When purchasing large quantities of green coffee, one of the main challenges is protecting the beans from external factors like moisture, temperature fluctuations, oxygen, and light, all of which can affect freshness over time.
With the growing trend of home roasting and the rise of micro roasters, there’s an increasing demand for effective storage solutions for smaller quantities of green coffee.
To better understand the best practices for storing smaller batches, we consulted coffee experts who specialize in green coffee preservation. They provided valuable insights on what to prioritize and how to get started. Read on to discover their advice.
Why Proper Storage of Green Coffee is Essential
Storing green coffee correctly is crucial for preserving its freshness and overall quality. Although green coffee can maintain its characteristics for several weeks or months, it is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air easily.
Before being shipped, green coffee is dried to a specific moisture content (typically around 11% to 12%). Any additional moisture during storage can lead to quality degradation or even mold growth. Furthermore, because of its absorbent nature, green coffee can take on unwanted odors or flavors from its surroundings if not stored properly.
It’s also vital to protect green coffee from heat and direct sunlight, as these elements can negatively impact its freshness and quality over time.
Renaud Cuchet, Managing Director of EFICO Central America, a coffee trading company with decades of experience, notes that the most vulnerable times for green coffee are during inland transportation, port delays (especially when containers are left in the sun), and exposure to extreme temperatures and humidity during transshipment.
While some of these conditions are beyond the control of traders and roasters, reducing their impact is essential. Even after the coffee reaches the roastery, proper storage in cool, dry environments with minimal moisture and no exposure to sunlight remains a priority.
Hanuman Jain, CEO and founder of Ecotact, a company specializing in high-barrier packaging solutions, points out that the coffee industry is increasingly turning to specialist packaging to protect green coffee from external factors and preserve its quality
Effective Storage Solutions for Small Volumes of Green Coffee
Globally, green coffee is typically traded in 60kg bags, but in recent years, importers have begun offering smaller sizes, such as 10kg or 25kg bags and boxes, to cater to the growing demand from micro and home roasters. These smaller batches often consist of rarer or higher-quality green coffee.
Renaud Cuchet explains that with higher quality comes a higher price. Protecting the value of these smaller micro lots is crucial, as they can cost significantly more than standard coffee varieties. Any loss in quality during storage or transportation can lead to financial losses, as it directly affects how the coffee is scored and evaluated.
In the green coffee trade, samples are a vital part of the buying process for both traders and roasters. The condition of these samples can heavily influence purchasing decisions. As a result, proper storage of green coffee samples is essential for maintaining their quality over time.
Thompson Owen, co-owner of Sweet Maria’s, a company that supplies to home roasters, emphasizes the importance of investing in better storage solutions to improve quality control. He notes that while samples are often shipped in paper bags, which are convenient for recycling, they are not ideal for long-term storage. Over time, even in favorable climates, paper storage can result in degraded quality, making reference samples unusable.
He highlights that coffee samples are critical to the trade, and billions of dollars rely on their quality. Yet, traditional packaging methods like paper bags often lead to damage during transit. Implementing proper storage techniques, including using airtight containers and protecting the coffee from air exposure, can help maintain freshness and preserve the quality of green coffee samples for extended periods.
Top Tips for Storing Small Quantities of Green Coffee
Proper storage is essential for preserving the freshness and flavor of small batches of green coffee. By following a few best practices, you can ensure that your coffee remains delicious after roasting, grinding, and brewing.
Here are some key tips:
- Store green coffee in a cool, dry, and dark place, away from direct sunlight and heat.
- Keep the coffee elevated, such as on shelves, to avoid contact with the ground.
- Ensure the storage area is neutral-smelling and free from strong odors or pungent items like chemicals or certain food products.
- Protect the coffee from moisture by keeping it away from water sources and humidity.
In addition to these tips, using high-quality packaging is crucial. Thompson Owen, co-owner of Sweet Maria’s, stresses that without proper barrier packaging, can quickly degrade, especially in extreme climates.
For home roasters, a sealable glass jar, like a mason jar, can be a simple solution for preserving small quantities of green coffee. However, specially designed packaging, like Ecotact’s Troiseal bags, offers superior protection. These bags, made from hermetic 9-layer, high-barrier material, keep green coffee farm-fresh and can be reused multiple times.
Navneet Jain, Director of Exports at Ecotact, highlights that the Troiseal range is designed for both commercial and home roasters, allowing them to roast smaller batches while maintaining quality. As Karishma Sharma, Ecotact’s Head of Marketing, adds, the tamperproof design also provides additional security, ensuring the integrity of your greens coffee.
By following these storage practices and using high-quality packaging, you can preserve the freshness and value of your green coffee for extended periods.
How Better Packaging Supports Green Coffee Producers
Coffee producers invest significant time and resources into cultivating high-quality green coffee, and ensuring that this quality is preserved through transportation and storage is crucial. Using superior packaging solutions plays a key role in maintaining freshness and supporting the producer’s reputation.
Ashok Patre, owner of Ratnagiri Estates, a renowned specialty coffee farm in India, highlights the growing demand for vacuum packaging from buyers and roasters. Delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in shipping, meant that many roasters received green coffee up to eight or nine months after harvest. This extended delay led to a decline in freshness, negatively impacting the perception of the coffee’s quality, even though it left the farm at peak condition.
To combat this, high-quality packaging has become essential. Ashok notes that using advanced packaging, like Ecotact, has received positive feedback from roasters, as it helps protect and market their green coffee. For small-batch micro roasters, these smaller, well-sealed bags are especially beneficial, as they are easier to handle and reduce the risk of quality loss from prolonged exposure.
In addition, smaller bags are favored by home and micro roasters for their ease of use. Ashok explains that handling large 60kg bags is not only cumbersome but can also be unsafe, especially for small operations with limited staff. The flexibility of smaller bags allows roasters to work with manageable quantities, ensuring that the stays fresh and is processed in optimal batch sizes.
By investing in better packaging, producers can not only protect the quality of their but also strengthen their relationships with buyers, roasters, and end consumers, helping them stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
As the home and micro roaster markets have expanded in recent years, finding reliable solutions for storing smaller quantities of green coffee has become increasingly important.
The top priority remains preserving freshness. Proper storage ensures that green coffee retains its quality, keeping your customers satisfied and encouraging repeat business. By protecting the integrity of green beans, you not only deliver great-tasting coffee but also build long-term loyalty among your clientele.
