09 Mar Bean to Breakroom: Your Office Coffee’s Journey
There are few things better than that first sip of office coffee each morning at work. You know the feeling… You walk into the office, head straight for the breakroom, and whip yourself up a warm cup of brew before tackling the day. It’s satisfying and energizing, to say the least. But have you ever stopped to wonder exactly how that delicious coffee made its way into your mug? You might be surprised to find out that it’s an intricate and fascinating process. We highlight this journey as part of the Coolbreakrooms series, “Bean to Breakroom.”
To learn more about how your favorite breakroom beverage came to be, we visited the largest coffee grower in the United States, Kauai Coffee. Located on the beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii, the 3,100-acre farm grows more than 4 million coffee trees. These trees are harvested to supply coffee beans that are shipped across the world. We got a first-hand look at how Kauai Coffee grows, harvests, packs, and ships its product. Below, we break down the steps it takes to transform your office coffee from Bean to Breakroom.
Farming and Harvesting
Of course, the first step to the coffee creation process is planting and harvesting the coffee plants. First, the coffee tree is planted, raised in a greenhouse, and eventually transplanted into the field. As the plant grows, it develops a beautiful, fragrant flower blossom. With time and care, these blossoms transform into coffee cherries, a small tart fruit. The seeds within these coffee cherries are what eventually become the coffee bean you grind to make your daily brew.
With advanced technology and impressive machinery, ripe coffee cherries are harvested from the trees on the farm. This is generally a three-month effort, with dedicated teams of people working around the clock. The folks at the Kauai Coffee estate work 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, during their peak harvesting season. And that’s just the beginning of the Bean to Breakroom journey!
Processing and Pulping
In the next step of the journey, trucks deliver the cherries from the fields to what’s referred to as a “wet processing plant”. This is done within two hours of harvesting to ensure the highest quality taste and freshness. At the wet processing plant, the cherries are separated into different grades of coffee based on ripeness, which is determined by their density and hardness.
After separating, the beans are pulped. During this process, the skin and fleshy fruit of the cherry are removed using a pulping machine. What remains is the coffee bean. The beans are then put through a series of complex quality tests that only the best, healthiest beans can pass., the quality of the coffee bean is primarily determined based on its density. This ensures when you take that first morning sip, it’s from the cream of the crop.
Drying and Sorting
So what happens next? After processing and pulping, the top beans are washed to remove any leftover coats of fruit flesh. Once they’re clean and pristine, they begin the drying process. First comes the drying preparation, in which the beans are put through a fluidized bed of air. Next, they’re gently dried using a heated drying system for up to 36 hours. Once the beans are completely dried out, they’re ready to be milled. Milling is the process of removing the parchment, a shell-like layer on the bean. Finally, the dried beans are again separated and sorted to further identify the finest ones.
Shipping and Distribution
Now it’s time to ship and sip! Once the beans are dried, separated, and certified, they’re roasted, packaged, and shipped across the U.S. and beyond. This includes being delivered to nationwide breakroom service providers – like yours! It takes a dedicated team of growers and breakroom operators to deliver the freshest, highest-quality coffee directly to your breakroom. And with the right office coffee equipment, you can brew those tasty beans into a satisfying cup of coffee each morning at work.
Coolbreakrooms makes it easy for workplaces across the country and the globe to provide their employees with innovative and refreshing breakroom services – including a superb cup of coffee! If you are looking to make your breakroom a little brighter, so your workday can start off right, contact Coolbreakrooms by visiting their website or emailing info@coolbreakrooms.com.