The Demetria Match app. All images courtesy of Demetria.
Israeli and Colombian agriculture tech startup Demetria has closed a $3 million seed funding round to support its artificial-intelligence-powered green coffee quality analysis system.
The investment was led by Celeritas, a group of private investors split between Israel and Latin America, and the technology involves the scanning of green coffee with a small handheld device that collects and sends data into the cloud for automatic analysis involving artificial intelligence (AI).
The device is equipped with near-infrared (NIR) sensors that shine wavelengths of light onto green coffee, with each wavelength interacting differently with particular organic compounds inside the bean. These interactions are measured and interpreted by the system into what it calls a “sensory fingerprint,” in addition to monitoring biochemical markers including size, shape and color.
Maya Margit 03/02/2021
In first, Demetria’s artificial intelligence technology can determine taste and quality of green coffee beans
For centuries, the coffee industry has relied on the time-consuming process of cupping to determine the quality and taste of coffee beans grown around the world.
Cupping is a traditional tasting method that has become standard for producers and buyers in the sector. To check the quality of a batch of coffee, professional cuppers conduct in-depth visual analyses and taste tests that measure body, sweetness, acidity, flavor and aftertaste.
Professional cuppers test the quality of coffee in Colombia. (Courtesy Demetria)
Because it is usually conducted so far down the supply chain, farmers, traders and roasters often remain in the dark about their beans.