QUALITY SNAPSHOT
Insight into EFICO’S Quality Policy

And Why Everybody Loves Our In-House Quality Laboratories

BACK TO THE FUTURE
Up-to-data | Trust & Traceability

Whether you are buying coffee from importers or directly from a farm, the quality control evaluation process centers around green coffee. In some cases, this buying process used to be looked upon as a trust transaction; trust those who contact producers, farmers, cooperatives and suppliers at origin to ensure that all coffee practices and technicities are met before the coffee is shipped.

At EFICO we do not only work with trusted partners, we also want to be able to assess the coffee ourselves from the beginning of the purchasing process. To reduce the potential issues and meet everyone’s standards, we think it is essential to evaluate all offer samples, pre-shipment samples and arrival samples and to have documented proof of quality. At EFICO, we are convinced that we need to be able to track backwards, if any quality issue should occur.

‘EFICO will always stand behind the quality offered and take responsibility for any unexpected issues.’

EFICO Quality, EFICO

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Daily Quality Cuppings | > 250 Y of Expertise & Knowledge In-house

You may know that EFICO is only a few years away from its 100-year anniversary. So we not only have a very rich tradition to rely on, we also have a very good reputation that we must and want to continue to live up to.

At EFICO, trade is not only a matter of trading screen graphics and processing contracts; our laboratories and cupping rooms are just as important as the trade floor. Everyone on our EFICO trade team passes daily by the cupping room to hone their flavour skills and update their coffee quality knowledge.
Every morning, our lab prepares a variety of cuppings, on which the repeated, carefully executed ritual of assessing coffee samples (fragrances & aroma evaluation, aspect & colour assessment and above all by tasting) takes place.

‘While the markets and orders are closely monitored in the trading room, the coffee is inspected and tasted in our coffee laboratory one floor lower. It is this combination of technology and tradition that makes EFICO unique.’

EFICO Quality, EFICO

This means we can count on the knowledge and skills of a lot of in-house seasoned coffee veterans – loosely speaking, we have over 250 (and counting) years of coffee quality expertise available and standby that everyone can call on at any time of the day.

Everyone on our team provides expert coffee quality advice, as we believe it is essential for producers, suppliers and roasters to be able to speak to someone knowledgeable, especially when it comes to harmonising and coordinating various quality standard factors.

INSIGHT INTO EFICO's QUALITY POLICY AND WHY EVERYBODY IS HAPPY WITH OUR INHOUSE LAB

GREEN COFFEE QUALITY EXPERTS & QUALIFIED Q GRADERS
Dedicated & Passionate Team that Guarantees All Things Quality

At EFICO, ‘quality’ is one of our cornerstones; it is the starting point and basis for all our activities. That is why – in addition to our cupping rooms – we have installed state-of-the-art laboratories, that are run and inspired by a dedicated team of green coffee quality experts and Q Graders.

Not only do we have super-qualified or quality-trained team members, EFICO is also more than up-to-date in terms of equipment and installation. In some areas we are ahead of other industry peers (e.g. EFICO’s state-of-the-art sample roasters), in other areas we are unique and original (e.g. EFICO’s digitized coffee library).

For these quality checks alone, we have also set up an authentic tasting room and a digitized coffee library, where coffee samples from all over the world are barcoded, scanned, checked and tasted. This digitized coffee library is almost unique in Europe. Samples are kept of all the coffees EFICO can supply from stock. Customers who want to can even get to know all these varieties on site, and/or create their own blends.

EFICO also keeps samples of previous deliveries in this in-house lab. The heart of the company has become, so to speak, a true treasure trove for the coffee connoisseur, where the love of coffee goes hand in hand with solid craftsmanship.

EFICO's GREEN COFFEE QUALITY EXPERTS & EFICO's QUALIFIED Q-GRADERS Dedicated & Passionated Team that Guarantees All Things Quality

We were able to convince our quality team to take a little break from their routine procedures and processes to explain all the quality assessments they perform:

‘It is important to evaluate your green beans, as the level of quality and number of defects can affect your overall cup. Even one single defected bean can easily ruin the entire cup profile for an entire roast. A number of factors affect the green bean quality, starting at cultivation, continued by picking, drying, milling, storage and transit. At EFICO, we have a strict process for checking the quality of all the green coffee we order both before and after it is shipped to us. Our traders buy from (the same) farmers, co-ops and exporters year after year who know our quality standards and expectations. They visit them regularly to maintain this hands-on approach. And when we partner with new farmers, the same principles are instilled. Moreover, coffee is a product reliant on weather conditions and human processing so problems can always occur, therefore we work closely with our suppliers to support and come to solutions when problems arise.

EFICO checks the quality of the coffee at different times in the purchasing process. By ‘company rule’, each lot of coffee must pass at least three sample controls: before purchase, at time from shipping from origin, and upon arrival in Europe. This way, EFICO ensures that deliveries meet expectations. At EFICO, everything is aligned and even exceeds the internationally set quality standards.

In order to always taste the coffee under the same conditions, EFICO has developed a standardised procedure. First, the coffee is roasted in carefully adjusted sample roasters. The beans are then weighed accurately per cup. The coffee is then ground and filled cup by cup with filtered water. The cups are placed on round tasting tables, each sample accompanied by two trays: one with green beans and one with roasted beans. This way, the tasters can not only taste the coffee, but also smell, view and touch it.

So our quality process starts when we receive a (offer, pre-shipment or arrival) sample of the green coffee we intend to buy direct from origin, and that they are intending to ship to us. The process has 5 stages:

Moisture: The moisture level is checked using a Sinar meter to ensure it falls within set limits – less than 12.5% by Sinar

Size: Screen seeves are used to measure the size of the beans to make sure they are the agreed size. There is always an agreed tolerance which changes depending on the country, grade of coffee or what is specified in that contract.

Visual Examination / Imperfections: A weighed sample is tipped onto a black mat and each bean is systematically checked for defects, colour, insect holes, maturity, damage plus any foreign material. The defects are tallied and checked against the contracted allowance. The overall colour and texture of the sample is noted – Visual examination colour (the green should be ‘even’), olfactory examination odour, max amount of defects and foreign matter.

Roasting: The beans are not over or under-roasted, which helps imperfections show themselves when cupping. The roasting is timed and mesured which helps note vagrancies in the beans and the consistency of the roast is reported.

Cupping: Depending on the quality and origin, coffee beans are weighed into a minimum of three bowls and a maximum of ten bowls. This ensures one bad bean will remain in one bowl, rather than being dispersed over all bowls. The water and brewing temperature is controlled, and the time between brewing and cupping the coffee is timed to ensure consistency.

When the cups are ready, we notify the in-house traders and they immediately come to the cupping tables. First they put on their aprons and look at the beans. They let the beans slip through their fingers almost ritually, then take a cupping spoon and taste the new samples. Coffee is much more than a commodity to them. Efico’s traders are real connoisseurs and know very well what they are sourcing and selling.‘

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES
ANTWERP | Quality **Laboratory*, Cupping Room & Digitized Coffee Library | EFICO HQ**
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EFICO is outfitted with all of the state-of-the-art equipment to analyze & evaluate green and roasted coffee.

EFICO’s quality team evaluates green coffee components & roasted production samples to facilitate clients in maintaining their coffee’s consistency & high quality. We often assist in the development or modification of specification & sensory profiles, which is the first stage of establishing a QA program.

EFICO’S sensory panel evaluates the attributes of green & roasted coffees including fragrance, aroma, body, acidity levels, flavour, & aftertaste. The sensory performance, combined with the results of a battery of physical tests can provide insight & uncover problems with components, roasting, and/or packaging.

↦ If you would like EFICO to analyze your green coffee samples, or if you want to cup your roasted coffee samples with EFICO, please reach out.

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES ANTWERP | Labo, Cupping Room & Coffee Library | EFICO HQ -----

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES
ZEEBRUGGE | SCA Premier Training Campus | SEABRIDGE
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The quality team at SEABRIDGE – the sustainable green logistics service center and distribution platform dedicated to green coffee – operates in a dedicated laboratory* for physical, sensorial and microbiological analysis of coffee samples. The delivered bags of beans get automatically sampled by robot during the unloading of the containers. The reference samples get labeled, analysed and stored for a minimum of 24 months.

Within the scope of our coffee quality controls, we analyse the samples on both physical and sensorial characteristics. We recreate the temperature and humidity of the storage zones to ensure reliable results.

The laboratory is not only used for daily control of samples but also offers a customised service towards our clients for quality training sessions by our Q graders, in partnership with the CQI. Seabridge became the first Belgian SCA Certified Premier Training Campus in 2018.

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES ZEEBRUGGE | SCA Premier Training Campus | SEABRIDGE

Are you passionate about coffee and do you want to take your coffee knowledge to the next level? The Q grading and Q cupping courses help you to understand and to implement all the essential principles of the coffee experience.

↦ Do you want to learn the cupping skills needed to properly evaluate specialty coffee quality? At Seabridge, we offer -in partnership with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)- a great entry-level course for those looking to understand cupping. This course can be completed either as a stand-alone Q Cupping Essentials certification, or as preparation to take CQI’s Q Grader training and exam – the path to earning a Q Grader Certification.

↦ Do you want to take your knowledge to the next level and become a licensed Q grader? At Seabridge, we offer you this possibility in partnership with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Optimize your coffee skills and challenge yourself, whilst experiencing a sensory journey in our state-of-the-art, first Belgian SCA certified cupping lab.

↦ Do you need to Calibrate or Re-take your Q Course?
Calibration: Q Graders have 6 months before their certificate expiry date to calibrate. Retakes: Students have 18 months and 2 opportunities from the date of your original Q course to present retakes.

EFICO’S QUALITY & CUPPING COLLECTION
ACTION SHOTS FROM OUR LOCAL QUALITY HEROES
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NOTES, KUDO’S, CREDITS, REFERENCES & INSPIRATION

EFICO – The Cupping & Quality Lab – The Heart of our Business
CUPRIMA – The Importance of Quality Control, Measurements & Warehousing
CUPRIMA – La conservation du café vert à Seabridge
SEABRIDGE – Training
SEABRIDGE – Lab Services

* Both quality laboratories operate optimally thanks to an ingenious track & trace system.All labo samples are fully traceable to the original coffee lot, and both lots and samples can be located immediately thanks to a unique scanning and barcode system.

More Interesting EFICO Insights, Updates & Foresights

QUALITY SNAPSHOT Insight into EFICO’S Quality Policy

And Why Everybody Loves Our In-House Quality Laboratories

BACK TO THE FUTURE Up-to-data | Trust & Traceability

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Daily Quality Cuppings | > 250 Y of Expertise & Knowledge In-house

GREEN COFFEE QUALITY EXPERTS & QUALIFIED Q GRADERS Dedicated & Passionate Team that Guarantees All Things Quality

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES ANTWERP | Quality Laboratory*, Cupping Room & Digitized Coffee Library | EFICO HQ —–

QUALITY STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURES ZEEBRUGGE | SCA Premier Training Campus | SEABRIDGE —–