The future of coffee - solar energy!

March 13, 2020
Kristina S

Conventional coffee production and processing requires the growing, harvesting and drying of large yields of coffee beans. In order to dry a commercially viable amount of coffee, the conventional method used is to cut trees for wood and burn this as fuel to generate enough heat to dry the coffee efficiently.

This, of course, is hugely detrimental to the surrounding rainforest area. Not only are vast amounts of trees required to be cut, but all the biodiversity and wildlife in the area is also lost.

Solar dried coffee is a new methodology pioneered by the innovative Mesoamerican Development Institute whereby coffee is dried using industrial solar energy and biofuel-powered dryers that eliminate 100% of the use of firewood and reduce electricity consumption by 80%.

Solar panels are installed and used to power the drying facilities during the day time, and biofuel made from coffee husks are used to make up power consumption outside of daylight hours, making this new process highly sustainable and environmentally friendly.

An off-grid processing facility in Yoro, Honduras is transitioning to locally produced biofuels for electric power, thereby becoming carbon neutral in drying, milling, and sorting for export.

Don Maslow Coffee is proud to be partnering with coffee plantations who are adapting to these new methodologies to make coffee altogether more environmentally friendly.