AUTHOR: Dominic Morrell
READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT BEANSCENE MAGAZINE
Roastar introduces a recyclable coffee bag with an innovative vent, intended to preserve the aroma and quality of beans without compromising shelf life.
For centuries, wine bottles used corks to protect wine from the elements, until the screw cap was invented to provide an alternate solution to maintaining product quality and consistency.
According to Australian-based coffee packaging company Roastar, this is the kind of innovation it is looking to bring to the coffee industry.
Roastar, a subsidiary of Australian family-owned network MPM Marketing, was founded with the goal of manufacturing and developing new products for the coffee sector. Roastar General Manager Clive Jacobs describes the company’s new coffee bag as a “game changer” that has been in development for more than three years.
“This structure is unique, and it’s processed entirely in Australasia,” says Clive. “What we aimed to achieve was a coffee structure that could be recycled through the most common form of recycling: the standard yellow kerbside paper recycling bin.”
Achieving sustainability with the new bag was one goal, but Clive says Roastar’s mission was to also ensure there was no compromise on quality when it came to preserving the coffee’s flavour and aroma.
“Many people only think about the oxygen barrier when it comes to packaging, but because the beans are hydroscopic (prone to attract moisture), and moisture can transmit through oxygen barriers, this can shorten the shelf life and have an effect on the final product, especially in the humid Australian climate,” says Clive.
“We want to ensure that consumers experience the product in its optimal state, preserving its quality from the day it was packaged.”
To address this challenge, Roastar has introduced a new vent as part of the company’s innovative BeanShield technology. Collaborating with a laser company in the United States and using medical industry technology, Roastar spent three years perfecting the patented BeanShield vent.
The vent weighs 0.04 grams, has no moving parts, and employs a slow-release microchannel for its degassing process. This design allows for customised carbon dioxide degassing rates according to different roast profiles.
“We refer to it as the ART (Aroma Retention Technology) of coffee packaging,” Clive says.
“With ART, customers will not only enjoy an unprecedented out-of-pack experience, but our extensive field testing has revealed that integrating ART can elevate coffee flavour to new heights.”
Roastar also offers the option of receiving pre-vented tolls for high-volume packers utilising Vertical Form Fill and Seal (VFFS) machines. The rolls can run through any VFFS machine without requiring modifications.
The company’s vents can be applied to various substrates, including foil, VMET, and mono CEFLEX material. The vent employs a patented design at a molecular level. This ensures that, for degassing purposes, smaller carbon dioxide molecules can escape through microchannels while larger aroma molecules are retained, preserving the quality within the bag.
Roastar’s latest coffee bag with BeanShield technology is just one of the company’s recent innovations. It has also launched The Good Cup, an award-winning paper cup featuring an integrated top flap that folds and locks into place, eliminating the need for a separate lid. The design of The Good Cup allows for an up to 40 per cent reduction in storage space, transport volume, and carbon footprint.
“We take great pride in The Good Cup,” says Clive. “The coffee industry can now offer a truly sustainable cup to customers by eliminating plastic or PLA lids.”
Clive also emphasis Roastar’s commitment to local manufacturing in Australia. The company produces half of its more than 1200 products locally, from its coffee cup plant in New South Wales to its coffee bag, paper products, and board plant in Queensland.
He says this model ensures a swift turnaround for customers and minimises the carbon footprint of its products.
“Keeping things local is an integral part of our business, and our new coffee bags have been made for Australian sustainability thresholds,” he says.