Are Our Coffee Beans Mold Free?
We get this question a lot, and it’s a good one. With all the online conversations about mold, mycotoxins, and “clean coffee,” it’s important to understand what’s actually true — and what sets specialty coffee (and 3 Arrows Coffee Co.) apart from commodity coffee.
Here’s the real story.
Coffee + Mold: What You Should Know
Coffee is an agricultural product. Like all crops that contain natural moisture, coffee can support yeasts and molds if the right conditions exist. Some molds can produce mycotoxins, which is where concerns typically come from.
But here’s the key: specialty-grade coffee — especially coffee sourced directly and handled properly — is extremely unlikely to contain mold or mycotoxins.
And at 3 Arrows Coffee Co., we go far beyond industry minimums.
Why 3 Arrows Coffee Is Different
1. We Personally Visit the Farms
We don’t buy blindly off lists or auctions. We travel to the farms ourselves, meet the producers face-to-face, and walk the drying patios, raised beds, mills, and processing stations.
This lets us:
- Review processing methods and drying practices
- Ensure proper fermentation, moisture content, and handling
- Confirm that the farm follows specialty-grade practices
- Choose lots that meet our strict quality values
- Build long-term relationships with the same farmers year after year
This is the core of direct trade — transparency, accountability, and standards that go far beyond commodity sourcing.
2. We Cup Coffee On-Site
Every year, we cup coffees at origin using SCA cupping standards, which officially define what qualifies as specialty-grade coffee.
SCA standards require:
- Clean cups
- Zero moldy, phenolic, or fermented defects
- A score of 80+ on the SCA scale
Any lots showing mold risk, taints, or water activity issues are automatically excluded.
We don’t just trust paperwork — we taste and grade coffees ourselves alongside the producers.
3. Moisture + Water Activity Are Strictly Controlled
Two measurements protect coffee from mold:
Moisture Content
The SCA sets the ideal moisture range for green coffee at 10–12%. Coffee outside this range can ferment, degrade, or become susceptible to mold.
All coffees we purchase fall within this range before export.
Water Activity (Aw)
Water activity measures how much water is available for microorganisms to grow. Most molds need Aw above 0.70 to proliferate.
In specialty coffee, Aw levels are typically:
- 0.50–0.60 for washed and natural coffees
- Rarely above 0.65
- Almost never above 0.70, the threshold needed for mold to grow
Our coffees consistently fall well below mold-risk levels.
4. Specialty Processing Prevents Mold Before It Starts
High-end coffees are processed with extreme care:
- Clean, controlled drying
- Properly managed fermentation
- Frequent turning on patios or raised beds
- Moisture testing at multiple stages
- Sorting out defective or mold-prone beans
Commodity coffees skip many of these steps — which is why mold horror stories generally come from the commercial-grade world, not specialty.
5. Protected Storage = Mold Can’t Develop Later
Once coffee is dried, processed, and tested, it’s stored in GrainPro bags, the gold standard for protecting green coffee.
GrainPro helps prevent:
- Rehydration
- Condensation
- Airborne contamination
- Humidity fluctuations
Our coffees stay stable from the farm → import → roastery.
So… Are 3 Arrows Coffee Beans Mold Free?
While no agricultural product can ever be labeled as “mold-free” in the absolute scientific sense, specialty-grade, properly processed coffee — especially direct-trade coffee — does not support mold growth or produce mycotoxins.
Because we:
- Visit farms ourselves
- Cup coffees on-site using SCA standards
- Select lots with proper moisture and water activity
- Build long-term direct-trade relationships
- Use specialty processing and GrainPro storage
- Roast in small batches to maintain quality
…you can feel confident that every cup of 3 Arrows Coffee is clean, safe, and extremely high quality.