For 10 years, we have been taking practical action to protect and develop forests through our Forest Coffees® brand

Forest Coffees® are ultra-high-quality coffees grown in well-preserved environments. Our trademark recognizes the know-how of local farmers and their in-depth knowledge of coffee agroforestry techniques. It illustrates the model’s environmental, social and economic merits.

Agroforestry allows farmers to diversify their income: agricultural production, timber and firewood, fodder, fruit, honey, etc. And thus reduce the vulnerability of the producer with less dependence on a single crop. The impact on biodiversity and soil quality is also considerable.

Fresh Coffee Clean Ocean: Our brand that guarantees you sustainable coffees whose sailing transport is 90% carbon-free.

Your essentials for a successful comeback!

Les essentiels pour une rentrée réussie !

All our products available to customise with your designs

Tous nos produits personnalisables avec vos designs

Find all the coffees we are speaking about in our newsletters!

Retrouvez tous les cafés dont on parle dans nos news !

Equipment selectionfor summer/iced drinks

Sélection d'équipement pour boissons estivales/glacées

The Bio label guarantees products from organic farming that comply with the requirements of European legislation.

The Manos de Mujer project focuses on the women producers of the Asoagrotol Galilea cooperative in Colombia, which has been certified organic since 2019.

DECAFFEINATION WITH E.A - SUGAR CANE - BEHIND THE DOORS OF DESCAFECOL PLANT
We continue our field visits with Descafecol plant in Colombia. The aim of those visits is to stress the idea on which we base our research: decaffeination processes must be synonymous with good quality coffee. We have decided to arrange this tour of plant visits in the spirit of providing an enriching experience that will allow us to communicate more and better on the coffees with which Belco works as well as about the partners or players together with whom we are responsible of ensuring traceability and quality in the coffee that arrives at the roasters’.
Descafecol is located in Manizales, one of the main special coffees region in Colombia. It was created in 1988 and is the only decaffeination plant in Colombia.
Decaffeination with Ethyl Acetate, derived from sugar cane
During the plant visit, Mauricio Jaramillo -Commercial Director- and Sven Dabelstein -General Manager- explained the way in which Ethyl acetate (EA) acts, adding that it is a natural component present in some fruits, especially in ripe fruit.
What is EA?
Ethyl acetate (EA) as is a solvent derived from sugar cane which, used in proper conditions and in adequate amounts, is an excellent selective remover of caffeine.
Decaffeination with EA follows a 6-step process:
1. Expansion: The first stage of the process consists of exposing the bean to a steam treatment with the purpose of opening the pores and expanding the bean.
2. Removal: The bean is then immersed into EA, whereby the caffeine present in the coffee bean adheres to the liquid. This process shall be repeated 6 successive times with fresh fluid, free from caffeine.
3. Pure caffeine
4. Drying: the drying process is performed in vacuum dryers, which allows for quick and homogeneous drying.
5. Cooling: the beans are then cooled in a ventilated silo in order to lower their temperature and to keep them from continuing to lose moisture
6. Polishing
In addition to the decaffeination treatment, two types of quality control are undertaken in Descafecol’s laboratory. The first is a physical and chemical analysis of the bean that seeks to measure the residual amount of caffeine, which must not exceed 0.1%, and the residual EA, which must amount to a maximum of 20ppm.
The second analysis measures the organoleptic properties of the coffee, comparing its profiles before and after the decaffeination process.
Some data from the extraction
It should also be noted that these stages are defined based on time, caffeine saturation, and waxes in the liquid (EA). However, the reusage of the EA will have its limitations, given that DESCAFECOL will analyze in its laboratory the deterioration of the EA’s chemical structure and, based on the results, will define whether it is to be reused or discarded.
What happens with the residual caffeine?
The caffeine recovered from the process is of great value in the pharmaceutical industry, for energy drinks, and even as a natural insecticide. We are told that Descafecol recovers the NATURAL RAW CAFFEINE from the decaffeination process.
Organic coffee &amp; E.A decaffeination
The issue of using EA to produce organic coffee has been discussed at length in the industry. Descafecol firmly states that EA is a completely natural component.
Points to remember
Once decaffeinated, coffee becomes slightly sweeter.

&nbsp;Colombia produces exclusively Arabica, because Robusta is neither supported nor authorized by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, the FNC. This means we cannot export Robusta because there can be no certificate of origin, and because no phytosanitary rules have been established for this type of coffee. Coffee production is the main source of employment in rural areas.&nbsp;
The coffee-growing regions are mountainous areas. 90% of producers have very small plantations (0.80 hectares on average). The average age of a grower is 53. Many producers practice mixed farming to diversify their income (chickens, eggs, etc.). Numerous local associations and cooperatives have been set up to help growers through the various stages of the supply chain: growing, harvesting, post-harvest processing, transport, packaging, projects and certification.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ed in infrastructure and technological equipment for the low-income scho

Colombia is located at the north-western tip of South America and covers an area of 1,141,748 km². It is bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. It is crossed from north to south by the Andes mountain range, which divides into three branches near its southern end: the Cordillera Occidental, the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Oriental. To the east of the Cordillera Oriental lie the Orinoco river, the Llanos plain and the Colombian Amazon. Colombia’s other mountain ranges include the Serranía del Baudó and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Six of their summits stand higher than 5,000 metres. The different climates are determined by the amount of rainfall. In the plains and lowlands (situated at an altitude of less than 500 metres), the average temperature is 25 °C. The mountains and valleys located at altitudes of over 500 metres have a wide diversity of climates. They can be very humid, rainy, dry, and even very dry. The country’s size and geographical diversity partly explain the great aromatic diversity and the different harvest periods.&nbsp;

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Shake-up by Alexandre Bellangé