How to Save on Green Coffee with Color Sorting
The Challenge: Rising Green Coffee Prices
Ethiopian green coffee prices have been unstable, impacting the whole coffee industry. Since 2020, prices have risen sharply due to war and inflation. A report by Algrano shows that cherry prices went up by more than 300% between 2020 and 2023.
Some green coffee buyers believe prices will drop in 2024. However, certain specialty coffees may still become more expensive. The report says prices may stay high in regions like Guji and Sidamo, where quality is a priority.
And because cherry prices were/are so high, Ethiopian producers have been incentivized to sell everything they have. Even cherries that are not fully ripe or that have other defects.
This caused batches to contain quakers, and other defective beans that hurt the quality of the coffee.
“As prices continue to rise, quality has gotten more inconsistent,” says Brice Surmer, founder of Velodrome Coffee Company.
Roasters now face a challenge: How can we pay fair prices to producers while selling quality coffee at affordable prices? Is there a way roasters can control coffee quality themselves?
The Solution: Upsorting
Buy Grade 2 or 3 Coffee
Remove defects with a Pearl Mini Color Sorter
The coffee scores now as a Grade 1
Sell the coffee at a fair price and still make a profit
Case Study: Broadsheet Coffee Roasters
We spoke with Aaron MacDougall from Broadsheet Coffee Roasters. He shared how they use color sorting to deal with rising Ethiopian coffee prices.
“Our flagship blend is called ‘Headliner,’ and it is almost always a Central America Coffee with a natural Ethiopian as a blend component.
Usually, we’d use a Grade 1 coffee but rather than doing that, we’ll buy a nice Grade 2 or 3 and save 20-25% in cost. Then we’ll do a 5%-7% sort and take it up to the quality level of a Grade 1. Allowing us to deliver a more premier product at less of a cost.” Aaron explained.
Why Color Sorting Works
If coffees are graded on defects, why not remove the defects yourself? The Pearl Mini Coffee Color Sorter allows roasters to decide the final quality of their coffee.
“Natural coffees are really high scoring but the processing has a lot of quakers. With those we are very happy to knock out like 10-15% because the coffee is so much better without the defects. You can really take a special, exciting coffee and turn it into something spectacular.
We don't mind knocking out +5% of the coffee with a bit of carryover if we’re going to improve the cupping score dramatically.” Aaron said.
Finding the Sweet Spot
When Broadsheet first received its Pearl Mini Coffee Color Sorter, the team worked hard to perfect their process. They started by sorting out 1%, then 2%, and continued up to 10%. After each sort, they did blind tastings to compare the flavor. This helped them find the best sorting percentage for each coffee. They wanted to improve the flavor while minimizing waste.
Partnering for Quality and Growth
As coffee prices continue to change, roasters must balance quality with growth. Upsorting provides a solution that benefits roasters, producers, and customers. It helps roasters keep their coffee quality high while maintaining fair prices.
If you’d like to know more about incorporating color sorting into your roastery, you can talk to our team here.
