The 10 Essential Stages in the Coffee Bean Supply Chain

About 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. Before the coffee beans reach your morning cup, they go through a complex process in the coffee supply chain. Below we've provided 10 milestones in the coffee supply chain journey that you can expect when partnering with a commercial coffee manufacturer.

Give us a call at 225-351-7846 or send our team an e-mail at sales@podpack.com with any questions you have about our coffee supply chain process.

1. Coffee Growing: when you partner with a coffee manufacturer, the right partner will have longstanding relationships with coffee brokers and suppliers who help to manage relationships with coffee farmers in countries of origin. Paving communication inroads with coffee growers in countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Ethiopia takes time; when you partner with a co-man you can rest assured knowing that they've put in the work to identify the best coffee growers to provide you with the best green coffee available for your coffee roasting project. There are two types of coffee plants that grow primarily in South America, Africa, and Asia, benefiting from tropical climates and some varieties benefiting from the high altitudes, primarily: Arabica and Robusta. Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family that offers complex flavors with less caffeine, generally used in speciality coffee drinks. Coffee canephora (Robusta coffee) has stronger flavors and is typically used for instant blends and espressos. When you partner with a Coffee Manufacturing Partner, you may already have your own green beans ready for toll-roasting services, or you may want the guidance and product development assistance from a co-man partner like Pod Pack to work with you to source and roast coffee for your next coffee product.
2. Harvesting Coffee: coffee plants product their first crop after about four to seven years and continue providing fruit for around 25 years. Each coffee cherry (sometimes called berry) contains two beans. Coffee farmers will either pick the coffee berries by hand or they will use a machine. Coffee picking is labor intensive and, in many instances, relies on the hard work of many people to pick the beans that end up in your cup.
3. Coffee Processing: coffees are processed in many ways producing a unique flavor based on the chosen processing and drying method. Depending on the processing method, the coffee cherries are passed through a pulping machine to remove the outer skin from the bean. Then, water channels separate the beans by weight.
4. Coffee Milling: at the dry mill stage, any impurities are removed. A hulling process removes another layer. From this point, the coffee is sorted by density, size, and color. The milled coffee is then shipped from the selected country of origin to the coffee manufacturer. At Pod Pack, we receive shipments of green coffee daily to meet the needs of all of our Private Label coffee customers.
5. Coffee Roasting: the raw green beans are poured into a pre-heated, 240-degree roasting machine drum; this may vary depending on your coffee recipe. Depending on the type of roast, the beans rotate in the drum for about 12-18 minutes. They exit the roasting drum and are cooled. Pod Pack currently roasts coffee from one of our two manufacturing facilities, in Kent, Washington, just outside of the city of Seattle.
6. Coffee Grinding: grinding coffee at-scale is no easy task. When you partner with a commercial coffee roaster and manufacturer, they will need to be equipped to grind thousands of pounds of coffee to your precise specifications. Pod Pack's Seattle-based roastery is equipped with large-scale, commercial coffee grinders to meet the grinding capacity needs of our clients. When coffee is ground to spec, it means that your customers are able to enjoy a great cup of coffee, with delicious freshness and taste.
7. Coffee Brewing: before your coffee makes it to your customers to brew and prepare, Pod Pack's in-house R&D team makes sure to work with you to dial in the notes and flavor of your coffee. Our onsite Q-Grader and Product Development Manager work to cup your coffee in the traditional coffee cupping process to ensure that your coffee meets the taste standards required for your final coffee product.
8. Coffee Packaging: Pod Pack will pack your whole bean or ground coffee in your selected packaging type. If your coffee product requires whole bean coffee, your coffee beans are nitrogen flushed and then packed into either 10oz, 12oz, or 5lb bags. For coffee pods or Keurig®-compatible cups, your coffee will be nitrogen flushed, ground to your specifications, and packed as finished goods, ready for sale.
9. Finished Coffee Goods: Retail-ready coffee products are essential for keeping the flow of your coffee products going to ensure that you can meet the supply demands of your customers. Working with a coffee roaster and packer will ensure that you can scale your coffee SKUs to meet your business needs. Pod Pack provides end-to-end coffee manufacturing services from sourcing, roasting, and packaging to providing you with an end product that you and your customers will love.
10. Coffee Shipping: Pod Pack International is equipped to ship your finished goods to your destination of choice, allowing for various and flexible transportation methods to receive your coffee order. We are able to ship your completed coffee products via ground shipping or flown by plane to your required destination. In some instances, if you are local to one of our manufacturing facilities, pickup services can be arranged by coordinating with your Private Label coffee Account Manager.
    

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