Is a Robusta Blend Considered 100% Arabica? Producer: "The Two Varieties Are Half-Siblings"

Taiwan Coffee Chain Scandal: Seattle Premium Coffee Found Adding Robusta to "100% Arabica" Products

In mid-October 2019, Taiwan's renowned restaurant industry media "FoodNext" exposed that the well-known local coffee chain "Seattle Premium Coffee" had been adding Robusta coffee beans to several of their pre-packaged coffee products labeled as "100% Arabica" and selling them,涉嫌 selling adulterated food products.

On January 22, 2020, after confirming the offense, prosecutors charged the brand's founder and legal representative Liu Zengxiang (hereinafter referred to as Liu), along with the roasting factory supervisor Li and two other responsible persons, with the crime of adulteration under local food safety laws. The case has recently seen new developments.

Seattle Premium Coffee was founded in 1997 and is a relatively established local coffee chain in Taiwan. Originally, the brand only operated retail stores, and their roasting factory's supplies were not sold externally. Until 2001, a typhoon caused flooding in parts of the roasting facility and some stores, resulting in losses of approximately over RMB 1 million in both store revenue and factory materials and equipment. In the same year, one of the brand's shareholders also attempted to drain company assets, affecting the brand's stock value.

Financial Crisis Leads to Controversial Business Decision

Facing financial crisis, Liu decided in 2002 to industrialize coffee production and shift into the pre-packaged coffee product market, which allowed the brand to continue operating to this day. However, the once-trusted local coffee brand was exposed by media in October 2019 for adding Robusta coffee beans at ratios of 13% and 26% to several products labeled "100% Arabica," with the adulteration period lasting approximately 22 months (starting from January 1, 2018).

The media also pointed out that at the time, the price difference per kilogram between Arabica and Robusta beans was approximately RMB 10, yielding illegal monthly profits of about RMB 103,000. Until the media exposure, the brand's illegal profits amounted to approximately RMB 2.262 million.

"Food Next" stated in their exposé that from August to September 2019, they purchased 22 packaged coffee products from 12 different brands across major chain coffee shops and supermarkets, sending them to Germany's "TENTH QSI Laboratory" for testing. The results showed that among the 3 products (4 items total) from Seattle Premium Coffee tested, the content of "16-O-methylcafestol" ranged from 223-552 ppm, compared to 600-1800 ppm in 100% Robusta products, suggesting a considerable proportion of other coffee bean varieties had been mixed in.

Brand Response and Scientific Controversy

In response, Seattle Premium Coffee issued a stern statement claiming that "16-O-methylcafestol" also exists in Arabica coffee beans, and therefore concluding that the presence of this compound indicates the addition of Robusta beans is biased.

Regarding the brand's statement, coffee research scholars immediately responded: "Even if it exists, it couldn't be this high!" The brand then immediately stated: "We used Timor coffee beans, a hybrid variety of Arabica and Robusta, which explains why the '16-O-methylcafestol' levels are higher."

Is this really the case? Apparently not. Most coffee research scholars expressed disagreement with Seattle Premium Coffee's explanation.

Court Proceedings and Explanations

Facing industry explanations, Liu stated during his first court appearance in 2020 that both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans are food products, that they are "half-siblings," and unlike gutter oil, they are not "black-hearted" food products.

As for why Robusta beans appeared in pre-packaged coffee labeled "100% Arabica," his explanation was: he felt that several of the previous Arabica blends were too acidic, so he verbally instructed the roasting factory supervisor Li to add Robusta beans to enhance the coffee's rich, full-bodied texture.

However, administrative staff neglected to modify the labels, so the product packaging still stated "100% Arabica coffee beans," but the company's current products no longer use Robusta coffee beans.

He also provided a coffee bean test report from October 2019 to the court, but the tested samples were not the 3 products that "Food Next" had submitted for testing. He stated to the court: "Seattle Premium Coffee's beans are all 100% Arabica beans," and demanded that the media remove the reports...

Regarding the addition of Robusta beans, Liu stated that he, on behalf of the company (Fuyu Industrial Co., Ltd.), apologized to the general public, and that the company would actively cooperate with investigations and handle subsequent product recalls and exchanges to demonstrate sincerity and remorse.

Scientific Facts and Brand Contradictions

Are Robusta and Arabica really half-siblings? In fact, they are not. Although both varieties belong to the Rubiaceae plant family, Arabica is a small-grained coffee variety hybridized from Eugenioides and Canephora varieties, while Robusta coffee is a medium-grained variety derived from the large-leaved species. Therefore, there is no half-sibling relationship between them.

However, regarding Liu's courtroom apology and promise of product recalls and exchanges, there was another version. The company's apology announcement at the time stated that foreign employees had mixed non-Arabica coffee beans into the products when loading goods, and they only accepted exchanges for affected products "purchased before September 30, 2019."

Moreover, after the scandal was exposed, although Carrefour supermarket removed their products from shelves, other channels continued selling the problematic products. Furthermore, the packaging was changed from "100% Arabica coffee beans" to "100% coffee beans," which local media considered an attempt to avoid legal responsibility for "mixing other coffee bean varieties."

Recent Case Developments

Regarding Liu's innocent plea in court at that time and the company's subsequent handling of the matter, the court did not conclude the case, and prosecutors maintained their appeal against Liu. Until recently, the case has seen new developments, with Liu offering new explanations for the incident.

Liu stated that he acknowledged the products had false labeling but denied it constituted adulteration under food safety laws, considering it merely a product labeling issue. The court calculated the company's criminal proceeds at approximately RMB 4.07 million, without deducting costs and other expenses, and he expressed willingness to pay public interest funds to the plaintiff for settlement compensation.

Liu stated that in the 3 years since the incident, the severe pandemic has affected the food industry, but the company has insisted on no layoffs or salary reductions, with unchanged benefits. He asked the court to consider the current difficult business environment and the challenges of establishing local brands, expressing willingness to pay approximately RMB 452,000 to public coffers as public interest funds according to the court's calculation method of criminal proceeds, seeking probation opportunities.

Case Analysis and Industry Implications

This case will be tried on a future date. "100% Arabica" is a very common term in the coffee industry, and adding Robusta to espresso blends to increase richness is also a standard industry practice. The biggest controversy in this case is whether failing to accurately label substances used in food production constitutes adulteration under local food safety laws. In other words, adding Robusta is not the problem, but presenting a Robusta blend as "100% Arabica" is misleading to consumers.

Image source: Internet, Food Next

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