Solving coffee pollution where it starts — on the farm.
A regenerative wastewater system designed for coffee farms.
Solving coffee pollution where it starts — on the farm.
A regenerative wastewater system designed for coffee farms.
Why coffee pollution matters
Coffee production leaves behind more than coffee.
During coffee processing, large volumes of wastewater are generated during washing. Its impact is felt most acutely in coffee-producing regions, where treatment infrastructure is often limited or unavailable.
Coffee processing, quantified
The scale and impact of washed coffee.
≈40-45M
Washed coffee produced globally measured in standard 60kg bags.²
≈45%
Arabica coffee is processed using washed or wet methods.³
≈80%
Coffee farms worldwide are smaller than 5 hectares.⁴
>20L
Water used to produce 1 kg of parchment coffee.⁵
≈60%
Of the coffee cherry consists of pulp, mucilage and non-bean material.⁶
<pH4
Typical acidity range of untreated coffee processing wastewater.⁷
Where impact begins
When waste is managed at farm level
Most environmental and social impacts of coffee are not created at export or roasting, but at farm level.⁸ When wastewater and coffee pulp are left unmanaged, they contaminate water, soil, and local ecosystems—directly affecting farm livelihoods and community health.
As sustainability, traceability, and regulation become central to the future of the coffee industry, managing waste at the source turns a hidden liability into a measurable environmental and economic gain.
Why farm waste remains unmanaged
The problem isn’t awareness. It’s feasibility.
Most waste management systems are designed for large, centralised facilities—not small farms.⁹ At farm level, complexity, cost, and maintenance quickly become barriers. Waste remains unmanaged because the systems were never designed to work there.
Designed for smallholders
A wastewater system built for coffee farms
BioBrew is a low-cost, modular wastewater system designed specifically for small coffee farms. It treats wastewater on-site, turning pollution into cleaner water and usable compost.
Modules for different farm scales
Designed to grow with your operation
BioBrew Field
For farms up to 5 hectares
A compact wastewater system for on-site coffee processing.
Learn more
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1. FAO, By-products of coffee processing.
2. Estimated based on ICO global production data and proportion of Arabica coffee processed using wet methods. Sources: International Coffee Organisation (ICO); FAO coffee processing literature.
3. Processing method distribution based on ICO country-level production profiles and specialty coffee processing studies.
4. Smallholder farm statistics based on FAO agricultural surveys and World Bank smallholder agriculture reports.
5. FAO, By-products of coffee processing; wet coffee processing water use estimates.
6. FAO, By-products of coffee processing. Coffee cherry composition: pulp ≈40–45% of fresh fruit weight.
7. FAO; environmental impact studies on coffee processing effluents.
8. Studies on wet coffee processing show that major environmental impacts—particularly wastewater discharge—occur at farm and mill level rather than during export or roasting. (FAO AGRIS; peer-reviewed environmental studies)
9. Conventional wastewater treatment systems are typically designed for large, centralised facilities and are often unsuitable for smallholder farms due to cost, complexity, and maintenance requirements. (FAO; agricultural engineering literature)