A Perfect Blend of Quality and Efficiency

At SOVDA, we've had the privilege of working with some of the world's leading roasters, including Black and White Coffee Roasters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded by US Barista Champions Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage, Black and White has had an incredible journey over the past four years. We're honored to have witnessed their growth and contributed to their success story.

Since their inception, Black and White Coffee Roasters has been dedicated to bringing competition-level coffee experiences to a broader audience. Their commitment to quality is evident in everything they do. In 2019, our companies connected with a clear vision: to elevate their production process while maintaining their focus on exceptional coffee.

*Photo Credit: Black and White Coffee Roasters*

On the Pearl Mini

Before SŌVDA, the roasting team at Black and White picked out obvious defects they could find while each batch was still in the cooling tray. This is, of course, better than nothing, but there’s no way they could achieve their goal of bringing competition quality to the masses while scaling the business and performing quality control this way. Pearl Mini automatically sorts these defects (quakers, burnt beans, stones, etc.), enabling their roasters to spend time on other micro-tasks and between-roast workflow requirements. It frees up much more mental headspace during their roasting shifts, leading to a happier quality of life at work. It’s something Kyle and Lem wanted to invest in and something he talks about with SŌVDA machines helping lower their manual labor.

*Pearl Mini Sorting: Defects (White/Patio and Black/Burnt colors) from the test batch at Black and White were consistently recovered after multiple runs.*

Kyle initially planned to use the Pearl Mini to sort natural-processed coffees, targeting many coffees similar to those natural Ethiopian coffees that tend to have a heavier quaker count. The Pearl Mini helped meet those goals, but Kyle also realized it sorted well with all other coffees, such as washed and experimental-processed coffees. Color sorting built confidence with all the coffee they selectively source. In other words, the Pearl Mini allowed Black and White to own another form of “crop insurance,” where they can continue to work with the same farms and producers to source the same coffee, though the percentage of sorting rates may change from year to year. Their coffee is insured against when a farm experiences a harsher year of weather or other factors.

What are quakers, and why do you want to remove them from your coffee? Kyle describes them as “not just the obviously bright beans” but beans that are “lower in sugar, that didn’t take the roast well, or didn’t react to Maillard in the way they thought.” Here’s Kyle explaining what they’ve learned from sorting and how it affects the flavor quality of a coffee in relation to its color.

An exciting and unexpected upside to sorting coffee is noticing when the same coffee from the same producer or origin has a measured increase of quakers from the previous harvest. Kyle mentioned that they can pass on those statistics to the producers and ask them if the change correlates to weather, farm operational changes, or other factors that may have affected the recent crop. This feedback loop can be a very powerful tool for both producers and roasters to continue improving the coffee's quality as their relationship progresses. It’s a key metric many producers may never get from the green buyers or roasters who purchase their coffees.

Kyle explains the relationship between coffee cupping scores and color sorting here:

“When it comes to optical sorting and cup score, they are complex. Does every single coffee benefit from being sorted? Yes, but your mileage may vary. So, we do a lot of experimental processing and all kinds of naturals. There is some correlation between this style of processing and quaker count, though it is unclear what causes what in that particular situation. Some coffees stay the same, but the coffees that really need the sort can be 3-5 points depending on how badly you punish the "quaker flavor." I punish very heavily, as I really dislike that flavor.

All that being said, we have coffees that have massive improvements and some that have little improvements. The reality of a tool like an optical sorter is that it is there when you need it because you eventually will need it. In the last few years, it has been very useful with our Ethiopian coffees. It has been a challenging few years, and both washed, and natural coffee have had a much larger number of quakers.”

*Pearl Mini sorted coffee with low carry-over rates*

“Even in some of our highest-quality coffees, we have found a decent amount of quaker occurrence. It is just really hard to hand-sort these coffees to perfection.

Think of an optical sorter like a contract. It is there for when/if things go wrong, and I would guess that, with how our climate seems to be moving, some security against crop quality issues/failure would be welcomed.”

Discarded Coffee

What happens with all the rejected coffee? Besides the usual questions during client training, this is the next most-asked question we get during a Pearl Mini Commissioning. Kyle talks about how they have attempted to find a valuable purpose for their rejected coffee volume, from compost donations to re-roasting for charities to soaps and beer.

Double Packing Lines

Precision Fills

Before SŌVDA, Black and White used other methods and scales for manual bagging. These processes were slow, cumbersome, and less reliable. They knew they needed another solution if they were going to be able to scale their business.

That’s why Black and White implemented two SŌVDA Packing Lines (a Precision Fill + Lift). Our Precision Fills give Black and White confidence that every bag is filled accurately, and their team also enjoys the massive time savings the machine brings, estimated at more than 50% savings compared with their previous manual method. Kyle also mentions the Precision Fills’ aesthetic look, one of our core tenets: making innovative machines that look great and function even better!

If you would like an ROI calculator from your SŌVDA rep for our Precision Fill or Precision Fill Mini, please Click Here. After providing some information, you’ll receive a PDF on breaking even and saving money using our machines.

Here, Kyle speaks about their Precision Fills. He highlights their aesthetic looks and how they help in “…making a space that feels the way you want it to feel!”

Lifts

SŌVDA Lifts are crucial in Black and White’s operation. They convey coffee around the roastery and into machines, saving workers from repetitive and potentially hazardous movements and optimizing workflow.

Kyle decided to upgrade all their Lifts with our Vacuum Boxes. Because of the volume of coffee they knew would run through these machines, the Vacuum Boxes provide two significant advantages:

Our heavy-duty motors suit clients who move a lot of volume or green coffee (because of the weight and density)
Our Vacuum Boxes are significantly lower in decibel level, providing a space with much less noise pollution than many other conveyance systems.

The Four-Year Results: A Winning Formula

The impact of SOVDA equipment on Black and White's operations has been significant. The Pearl Mini's accurate color sorting has resulted in a remarkable improvement in the consistency and quality of their roasted coffee. Lifts have streamlined the flow of beans, maximizing efficiency and minimizing manual labor. Most importantly, the Precision Fill machines have ensured that every bag of coffee leaving their roastery is filled to the exact weight, eliminating waste and guaranteeing customer satisfaction.

Black and White has experienced:

Increased Throughput: SOVDA's equipment has significantly increased their production capacity, allowing them to meet growing demand without compromising quality.
Enhanced Consistency: The Pearl Mini's accurate sorting ensures a flawless final product, exceeding customer expectations.
Reduced Waste: Precision Fills eliminate overfills and underfills and maximize profitability.

A Partnership for Continued Success

At SOVDA, we're committed to building long-lasting partnerships with our clients. We're proud to see Black and White Coffee Roasters flourishing, and we're confident that our equipment will continue supporting their growth for years while significantly increasing production.

Since 2019, Black and White and SŌVDA have grown together. When we only had a few equipment suites, Kyle and Lem started the new roastery with a 15kg Loring. Now, they have three roasteries that combine to produce a total volume of 500,000 pounds of coffee and are still growing! With the addition of the Silo and other future projects, we expect to continue growing with them for years to come.

Case Study: Black and White Coffee Roasters