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The Other Coffee PeopleCopyright 2004 Brian Martell It truly is amazing when you consider the voyage a coffee bean takes from fruit to cup. Starting from the plantations of tropical countries where this cash crop supports millions of people worldwide – to the foodservice employees who carefully (we hope!) prepare a brew for the harried traveler on the roads, railroads and airports of the nation. Indeed, there is a lot of ground to be covered from farm to the warming of your hands with a steaming cup. In the press, there has been a lot of attention given to the primary stages of production at the farmer’s level. The plight of many third world coffee workers has been documented since the decline from traditional prices. Further, much has been said about the service providers, who constantly struggle with changing customer preferences and emerging technologies that are both destabilizing and potential opportunities. But there is a big gap between the two ends of the coffee spectrum. The exporters, the importers, the transport companies, the brokers, the secondary suppliers of raw materials, and the roasters all play an important part in getting the product into the hands of the ultimate consumers…your customers. While there is much to be written on the functions of all these specialized stations along the coffee route, time and space will not permit an in-depth analysis. So in an attempt to pay homage to that aspect to which I can speak; this piece is dedicated to the roasting plant workers. The roasting of coffee has been romanticized in much the same way the wine master holds court with those who appreciate the art and science wrought from the soil. Roast masters, like wine masters, are supported through a complex network of people who are there to execute the plan, and that plan is and should be to create an excellent coffee that will translate into an excellent cup. Once green coffee has been approved for shipping, the receivers have the sometimes backbreaking task of unloading (by hand) non palletized containers. Imagine staring down a 10 by 10 by 40 foot tunnel with 300 bags of coffee, weighing 152 pounds each – all having to be moved by hand. Definitely work for the strong of heart. All incoming coffee then has to be thoroughly checked by the QA department before it can be approved for the roasting department, and time is of the essence. It must be noted that coffee shipments are pre-approved through couriered samples, but the product received must be checked against the samples. In the lab, the technicians who handle the samples must accurately assess all the characteristics of the raw material before it can be released for production use. Any deviation from the couriered samples causes red flags go up and the coffee is impounded (figuratively). The battery of tests range from: density to humidity to screen size to HPLC analysis to ultimate taste testing. It’s no wonder the lab people are usually the first to arrive in the morning. So the lab gives its blessing to the myriad coffees that go into the blends and varietals for which the roasters are chomping at the bit on which to work their magic. The roasting staff goes into action picking the coffees for the blend, carefully weighing them out and then feeding the roaster. If you haven’t had the pleasure of working in a roasting environment during the heat of summer, let me assure you it is hot and loud. All our roasting personnel are required to wear hearing protection, full uniform and steel toed shoes, no compromises. While the job is demanding, no corners can be cut when it comes to the safety of our people. Enter the QA people again. Every single roast must be checked by the lab for colour, taste, humidity and grind (if not whole bean) before the coffee is even allowed to de-gas. By introducing this lab process at this stage, we can isolate a problem roast before it gets packed, and long before it can become a problem for our customers. After the coffee has been tested and degassed, it goes to the packers. The packers are supplied the necessary raw materials by lead hands who keep them flush in webbing and labeled boxes and, of course, coffee. Packers are trained to ensure the bags are properly formed, and are well versed in the functioning of their machines (which can be quite complex). Further, they are expected to produce all that the foreman gives them for the day (for certain pieces of equipment; that can mean over 10,000 pounds in one 8 hour shift!). It should be pointed out that Heritage does not stock roasted coffee. The production people are always under the gun to get the product perfect and ready for shipping within 5 days of receiving the orders. This adds a more complex dimension to the process where, the man who choreographs the entire production dance (the production manager) plans the day’s events, usually late the evening before. Stage Right; enter the QA people…again. All packaged coffee is tested for oxygen levels to ensure the nitrogen flushing in our fraction packed coffees is working well. Once this has been established, the coffee is ready for shipping. Production staff stage the finished products in the shipping department where the shippers pay close attention to the specific customer requirements on how they wish to receive their coffee (some customers want skids only 5 high while other want CPC’s between products on the same lift to make their receiving quicker, etc). With such a tight production schedule, everything has to be just right (kind of like the 5th Dimension: “when the moon is in the seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars…”), but hey, we live in reality and rarely are things perfect. With machine breakdowns and packaging material non conformity, there are a lot of details to worry about. Take the equipment, for example. Our team of millwrights work hard at preventative maintenance to ensure that the gears of our production do not grind (pardon the pun) to a halt. When a machine does go down, it is imperative that it be brought back up to production speed pronto. If webbing (the bag packaging material) that we get in does not behave properly, we need to do something about it. Unfortunately, webbing is one of those things you have to order way in advance of needing it – like 6 weeks in advance. Thus, the purchasing department has to be really on the ball to make things work, and make sure the vendor has a reputation of good quality before the PO is given. Quality vendors notwithstanding, our QA lab tests all packaging material before it goes into production. Webbing that delaminates or does not have the proper kinetic coefficiency of friction will fail when we need it the most, so we cannot afford to have the problem show up the day before we ship the product. These and other factors are tested in our labs before the webbing can be certified for production. Once the finished product is staged, the traffic manager is then entrusted with the task of coordinating all the various shipments to arrive on time at our customers’ doors. Sometimes the shipping area resembles a WWII submarine with people squeezing sideways between the skids going out. Shipments are checked and re-checked before they are released to the truckers, ensuring a hassle free delivery without backorders. The on-time arrival at our customers of the roasted and packed coffee, exactly as requested, is a testament to the effort and care that was put in by all the plant people pulling in the same direction. Their cheerful and optimistic attitude with a “we can do it!” frame of mind is a major component of our success. Questions or comments? Reach Brian at Brian@heritage-coffee.com
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