HNCT, LLC 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070
Electronic Service Requested
$4.75 PER ISSUE
Complimentary to Coffee Professionals
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 178 Salem, OR
Wat Ler Matters
fully immersed:
SPRING 2021 | Vol. XXXIV No.4 THIS ISSUE: PACKAGING & WATER
What does your packaging say about your brand? Functional?
Fantastic!
Sally’s Coffee BANANA OATMEAL
BLU
RY
EBE R
N
M
U FFI
Visstun gives you functional AND fantastic at affordable volumes and prices. Plus, we make it: • Quick- Fast Turnaround • Easy- Low Minimum and Responsive Service • Awesome- Hi-Definition Full Color Print
Call Visstun Today! (702) 251-8809 ®
www.VisstunCups.com ®
Certified Manufacturing Plant
Visually Stunning Sustainable Cups
CONTENTS SPRING ISSUE 2021
08 10 11 THE VIEW
06
Am I the Only One?
KERRI GOODMAN & JAKE LEONTI
THE 99% Water
JAKE LEONTI
WHAT'S YOUR BAG
Coffee Companies Get Creative with Their Packaging ANDREW WITKIN
WATER OBSESSION JOSEPH CAPATOSTO
ROASTERS ROCK Water at Origin
12
ROCKY RHODES
INDUSTRY CALENDAR WANT TO SUBMIT AN EVENT TO COFFEETALK'S EVENT CALENDAR? COFFEETALK.COM/ADDEVENT
JUL 1–16
{4}
JUL 14–15
JUL 18–20
AUG 18-20
SEP 9-11
SEP 21-22 Single Serve Capsules Europe
DENVER, CO
KIGALI, RWANDA
NEW YORK, NY
NEW ORLEANS, LA
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
World Tea Expo
World Coffee Producers Forum
Coffee Fest New York 2021
NAMA Show 2021 & Coffee, Tea & Water
MICE Melbourne
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
BARCELONA, SPAIN
COFFEETALK MAGAZINE
Advertisers { INDEX } Add A Scoop / Juice Bar Solutions Inc (415) 382-6535 | ADDASCOOP.COM
Bühler Inc
(763) 847-9900 | BUHLERGROUP.COM
Cablevey Conveyors
(641) 673-8451 | CABLEVEY.COM
PUBLISHER
13 13 3
Costellini's
(877) 889-1866 | INFO@COSTELLINI.COM 13
Diedrich Roasters LLC
(844) 343-3742 | DIEDRICHROASTERS.COM
Don Pablo Coffee Roasting Company
(305) 249-5628 | DONPABLOCOFFEE.COM
Fres-co System USA Inc.
(215) 721-4600 | FRESCO.COM
7 13 9
Grounds for Health
(802) 876-7835 | GROUNDSFORHEALTH.ORG 13
Java Jacket
(800) 208-4128 | JAVAJACKET.COM
National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) (312) 346-0370 | NAMANOW.ORG
Primera Technology Inc.
(800) 797-2772 | PRIMERALABEL.COM
9 15 13
CORP.SOFTPACK.CO.KR 15 (856) 988-5533 | SCOLARIENG.NET
Visstun Cups & Containers
(702) 251-8809 | VISSTUNCUPS.COM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
JAKE LEONTI jake@coffeetalk.com { x2 }
JUSTIN GOODMAN justin@coffeetalk.com { x3 }
ADMINISTRATION
PRINT DESIGNER
MEAGAN GOODMAN meagan@coffeetalk.com { x4 }
MARCUS FELLBAUM fellbaum@me.com
MAILING INFO HNCT, LLC 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070
CONTACT P: 206.686.7378 F: 866.373.0392 www.coffeetalk.com
DISCLAIMER CoffeeTalk does not assume the responsibility for validity of claims made for advertised products and services. We reserve the right to reject any advertising. Although we support copyrights and trademarks, we generally do not include copyright and trademark symbols in our news stories and columns. CoffeeTalk considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible. However, reporting inaccuracies can occur, consequently readers using this information do so at their own risk.
POSTMASTER Send address changes to HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070 SUBSCRIPTIONS The cost of a subscription in the U.S. is $47.50 per year; in Canada, the cost is $72.00. Free to qualified industry professionals. Non-qualified requests may be rejected. Publisher reserves the right to limit the number of free subscriptions. For subscription inquiries, please call 206.686.7378 x1 or subscribe online at www.CoffeeTalk.com.
NEED TO UPDATE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR ADDRESS? COFFEETALK.COM/SUBSCRIBE
Soft Pack Co., Ltd.
Texpak Inc | Scolari Engineering
KERRI GOODMAN kerri@coffeetalk.com { 206.686.7378 x1 }
16 2
COPYRIGHT © 2021, HNCT, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CoffeeTalk Magazine
THE VIEW { Am I the Only One? }
KERRI GOODMAN & JAKE LEONTI
{ {
H
ave you found yourself inside that dream where you’ve gone back to school, and you can’t find your class or remember your locker combination, or you didn’t attend class the entire quarter and suddenly it’s time to take the final? It’s that feeling of ‘I should know how to do this and yet I’m nowhere prepared!’
P
ackaging ultimately is the mating call to the consumer. On your bag or cup or can are your brand, your promise, and your product all wrapped up in one package. It is calling out, “Find me!” to your key demographic. This was its primary purpose beyond the storage and transport of your product. Today that purpose has grown. Packaging has its own story now, and that story better be a sustainable one. Reducing waste and having the option to compost or recycle the bag or cup is an increasing need. With the voting dollars of Millennial shoppers at stake, it is necessary to have a sustainable message attached to your brand. At whatever level you
{6}
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
Strangely enough I find myself in these dreams but with a new twist. Instead of school is tradeshows! I can’t find my booth; I forgot my business cards; I fear I’ve forgotten how to “be” at trade shows. And just for jollies let’s throw in COVID... is it safe? Can I hug? Will there be masks? Will attendees come? The dream has been recurring now for a few weeks and I believe it is
can achieve this, you should—starting with packaging and paper cups. Not only is there an escalating issue with plastics and waste management on a global scale, but your customers are asking for more sustainable solutions. During the pandemic, people were forced to look at their trash more thoughtfully. People had time to consider each product in their house and whether it was contributing positively or negatively to the life they wanted to lead.
in anticipation of the upcoming shows. We’ve entered a new world and I can’t help but wonder if my pre-covid skills have gone missing? Just wondering how many of you can relate. Cheers
Kerri
Today packaging’s purpose has been repurposed to attract more through function and what that function stands for as opposed to simply looking good. The consumer is interested in substance and message over style alone.
Jake
The trend toward sustainability was already a big part of the agenda when it came to Millennials and Gen Z. The pandemic merely sped things along as it did with so many other inevitable trends. COFFEETALK MAGAZINE
World Class Support from Bean to Bag
experience the diedrich difference Brought Back by Popular Demand: The DR25
handcrafted in the USA
exceptional Customer Service & Support
• Variable speed from the HMI for the Roast Air, Cool Air and Drum RPM • Separately controlled airflow for Roast Air and Cool Air • Quench in the Drum using the Automation • Manual Quench in the roast air cyclone • Prox sensors on the chaff gate that indicate if the gate is open or closed • Upgraded Automation Platform • Electrical configuration is 220v/60Hz or 230v/50Hz; Single Phase (not offered in 110v) • We have elevated the customer experience to a new level with a streamlined website and improved support systems. • State of the art new facility to ensure the highest quality standards in every handcrafted machine.
www.DiedrichRoasters.com
expanded process Systems Solutions
THE 99% { Water }
JAKE LEONTI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COFFEETALK
{
S
o much thought, energy, and money are invested in the growing and cultivation of coffee and then the processing and transport, roasting, and blending until we get to brewing. By this time coffee has been fawned over by a hundred hands, shipped hundreds of miles, and cost hundreds of dollars. Now that we are ready to brew more often than not, we simply heat up whatever water happens to be in front of us. Sometimes it’s a filtered line that sifts out a fair amount of waste, chlorine, and rust but sometimes it's tank water on an airplane or radioactive well water, or stagnant city pipe water. Even most cafes are quite complacent to accept whatever water is attached to the building. This way of thinking seems out of order when you consider that 99% of the beverage of coffee is water. True, water is easier to come by than coffee. There are taps, wells, lakes, or bottles of it everywhere you look. That being said, there are less and less opportunities for great water. More of
{8}
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
our water is getting purified or enriched in some way that can alter how it brews coffee and how it affects all the things we eat or drink. In the beer brewing tradition, water has always played a key role. Many beers were named for the rivers their waters came from and the natural yeasts that would form in these waters. The water is considered so important that European beer companies trying to recreate their recipes in the US have to treat their water to recreate their signature flavor. Coffee has always had a challenging relationship with consistency as it is a fresh product for the most part so we are not able to bottle and preserve it on the same level as Champaign or beer. Cold brew coffee has the first real opportunity to achieve this level of consistency and detail to quality in regards to brewing and preservation of flavor. Baristas are the final author of the coffee and oversee its last transformation into liquid before serving. Unfortunately, baristas often don’t control the purse strings to put a quality water program into action.
Water has a chance to become a key differentiator in the café environment. Building a custom water program with a designed water recipe of minerals that matches the coffees being brewed is the next evolution. A large-scale café brand will spend millions on training baristas and calibrating equipment to create consistency of flavor in all locations across multiple countries. With all this effort and money they often continue to neglect to invest in a unified brew water which could make the ultimate difference in a truly consistent taste experience. To create a truly high-end custom coffee experience, a water recipe tailored to each coffee would be the next level. This is part of the special sauce that all brands hope to hold secret from the consumer as it is much harder to recreate at home. Unique water with a unique coffee brewed on a commercial machine by a trained professional is an experience that is worth leaving the house for and spending a few extra dollars a day.
COFFEETALK MAGAZINE
We got this one in the bag. Our signature one-way degassing valve allows carbon dioxide to escape from a package without allowing in oxygen or moisture, providing the optimal air-tight package.
Our single source, “system approach” to packaging whole bean or ground coffee, includes:
+ High Performance Materials
+ Degassing Valves
+ Reliable Machines
+ Unparalleled Service
Technology and Innovation
For more information, contact: Coffee@fresco.com | 215.721.4600 | fresco.com
WWW.COFFEETALK.COM
SPRING ISSUE | 2021
{9}
WHAT’S IN THE BAG? { Coffee Companies Get Creative with Their Packaging } ANDREW WITKIN | CEO, STICKERYOU
F
or decades, coffee packaging was a pretty uniform affair. Instant coffee came in glass jars with plastic screw-top lids. Ground coffee and whole beans were sold in large cans...and the really good stuff came in paper bags. You might not be able to judge a book by its cover, but when it came to buying coffee in a grocery store, how it was packaged was a pretty good indicator of what you were going to get in your cup. That’s not the case anymore because, over the last few years, manufacturers have upped their game when it comes to packaging. And in the last 15 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced specialty coffee companies to radically reimagine their sales strategies – and how they package their products. The coffee revolution in the US can be traced back to the rise of chains like Starbucks when consumers began preferring cafe-quality coffee. Today, nearly 20% of home coffee drinkers are consuming coffees branded by Starbucks, Peet’s, or any number of boutique roasteries, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, coffee shop closures are up by nearly 45%. In effect, this means that more consumers want access to high-end coffee but have fewer places to buy it – and producers of high-end coffees have fewer ways to get their products to consumers. Innovative retailers are doing their best to adapt to changing conditions in any way they can. With so many people working remotely, the cup of coffee during the morning commute has become a home-office cup. Not only did people start buying more home brewing equipment over the last year,
{ 10 }
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
but online coffee sales rose by 43%. The companies that could provide a simple and clean delivery experience have been the ones who weathered the pandemic. Those cafes that stayed open adopted click-and-collect curbside pickup business models that allowed consumers to order their coffee ahead of time and swing by to pick it up. All of this home shopping for coffee means that consumers now have a whole world of options to choose from, and with so much competition for each order, coffee companies have had to step up their branding to stand out from the crowd. This means that selling a package of coffee requires more than just a boring paper bag or a generic can. Coffee companies that have successfully pivoted to a home-delivery model have done so by creating attractive websites, easy-to-use e-commerce platforms, and packaging that gives customers a positive experience, even if they’re in their kitchens brewing a cup between Zoom calls.
Memorable packaging can make a huge difference, and a recent report claims that most customers choose which product to purchase based on color alone. Tins and cloth coffee pouches have been a big hit with consumers
during the pandemic because they can be reused in all sorts of ways. Likewise, some companies are turning to stickers as an innovative way to brand their containers and are even including them with orders so that customers can decorate their items with attractive branded imagery. The pandemic has also seen a sharp rise in coffee companies ordering custom labels and branded pouches as they seek to make their offerings stand out from the pack. One great example of this is Balzac’s Coffee, which in recent years has become a mainstay of the Toronto coffee scene. There are several locations in the city (including in an old factory and a former power plant), but COVID restrictions have kept the stores closed for most of the last year as a result of Ontario provincial lockdowns. However, unlike many other retailers that have had to close their doors, Balzac’s has been able to weather the pandemic by pivoting to a mail-order model that is driven by a unique and bold aesthetic that is instantly recognizable to Torontonians. The coffee is pretty great, but one of the main reasons that people buy it is that Balzac’s bags and cans are incredibly attractive and enticing. The pandemic changed how we buy, sell, and drink coffee, but thankfully it could not kill our love for the brew. Like many other businesses, cafes and roasteries have had to adapt to survive in the worst retail climate in our lifetimes. With people at home free to browse and research their new favorite coffees to have them delivered or pick up curbside, those brands with the most eye-catching packaging will be the ones that get customers to press “Confirm Order.” COFFEETALK MAGAZINE
WATER OBSESSION { Filtering for Perfection }
JOSEPH CAPATOSTO | WHOLESALE MANAGER, THIRD WAVE WATER
{
I
n the Specialty Coffee industry, we are tasked with communicating the care and effort that goes into producing and serving high-quality coffee. When we do this, we support communities that need a sustainable outlet for their green coffee--all while maintaining profitability. We hope to create devotees that can see and taste the difference. THE PROBLEM WITH PROFILES
My evolution as a water enthusiast is wrought with trial and error like many I know. We planned and executed a cafe with brand new equipment and used a simple filtration approach to water treatment. My assumption up until that point was that an inline softener filter or a basic ‘taste and odor’ filter were enough to do the job. After months of use, I found myself removing scale build-up and seeing some corrosion in other equipment. Our Cold Brew even tasted wildly different between seasons because of the waters changing chemistry. This journey led me to lots of testing with surprising results, learning as much as I could about water chemistry before eventually installing a Reverse Osmosis system. How much does water factor into the end results? Coffees taste vastly different when using different water profiles. The SCA (Specialty Coffee WWW.COFFEETALK.COM
Association) has been a guide to water quality, drawing from lots of research and providing standards and guidelines or a window of acceptability. Some salts may help mask compounds that contribute to bitterness, and some bicarbonate hardness will help buffer the harshness of acidity in some coffees. More Magnesium might bring sweetness, or Calcium would help with balance and depth, but both can’t be present in excess. Otherwise, they inhibit extraction or mask nuances. With all that ability to make adjustments via filtration or remineralization, ideal water for coffee sadly doesn’t work the best for your equipment. Conversely, perfect water that follows all of the manufacturer’s requirements or softening recommendations leaves much to be desired in your extractions. It’s a balance. WATER IS NOW THE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION
The home brewing market is exploding. We are seeing more individuals delving into the topic of water quality, and they are asking their favorite coffee professionals, baristas, and roasters for answers. The Global Pandemic has only accelerated this shift as consumers tried to recreate the cafe experiences they were missing, and water quality solutions have become one of the newest additions to home brewing setups.
WATER QUALITY HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY THE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION
Christopher Hendon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood published Water for Coffee, which explains water science, their findings, and the impact it has on coffee flavor. This book is a useful tool so that coffee people everywhere can dip their toes into the “water” quality conversation. DIY-enthusiasts are also crafting their water profiles with filtration recipes that allow you to adjust a few aspects of your water composition, remineralizing by measuring and mixing basic ingredients. The Peak Water Pitcher allows for the blending of an ion exchange filter in varying degrees to get your desired total dissolved solids (TDS), a big upgrade to popular carbon filtration pitchers. Third Wave Water has a different approach; start at 0 and add exactly what you need, removing testing and guesswork. As consumers become more educated about water, roasters and cafes must adapt to remain relevant in the evolving specialty coffee market. Roasters and cafes now look beyond simple TDS measures to create their ideal water profiles. With businesses beginning to open their doors again, we may see another shift in how consumers ultimately evaluate their specialty coffee experiences.
SPRING ISSUE | 2021
{ 11 }
Roasters Rock
WATER AT ORIGIN ROCKY RHODES | CEO, INTERNATIONAL COFFEE CONSULTING
{
F
oul, sour, spoiled, rotten, brackish, acrid – all are words we hope to never use on a cupping form. As roasters, we know we can’t roast these qualities out. The solution to eliminating these descriptors is good water during processing. To talk about water in processing effectively, we should go back in time—a time before water was ever used to process coffee. Processing started with the ‘Natural Process.’ Natural coffee processing – No water. Also, very slow. This does not mean that coffee would never turn out sour, spoiled, or rotten; it just means that some other processing or harvesting mistake caused the off-flavors. Fermentation does happen inside the skin while drying, and sometimes bacteria can get into split cherries. In order to speed up processing time, the ‘Wet Process’ was invented. Attributed to the British in Jamaica around 1850, they used what was referred to as the West Indies Method to speed up the processing of coffee. As in all manufacturing, time is money. Not to mention that the rainfall in Jamaica made it difficult to pull off good Natural Processing. By pulping the coffee first, getting rid of the mucilage, and then drying the coffee, processing time was cut in half. Water then becomes a central tool, byproduct, and variable in the Wet Processing facility. Careful management of this resource is crucial to a successful operation. Water is used to move coffee from place to place. Clean water should be used to start these transports and
{ 12 }
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
recognize that mucilage-rich water comes out the other end. Water can also be used as a tool in mechanical demucilagers, which is highly efficient and reduces water consumption vs. regular fermentation tanks. Post-fermentation water is now tainted and must be dealt with. The solution is a wastewater treatment strategy. This strategy requires different filtering systems of tanks and ponds to capture the solid waste, purify the effluent and then return the water to service either on the farm or to the stream. Water is also a key variable in the wet processing method in determining manufacturing speed and product quality. The key factors in the variable are the quantity of water available and the purity of the water. If you have enough water for several washing tanks and moving the product from place to place, you start your work. If you are light on water or attempting to use as little as possible, then you might choose a couple of strategies. You can recirculate water through a mechanical demucilager and send the parchment to dry without ever using a fermentation tank. That saves a ton of water but can change taste characteristics. Another choice is reusing water in fermentation tanks. Usually, you can use part of the water from one tank as a ‘starter’ for the next tank, thereby using a little less water but speeding up the process vs. fresh water each time. With good water and good practices, we will get good coffee.
COFFEETALK MAGAZINE
Powdered Nutritives for Add a Scoop™ Maximum Health Supplement Add a Scoop Blends are a wide range of functional supplements. Almost all Add a Scoop Blends have no color or flavor, making them easy to add to your Boost favorite blended drink. On our website you’ll find
detailed information on each blend’s ingredients and benefits, so you can pick the one that’s just right for you.
TUBO conveyor. Save up to 85% in energy costs when conveying your green or roasted coffee beans with Tubo.
Other Available Blends: CALCIUM BLEND, ENERGY BLEND, IMMUNE SUPPORT BLEND, MULTIVITAMIN BLEND, PROBIOTIC BLEND, PROTEIN BLEND, RELAXING BLEND, SMART BLEND, WOMEN’S BLEND
Call today to learn how Add a Scoop Supplement-Boosts can help you promote wellness and increase profits. 415.382.6535 | www.AddaScoop.com HALAL, KOSHER, VEGETARIAN & GMO FREE
Questions? Contact us.
French Creamy Vanilla Innovations for a better world.
hot
cold
FOR SAMPL ES CALL:
1.877.889.1866
WWW.COFFEETALK.COM
SPRING ISSUE | 2021
{ 13 }
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wilbur Curtis
33.7494951,-117.8732213
INFINITYROAST™
OPPORTUNITY FOR SELVE-SERVE PROFITS
InfinityRoast is setting superior standards in safety, reliability, energy-efficiency, and minimal environmental impact. Its auto-corrective profile control ensures best-in-class quality consistency empowering and inspiring innovative roasting profiles and physical bean properties customized for your market. the optional green coffee preheating unit has a unique heat recovery concept to minimize energy consumption. Different machine sizes available – for capacities up to 4,000 kg/h
{ wilburcurtis.com }
A new dimension in coffee flavor creation, giving you the ability to control the flavor of coffee like never before!
Curtis enhances profitability for beverage and foodservice operations with an expansive line of iced tea brewers and dispensers. Using Curtis systems, operators can satisfy the increasing demand for self-serve beverages as businesses continue to open up. Ideal for self-serve environments, Curtis iced tea brewers and dispensers allow operators to keep pace with current consumer preferences. They are available in a wide variety of G4 and G3 digital technology models for ultimate programming flexibility. Choose from low profile and sweet tea brewers, to combo brewers and more, each designed to fit effortlessly in any operation.
From green coffee intake, cleaning, sorting, handling, roasting and grinding to degassing, Bühler offers solutions for your needs. { buhlergroup.com }
Bühler
45.9896587,-94.6113288
Side-By-Side in 2021
to safely present the largest and most rewarding one-stop experience for all segments of the unattended retail and convenience services industries.
REGISTER TODAY | thenamashow.org { 14 }
2021 | SPRING ISSUE
COFFEETALK MAGAZINE