FLAVOURED GREEN COFFEES are a market opportunity… and a trust challenge.
Without disclosure, we’re not debating quality anymore; we’re debating product identity.
From my session at the Coffee Education Summit 26 at ZHAW: flavoured green coffee is a market opportunity, but also an identity problem.
Why flavour green coffee?
Not all motivations are “creative”: value-add (new sensory profile), defect masking, competition advantage (sometimes bordering on “cheating”), or avoiding “extra ingredients” in the final beverage.
Why transparency matters now: demand for traceability is rising, post-harvest processes are exploding, and mislabeling risk rises. Transparency converts novelty into trust, and trust into long-term value.
Three risk families to manage:
• Thermal: will flavourings survive roasting, or degrade into neo-formed compounds?
• Regulatory: rules differ globally; in EU/CH, “flavourings” are defined (Reg. 1334/2008) Many flavouring systems are carriers/solvents (80–99%) and may include additives (Reg. 1333/2008) If the product integrity is affected or new products have been used, then “novel food” regulation will apply.
• Classification: does a specific HS code apply once exogenous inputs are added?
New challenges:
Terpenes addition… this class of flavouring preparations are very familiar in the industry. As these molecules can be found in green coffee as well, it is then very difficult to identify any adulteration by simple analytical techniques. More complex techniques such as Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry or enantiomeric chromatography could be the right techniques for it.
SCA draft identity report (2025 is ongoing in order to put order in the Post Harvest Processes. It is not perfect yet, but it is a good start for discussion and debate.
Questions:
-What should be the minimum disclosure standard across the chain (baristas included)?
-Documentation only, or documentation + routine screening?
Transparency isn’t anti-innovation—it’s pro-trust
@zhaw.coffee.excellence.center @coffeefestofficial
#FlavouredCoffee #CoffeeScience #CoffeeProcessing #Traceability #NovelFood