News and research on Nucoffee coffee surprises roasters at the SCA Expo in Boston (USA)

Coffee is gathering. And we surely missed the big events in the coffee sector, didn't we? That was the climate in which the Specialty Coffee Expo took place from April 8 to 10 in Boston, United States. Annually, the largest segment in specialty coffee in North America, and also the most awaited by the entire quality-focused global market, welcomed representatives from around the world, from China to Denmark, from Brazil to Australia.

With more than 420 exhibitors, lectures, championships and the presence of more than 10,000 participants, the event fulfilled its role of initiating the many meetings that await us in 2022. And Nucoffee, of course, was present, presenting some of the best coffees from Brazil and their projects. 

At its own booth, Nucoffee highlighted to the event's visitors coffees of its three main programs: Direct, Artisans and Nutraceutical. Among the company's actions at the event, it is worth mentioning the tasting of coffee in different methods at the coffee booth and the coffee pulped tea; the cupping in partnership with BSCA (Brazilian Association of Specialty Coffee); the lecture of Prof. Dr Rosane Schawn and the delivery of suitcases (kits) with green coffee samples to partners and potential buyers.

And it was a great success. Renan Cardoso agrees. Trader of Nucoffee, he has participated in four editions of the event and felt very positively about the Boston Expo:

“It was essential! Nothing better than looking into the eyes of coffee partners/friends and being able to talk about the past two years and how we will continue post-pandemic focused on the best service for our customers.”

And it was essential for Nucoffee to be there. "It is vital for us from Nucoffee to be present at the largest coffee fair in the world. Taking the name of our producers and showing how strong Nucoffee is in the field is essential for the company. Nucoffee's values and commitment to producers exist throughout the coffee chain, from field support to access to the international market," he explains.

Advances in fermentation

Considered one of the world's leading authorities on coffee fermentation, Prof. Dr Rosane Schawn has been a coffee researcher at UFLA (Federal University of Lavras) for 26 years. She holds a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Bath in England and a postdoc degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. 

The prestigious agronomist is ahead of the partnership that Nucoffee made with UFLA 3 years ago, developing research related to fermentation.

She was present at the SCA event, presenting a lecture on the scientific advances of the coffee fermentation process in sensory quality (“Current Advances in Coffee Fermentation – A Scientific Point of View”). Dozens of roasting representatives from different countries were there to hear the specialist explain the processes of aerobic, semi-anaerobic and induced anaerobic fermentation, in addition to the effect of the availability of oxygen in the microorganisms present in the chemical and sensory characteristics of the beverage.

"We also present UFLA's partnership with Nucoffee and the opportunity that this partnership opened to validate research data in the field with large-scale induced fermentation. Nucoffee distributed more than 9,000 doses of selected yeasts from the coffee crop to producers and trained the almost 600 producers who entered the SIAF Nucoffee Artisans program. As a result, these coffees were taken to the fair for participants to taste, "explains Prof. Rosane Schawn.

According to the researcher, the new SIAF Nucoffee Artisans method consists of the fermentation process in closed bioreactors with inoculation of coffee yeasts selected for this fermentation. SIAF stands for “self-induced anaerobic fermentation”, i.e. anaerobiosis induced by microbial activity.

In addition to the great interest in the method, Prof. Dr Rosane Schawn noticed the public's curiosity about the increase in coffee flavour and aroma descriptors when inoculated with different yeasts. "In general, I think it was important to explain with scientific data how the events occur during fermentation and how the method reproduced and was consistent in the results in the last four harvests."

Other highlights

It's been a busy few days. While Prof. Dr Rosane Schawn was giving her talk, in the space next door, José Naves, coffee quality manager at Nucoffee, was closely observing the coffee tastings.

For the administrator and Q-Grader at CQI (Coffee Quality Institute) who has already been to three other editions of the event, the fair is gradually resuming its original format. "I believe that in 2023 it will be back to its full format, in full steam ahead," he says.

About the tastings, he evaluates that “they were incredible”. “We brought the main innovations that Nucoffee has provided to the specialty coffee market: exceptional coffees resulting from Artisans Fermentation; quality coffees uniting science, health and flavour through Nutraceutical technology; and rare coffees from Brazil through an exclusive connection promoted by Nucoffee Direct,” he says.

For him, one of the highlights was the presentation of Coffee Pulped Tea, an infusion of the pulp from the Nutraceutical coffee processing, with which all the vigour of the original colour of the red or yellow fruit is maintained and brought to those who taste it a perception far beyond coffee, where even the layman can feel clear aromas and flavours of hibiscus and peach.

It is also worth mentioning the cupping in partnership with BSCA, where Nucoffee's entire quality portfolio for roasters from various countries was presented.

“During the cupping, we noticed some preferences. Among the eight samples placed on the table, the ones that stood out were the samples from Artisans, praised for their consistency, and for the balance between the attributes, highlighting sweetness and acidity."

The balance sheet was intensely positive. It was challenging to return to the meetings in an event as grand as the SCA Expo, but Prof. Dr Rosane Schawn says that, after the first strangeness, “the feeling of being able to ‘normal’ talk, interact, visit booths was a feeling of indescribable joy”.