Coffee roasting techniques: The hidden secret to eco-friendly beans

The article discusses how traditional coffee roasting techniques contribute significantly to the coffee industry’s carbon footprint, accounting for up to 15% of its total emissions. Conventional roasting methods, largely unchanged since the early 1900s, rely on fossil fuels and involve heating roasters to around 600°C in batch processes that are energy-inefficient and environmentally harmful. This outdated approach not only increases greenhouse gas emissions but also leads to higher operational costs and growing pressure from consumers demanding sustainable products. To address these challenges, Belgium-based company CEE has developed an innovative continuous roasting system using Siemens’ Digital Twin technology and software tools such as Solid Edge, Simcenter, and NX. This new method moves coffee beans along a conveyor through precision-controlled chambers, using hot air at less than half the temperature of traditional roasters and recirculating it multiple times. The result is a roasting process that uses two to three times less energy, enabling easier electrification and the potential for fully renewable or hybrid energy use. Siemens