🌱 Decaf myths and sustainability: Swiss Water vs. Natural Sugar Cane
Growing up on a coffee estate in Colombia, I've witnessed the changes of decaffeination methods. Today, I wanted to clear up some misconceptions while exploring sustainability in decaf processing.
Despite its name, the Swiss Water Process isn't from Switzerland and isn't processed there today. It was first developed in Switzerland in 1933, and commercialised by Coffex S.A. in 1980. The Swiss Water process was then introduced by The Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company of Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1988. Contrary to its name, it's produced in Canada, not Switzerland... 🤔
So, let's look at Swiss Water vs Natural Sugar Cane
Swiss Water Process: ✅ 100% chemical-free using only water, temperature, and time ✅ 85% of the water that is used for Swiss Water Process decaffeination is returned to the Canadian source as clean, community supply water ✅ Preserves organic certifications ✅ Reuses Green Coffee Extract (GCE) continuously
Natural Sugar Cane Process: ✅ Uses ethyl acetate (EA), a compound derived from cane sugar ✅ Avoids harsh chemicals, prioritising a natural and sustainable approach ✅ Sugarcane processing, also commonly referred to as natural decaffeination, is a natural, clean, and green method, undertaken at source ✅ Better flavour retention and faster processing
Which is why we choose the Natural Sugar Cane method because it preserves the unique terroir characteristics of our Colombian Don Joaco beans (from my home area in Huila, Colombia), but also...
💦 There's lower environmental impact with reduced water usage
✈️ Significantly fewer air miles; sugar cane processing happens locally in Colombia before export, while Swiss Water requires shipping beans Colombia → Canada → UK (double the international transport)
🧑🌾 Sugar cane processing supports local processing infrastructure in coffee-growing regions
😇 And it maintains the integrity of our farm-to-cup story
Both methods have their merits, but the key is transparency. When you choose decaf, you're not just choosing to reduce caffeine, you're choosing a philosophy about how coffee should be processed.
What matters in our decaf choice is not just the sustainable process and the retained taste, it's the environmental impact too
