Coffee Lab International
Coffee Lab International (CLI) has been operating as an independent coffee testing & R&D facility since 1995. Founder Mané Alves has gathered an in-house team of coffee professionals who are all licensed Q graders & are well versed in evaluating coffee of all quality levels from around the world.
CLI works with customers from all segments of the coffee industry; from small coffee farmers, exporters, importers, micro-roasters and large commercial roasters, to multi-national retailers, c-stores, restaurant chains, and food service providers.
Meet The Team
Mané Alves, Founder
Mané has worked in the coffee & wine industries for over 25 years. Mané's in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of the coffee world is impressive and his reputation as a distinguished cupper is unparalleled. He has managed to assemble a team of coffee professionals who cup coffee with him regularly and work together on quality and R&D projects. Mané travels extensively to coffee producing countries where he conducts calibration tests, speaks & teaches classes on coffee production & Q Grading, & handles quality issues at source from tree to cup.
Having been a member of CQI since its inception & a past director of SCA's Technical Standards Committee, Mané is a stickler for quality as well as a Licensed Q Grader and Licensed Q Instructor for Arabica, Robusta and Processing Programs.
CLI Technical Lab Team
Our Lab Tech team comprises CLI’s sensory panel and are licensed Q Graders (Arabica & Robusta) by Coffee Quality Institute. Shannon is CLI's Laboratory Director, She oversees all of the daily testing as well as interfaces directly with clients. She, Seth, Debby, Josh & the team work with green and roasted physical evaluations, as well as the various testing equipment. With over 25 years of experience in the coffee industry, Shannon leads a team that brings a wealth of knowledge to research, development, and quality assurance programs.
Our State-of-the-art Facilities
Coffee Lab International is housed in a custom designed coffee barn. Residing at the north end of the building, CLI has ample space for a wet lab, a dry lab, a dedicated sample roasting room and array of testing equipment. We share the coffee facility with our sister businesses; CLI's School of Coffee (the school & educational branch), a working coffee roastery called Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea, Co., and it's Artisan Café.
We've Worked with Many of the Country's Leading Coffee Brands
From multi-national coffee chains like Dunkin' Donuts to C-Stores and large Coffee Roasters, we have worked with a multitude of companies within the vast coffee industry.
We also work Directly with Coffee Farmers, Co-ops & Associations Worldwide
Whether it's small family farmers in Brazil, larger co-ops in Sumatra, or Coffee Associations throughout the 'Coffee Belt', we work directly with the stake holders at source to ensure coffee quality throughout the supply chain.
