serve. Together, we are building stronger communities and creating hope and joy for the children who need it most,” said Make-A-Wish Nebraska President and CEO, Brigette Young. “Thank you, Scooter’s Coffee, for standing alongside us and making a lasting impact for our wish kids and their families.”

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These unsung heroes and “stars of Christmas” start preparing seven weeks before the big day, spending an average of 20 hours buying presents, 15 hours cooking and food shopping, 14 hours decorating and 11 hours writing cards. It’s no surprise three quarters (75%) feel stressed about everything they have to do over the festive period. Beyond time, more than half (55%) say they dole out more money than their friends and family to make sure Christmas is special.

The research of 2,000 Brits also revealed a definitive list of signs you are a Christmas Maker. While traditional tasks like timing the Christmas lunch to perfection (48%) and NEVER forgetting crackers (38%) top the list, modern traits including making a playlist with everyone’s favourite tunes (23%), coordinating siblings presents (22%), booking the ‘Friendsmas’ dinner (13%), organising Secret Santa (12%) and decorating the flat for flatmates (10%) also make an appearance. No wonder an overwhelming 75% of Brits believe Christmas would be ‘rubbish’ without their dedicated Maker.

Despite 83% of Brits agreeing Makers keep family or friendship groups together, 19% admit they don’t always thank or show them appreciation. While simple gestures like a face-to-face thank you (67%), an extra present under the tree (16%), ‘thank you’ text (13%), toast (11%), or social media shout-out (11%) are popular ways to show appreciation, many still fall short. 35% assume their loved ones already know how valued they are, one in five (21%) don’t think their Maker expects a fuss, 17% find it hard to find the right words and 16% just get caught up in the festive rush.

As a result, 68% of Makers say they feel unappreciated, with 49% even jokingly saying they are going on strike because their efforts were not being acknowledged. A third (31%) simply state that being thanked makes their effort worthwhile.

To ensure these dedicated ‘Makers’ finally receive the heartfelt appreciation they deserve, Coca‑Cola is on a mission to inspire Brits to deliver an even more memorable thank you to the ‘Makers’ in their lives.

Kicking off this initiative, Sam Thompson, surprised excited members of the public at Spitalfields, London, dressed as Santa, to launch his ‘Free Thank Yous’ station. Holding fun and playful signs, Sam invited passers-by to nominate their special Christmas Maker. He then personally rang, video called or sent video messages to unsuspecting Makers, delivering a surprise, personalised thank you on behalf of their loved ones.

Sam brought festive joy to an ecstatic mum, who received a call from her daughter thanking her for being a true Christmas maker, and sharing the excitement of bumping into Sam in Spitalfields. One gentleman also seized the moment to call his wife and thank her for always going the extra mile during the Christmas season.

In a fun twist, Sam himself was surprised when podcast co-host and best friend Pete Wicks approached the station. Offering to be an extra helper, donning elf ears and requesting Sam say thank you to him for putting up with him all year.

For those who missed Sam in person, you can also have the chance to shout out a Christmas Maker. Simply drop a comment on his Instagram post [to be hyperlinked] with who you want to nominate and a lucky few will be selected to receive their own shout-out via Instagram direct message in the run-up to Christmas.

But the festive spirit doesn’t stop there. Every ‘Maker’ nominated for a shout-out, will support Coca‑Cola’s donation to FareShare this Christmas. This extra contribution builds on Coca‑Cola’s ongoing commitment to FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity. As part of its iconic Truck Tour, Coca‑Cola is already making a separate donation equivalent to 1 million meals, supporting their vital work in getting good-to-eat food that would otherwise go to waste, to those who need it most right across the country.

Sam Thompson, says: “Last year I spent Christmas Day volunteering, and it was really special. There are so many ‘makers’ of Christmas – from all walks of life, creating magic for families across the UK during the festive season. I am so excited to help make Christmas that little bit better for the hero makers with Coca‑Cola … and of course I love dressing up as Santa, so I’m buzzing about that too.”

Charlotte Butt, Senior Marketing Manager at Coca‑Cola Great Britain and Ireland says: “At Coca‑Cola, we believe in spreading joy and recognising those who make special moments happen. We want to inspire the nation to give those unsung heroes the heartfelt thank you they truly deserve. Every maker nominated for a shout-out, will support Coca‑Cola’s donation to FareShare this Christmas. By extending this spirit of giving, we ensure that while we celebrate the Makers, we’re also supporting communities across the UK.”

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Cargill’s IngredienTracker 2025 digs deeper into consumer perceptions to provide insights that can help manufacturers navigate these trends. The study reveals that across categories, consumers are proactively seeking healthier and more familiar ingredients in their food, as immune system related concerns jumped 101% between 2017 and 2024. Ingredients that sound ‘natural’ or are plant-based are perceived as ‘good for you’. In contrast, unfamiliar or scientific-sounding ingredients are often seen as ‘bad for you’, showing stronger negative opinions than previous waves. More than 58% of consumers are willing to pay 10% more for premium ingredients like dark chocolate, higher quality, more sustainable ingredients, and foods fortified with essential nutrients. Purchase decisions and health perceptions are closely linked, and more than half of the consumers like to share their knowledge of ingredients with friends or online.

Local sourcing and sustainable production prevail in Chocolate & Cocoa

Chocolate & cocoa-related ingredients dominate indulgent product categories like Confectionery, Bakery, Desserts, and Ice-cream, where sweet flavour is prevalent, and indulgence is highly valued. Chocolate is also highly associated with the Dairy category, given its flavour popularity.

The study also highlights that consumers are doubling down on products with a stamp of authenticity through local production and ingredient sourcing, often linked to local cultures and traditions. Ethical consumption is on the rise with a growing focus on sustainable farming and production. Organic and dark chocolates are perceived as the healthiest, with ‘high fat’ cocoa powder being seen as consistently the least healthy. Chocolate brands in APAC continue to diversify textures and flavours based on these trends and consumer desire for novel sensory experiences.

Strong preference for natural, lower-sugar and functional qualities in Sweeteners\

Consumers most commonly associate sweeteners with Beverage categories, especially when it comes to non-alcoholic and bottled drinks, and the preference is for reduced sugar content and products with functional claims, such as immune support and slimming effects.

Sugar-free and low-sugar claims are rising in product launches across Asian markets, especially in beverages. Use of additive sweeteners is rising, while traditional sugars declining. The percentage of drink launches across APAC containing additive sweeteners has increased from 18% to 29%. Consumers are more inclined to purchase ‘natural’ sounding ingredients – like brown sugar, monk fruit, cane sugar, vs sweeteners with artificial or scientific names.

Increasing popularity of plant-based Texturizers

It is no secret that Asian-inspired textures like boba and mochi are going global. In fact, F&B brands in Asia are increasingly highlighting local textures to promote a premium image and sensory pleasure offered by their products.

Plant-based texturizers like pectin derived from fruit peels are popularly being used in fruit-based confectionery gums and jellies. Consumers are inclined to purchase products with more ‘natural/familiar sounding’ texturizers like gelatin, wheat gluten as well as natural proteins from plant sources like soy, chickpea and rice.

Consumers seeking healthy, sustainably sourced Fats & Oils with functional benefits

When it comes to categories of Ready Meals, Salty Snacks and Cooking Ingrediets, consumers pay most attention to the kinds of fats and oils used in these products. Consumers are increasingly interested in ingredients offering functional benefits, such as oils supporting cardiovascular health, bone health, and immunity. Trend towards locally produced fats and sustainability in oils can be seen, with attention towards clean-label and sustainably sourced oils rising. Vitamin E and fats & oils from natural sources like sunflower, canola, coconut, soybean are rated the most familiar and healthiest and have the highest purchase impact.

“Consumer choices today are increasingly shaped not just by taste, but by how ingredients are perceived across categories. Understanding ingredient perceptions across markets is critical to help food manufacturers better optimize product formulations. This means prioritizing ingredients that Asian consumers demand and labeling to help them choose ingredients and health benefits they desire. This study helps understand reveal what the future of ingredients and aims to support our customers in their product innovation and strategic decision-making”, said Yuchu Zhang, Vice President, R&D Cargill Food APAC.

“Responding to the consumer preferences uncovered in this study, we have already launched some innovative offerings for customers in the region”, she added.

Recent Cargill product innovations include:

• High Cocoa Content Aerated Chocolate and Cocoa Almond Milk made from Aalst dark chocolate and Gerkens® cocoa powder, as consumers rate chocolate as the most popular flavour in indulgent foods and beverages.
• Zero-Calorie Vanilla Latte made from Cargill’s zero-calorie vanilla-flavoured syrup suitable for milk coffee and milk tea, responding to consumers seeking healthier beverages with lower sugar content.
• Textural foods like mango gummies, cheese sauce, and almond tofu using Cargill’s UniPECTINE® and functional systems solutions, providing consumers with superior mouthfeel and texture profile.
• Crispy Air-Fried Sweet Potato Fries and Korean Crispy Wings made with Cargill’s healthy sunflower oil that meet consumer preference for healthier snacks or prepared with more natural oils.
• Zero Sugar & Clean Label Ketchup, Reduced Salt Oyster Sauce and SlimFit Salad Sauce containing Cargill’s Corowise® plant sterols brand that helps lowers cholesterol for consumers who want healthier ingredients to cook and prepare their meals with.

Cargill operates 10 innovation centres and R&D sites across Asia-Pacific including Singapore, China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. These sites serve as hubs for product co-creation and localized innovation. Leveraging deep market insights, they play a vital role in driving product, flavour, and menu innovation in close collaboration with customers across the region.

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The selection is a recognition of Nestlé’s progress as an early mover in scaling AI company-wide. Building on years of integration of AI, automation and machine learning, Nestlé uses the technology throughout its business, from supply chain through to marketing and consumer engagement. This is supported by a digital ‘backbone’ at Nestlé: a single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and strong data foundations.

The inaugural members alongside Nestlé include Barclays, BNY, Clifford Chance, Dupont, Eaton, EY, GHD, Kantar, Levi’s, Lilly, Lumen, Mastercard and others. The selected group of organizations are already realizing efficiencies and growth through AI, with the goal to further increase productivity, improve decision-making, and create more value.

Chris Wright, Chief Information Officer at Nestlé, said: “AI isn’t a pilot at Nestlé; it’s already at work from farm to fork. AI helps us get ideas to market faster, optimize recipes, provide trusted nutrition and recipe advice, and create content for our digital channels. We use it to analyze supplier contracts and to sharpen planning, forecasting, and logistics. In our factories, digital twins are driving efficiency and sustainability every day. The key to success? Anchor AI in business needs, equip people with the right skills and intuitive tools, and build on unmatched tech and data foundations. That’s how we keep raising the bar for what’s possible for the benefit of our consumers, customers and employees.”

Nestlé continues to accelerate its digital transformation, rooted in business needs and focused on a comprehensive end-to-end overhaul of how work gets done. By reimagining operating models and leveraging automation, AI, and data-driven decision-making, Nestlé empowers teams to work smarter and faster across the entire value chain.

Some examples of how AI is already making a difference at Nestlé:

• Every Nestlé employee now has access to AI through Copilot Chat and more than 100 000 employees are now regular AI users, averaging more than 40 prompts every month. Enterprise-level agents continue to enhance the company’s AI capabilities, providing insights and essential knowledge in an instant.
• In procurement, Nestlé is applying AI analysis to the contract base of its suppliers. Many suppliers cover multiple markets, and AI enables the review of hundreds of thousands of contracts for inconsistencies between global contract terms and local application in markets, saving time and money.
• Nestlé is evolving digital and automation across its global network of more than 300 factories, using AI for energy, asset, and performance optimization and food safety surveillance. That includes the use of virtual ‘digital twins’ of equipment and production lines.
• In R&D experts have developed a new recipe optimization tool that helps product developers better meet consumer expectations while also managing ingredients, nutrition, cost and sustainability.
• AI-powered recommendation systems are helping personalize the consumer experience, suggesting products, services, and content based on consumer preferences. One example is Petivity, which leverages smart devices and predictive analytics to offer health insights for pets.

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The new mixing plant, representing a £17.5 million investment, features the latest equipment and design standards to help make high-quality products more efficiently. The four-storey facility will reduce heavy lifting by 80 per cent thanks to a new system that handles ingredients in larger bags, cutting down on manual work and improving accuracy.

The plant will improve operational efficiency and recipe accuracy while supporting the factory’s long-term master plan volumes.

In addition, Nestlé is investing £10.7 million in two new packing lines that will replace older lines. One of the new lines can produce an impressive 60,000 sachets per hour using cutting-edge technology that ensures smoother and more efficient movement of items. These new lines will be able to use new packaging materials, including MONO PP laminate, allowing for the packaging to be fully recyclable, and supporting Nestlé’s sustainability goals.

Richard Watson, CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland, said: “We are very proud of our British manufacturing and this investment reflects the great work being done by our teams to position the UK as a market with significant manufacturing expertise and capability.

“The Dalston investment is a prime example of how we’re investing in the future of the British food and drink industry – modernising our operations and supporting local jobs, driving growth opportunities and being more sustainable.”

Markus Campbell-Savours MP for Penrith and Solway, said: “I have recently visited the factory and am pleased to see this investment in high tech manufacturing in Dalston.”

Ian Pipes, Nestlé Dalston Factory Manager, said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment which marks a significant step forward for our Dalston site. By upgrading our facilities with the latest technology, we’re not only improving product quality, but also creating a more sustainable and supportive environment for our teams.”

This £28 million investment shows Nestlé’s strong commitment to innovation, sustainability, and creating a better workplace for its people. The upgrades at Dalston will help deliver even better products to consumers while reducing environmental impact and improving efficiency on site.

Nestlé Dalston has been producing Nescafé  Frothy Coffee products since 1962. Recognised as a Centre of Excellence for Frothy Coffee for Nestlé globally, the factory manufactures popular products, such as Nescafé Cappuccino and Latte, Coffee Mate as well as Starbucks range of Latte products. The factory was originally built in Cumbria due to its proximity to dairy farms which provide the sustainable fresh milk needed to produce 25 million Nescafé  Cappuccino and Frothy Coffee sachets every week.

Nestlé has worked with First Milk since 2010 to promote responsible farming, enhance animal welfare, and protect Cumbria’s natural landscape – ensuring that the fresh milk used in Frothy Coffee products is not only high-quality but also sustainably sourced.

To find out more about the team at Dalston factory and get a flavour of the expertise behind Nescafé, click here to see Nestlé’s video for its ‘Good for Britain, Good for the Future’ campaign.

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The World Branding Awards Ceremony stepped outside London for the first time, bringing its global presence to the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. Over 80 international guests joined the celebration, hosted by Allie Sakakibara and enriched by a keynote from Miho Noguchi on immersive brand experiences.

Honoured as Global winners in branding across diverse industries were IKEA (Sweden), Lurpak (Denmark), Sennheiser (Germany), and Yakult (Japan).

Winners from Malaysia include Farm Fresh, Getha, Maybank, MR DIY, Munchy’s, Spritzer, Perodua, Petronas, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Watsons, and ZUS Coffee. Other National tier winners include Aurora (Thailand), Café Amazon (Thailand), Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), Evolene (Indonesia), Boursa Kuwait (Kuwait), Edeka (Germany), FERN-D (Philippines), Frank & Co. (Indonesia), KOI Thé (Singapore), Indomaret (Indonesia), and Royal Umbrella (Thailand), to name a few.

Only 20 brands earned the Regional Tier award, recognised for their influence in four or more countries across three or more regional markets: Amarula (South Africa), M-150 (Thailand), MR DIY (Malaysia), Nippon Rent-A-Car (Japan), Tsui Wah (Hong Kong), Vitaday (Thailand), and Watsons (Malaysia).

“The World Branding Awards goes beyond celebrating success; we spotlight the unwavering effort, vision, and emotional resonance behind it. Every brand is honoured on a global pedestal, recognised not just for what it sells, but for what it stands for,” said Mr Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.

More than 91,000 consumers participated in the nomination process globally this year. On average, there are only five winning brands in each country, proving that winning a World Branding Award is a remarkable accomplishment.

For more information and the full list of winners, visit awards.brandingforum.org.

About World Branding Awards

The World Branding Awards is the premier awards of the World Branding Forum, a registered non-profit organisation. The awards recognise the achievements of some of the world’s best brands.

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This shipment represents progress towards fulfilling the Bridgehead order and is intended to support the ongoing rollout of Bridgehead’s coffee products in Costco stores across Ontario. The delivery reflects NEXE’s continued commitment to meeting commercial demand and advancing sustainable packaging solutions at scale.

This is the first partial delivery of the NEXE BPI-certified compostable coffee pods under the previously announced purchase order for Bridgehead’s planned Costco Launch.

“Our team is proud to have completed this delivery to Bridgehead in support of their launch at Costco,” said Ash Guglani, President of NEXE Innovations.

“We believe this delivery demonstrates our ability to execute large-scale production and deliver fully compostable pods that meet the needs of our retail partners. We look forward to continuing to support Bridgehead as the rollout progresses.”

*NEXE Innovations Inc. is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by Keurig®. Keurig® is a registered trademark of Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.

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Therefore, liquidity in the spot market was limited, and producers are unwilling to trade their production.

In October, the approximation of governments from both the United States and Brazil increased expectations about an agreement involving the product, which pressed down quotations abroad and in the domestic market.

However, nothing has been defined yet. Among the Brazilian products that still have the extra tariff from the US, coffee is one that is likely to be removed from the list.

The rainfall in Brazil has favored the development of arábica coffee crops and improved conditions of robusta coffee plants in Espírito Santo. Therefore, players are focused on the flowering of arabica coffee crops of the 2026/27 season, which now depend on more rains.

In the accumulated of October (from September 30 to October 31), the CEPEA/ESALQ Index for the arabica coffee type 6, delivered to São Paulo city, increased 79.09 Reais per 60-kg bag (or 3.7%), to close at BRL 2,206.59 per 60-kg bag on October 31.

Concerning robusta, the CEPEA/ESALQ Index for the type 6, screen 13, Espírito Santo, upped 63.45 Reais per bag (or 4.6%) in October, to close at BRL 1,405.91 per 60-kg bag on October 31.

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“I first learned of Jollibee through networking with a former colleague from Starbucks,” Wright said. “Like many Americans, even though I had driven by them, I did not know the Jollibee name.

When I first visited the restaurants, I was highly impressed by the food quality, the cleanliness of the restaurants and the welcoming staff. The best part is that once someone visits a Jollibee, they love it. There’s a very intense, almost cult-like fan base for this brand.”

The guests’ affinity for the brand, combined with the long history of the business model and its consistent success across varied markets, positions it well for a bright future across the U.S., and Wright says he’s excited to capitalize on this growth potential.

“A core strength of Jollibee is its successful operation of over 100 company-owned units in North America, serving as proof of concept,” he said. “Jollibee has 25 years of operating experience in the United States, which indicates they’ve cracked the code for success in the market. Jollibee offers significant white space across North America for multi-unit operators looking to enter the fried chicken business with a proven concept.”

Referring to Jollibee as “the best franchise opportunity you’ve never heard of,” Wright says he plans to work diligently to raise awareness about the brand and growth opportunity for prospective owners while maintaining a remarkable support structure as new franchisees join the system.

“We’ll participate in industry conferences; seek opportunities on podcasts, social media and business press; and conduct direct outreach to qualified multi-unit operators,” he said. “We’re looking to substantially increase our footprint across the United States, and leveraging top-level operators with intimate market experience will allow us to drive that growth while maintaining the Jollibee quality and experience our guests love.”

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