As specialty coffee continues to grow in popularity, quality remains a cornerstone of its reputation. One of the most significant factors in preserving this quality is packaging. Both green and roasted coffee require high-quality packaging to ensure their freshness and unique characteristics are maintained throughout shipping and storage.

The journey from origin countries to consuming markets is often long, with shipments taking several weeks to reach importers and roasters. This is particularly true for green coffee, which travels thousands of miles, typically by sea. However, shipping delays—due to a range of factors from adverse weather to geopolitical tensions—can exacerbate transit times, sometimes extending them well beyond a month. In these cases, the risk of freshness loss and cup score degradation grows significantly.

With more delicate and nuanced flavors, specialty green coffee demands packaging that is specifically designed to maintain its high standards. Mark Zhou, the founder of MTPak Coffee, highlights the importance of investing in better-quality packaging for green coffee to ensure that these lots arrive in optimal condition and retain their distinctive profiles.

Challenges in Green Coffee Shipping and the Red Sea Crisis

One example of a recent shipping challenge is the Red Sea crisis, which unfolded in December 2023. The conflict led to attacks on commercial shipping vessels, prompting companies like Maersk and MSC to halt or reroute their vessels. This caused significant delays for coffee shipments coming from regions like Vietnam and Indonesia, some of the world’s largest producers of robusta coffee.

These shipping delays, combined with already existing adverse weather conditions affecting crop yields, further intensified the challenges faced by coffee producers and roasters. For specialty coffee, where every day of freshness matters, such delays can mean significant quality losses.

During transit, coffee can also face issues related to spoilage and contamination, especially if it is exposed to moisture or oxygen. This is where specialized green coffee packaging comes into play.

The Role of Packaging in Preserving Coffee Quality

One of the most effective ways to safeguard green coffee during transit is by investing in high-barrier packaging. Hermetic packaging, for instance, is designed to create a sealed environment, protecting coffee from moisture, oxygen, and other external contaminants. Mark Zhou emphasizes the importance of this type of packaging, noting that it helps coffee maintain its freshness for up to a year, ensuring that roasters receive the quality they expect.

Materials like jute, commonly used in traditional coffee bags, while cost-effective, are less effective at preventing moisture ingress and oxygen exposure. On the other hand, newer packaging solutions made from multi-layered, high-strength materials such as polyethylene (PE) provide much better protection. These materials reduce the risks of mold and preserve the coffee’s delicate aromas and flavors, which are essential to maintaining high cup scores for specialty coffee.

Demand for Specialty Green Coffee Packaging Solutions

As the specialty coffee industry has evolved, so has the demand for packaging solutions specifically designed for coffee. Historically, many packaging options were designed for other commodities, such as grains or cocoa, which have different storage requirements. But the growing recognition of coffee’s unique needs has driven the development of solutions tailored for this product.

In particular, the rise of compostable and recyclable packaging options aligns with the industry’s focus on sustainability. As companies like MTPak Coffee work to develop greener packaging solutions, they are helping coffee producers not only preserve the quality of their beans but also reduce their environmental footprint.

“The value of specialty coffee is in its flavor, aroma, and overall quality,” says Mark Zhou. “With that in mind, we’ve developed PureLock packaging to provide affordable, hermetic storage solutions that help producers protect these characteristics while remaining sustainable.”

Importance of High-Quality Sample Packaging

Beyond large shipments, the need for high-quality packaging also extends to coffee samples. Roasters frequently send and receive small sample batches to assess the quality of specific lots. These samples are critical for establishing trust between producers and roasters and making informed purchasing decisions. However, poor-quality sample packaging can lead to a loss of freshness, which could ultimately affect the perception of the coffee’s value.

To address this issue, MTPak Coffee has developed resealable hermetic sample bags that can hold up to 100g of green coffee. These bags offer the same level of protection as larger-scale packaging, ensuring that even small batches maintain their quality during transit and storage.

Strengthening Relationships Through Better Packaging

Effective packaging can also play a role in strengthening relationships between coffee producers and roasters. By providing detailed information on their packaging, such as origin, processing methods, and certifications, producers can help roasters better understand the story behind their coffee. This increased transparency fosters stronger relationships across the supply chain and ultimately benefits the consumer.

Mark Zhou explains that packaging like PureLock can be customized to include this information, giving producers an opportunity to share more about their coffee with roasters and, by extension, the end consumer.

The Sustainability Push in Coffee Packaging

Finally, sustainability remains a critical issue for the coffee industry, especially in terms of packaging. Many coffee producers are facing declining production, and ensuring that their coffee is packaged correctly to avoid spoilage is paramount. In response, companies like MTPak Coffee are developing recyclable, biodegradable, and reusable packaging solutions to reduce waste and help producers mitigate these challenges.

As the specialty coffee market continues to expand, the need for high-barrier, sustainable packaging will only grow. By investing in innovative packaging solutions, producers and roasters can ensure that they preserve the unique qualities of their coffee while minimizing their environmental impact.

In conclusion, packaging plays a critical role in protecting the quality of specialty green coffee, from preserving its complex flavors to enhancing the relationships between producers and roasters. By choosing high-quality, sustainable options, the industry can continue to thrive while supporting a more sustainable future for coffee.