We are pleased to announce that as of 2018, we will be offering frozen green coffee storage at three warehouses across Europe and the United States: Hall Street Storage (Brooklyn, New York), Schaefer's Cold Storage (Oakland, California), and Voller's Hamburg GMBH (Hamburg, Germany). Maintaining the high quality of green coffee we import is of the utmost importance to us at the Collaborative Coffee Source, so we're constantly looking for ways to improve. Look for no more evidence than the fact that we also now offer refrigerated containers from Ethiopia. Like refrigerated containers, our frozen storage service is a cost you will have to consider into your budget. You may wonder if this is worthwhile in the end, and may be skeptical of the results. Well, I can firmly and emphatically tell you that it flat out works.
I spent seven years working alongside George Howell, who tirelessly searches for ways to maintain the quality of each coffee he purchases. Back in 2004, he started freezing green in an effort to allow his business to showcase these pristine lots over the course of the entire year (and as it turns out, beyond!). He noticed immediate success, in that there was no noticeable degradation of flavor or vibrancy. Fast forward to 2012, and the scale had grown to a point where a large majority, if not all, of George's coffee was being kept in an industrial freezer twenty miles from the roastery. I mention 2012, because during that year, George decided to see what the limitations of freezing coffee were. So, we put aside two bags of a stellar Ethiopian coffee, and just waited. We obviously spot checked the coffee a couple times along the way (with astounding results), but it wasn't until three years later that we production roasted the lot. It was fantastic. As good as the day we locked it away. We showcased this coffee at the 2017 Re:co Symposium.
Skeptical? Don't just take my word for it. In conjunction with us showcasing it at Re:co, Chris Hendon (author: Water for Coffee, currently Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon) gave a presentation on (many subjects, but also) Cryogenics of Frozen Coffee. This presentation and accompanying slides are now available online as of yesterday. He does a brilliant job explaining the chemistry of how and why you should freeze coffee.
Not sold? Well, then, let's go for a name you all know and love: David Stallings, (formerly of Collaborative Coffee Source) also agrees that freezing green coffee is the best way to maintain its quality. David told me "I still have some coffees in my freezer from three years ago that taste great." David, like George, stores some green coffee on-site in chest freezers, much like those you use to store bulk meat and vegetables. Plus, he uses some industrial commercial freezer warehouses. It works on large and small scales, but a word of caution, make sure that the seals on the freezer are snug, and don't open and close the freezer too often. A stable environment is crucial to maintaining tip top quality. Other than that, I urge you to try it for yourself!
The science backs it up, and it works. I couldn't be more thrilled that we are offering this service, having seen and tasted the proof with my own taste-buds.
For pricing for each of the warehouses now offering this, please contact our sales team. Europe: nicolas@collaborativecoffeesource.com US West Coast: colleen@collaborativecoffeesource.com US East Coast: sal@collaborativecoffeesource.com
Matt