Bühler’s Sortex A optical sorter was employed by Antwerp-based Miko Coffee to solve the problem of foreign material (FM) in its coffee beans — small sticks, stones, and other unwanted debris that often caused customers’ grinders to jam, resulting in not only user complaints but also a significant loss of time in service calls and an overall reduction in the level of quality the company is committed to.
After consulting with Bühler and testing the Sortex A, Miko found that a full 95% of problems resulting from FM were resolved.
Each day, Miko Coffee takes delivery of one or two truckloads of green coffee, amounting to some 8,000 tons a year. About 50 tons of green coffee are sorted each day, with the SORTEX A running for 10 hours. Every bean is sorted before it is blended and roasted, which ensures higher-quality, cleaner coffee, free from defects and FMs.
“Since we installed our sorter, customer complaints and resulting technical call-outs caused by sticks jamming and damaging machines have fallen by 95%,” Laps reveals. “And because we’re so satisfied – every bean we now process is sorted through our SORTEX A.”
The time and cost savings Miko Coffee has made since installing its SORTEX A have helped to offset its investment costs.