Socially and Environmentally Responsible Coffee

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Coffee (SERC) is our line of coffee that's a combination of being organically-grown, providing adequate shade and shelter to birds, and being purchased from the farming cooperatives at fair trade prices (25-45% above regular natural coffee prices).

Decaffeination Processes

• Swiss Water_tm process (SWP) uses only water when removing caffeine.
  
• Mountain Water process (MWP) immerses the green coffee beans in the clear, pure water from the glaciers on the highest and most beautiful mountain in Mexico, the Pico de Orizaba or Citlaltepetl, to extract the caffeine. The water contains the soluble components of the flavor, so that, during the extraction of the caffeine, the beans maintain their original components. To separate the caffeine from water containing soluble components, the water passes through a special filter which removes the caffeine. This results in "flavor changed water" saturated with flavor components but free of caffeine, which is used again in the extraction process.
  
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a decaffeination process using carbon dioxide. Green, unroasted coffee is moistened with water and put into a vessel where it contacts pressurized liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). By circulating through the coffee, the CO2 draws caffeine out of the beans. An evaporator precipitates the caffeine from the CO2 and the CO2 is recondensed and pumped back into the vessel containing the coffee for a new cycle. When the required residual caffeine level is reached, the CO2 circulation process is shortened, the coffee is discharged to a dryer where it is gently dried to about the original moisture content, and is ready for roasting.