Week One - See the Big Picture
bean ground & drunk
Aromatic, desirable and plentiful - the story behind 'Australia's first organically certified coffee'.
When looking at the big picture of certified organics in Australia, it’s important to consider the trailblazers who first brought innovative products to mainstream attention.
One such example is Bean Alliance and their ‘bean ground & drunk’ organic coffee brand, which was first established in 2001. ‘Australia’s first organically certified coffee’, the bean, ground & drunk brand grew from humble beginnings before being stocked in Woolworths Australia-wide in 2008. The story continues to grow for bean ground & drunk, with their focused range of Fairtrade products now available across the country in major supermarkets, independent retailers and via an Online Store.
The Name and the Credentials
Why ‘bean ground & drunk?’ It’s a very literal name – to make a sensational brew you start with a bean, it is ground and then drunk!
For Bean Alliance, integrity and accountability are the cornerstones of the business. All ethical claims must be backed up by appropriate certification, including their Fairtrade certification and use of the Swiss Water Process for decaffeination (explained below).
As this is Australian Organic Awareness Month, let’s focus on the organic certification. Bean Alliance made the decision to become certified before organic turned mainstream, a choice that has never wavered since the conception of the ‘bean ground & drunk’ brand. Accreditation under the Australian Certified Organic Standard (ACOS) ensures their coffee’s organic status from ‘crop to cup.’ This indicates that their Arabica beans are 100% pure and free from toxic and persistent chemicals, fertilisers, or genetic modification. It also guarantees there has been a traceable audit trail throughout every stage— from cultivation and processing to packaging and labelling.
The Swiss Water Process – decaf without the chemical solvents
If you’re looking for coffee without the caffeine, many conventional decaffeination methods use solvents such as ethyl acetate or methylene chloride to get the job done. There are organic-approved alternatives however, such as the Swiss Water Process that is utilised by Bean Alliance.
With this method, unroasted beans are immersed in fresh water to open the ‘pores’ of the coffee. They are then immersed in Green Coffee Extract (or GCE) which is water that contains coffee flavour compounds. The water pulls out the caffeine, but not the flavour since the water is already saturated with flavour molecules.
The end result is coffee that is 99.9% caffeine free while still retaining great flavour, and with no harmful chemicals utilised along the way.
To learn more about bean, ground & drunk and their story, you can follow the brand on Instagram.
