The GCA Creates New Best Practices for Reconditioned Damaged Coffee Bags
The Green Coffee Association (GCA) Logistics Committee has drafted new recommended best practices for the Reconditioning of Damaged Coffee Bags.
The GCA Contract includes the following clause providing for the delivery or reconditioned coffee against the contract: “Reconditioning: Sound coffee and/or damaged coffee, reconditioned to bring it into conformity with this contract is deliverable within thirty (30) days of original tender. Damaged coffee means coffee, which is not unsound, but has been injured through external cause in the course of transportation. If the buyer elects to take the damaged portion without its being reconditioned, he is to receive the benefit of marine insurance; the tender of said damaged portion, either ex dock or in store, at the determined allowance, is sufficient tender to that extent, but the buyer, at his option, may elect not to take said damaged portion, without its being reconditioned.”
The Logistics Committee of the New York-based GCA has prepared a “Best Practices Guideline” for the reconditioning of bagged green and decaffeinated coffee beans which are damaged in transit or within storage prior to delivery to buyer.
Best Practices on Reconditioning Bagged Coffee
1. Set aside wet/stained bags for reconditioning.
2. Place wet/stained bags on cardboard or some collection device.
3. Check each damaged bag for other possible stains.
4. Cut the bag open at the affected area.
5. Scoop/dump out the beans affected.
6. Scoop/dump out the beans an additional three (3) inches deep from affected area.
7. Inspect the remaining beans to see if any additional area affected.
8. Re-bag the remaining sound beans into a new clean jute bags (stenciled with appropriate marks) filled to as close to the standard origin weight as possible.
9. Weigh cleaned coffee in new made sound bags.
10. Collect the wet damaged/moldy beans for disposal.
11. Weigh amount of damaged beans collected.
12. Create and forward official Reconditioning Report noting:
(a) the reconditioned gross, tare, and net weights of the new made sound bags;
(b) the final weight of the collected damaged beans.
13. If required, create/obtain “Certificate of Destruction/Disposal” for the damaged beans discarded.