Storing Coffee in Hermetic Bags
Coffee is an indispensable part of our lives. It is however tricky to grow and store coffee because of several factors such as temperature and the scale of coffee. Coffee needs predictable dry and wet seasons and cannot tolerate extreme fluctuations in temperature. In India, over 71% of coffee is produced in Karnataka. Today Karnataka faces a lot of crises when it comes to coffee production. The adverse weather such as unseasonal rains as well as the increased spreading of pests and diseases pose a challenge to the coffee farmers in Karnataka.
The unseasonal rains or droughts cause heavy losses to the farmers when the crops do not survive. The weather conditions in Karnataka also invite pests and diseases for the stored coffee beans. Farmers sell their produce at lower prices to avoid such losses because of improper storage. When the farmers do not want to sell their produce at lower prices, they rely on fertilizers and pesticides which again increases the costs incurred by the farmers. Not to mention the adverse effects caused due to the usage of pesticides and fertilizers.
A research study done by ‘The International Journal of Engineering and Management Research states that 76% of coffee farmers face difficulties during the storage of coffee. They face problems such as moisture control and weight loss problem. The traditional storage methods do not help to solve these problems. In another study done by “The Journal of Stored Products Research,” it was concluded that Hermetic technology can be an effective and efficient way to solve the storage problem of coffee farmers. Coffee cannot tolerate fluctuations in weather and needs a dry, moisture-controlled environment. The study concluded that the coffee stored in hermetic bags that uses hermetic technology had the highest quality and was also unaffected by the external environment and had the least pest infestations.
How do hermetic bags help in storage?
The biggest problem faced by coffee farmers while storing coffee is moisture control. The moisture content plays an important role in maintaining the quality of coffee. Increased moisture can lead to the growth of pests and insects. Hence, it is vital to regulate the moisture level during storage. Hermetic bags use air-tight technology to control the level of moisture in them. These bags do not allow air from outside to enter the bags and therefore the oxygen level decreases in the bags. Pests cannot survive in such an oxygen-deficient environment. With such a controlled oxygen level and temperature, there are no chances of pest infestation in hermetic bags.
External conditions such as temperature and humidity also affect the quality of the coffee. In high humidity conditions, the chances of pest infestation are high. It is also very important to control the temperature. High temperatures can dry out the beans and make them hard. Hard beans yield less coffee. Hence, external conditions such as weather and sunlight exposure affect the quality of the coffee. With hermetic bags, we can ensure that the outside weather does not affect the coffee inside the bag.
Currently, farmers use several pesticides to prevent damage from pests and insects during storage. These increase the storage costs for the farmers. However, these pesticides are hazardous to animals as well as humans. Hermetic bags not only prevent pest infestations but also maintain the quality of the coffee without the use of pesticides.
How Hermetic storage can help coffee farmers in Karnataka?
The quality of coffee beans declines during storage. The temperature, relative humidity, and the type of packaging affect the shelf life of coffee.
Farmers sell their coffee at low prices even if the demand is not high to avoid loss of quality. The costs during the storage such as storage facilities and pesticides also make the farmers sell their products as soon as possible.
With hermetic storage, farmers can store coffee for a long time and sell it when the demand is high to get the best price instead of selling it at a low price due to a lack of storage options. Hermetic bags also increase the coffee’s shelf life, making it maintain quality for a long time without the use of insecticides or pesticides.
Hermetic storage is the most efficient and long-term solution to maintain coffee quality and help the farmers to store it. Save Grain Bag offers hermetic storage bags to store agricultural produce at its highest quality. Save Grain Bags come in sizes up to 50 kgs and are reusable and recyclable. Hermetic storage is an efficient solution to help coffee farmers in Karnataka.
