Novel mobile model for post-harvest coffee processing system

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $125,000 to Waimea Coffee Farm LLC on September 15, 2025, under the Small Business Innovation Research Program (CFDA 10.212) to develop a novel mobile post-harvest coffee processing system.

Waimea Coffee Farm LLC is developing the Specialty Coffee Optimal Results Environment (SCORE), a mobile processing system designed to reach remote Hawaiian farms and maintain precise control of humidity, temperature, and microbial activity during fermentation and drying stages. The system addresses the technical challenge of inconsistent coffee quality caused by outdoor processing exposed to weather fluctuations. Waimea's proof-of-concept system improved its coffee's specialty score by 4.25 points, enabling wholesale sales at $100 per pound. The farm was one of three Hawaiian coffee producers selected to showcase products at the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture booth during Gulfood 2023 in Dubai.

This Phase I award supports the research and development necessary to demonstrate technical feasibility of the full-scale SCORE system and bring it closer to commercialization. Work is performed in Waimea, Hawaii, with a period of performance extending from the award date through May 14, 2027. The funding represents Phase I support under the SBIR program, which focuses on transforming scientific discovery into products with commercial potential and societal benefit.