Yes I know about valve coffee bags. I’m not going to admit I know anything about the coffee bags from the days of your though. And I’d be hard pressed to find much information about coffee bag history on the web as it is. But what I do know a thing or two about is the coffee valve bag.
A recent history of valve coffee bags is possible. Valve coffee bags are the most recent development in coffee bags. The valve coffee bag was invented by a company called Fres-co in the 1980s. Coffee suppliers had a problem and Fres-co had the solution. The problem was that after being packaged roasted coffee would emit carbon dioxide(CO2). As a result pressure would form in the coffee packaging and the bags would explode.
Once they learned this lesson the hard way coffee suppliers were forced to let beans sit in the open air after roasting. They would have to let beans sit for at least 24 hours before putting them into coffee bags to be shipped. Is this where the valve coffee bag comes in? Not quite. See the problem was that oxygen robbed coffee of its freshness. Now, this is where the valve bag AND Fres-co comes in.
Valve coffee bags are like regular coffee bags except they have a valve on them that allow CO2 to escape without letting oxygen in. Here is a diagram to help show this process.
As you can see the valve allows CO2 to out of the valve coffee bag yet will not allow oxygen or other gases back in. Coffee suppliers rejoiced! At last they could package their product immediately.
These days valve coffee bags come in a variety of different colors and prints. Suppliers know that shelf visibly is key to the sale of their product. Valve coffee bags also can be clear for people who want to see the coffee or opaque for those who don’t want the sun touching their beans.
There are many online suppliers of valve coffee bags. You can even order shipments of the valves themselves from Freso co. I’ll be making a coffee bag supplier post in the future. And I’ll be sure to include suppliers of valve coffee bags in the post.