In this two-part article, we examine the requirements for specialty coffee to be allowed to enter the free and
regulated market. We have taken the European market as an example, as it is one of the most stringent in terms
of requirements..
In general, it should be understood that coffee is an agricultural product, and therefore it is subject to
dozens, if not hundreds of requirements regarding specific parameters, as well as other agricultural products, in
terms of quality, safety, packaging, shelf life, etc. However, specialty coffee is also distinguished by the fact that it
is a product of particularly high quality, which has a high price for the consumer, and therefore is regulated by
additional national and international requirements and standards. We will consider these points in the article (using
the example of EU legislation). Therefore, if you are a supplier, then this will be interesting to you. Well, in
principle, the article can be read to broaden your general horizons.
First of all, the quality requirements for specialty coffee can be divided into mandatory legal and non-legal
requirements for entering the market, additional requirements for relevance in a competitive market, and niche
requirements (of retail chains, buyers, consumers).
Mandatory requirements are legal requirements for the quality, labelling, packaging and safety of food
products that apply at the level of an economic (political) bloc or a separate country or region within that country.
Food safety includes requirements for plant protection, hygiene and product traceability and quality certificates
issued by competent authorities. It must be ensured that there are no traces of pesticides above the legally
established levels (for example, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan), mycotoxins, moulds and
salmonella.
The EU will ban imports of products that cause deforestation (deforestation) from mid-2023, particularly
coffee, which producers often expand plantations to grow, including by clearing forests. Stricter social sustainability
rules will also come into force in the EU in 2026, including mandatory reporting on the negative human and
environmental impacts of agricultural production.
In terms of quality, green coffee must be graded according to quality. The most common grading guidelines
for this are those developed by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) or the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI),
although national regulations may apply in the coffee producing country. Grading is based on the following criteria:
• Altitude and region of origin;
• Botanical coffee variety;
• Type of processing;
• Size, shape and colour of the beans;
• Number of defects;
• Appearance of roasted beans;
• Density of beans;
• Cup quality in terms of flavour, characteristics and purity.
Specialty coffee must meet clear criteria for each of the above points. And these criteria for it are spelled out
in the rules of the relevant organizations, which we mentioned above.
In terms of labeling requirements, they are as follows.
Labels for green coffee exported to Europe must be
in English and contain important information to ensure traceability of each batch:
• ICO identification code;
• Country of origin;
• Coffee quality rating;
• Net batch weight, in kilograms;
• For officially certified coffee: name and code of the control body and certification number.
In terms of packaging requirements, green coffee beans are traditionally delivered in woven jute or natural
fiber bags from GrainPro or Videplast brands, providing a barrier from external influences due to the vacuum or
lack of air access inside the bags.
Continue reading in part two!
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