OUR DECAFFEINATED COFFEES ARE…
MORE THAN JUST BROWN WATER!
“A decaffeinated coffee can be as attractive and reassuring as any of the other coffees in your range,
which is why we use our sourcing philosophy to bring you decaffeinated coffees with meaning that are both traceable and sustainable.”
Angel, sourcing director for Belco
OUR APPROACH
1. Controlled sourcing from A to Z
The green coffees selected by Belco for decaffeination are sourced by our teams only, with no intermediaries, and from the most recent harvests.
2. Exceptional quality guaranteed
We decaffeinate your coffees using 100% natural methods, with no chemical processes. And because our coffees have nothing to hide, we systematically control their caffeine content and check there are no chemical residues in the organic coffees.
Our Belco lab has developed its own quality control method to most effectively meet the specific requirements of decaffeinated coffee.
3. Fewer CO2 emissions
Being able to offer quality decaffeinated coffee is one thing – being able to reduce its carbon footprint is another! To optimise sea transport, we prefer to decaffeinate them as near as possible to the area where they’re produced. We therefore process half of our green coffees directly in their countries of origin, in Mexico and Colombia. The other coffees are decaffeinated mostly in Europe, as near as possible to our Belco warehouses.
OUR PROCESSES
We have selected three processes that do not make use of synthetic solventsand that respect the original cup profile of the sourced coffees without denaturing them.
WATER - H2O
Decaffeination by osmosis
Water decaffeination uses the principle of osmosis, according to which two solutions separated by a permeable membrane will balance their caffeine concentrations, from the least concentrated medium to the most concentrated.
For the Sueño & Manzanilla coffees, Belco has partnered with two companies that specialise in water decaffeination, Descamex & Swiss Water.
Discover our visit of the Descamex facility in Mexico Discover our visit of the Swiss Water plant in Canada
Points to remember
To extract the caffeine from a new lot of coffee, you need a water solution saturated with the soluble components of green coffee, excluding caffeine. This has always been the most commonly used process for quality coffees.CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2
Decaffeination by natural liquid carbon dioxide
Decaffeination with carbon dioxide is the most recent method, developed by Kurt Zosel in the 1960s. It makes use of natural liquid CO2, which becomes a selective caffeine extractor under subcritical conditions.
Belco is developing this technology in collaboration with the German company CR3, which has elaborated its own methodology: Natural Carbon Dioxide Decaffeination.
Discover our visit of the CR3 facility
Points to remember
Under ideal (subcritical) temperature and pressure conditions, liquid CO2 can selectively separate caffeine from green coffee. In our experience, it is a method that respects the coffee’s original organoleptic characteristics.
ETHYL ACETATE
Decaffeination by a natural solvent
Ethyl acetate is a derivative of sugar cane, which is commonly used for selective caffeine extraction. It gives the coffee fruity notes.
Discover our visit of the Descafecol facility
Points to remember
Once decaffeinated, coffee becomes slightly sweeter.
OUR DECAFFEINATED COFFEES
Water
Sugar Cane
