After harvesting and processing, coffee must be prepared to travel and be stored all across the world. During the journey from producing countries to their destination, there are many variables that can influence the quality of green coffee.
We spoke to the team from GrainPro about how they are pioneering post-harvesting handling and storage solutions, challenges, and what they’re doing in 2021 and onwards to improve the quality of coffee worldwide.
WHAT ARE GRAINPRO’S MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR 2021?
GrainPro’s plan goes beyond just 2021. We are aiming to be a company positioned to significantly contribute in sustainably reducing world hunger. We plan to achieve this by:
- Offering our post-harvest solutions to smallholder farmers to reduce or eliminate their dependence on pesticide use.
- Continuously create partnerships globally so that our solutions can easily be recycled.
- Develop and re-engineer our petroleum-based plastic solutions using a more sustainable and recyclable raw material.
HOW DOES GRAINPRO WORK TOWARDS IMPROVING THE COFFEE SECTOR?
With the fluctuation of coffee prices over the years, it has not been favorable and sustainable for our farmers to continue, even more so with the current global crisis.
We continuously educate farmers in producing countries as well as roasters and importers the importance of using the right solution, such as our hermetic technology, to ensure that there are no unnecessary losses in between storage in origin and transporting to the destination country.
Our hermetic solutions are also geared towards smallholder farmers so that they can safely store their coffee while protecting and preserving their essential qualities without the use of pesticides. This way they can transact directly with end roasters and importers at the right time to get a better deal for their hard earned crops.
Ultimately, we aim to increase the awareness and standards of those in the coffee industry to embrace hermetic technology that would benefit everyone in the supply chain from farmers to consumers.
HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED A CHANGE IN GREEN COFFEE PACKAGING DEMANDS IN RECENT YEARS? HOW HAS GRAINPRO ADAPTED TO MEET THESE?
The awareness of coffee sectors to protect Coffee beans from oxygen and moisture resulted in increasing demands of hermetic packaging and storage.
As one of the leading companies in hermetic technology, GrainPro continues to include innovations in our existing product lines while strengthening our partnerships with research groups, private sectors, NGOs and governments. GrainPro has been committed to providing solutions that best suits the needs of our stakeholders.
HOW DOES GRAINPRO SUPPORT PRODUCERS AND COFFEE BUYERS TO MANAGE POST-HARVEST HANDLING AND STORAGE SOLUTIONS?
GrainPro solutions help reduce post-harvest losses and improve food quality using hermetic technology, protecting coffee beans against the risk of mold growth, insect infestation, and oxidation. By using GrainPro’s hermetic solutions, the quality, aroma, and flavor of coffee are maintained during drying, storage and transport.
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE VARIABLES THAT CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT GREEN COFFEE QUALITY. HOW CAN PRODUCERS AVOID THESE?
Exposure to oxygen and moisture affects green coffee quality. Oxidation of reactive compounds occurs with the presence of oxygen which affects the sensory quality of coffee. When green coffee is placed in storage conditions with high humidity (which is a normal condition in tropical countries), the dried coffee absorbs moisture from the surroundings since it is hygroscopic in nature. This would allow mold growth when the coffee reaches more than 12% moisture content.
Coffee producers must protect their coffee beans from oxygen and moisture by choosing the right method of storage. One is hermetic or gas-tight packaging which does not allow the entry of oxygen and moisture, thereby locking in quality. Hermetic storage also preserves coffee beans for longer storage periods without compromising its quality.
Credits: GrainPro