The coffee business faces certain challenges starting from sourcing all the way to storing. Some of these challenges even require a technology-driven approach to solve them. While the industry is still dominated by age-old practices of smallholder farmers in remote parts of the world, new solutions are now being integrated through the efforts of progressively minded traders and roasters, who will do anything to sustainably and efficiently satisfy the demands of their customers.
Here are five challenges faced by specialty coffee roasters:
1. Dealing with climate change
Changing climates affect harvest seasons for specialty and single-origin varieties. As a result, roasters and coffee shop owners are forced to adjust their scheduled seasonal offerings accordingly. Patrons of these varieties, too, will have to adjust. These changes also make the prices of specific varieties more volatile and unpredictable.
Simultaneously, climate change also changes the quality of coffee through the effects of weather changes. Intermittent rains and high precipitation during harvest and drying can be detrimental to coffee. It can affect the moisture levels of the coffee beans and can lead to fungal contamination of the beans during storage.
In terms of drying, intermittent rains can also cause re-wetting, leading to the dissolution of soluble compounds in the beans. These compounds affect the flavor and aromatic qualities that their drinkers go for. Often, green coffee with a brownish tint is the victim of re-wetting and as a result, it lacks certain qualities and characteristicscharacters that the roasters paid for and loved by their patrons.
Read more about it: Reducing Environmental Risks Through Post-Harvest Systems
2. Shipping
Coffee takes quite a journey from farms to coffee shops. Transoceanic shipment is arduous. Temperature fluctuations combined with layovers that take weeks—sometimes months—on end result in adverse effects on the quality of coffee beans.
The application of foaming insulators and absorbing gels around the interior of shipping containers has become a norm to reduce condensation and its effects on coffee. However, this is quite expensive and does not provide protection against insects and fungal contamination.
Liners are quickly becoming the standard when it comes to protecting coffee beans and reducing the effects of condensation. When installed properly, liners can be an effective ally not only in reducing the effects of condensation such as with mold growths but also in preventing the entry and proliferation of insects that harm the commodities during transit.
Read more about it: How to Prevent Condensation in Shipping Containers
3. Tracking the journey
Traceability allows the tracking of a commodity starting from its point of origin, then following its journey throughout every process until it is on the market. In the coffee industry, traceability is a huge concern. It is an important factor in ensuring sustainable operations that maintain authenticity and quality.
As the journey of coffee becomes more and more complicated, all the players in the coffee chain want to demonstrate their commitment to food quality and safety. Being traceable also assures the reliability of the coffee bean suppliers.
Thus, there is a demand to trace and document where specialty coffee is sourced and track the different processes the coffee beans go through. Companies specializing in this technology are available to help map a product’s history. Such services can be pricey, but it is worth the investment. Investing in tracking technology builds up consumers' trust and confidence in any end-products including coffee.
3. Using the jute bags
The use of jute bags has long been an industry staple, despite its many flaws. Being organic and porous in nature and composition, jute bags are easily penetrated by insects, affected by ambient moisture and temperature, and release chemical compounds that are absorbed by the coffee beans. These compounds when the absorbed result in a flavor profile that many roasters and shop owners can easily associate with jute bags. Thus, this proves to have an effect on the quality of coffee.
If done correctly, jute bags lined with hermetically-sealed liners can provide excellent protection and safe preservation of coffee and its quality. The liners also provide a secure environment that works against insects and fungal contaminants. Hermetic bags are also able to prevent the beans from absorbing the undesirable oil from the jute material, maintaining the coffee’s desirable flavor profile.
Read more about it: Winning the War Against Stale, Moldy-Flavored Coffee
3. Prolonging freshness
Perhaps one of the biggest problems faced by specialty coffee roasters is how to safely preserve the quality, quantity, and freshness of their specialty coffee. After its long journey, specialty coffee usually loses many of the properties that made it special in the first place.
In addition, there is a demand to prolong the freshness past the established harvest-arrival season. Coffee roasters want to factor out seasonality and sell certain specialty coffee varieties as a year-long offering, which stabilizes its price and ensures that stocks are consumed by the time a new shipment arrives. Investing in a storage solution that can store coffee beans for long-term while preserving their quality, is certainly a must.
Read more about it: 4 Ways To Keep Green Coffee Fresh
Sustainable hermetic liner bags are changing the way coffee is stored and packaged. This technology can safely preserve freshness for longer periods, up to more than a year. It is geared to protect the coffee beans from the effects of moisture, as well as deter insects without applying chemicals.
Specialty coffee roasters and shop owners want to ensure that their investments are safe and that customers are satisfied. By protecting coffee from any potential problems within the value chain, specialty coffee drinkers and coffee providers from coffee-consuming countries can be confident that they are getting what they paid for; ensuring the long-term success of their business.
GrainPro’s hermetic technology is designed to keep your coffee beans safe and fresh. Learn more about our solutions by clicking the button below.