Date of Award

5-2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Agricultural Economics

Committee Chair

Kenneth Foster

Committee Member 1

Jacob Ricker-Gilbert

Committee Member 2

Suzanne Nielsen

Abstract

Coffee farmers and cooperatives in Colombia are plagued by the high humidity that engulfs the Central Andean Mountain Ranges, where the majority of the country’s coffee farming presides. Farmers are forced to sell their yields immediately after harvests in order to mitigate quality loss due to the high moisture. Cooperatives are generally forced to store green coffee until enough volume is collected for export. Farmers and cooperatives are unable to utilize optimal storage methods to capitalize on price seasonality, leading to lower profits. Coffee is a luxury commodity and its price is almost entirely dependent on its quality, making it crucial to utilize storage solutions that maintain its quality over time. Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags are effective at maintaining crop quality during storage. The hermetically sealed bag system inhibits the transfer of moisture and oxygen between inside the bag and the atmosphere. This study utilizes PICS bags with green coffee to better understand the quality and economic implications of storing green coffee in hermetically sealed bags. PICS bags with the standard three layers (PICS3) were tested along with PICS bags with two layers (PICS2), and Traditional jute sacks. Moisture content, water activity, and cupping score were measured to understand the quality of green coffee during storage over a period of six months. Sample price, a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) base price, and historical coffee prices were analyzed to understand the economic implications of storing green coffee beans in PICS bags.

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