If you’re reading this, it’s quite likely you love coffee. You may even be sipping on a cup right now. No matter what your coffee beverage of choice is, the beans that went into making it have been on quite the adventure. The crop-to-cup journey can be divided into three phases: sourcing, roasting, and brewing, and the National Coffee Association has a great article that outlines the 10 Steps from Seed to Cup. But what about coffee without caffeine? When does decaffeination occur in the crop-to-cup journey? 

Coffee is decaffeinated before it is roasted. Amazing green coffee arrives at the Swiss Water® facility on a daily basis. From places like Central America, South America, and Africa, these coffees have traveled far and wide to our facility here in Vancouver, Canada. Producers in all coffee growing regions spend years taking the utmost care of their coffee trees – and that same care and passion transpires throughout the rest of the sourcing process.

We know great decaf exists. We know where great coffee comes from. We understand coffee with and without caffeine. And ultimately, we respect coffee. At Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company, we believe that decaf deserves the same level of care, passion, and appreciation that is demonstrated at the other stages of the crop-to-cup journey. This is why we use coffee, water, temperature, and time to remove caffeine. As a chemical free decaffeination method, Swiss Water® Process is able to preserve the flavors that are locked inside the bean - the flavors that producers intend for future roasters to unlock. The beans leave our facility just as they arrived, only 99.9% caffeine free.

Once the coffee has been decaffeinated, it is then sent off to roasters around the world. These roasters use their skills and knowledge to bring out the wonderful flavors you know and love, just as nature and Producer intended.

Once roasted, we’re on to the final phase of the crop-to-cup journey – brewing. From pour-overs to cappuccinos, cold brew to americanos, baristas in coffee shops around the world are just as dedicated as we are to giving coffee the respect it deserves.

From seed to cup, coffee travels many miles, and passes through many hands. And while we have the ability to produce great tasting decaf, amazing coffee without caffeine wouldn’t be possible without incredible people on either end of coffee’s journey. So let’s raise our mugs, and toast to team work making the dream work.

If by chance you weren’t drinking a decaffeinated beverage while reading this, you can find your closest Swiss Water® Decaf retailer here.