cultivating a holistic understanding of the specialty coffee value chain.
Arabica Institute was established with the aim of creating a more sustainable future for coffee through promoting a holistic understanding of the coffee value chain. Working with participants throughout the value chain, from coffee producers to cafe owners, we seek to facilitate a deeper understanding, and ultimately a stronger connection between coffee origins and coffee markets and everything in between. With a wealth of in-house expertise, we provide scientifically rigorous, operationally pragmatic and context-driven advisory services to help coffee professionals understand and improve their position in the value chain.
our Services
HOLISTIC FARM
TECHNICAL SERVICES
The foundation of the value chain, and the primary step in producing good quality coffee: the coffee farm. We support producers in selecting and cultivating coffee that’s suited to the market they’re seeking. Our value chain philosophy means that when advising on field technical services, we take into account agronomy, coffee quality and marketability.
Covering variety selection, farm preparation, farming practices and agronomic performance, we use data driven solutions to help producers make the best investment decisions today to deliver long term sustainable value tomorrow.
Mastery in Post-harvet processing
Post-harvesting processing is one of the most exciting yet least understood aspects of specialty coffee production. Unfortunately, processing is typically simply viewed as ‘washed’ or 'natural/dry’ and little value is attributed to advanced processing methods. Yet in recent years, the specialty industry has seen significant quality and value enhancements delivered through advanced and innovative processing techniques (anaerobic/aerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration, yeast additions, slow drying etc).
After assessing the intrinsic coffee quality and clarifying suitable markets, we can develop a tailor made post-harvest processing solution to ensure your coffee reaches its full potential.
Equitable Value chain Development & Marketing Expertise
Equitable and ethical trade is the foundation of a sustainable future for coffee and lies at the core of Arabica Institute’s ethos. Whilst the specialty coffee industry has championed the cause of equitable trade and traceability, progress has been slow due to a combination of miscommunication, misinformation and intransparency - all of which are driven by the disconnect between origin and market.
With extensive experience in farm level coffee sourcing, we support in helping both producers and buyers develop holistic sourcing strategies to ensure efficient and equitable practices and mechanisms. We can also support in implementing farm/cooperative level traceability systems, as well as developing effective logistics and supply chains.
Beyond supply chain management, we appreciate that the story is as important as the seed when it comes to specialty coffee. With expertise in coffee marketing and product branding across 26 different countries, we can provide international marketing support to help you communicate the cause behind your coffee.
Q Grader Coffee Cupping
In the specialty coffee industry, it is no secret that taste matters. It is therefore crucial that the coffee is cupped to reflect its true potential. Due to the nature of the industry, coffee cuppings will typically have an element of bias (from both producers and buyers) as cuppings form the basis of purchasing/pricing decisions.
We provide affordable independent cupping services from our in house Q graders in London. Each coffee quality report is delivered with an Ikawa roast profile that can be shared with buyers/producers to maintain roast consistency in future cuppings.
DNA fingerprinting for variety identification
With world class expertise in coffee genetics, we offer DNA fingerprinting services to identify or verify coffee varieties.
In the specialty coffee industry, varieties can receive a significant market premium. Selecting appropriate coffee varieties is also of course key to good agronomic performance and coffee quality.
Yet, variety verification and identification is practically unheard of in the industry. Recent studies have shown that up to 70% of specialty coffees in the market are actually mislabelled with varieties.
DNA fingerprinting has the ability to empower producers at the farm level in helping them select the appropriate varieties for their intended purpose. For coffee buyers, DNA fingerprinting can act as an important verification tool to ensure full traceability and veracity.
NEAR Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for origin verification
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a popular technique used for the evaluation of physical and chemical properties of materials. NIRS has found widespread use as for quality verification in a variety of industries, including the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and wood industries.
Working with one of Europe’s leading NIRS laboratories, we’ve developed a process to use NIRS for coffee origin verification, with 100% accuracy rates.
We offer NIRS services for those seeking validation and verification of origin traceability .
Mastery in Roasting
Our roasting services focus heavily on developing best practices for efficiency, quality and consistency.
All green coffee is different and needs to be approached differently when roasting depending on origin, intrinsic profile, density, bean size, ambient temperature, amongst other variables. We can help you develop develop roast profiles that are suited to your coffee and your desired target palate.
If you’re thinking of setting or expanding up a roastery, you know that equipment, especially a coffee roasting machine can be one of the biggest investments. With hands-on experience of all the established roasting machines, we can support you in identifying and sourcing the correct equipment for your business needs.
SCA Accredited Training
SCA courses deliver education in several aspects of the speciality coffee industry. We deliver professional level training in Barista, Brewing, Sensory, Green Coffee and Roasting skills built on decades of knowledge, research and real-world experience. Courses can be tailored to meet the needs of your team and assist you in gaining the skills you need.
These courses are part of the Coffee Skills program and are globally accredited by the Speciality Coffee Association. The SCA offers these courses aimed to meet the needs of coffee professionals everywhere. The programs are administered by the SCA and taught by an authorised trainer either in our training lab or at your site.
NIRS
Origin verification