Roasting trends for the future – Giesen webinar #16

Last webinar #16 focused on roasting trends for the future. Willem, Marc Weber (Giesen Coffee Roasters), and Jaime Duque (Coffee Quality Institute) talked about controlled fermentation coffee lots, the similarities between wine and coffee, and more. We wrote a summary of it.

Topics of webinar 16:

• Coffee economics 
• Coffee is like wine 
• Controlled fermentation coffee lots 
• Consumption and roasting in producing countries
• Coffee roasting innovations

Coffee economics

When we talk about the economics of coffee, there are presentations developed by the World Economic Forum. An interesting fact about coffee is that every minute, 2.3 million cups of coffee are consumed globally. Making it a billion-dollar industry. It is the fourth most consumed beverage in the world. When we are looking at all the steps involved, different stages from the growing, exporting, distribution, roasting, retailing, and ultimately sales, there are many costs involved. The price of a cup of coffee sits somewhere between 2,50 dollars and 3 dollars.

Looking at the contribution of each step in the process, we see that in the growing and production step, a small part of the costs is incurred there. That has been a point of criticism. Why is there so little money for the producers? And that is an ongoing concern in the coffee industry. We need to make the coffee farmers a more equable part of the industry.

Learn more about the economics of coffee: www.visualcapitalist.com

Coffee is like wine 

A perspective that I like to share is that coffee is behaving more and more like wine. In the coffee industry, for various reasons, we have been comparing our cup of coffee with wine. The tasting of coffee is very similar to wine. But also when we analyze the industry of specialty coffee, take a country like Panama, the approach taken by coffee producers who are also exporters is very much like the approach we see in wine-producing areas. The countries where exquisite wines are produced are often in a high price range. Now, we also see this happening with coffee. A while ago, coffee was sold for 4100 dollars per pound. That seems like a crazy price, but if we compare this with the wine industry, we are just getting started with coffee. 

I think for coffee roasters that are looking at purchasing, investing in a coffee roasting system, also requires some thinking on the behaves of the roaster operators. I think they should choose a tool, the roasting machine, that offers them the opportunity to treat their coffee like wine. I think that the Giesen roasting systems offer some of the best choices for that. 

Controlled fermentation coffee lots 

We see more and more coffee producers seeking fermentation techniques for their coffees. We’ve done some research and find that this has big implications for how you roast coffee. Because these controlled fermentation techniques cause big changes in how heat can penetrate into the bean at the cellular level. We found out that with extended anaerobic fermentation, that the roasting profiles required are quite different from what we consider a conventional specialty coffee roasting profile. We see this also with coffee lobs that combine special fermentation, controlled fermentation, and slow drying protocols. And this is becoming a mainstream aspect. Because lots of coffee producers around the world are looking at ways in which they can differentiate and create more value. It obviously also requires educating roasters about this aspect. 

Coffee roasting innovations

Obviously, the world of coffee roasting doesn’t just rest on its chair, but they are moving. We know Giesen is, especially for the segment of the specialty coffee industry, probably a leader. So, innovations for a company like Giesen are a necessary aspect. 

Marc Weber: ‘I can not say too much but we listen to our customers. No one else knows better than they do. What I can say is that in the last couple of months the interest of electric heating machines is coming more and more as well as emissions. Our software is developing all the time and we also work on exciting machines. Different models. Everyone is scared of electric heating, but we found a way you can experience the same amount of power you do with gas. There is a lot going on right now. People can already get excited about the new models that are coming.’

Like to know everything about the roasting trends? Watch the webinar #16.

Check out the other Giesen blog articles and webinar summaries here.