What Happened to the Green Coffee Bean Market in 2022?

Since early March 2022, the wholesale price of Arabica coffee beans on the New York Intercontinental Exchange has held below $1 per pound, a level many producers say cannot cover cultivation and processing costs. Retail prices barely moved, with a latte still selling for around $5. The gap matters because Arabica is the variety most coffee shops rely on for their premium offerings.

Handling after export is the other concern. Hulled green coffee beans are bagged and shipped, and some arrive with water stains or mud residue; testing shows roughly 10,000 bacteria per gram on the surface. Roasting removes most dust and nearly all microorganisms, so washing is optional. If beans are washed, keep the soak short, dry them properly, and use them quickly to avoid mold or uneven roasting.

This article begins with the fall of Arabica coffee bean wholesale prices on the New York Intercontinental Exchange below $1 per pound in 2022, reviews the current price situation in the green coffee bean trade market, and explores in depth the hygienic handling, storage conditions, and purchasing channels for green beans. The article also offers practical advice on green bean washing, temperature and humidity control, and other operational issues, while reminding industry practitioners to raise their awareness of coffee bean food safety, helping coffee enthusiasts and professionals gain a more comprehensive understanding of the key stages of green beans from import to pre-roasting.

According to a report on the Wall Street Journal website dated April 22, since early March, the wholesale price of Arabica coffee beans on the New York Intercontinental Exchange has remained below $1 per pound, and Arabica is the premium variety favored by most coffee shops. Many producers report that this price level cannot even cover the costs of cultivation and processing. Ordinary consumers may not have noticed the price fluctuation—a popular latte still sells for $5.

Hulled green coffee beans are packed into bags and shipped to various destinations. This handling method is not necessarily clean enough; some green beans even have water stains or mud residue on their surface. If one carefully tests the microorganisms on the surface of green beans that are invisible to the naked eye, it would be found that approximately 10,000 bacteria cling to every 1 gram of green coffee beans. However, this does not mean that green coffee beans must be washed, because once they are roasted, most of the dust will naturally fall off, and the high temperature during roasting can eliminate almost all microorganisms.

There are two things to note about washed green coffee beans

First, be careful not to soak them in water for too long

If soaked for too long, many of the components that make up coffee's flavor will be lost;

Second, be careful to dry them appropriately

If dried for too long, mold easily grows; if dried for too short a time, drying will be uneven, leading to uneven roasting. If you must wash them, then I suggest washing quickly, drying appropriately, and then using up these green beans as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, I have a contradictory thought: I hope those who sell coffee can recognize that green coffee beans are not clean. Why do I think this way? Because the hygiene requirements for green coffee beans, the burlap sacks that package them, and roasted coffee beans are different. Placing roasted coffee beans next to burlap sacks of green coffee beans, or leaving burlap sacks containing green coffee beans open, are very common phenomena in home-style roasting shops. Although there is no need to make coffee beans as clean and beautiful as exhibit items, at least one should know that doing so is unhygienic.

In the industry, few people treat coffee as a "food"—what kind of food industry would casually grab with bare hands what guests put in their mouths? Would place food together with unhygienic items? This is a matter of awareness, and this awareness problem will bring harm to everyone. Dust on green beans or burlap sacks can easily trigger allergies, causing people with allergic constitutions to develop red patches on their skin. Therefore, I believe that in order for consumers to consume coffee with peace of mind, every coffee practitioner should raise their awareness of coffee bean hygiene.

Compared with roasted beans, green coffee beans can be stored for a longer time. Some professionals believe that if they are green coffee beans, they can be used at any time. Yes, some "old crop" coffee beans can be stored for decades after harvest, but this does not mean that "it doesn't matter if green coffee beans are stored for a long time."

Since the state of green beans changes, the following points should be noted:

First, once coffee has been selected, its flavor is very difficult to remain unchanged.

The main components that make up the flavor of green coffee beans will gradually change. Some changes are due to coffee beans becoming moldy, and some are due to chemical reactions among various components.

Second, the storage environment has a very large impact on green coffee beans.

The speed at which components in green coffee beans change is affected by the environment, and is most affected by temperature and humidity. Rising temperatures promote change, while falling temperatures inhibit change. If stored for a long time in places with high temperature and humidity, such as containers (containers without air-conditioning and with large temperature and humidity fluctuations), the changes in the components of green coffee beans will be promoted. The high temperature and humidity during the plum rain season in summer make green coffee beans difficult to store, and this is also the reason. To avoid such an environment and preserve the flavor of "new crop" green beans, people use air-conditioned containers (containers with air-conditioning) to transport green coffee beans, and some countries use constant-temperature warehouses for storage, which gives much better freshness preservation.

Many people now know that low temperatures are good for green coffee beans, so in summer more and more home-style roasting shops use air-conditioned rooms to store green coffee beans. But there is still another problem here, namely humidity. If the indoor temperature is lower than the outdoor temperature, the warm outdoor air entering the room will greatly increase indoor humidity. In this way, the moisture content of green coffee beans will increase, and the beans will become soft and moldy. Every summer, friends consult me about green bean storage issues, such as "the green coffee beans look strange" or "the taste is very strange." Remember—while controlling temperature, you must also strictly control humidity.

There are many ways to purchase green coffee beans. If the purchase volume is very large, you can buy directly from importers. If the purchase volume is relatively small (about 10 kilograms), you can also buy from small wholesalers. However, whether large importers or small wholesalers, they may not sell to individuals. If it is only for home use and the amount is very small, you can go to a home-style roasting shop or buy online.

In the 1990s, I began to develop a strong interest in roasting. At that time I was still a student, and green coffee beans were rarely seen on the market; shops selling green beans were almost nowhere to be found. Now, however, green coffee beans have multiple options such as commercial use and home use, and when purchasing you may even be asked "which type do you want?" The criteria for choosing a commercial green coffee bean supplier are factors such as the price of green beans, the number of varieties, supply capacity, quality level, quality stability, and whether there are promotions.

Front Street Coffee reminds all enthusiasts that whether for home roasting or commercial purchasing, understanding the trade market conditions and storage key points of green beans is an important step in improving coffee quality.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.