Coffee solutions for verification, prediction, and traceability
Coffee value depends on claims being trusted. Where a coffee comes from, how it was processed, what variety it is, how it will perform, and what makes it distinct all shape quality, pricing, and reputation. Smartspectra helps turn those claims into measurable insight through rapid, non-destructive analysis designed for sourcing, processing, roasting, and sustainability.
Verification asks: is the claim true?
Prediction asks: what outcome should we expect?
Our Coffee Solutions
A focused portfolio of six services designed to verify claims, predict performance, and support more confident decisions across the coffee supply chain.
ACTIVE
Verify coffee origin through spectral fingerprinting and reference-based modelling, helping protect provenance, strengthen traceability, and support more confident buying and selling decisions.
1. Protecting Origin & Traceability
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Developed with Qima Coffee for Best of Yemen, Qima Coffee’s flagship annual auction programme, this model helps verify authenticity and strengthen intra-regional traceability for premium Yemeni microlots. It achieved 99.25% overall training accuracy, with each auction lot linked to an authenticity certificate, giving buyers and sellers stronger confidence in origin, quality, and value.
Read more here: Identifying the origin of Yemeni green coffee beans using near infrared spectroscopy: a promising tool for traceability and sustainability
ACTIVE
2. Transparency in Post-Harvest Processing
Bring greater clarity to post-harvest processing (PHP) by distinguishing traditional methods, verifying experimental fermentations, and identifying flavour-added coffees with greater confidence.
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Smartspectra is developing NIRS-based chemometric models to differentiate established processing categories, assess emerging styles including koji, yeast, and LAB processes, and screen flavoured or infused coffees across green, roasted, and brewed formats. Built on 524 samples, the traditional model reports more than 96% precision, while newer models are showing promising results for emerging processes and flavour-related claim verification.
Read more here: Enhancing Coffee Quality and Traceability: Chemometric Modeling for Post-Harvest Processing Classification Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
3. Unlocking Coffee Varieties
IN-PROGRESS
Support variety verification through DNA-anchored calibration, helping protect premium genetic claims and build greater confidence in coffees whose value depends on distinct varietal identity.
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Developed in partnership with Qima Coffee and RD2 Vision, Smartspectra is building a Yemen-focused model that links NIRS signatures to DNA-verified reference samples for intra-country variety discrimination. Built on 135 DNA-verified samples (675 spectra) across five Yemeni varieties, the model reports more than 98% accuracy and strengthens proof behind premium variety claims.
4. Ensuring Quality & Consistency
IN-PROGRESS
Support faster, more repeatable quality decisions by predicting cup score from calibrated training data, helping teams screen coffees more efficiently across lots, blends, and production cycles.
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Using NIRS and calibrated reference data, this approach estimates professional cupping scores at scale and supports more consistent quality evaluation. Built on more than 800 Cup of Excellence samples collected between 2022 and 2026 across multiple origins, it reports more than 90% precision and strong correlation with reference scores, with future development extending into integrated defect flagging.
5. Coffee Composition
IN-PROGRESS
Measure key physical and chemical markers in green and roasted coffee to support product development, quality validation, and flavour consistency with more objective data.
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Developed in partnership with CESURCAFÉ and the Universidad Surcolombiana, this solution uses NIRS to translate coffee chemistry into measurable, repeatable signals for innovation, benchmarking, and consistency. Built on more than 100 green and roasted samples across multiple processes, it reports more than 98% accuracy in predicting reducing sugars and TDS, supporting more informed product and quality decisions.
6. Regenerative Farming Insights
IN-PROGRESS
Use portable NIRS-based soil diagnostics to turn soil measurements into practical, farmer-ready insight that supports better input decisions, stronger productivity, and long-term soil stewardship.
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Developed in partnership with Qima Coffee, Qima Foundation, and Qima Advisory, this approach translates soil data into actionable signals for agronomy, sustainability, and farmer support programmes. Built on more than 200 soil samples from Yemeni coffee farms, it supports reporting on moisture, organic matter, nitrogen, and carbon, linking soil health measurement to more informed farm management and sustainability outcomes.
Read more here: Qima Foundation Yemeni Soil Health Initiative: Advancing Soil Intelligence for Coffee Farmers
Where Our Coffee Solutions Create Value
Coffee Solutions can be applied at multiple points in the chain, but the goal is always the same: better decisions backed by stronger evidence.
At origin
They help verify provenance, support farmer and regional claims, and bring more confidence to premium coffees before they leave the producing country.
Pre-export
They strengthen quality certification, reduce room for dispute, and help exporters and buyers align earlier.
At roastery level
They support lot selection, pre-roast validation, blend consistency, and more structured quality control.
For end markets
They reinforce trusted information around authenticity, quality, and differentiation, helping brands communicate with greater confidence.
Looking for a specific coffee application?
The six services shown here are a starting point. Smartspectra also develops custom solutions for partners across the coffee sector, including producers, exporters, importers, roasters, auction platforms, farm support initiatives, researchers, and quality-focused programmes.
Whether the goal is to protect origin, validate processing, strengthen quality control, support product development, or build more credible sustainability tools, the process begins with the right reference base.
How partners work with us: To explore a specific application, contact info@smartspectra.ai and let us know your needs. From there, we can build reference libraries, develop custom models, validate and deploy them, and deliver through in-house instrumentation, the Smartspectra Lab, or portable solutions.
