Cascara coffee fruit is one of the newest trends in coffee, but it also has a vital role in sustainability.
To be a pioneer in the coffee industry, it requires the pursuit of doing good. What if you could bring value back to the more than 20.5 million tons of wasted product each year, providing additional revenue that could end up back in the hands of the coffee-growing communities? It is time to recognize the importance of Cascara coffee fruit.
Seldom do consumers ever comprehend the labor involved with growing coffee. People tend to be unaware of the number of human hands that touch every single bean. Unlike many other commercially farmed crops, most coffee is picked by hand, sorted by hand, and combed through meticulously by human hands. So while the coffee bean is one of the most popular commodities in food and beverages worldwide, it is also one of the most labor-intensive.
But there is more to coffee than just the bean. Surrounding every coffee bean is a sweet coffee fruit known as Cascara, and it is the perfect complement to coffee. While its earthy-yet-sweet flavor is original and on-trend, the true beauty of Cascara is returning an otherwise wasted product back into the hands of the farmers. Cascara provides an opportunity for farmers to benefit further from their hard labor.
What happens to all of the coffee fruit?
Processing usually occurs at the farm where the cherries are pulped and the bean is separated from the fruit. The fruit is then discarded. Some is used for compost to feed future crops, but the majority of the fruit is thrown away where it ends in the landfill.
• Decaying fruit ferments and releases harmful greenhouse gases.
• It decomposes in waterways and fields, potentially leaching mycotoxins into the soil and water.
• Decaying fruit is difficult to dispose of appropriately and can attract pests.
The Sustainable Story of CoffeeNectar™ by AFS
CoffeeNectar™ cascara fruit extract offers a different and more sustainable story. One that is about adding additional revenue and creating more for the farming communities. By developing a natural flavor that is sweet and on-trend, CoffeeNectar™ makes a difference.
• Providing additional revenue for farmers – AFS pays coffee farmers supplying CoffeeNectar™ more for the fruit rather than only purchasing the green coffee beans.
• Providing more jobs – Processing cascara for CoffeeNectar™ in a GMP certified facility rather than at the farm creates new job opportunities at the next level of manufacturing.
• Providing nutrition – CoffeeNectar™ delivers a new source of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber, along with on-trend flavor and sweetness.
• Mitigating microbial pathogens – CoffeeNectar™ is a standardized extract void of microbial contaminants that can be present in other cascara concentrates.
By fully utilizing the coffee bean and its surrounding cherry as a natural sweetener, health-conscious consumers can appreciate more from the coffee they already love. By adding Cascara to cold brews, latés, snacks, baked goods, juices, and teas, we can reduce waste, increase farmer value, and help everyone in the coffee-growing supply chain gain an economic advantage.
Source: Applied Foods
