Space Roasters startup wants to roast coffee beans in space

Move over, drip coffee. And iced. And pumpkin spice. And cold brew. And French press. And lattes. And Unicorn Frappuccinos. And … well, you get the point.

There’s a new sheriff in town: space coffee.

The addictive bean that’s taken hostage caffeine-addicted humans since the 15th Century is finally getting its chance to take on the final frontier thanks to Space Roasters, a startup aiming to roast them during atmospheric re-entry.

You read that right: Green, soft, spongy coffee beans from all over the world will quickly heat up and should roast to perfection about 110 miles to 125 miles above Earth to deliver a searingly hot, freshly brewed, out-of-this-world product.

"We really just want to inspire people to realize that space is no longer limited to specific nations, it’s for everyone and it’s no longer unimaginable or unattainable," company spokeswoman Kelli Sullivan told FLORIDA TODAY.

Wait. Why coffee and space?

Space Roasters co-founders Hatem AlKhafaji and Anders Cavallini embarked on this caffeinated quest in 2017 when they met at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. While there, they learned a slightly depressing fact: interest in space has been declining over the decades.

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"We really wanted to create a company that would engage people and give them a relatable way to be inspired by space science,” Sullivan said.

How does that happen? Give folks a cup of joe.

“What never changes is how it connects people across the world, no matter what the background, religion or culture,” she said. 

How does it work exactly?

Roasting began in the 15th Century when the coffee’s popularity began to soar in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the National Coffee Association.

“Coffee has been roasted the same way for centuries and we’ve become so comfortable with the way that it’s been that we’re now looking to space science as a way that has improved many technological products,” Sullivan said.

Normally, it goes like this:

• Beans go into a drum roaster.

• Roaster rotates over gas burners and agitates coffee.

• Roasted beans tumble around, break apart and come in contact with hot surfaces of the roaster.

That last part is what Space Roasters is trying to solve.

By removing gravity and using heat from heat generated during atmospheric re-entry, the beans will be able to float around in a heated oven. If all goes according to plan, that will provide 360 degrees of evenly distributed heat.

With the first of its kind Space Roasting Capsule, the coffee beans will be released in a roasting chamber filled with a fluid heated by the atmosphere at a controlled temperature of almost 400 degrees (200 degrees Celsius). 

The entire process only lasts about 20 minutes.

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How will the beans get up there?

Space Roasters is in talks with Blue Origin and Rocket Lab as potential partners, both of which already have operational rockets.

The exact launch site remains to be seen, but the company hopes to see an experimental test launch sometime this year.

How to get your own cup of space-joe:

This microgravity-created coffee isn’t impossible to obtain. Space Roasters is planning a pre-sale campaign in March, which will be available at roasters.space.

Though unsure how much the price per cup will be, Sullivan said the company definitely plans on making the coffee affordable for everyone in the future.  

What's next? 

With plans to set up a Space Station Cafe in Dubai by 2020, Space Roasters eventually plans on making their product accessible worldwide. 

Right now, though, the company wants to focus heavily on testing their product once the pre-sale campaign ends. 

“There’s so much more potential for using space to bring out-of-this-world products to Earth," Sullivan said. "Our ultimate vision is really to connect people to space and to be inspired and motivated by experiencing a product that is produced by space science first handedly.”

Jaramillo is space trends reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668

or antoniaj@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @AntoniaJ_11

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