Host Milan 2019 was an exciting show for the coffee industry as a whole. Coffee companies and equipment suppliers clinked demitasses and glasses as they discussed projects and topics leading into 2020.
Single Serve Moving to Sustainable Designs
“We had a ton of discussions about single serve pods and capsules and how everything is moving toward aluminium and compostables,” says Scott Will, Director of Business Development at MPE, who attended this year’s Host show.
The majority of single serve capsule and pods use plastic. The plastic does not breakdown in landfills, and is too soiled to be recycled. Some brands are already moving toward aluminium design, which at least can be recycled in conjunction with special recycling programs. Another approach is using compostable plastics, which can degrade naturally as consumer waste and require no additional recycling programs or infrastructure.
“By using compostables or aluminium in single serve products, the consumer and industry as a whole is not contributing to a growing problem around the world, and creating a consumer guilt factor for enjoying single serve products,” adds Will.
Degassing Is Becoming the Norm in Europe
Degassing involves CO2, which is naturally created inside freshly roasted coffee. When single serve capsules and pods are sealed with a hermetic lids, they cannot release pressure. If coffee is sealed inside immediately after roasted, the CO2 released inside may create enough pressure to pop off the lid—meaning a ruined product for the consumer. Hermetically sealed single serve products are of course great for protecting and preserving the coffee inside them. Thus the solution to both preserve quality and product integrity is to de-gas coffee inside oxygen purged silos, which means a little more time in creating the product.
“Europe is moving to oxygen-free degassing, which means better quality coffee makes it inside the capsule. This is improving quality greatly for end consumers,” says Andrew Huynh, Sales Engineer at MPE, who also attended this year’s Host show.
MPE offers a degassing designs tailored to optimal process system efficiency. Talk to an MPE sales engineer about specially-designed silos and degassing technologies.
