Victor Dela Casa

Posted on Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Better storage means better coffee

Ever wonder why gourmet and specialty coffee shops serve the best and, not to mention, the most expensive cups of coffee?

It’s a known fact that coffee is best served when it’s at its freshest. Freshness is a big deal especially in the coffee business. The quicker you can pack and serve that freshness, the more the competitive edge your product has in the market. The aroma, texture and flavour are simply better – but it also comes at a price that is more expensive, usually.

According to experts, ground coffee starts to go stale less than a minute after grinding. Coffee beans begin to lose their freshness about half an hour after the bag is opened. Finally, even if the bag is sealed, coffee turns bad in a month. They recommend consuming coffee as quickly as possible, especially in tropical countries like ours. This is why coffee is packaged to retain freshness for as long as possible.

To store coffee, an airtight container is highly recommended as it seals in the freshness. Moisture and oxidation should also be prevented. Storing dried coffee beans in regular jute bags or sacks and keeping them in a refrigerated environment isn’t enough. Using porous, natural-fibre bags to package coffee beans can negatively affect its character and quality.

The misconception that coffee has to breathe or respire is not accurate. Laboratory tests by the Agricultural Research Organization in Israel proves that coffee beans in gas tight, or hermetic, jars show no gas build up during storage even if the MC is above the Equilibrium Relative Humidity or ERH, the state where humidity, both inside and outside the bag, are balanced, thus, no exchanges in humidity, moisture and gases can occur.

Holding properly dried coffee under hermetic conditions prevents moisture ingress that could lead to loss of beans’ taste and aroma, color and density, mold infection and contamination.

With the amount of emphasis on freshness for this kind of commodity, it is necessary for it to be stored in a specialized bag that will ensure its long-term freshness. Independent studies in Costa Rica revealed that coffee stored in gas tight conditions are better because it preserves the desirable moisture content or MC.

Plastic has increasingly become a popular solution for packaging and storing beans from the point of origin. Its use is on the rise, thanks to importers who push growers to seal coffee in airtight sacks for shipping. Such solution is actually being produced here in the Philippines.

Since it opened its manufacturing and sales headquarter in Subic Bay, GrainPro, Inc. has been producing innovative ultra hermetic solutions for various food crops here and throughout the world. One such innovation is their miracle bag called the SuperGrainbag™ or SGB which is guaranteed to lock and store the freshness of a wide range of agricultural commodities, including rice and coffee.

Made from polyethylene with five co-extruder layers, the SGB is sturdy, strong and prevents oxygen from penetrating the bag. It is free from any harmful chemicals and other toxic components.In fact, an independent laboratory in China, LabThink, concludes that SuperGrainbags are 500 times more airtight than regular bags and bags from imitators.

Finally, it is very cost-effective because the bags are made from inexpensive materials. Thus, each one is sold without hurting the bottom line too hard and provides that much needed extra to safeguard the freshness of commodities.

Coffee is a huge global industry. Experts regard coffee as the most traded food commodity in the world. Here in the Philippines, the local coffee sector’s estimated worth is around P40 billion. The industry employs about 70,000 farmers in 22 provinces and yields about 25,000 metric tons annually. Despite this, local production can’t fill the 100,000 metric tonne demand. This pushes traders to import the rest.

Connoisseurs and enthusiasts involved in the coffee business who tried SuperGrainbags attest to its usefulness especially against the varying humidity and moisture involved in the shipping of exported varieties. To them, the SGB is a safe, efficient and inexpensive solution which guarantees their product’s utmost quality.

Mr. Lorenzo Reyes, Co-founder and Roaster of Roasters Juan’s in Manila was initially sceptical. “Storing my green coffee in jute sacks could be a huge recipe for disaster. I learned this the hard way a few years back. I used to store my treasured inventory of green beans in pretty, photogenic jutes because I thought GrainPro bags were too expensive. Little did I know, pests can easily cause problems to my stocks. And when the rains came, humidity levels reached 100%. Big problem!” he told us.

Now, he only has nice things to say about the GrainPro SuperGrainbags:

“I have been and remain a convert to hermetic storage, and I don’t hesitate to share this experience with friends and colleagues in my industry. Without a doubt, using SuperGrainbags will help ensure that your green bean inventory retains its quality levels. What’s your alternative? Think about it.”

With a wide range of solutions for all types of agricultural products, GrainPro has built a reputation as the experts in ultra hermetic™ technology. Coffee isn’t the only commodity that can benefit from GrainPro’s innovations in drying and storage. Over two decades of experience and knowledge has allowed them to come up with products that guarantee to store dried food crops for prolonged period sans the need for chemicals or refrigeration. It is proven to retain the freshness and overall quality of any dried food crop including rice, corn or wheat.