Ikawa

History

A company born of quality control and not of production. The idea: put in a buyer's hands a machine that roasts exactly one hundred grams in the same way, anywhere in the world, from a digital profile exchanged like a file.

The campaign run with Algrano in 2020 to put sample roasters on farms goes further than commerce: it gives the producer the tool to taste what they sell, under the same conditions as their buyer. The partnership with Bühler follows in 2023.

What it makes

App-controlled fluid bed sample roasters.

The models

• Pro V3: 2018
• Pro 3.0 app: 2020
• Pro100 with doubled capacity: 2021
• digital cupping form: 2022
• Pro100x: 2023
• Pro50X: 2025
• Ikawa Go: 2026

What you gain

Repeatability is the product: the same profile gives the same result from one continent to another, which makes samples comparable. Every roast is recorded. Twenty control points on the outlet temperature and twenty on the airflow allow a fineness that no small drum offers.

What you lose

It is not a production roaster, and it must not be read as one. The fluid bed works by almost pure convection: at an identical profile, the cup comes out lighter and more acidic than on the drum that will roast the lot. An Ikawa profile therefore cannot be transposed directly, it gives an order of magnitude. One hundred grams is enough for only three tasters.