Is There Mold in Your Coffee?

Mycotoxins in Coffee: Why Quality Matters.

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about mycotoxins in coffee, and some companies are ringing alarm bells, claiming there's a "mycotoxin pandemic" in the coffee world. So, let’s talk about it and set the record straight.

First, the bad news. Coffee is a fruit, and like most fruits, it can mold if it’s not handled properly. Unfortunately, some cheap, mass produced commodity coffees (including coffee labeled fair trade and organic) do sometimes contain small amounts of mold byproducts known as mycotoxins. In fact, several studies have shown mycotoxins in lower quality coffees. Yikes, right?

There’s even worse news. Some companies are hiding mold defects in their beans by roasting the coffee very dark. When your coffee is roasted that heavily, it’s tough to taste anything other than the roast itself.

Here's the good news. At Farmers Union Coffee Roasters, we take every step to ensure our coffee is mold free and top quality, in our professional opinion. Let’s walk you through our process:

It all starts with the farmer. We will only work with trusted coffee growers who deliver exceptional, high quality green coffee.  That’s why we pay premium prices to our producers!

Before we roast anything, we receive a small sample and give it a thorough inspection. We use our sense of smell to detect any signs of mold or other defects. We visually examine any defects closely and count them. Mold contamination often gives off a foul odor and shows itself in the form of “black beans.” If we catch anything off, we don’t roast it and we don’t buy it. Simple as.

Once the coffee passes our initial inspection and we decide to buy it, the next step is testing it out with a production roast. When the green coffee arrives at our roastery, we examine it again. We never let our standards slip. We’ll even send it back to the importer. It’s rare, but we’ve done it before.

With our signature light roasts, there’s no hiding behind a heavy, smoky flavor. Major defects like mold would stand out, everyone would taste it. That’s why we’re confident when we say our coffee is clean, fresh, and absolutely delicious.

So when you enjoy a cup of Farmers Union Coffee, you can sip easy knowing you're drinking high-quality coffee that's been cared for at every step.

From our roastery to your cup, we’ve got your back on the quality front.