Locally grown sugarcane is fermented to produce Ethyl Acetate compounds. Green (unroasted) coffee is steamed then soaked in water with the EAs which remove the caffeine. The water is drained and the coffee is rinsed, re-steamed (to remove any traces of the EAs) then sent to us for roasting.
Until recently most roasters would buy beans made using the Swiss Water method which is a patented method that can only be done in Canada.
This meant the beans were grown in Brazil then shipped to Canada for decaffeination, then shipped to NZ.
The Sugarcane Decaf coffee is sourced and decaffeinated in Colombia and shipped directly to us. This saves thousands of food miles per shipment and means a higher proportion of earnings is retained by the farmer. Best of all, it tastes incredible.