OCS Update: Griin's micro coffee roaster makes 'green-to-cup' possible in offices

While bean-to-cup technology replicates coffeehouse quality in the office, imagine having the ability to roast raw green coffee beans in a compact appliance next to a brewer. Sounds farfetched? “Green-to-cup” will soon be possible.

Coffee tech company Griin is doing just that. Griin developed an on-demand coffee roasting solution that is compact, clean and automatic – and is compatible with any bean-to-cup machine (top mounting). Called the “griin roaster,” the unit will be coupled with a subscription of premium green coffee beans. This creates an opportunity for OCS operators to increase their margins by switching to purchasing green beans. It also allows them to differentiate themselves from the competition by offering a premium, fresh and environmentally friendly solution to their customers.

Editor’s note: As the pandemic winds down and vaccinations become more widespread, Automatic Merchandiser spoke to several leading commercial coffee equipment manufacturers in the OCS space to glean their predictions on a recovery and to learn how their coffee brewing technology can benefit operators and patrons. This is the final article in a seven-part series.

Griin, founded in 2019 in Israel, unveiled its eponymous roaster at the at MAE cafÉ, a specialty coffeehouse in Tel Aviv. It is now running a pilot in select offices in Israel and is expected to begin its U.S. pilot later this year.

The fully automatic griin roaster, which turns green beans to brown in about 90 seconds, was engineered to operate in office environments without smoke emission, ambient heat or noise. The roaster’s daily 4 lbs. throughput, which can yield up to 200 cups, will produce a coffee beverage that surpasses the quality and freshness served at boutique coffeehouses.

“The product is fully integrated on top of any bean-to-cup coffee machine, allowing OCS operators to easily deploy it on top of – no pun intended – their existing installed base without additional CapEx investment,” a company official said.

The griin roaster allows OCS operators to provide 100% traceable, directly traded and premium-grade coffee – without the high price tag that usually comes with those attributes. The company underscored that its compact environmentally friendly roaster can help reduce the end client’s carbon footprint.

Another benefit to operators is shelf life. Green coffee beans can last between six and 12 months, depending on how they are stored and the conditions in which they are held, compared with six weeks for roasted beans, or one to two weeks for ground coffee.