AI-enabled micro-roasters for fresh coffee at home

How can this new approach make your morning brew more sustainable?

Spotted: Unfavourable and erratic weather conditions that negatively impact growing seasons continue to affect coffee harvests around the world, leading suppliers and retailers to raise prices for both raw and roasted beans. Trying to make the industry more sustainable with products that remain affordable to consumers is Israel-based ansā. 

The company has created a smart roaster that provides consumers with on-demand roasting for the freshest cup of coffee possible. The micro-roaster uses patent-pending technology based on dielectric heating for zero-emission coffee bean roasting. Dielectric heating uses electromagnetic waves to heat the beans, and ansā’s micro-roaster is outfitted with AI and an internal camera to monitor the process for an even, thorough roast. 

The device is small enough to sit on a countertop, and it produces no heat, noise, or smoke. Nor does it get hot to the touch, making it safe for use almost anywhere. It takes only five minutes for a single serving of coffee to roast, and the technology can also roast larger batches – variety e23 is the larger roaster for use in offices.

Marketing Project Manager Yonatan Fried told Springwise that the company’s decentralised approach “allows consumers to roast green (raw) coffee beans on demand, bringing coffee production closer to the end-user. This approach not only guarantees freshness but also promotes sustainability by reducing energy consumption and eliminating the need for excessive packaging.”

ansā works directly with growers in Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Ecuador to source single-origin green beans, and the company’s packaging is recyclable. As well as introducing the idea of single-cup roasting, ansā also recently set up a pop-up concept store in New York City, which includes space for coffee workshops and an art gallery, as well as a range of roasters available to test. After successfully entering the NYC coffee scene, ansā is now launching its services for NYC-based companies looking to upgrade their office coffee.

Written By: Keely Khoury