|June 27, 2024

Inside Bulletproof: How Our Clean Coffee is Made

By Nicholas Rivera, MSc
Reviewed by Theresa Greenwell for Scientific Accuracy on 06/11/2024

Inside Bulletproof: How Our Clean Coffee is Made

  • We meticulously select quality coffee cherries to deliver mold-free, high-quality coffee that supports your health. We ensure each coffee bean meets our rigorous flavor, purity and environmental sustainability standards.
  • Many decaf coffees may contain traces of chemical solvents. Our Bulletproof Original Decaf uses the Swiss Water® Process, a 100% chemical-free method that effectively removes caffeine.
  • TWe partner with the Rainforest Alliance to support forest protection, improve farmers’ lives and champion human rights. This collaboration helps us maintain ethical sourcing standards while promoting sustainable agricultural practices across our coffee supply chain.

Clean coffee: what does it really mean? It refers to coffee beans produced without harmful contaminants such as mycotoxins and mold-related toxic substances. Making mold-free coffee means making a better choice for your health while supporting sustainable farming practices that benefit the environment.

Bulletproof is committed to producing quality coffee beans sourced from local farms. We work closely with coffee farm communities to ensure they are fairly treated and compensated. We’re involved in every step, from sourcing high-quality beans to testing and grading the final product. We go above and beyond industry standards to bring you clean coffee you can count on.

Learn why Bulletproof mold-free coffee is better for your health, global communities, and the planet.


Two people sorting through coffee cherries

At Bulletproof, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptionally clean coffee.

Our commitment begins with a rigorous selection process. We choose only the highest-quality beans sourced from elevated, single-origin estates known for their natural resistance to mold. This selection is crucial as it significantly reduces the risk of mycotoxin contamination. What are mycotoxins? They are mold in coffee. It’s not exactly how you want to start the day.

Sustainability is at the core of our production philosophy. We engage in ethical sourcing practices, establishing direct relationships with farmers and ensuring that they receive fair compensation. This approach supports coffee-growing communities’ economic stability and promotes sustainable agricultural practices that protect the environment.

By choosing Bulletproof, you’re not just choosing mold-free coffee. You’re supporting a chain of positive impacts that extends from our farms to your cup. This holistic approach ensures that every batch of sustainable coffee is as good for the planet as it is for your morning routine.

Next, learn more about our meticulous testing procedures to ensure top purity and quality.

Our Coffee Testing Standards

We uphold rigorous testing standards to achieve clean coffee. We ensure our products’ safety, quality, and efficacy through scientifically validated methods, using ingredient-specific and finished product testing. We also collaborate with accredited third-party labs to get objective results we can trust.

We utilize advanced technologies such as Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to assess the chemical properties of our coffee, ensuring each batch meets our high standards for a premium and safe coffee experience. Our internal team of food safety experts also conducts thorough risk assessments on ingredients with your health in mind.

On top of external testing, we are deeply invested in the source and handling of our coffee. We recognize that even simple ingredients like coffee require complex attention to detail. Our green coffee beans undergo rigorous testing for mold toxins and heavy metals, ensuring they meet our high purity and safety standards.

Coffee Beans from a Sustainable Source

A stack of coffee bean bags

WOur beans come from farms in Central and South America. Our coffee cherries are 100% Arabica, heirloom varieties hand-picked by skilled harvesters and further separated to result in only ripe, intact cherries. Our carefully crafted blend embodies each region to deliver an array of aromas and flavors that create the perfect cup.

We source our beans exclusively from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, which adhere to sustainable practices that benefit the environment and the workers. Our alignment with the Specialty Coffee Association’s high standards complements this commitment to ethical sourcing. Every cup of Bulletproof coffee delivers exceptional taste quality and peace of mind regarding its sustainability.

The perfect beans then come to life by undergoing a specialty roasting process.

The art of roasting

Green coffee beans

Did you know we use the same expertly sourced blend for packaged coffees? What makes each unique is the roast profile. Closely monitoring the roasting process is an integral part of bringing out the different nuances of each region.

Each roast we offer has a proprietary and unique roast curve associated with it. We have established rigorous quality parameters to ensure each batch’s roast curve is followed. Our coffee specialists, trained by the Coffee Quality Institute, use a standardized evaluation template so that every batch of roasted coffee aligns with our stringent quality criteria.

After the roasting process, our commitment to quality continues through a “cupping” procedure performed by a team of seasoned experts. During this critical quality control step, they evaluate the roasted coffee based on various attributes, including fragrance, aroma, flavor, acidity, body, uniformity and the overall cleanliness of the cup. We enforce stringent cupping scores to ensure that only specialty-grade coffee makes it to your cup, guaranteeing top-tier quality with every brew. This rigorous scrutiny is part of our promise to deliver excellence—every time.

From lightest to darkest roast, our four signature blends include:

We also offer enhanced coffees that include functional ingredients:

  • The High-Achiever: A medium-dark roast with B Vitamins, Lion’s Mane and Coffeeberry® for energy, focus and brain power.
  • The Maximizer: A medium-dark roast that includes prebiotics, slippery elm bark and chromium picolinate for gut support and energy.

If you’re not sure which to try, there’s always our Ground Coffee Variety Pack. Or maybe you prefer decaf coffee? We’ve got that too.

How Our Decaf is Different

With our Bulletproof Original Decaf, you get a smooth, satisfying coffee experience, perfect for any time of the day without the caffeine kick. Our unique decaf process utilizes the Swiss Water ® Process, a 100% chemical-free technique that preserves the bean’s original flavor and health properties.

Most caffeine-removal processes use solvents, like ethyl acetate or methylene chloride, to extract and remove caffeine. While the FDA considers these solvents safe for this purpose, some coffee connoisseurs believe they negatively impact flavor and depth.

Many health-conscious consumers do not want to drink coffee that has been exposed to chemicals. To avoid introducing these substances, the Swiss Water Process uses H2O instead. We soak our green coffee beans in hot water and then pass them through a charcoal filter to remove the caffeine. This effective technique results in healthy coffee with trace amounts of caffeine-rich flavor. Plus, our decaf never contains residual chemical solvents.

Related: The 5 Worst Things to Put in Your Coffee

The Bulletproof Coffee recipe

Bulletproof Coffee ingredients

To truly feel the Bulletproof difference, we encourage you to supercharge your morning ritual by making a cup of Bulletproof Coffee. Incorporating quality fats like Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil and Grass-Fed Ghee will give you sustained energy.

Go one step further by tailoring the taste around the roast profile of your liking and unlock a creamy latte experience.

Pro tip: If you’re a Bulletproof Coffee drinker and a creamer fan, try our range of Coffee Creamers. Easy-to-scoop quality fats from grass-fed butter and MCT oil combine to create the ultimate fuel to power your day.

Not only are we committed to improving your wellness and health, but we are also committed to improving the lives of our farmers through our Rainforest Alliance partnership.

What it means to be Rainforest Alliance Certified

The view from a Bulletproof coffee farm

At Bulletproof, we take pride in everything we do and strive to surpass the norm. This involves a keen understanding and awareness of social, environmental and economic sustainability.

When we offer coffee to our consumers, we don’t want it to be at the expense of the farmers or the Earth. While we have a close, transparent relationship with our partners and frequently visit the farms, we wanted to do more. We’ve partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to bridge this gap that is too often overlooked in the coffee industry.

About Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a better future by redefining responsible business practices. Their mission is to:

  • Protect forests.
  • Improve the life quality of farmers.
  • Advocate for human rights.
  • Focus on mitigating climate change.

These are all initiatives that we are devoted to advance further.

Giving back the Bulletproof way

Men on a coffee farm

Aside from establishing close relationships with our farmers, we give back in various ways. A few standout ways we positively impact the local farming communities include but are not limited to:

  • Providing access to free healthcare and education.
  • Facilitating infrastructure and development by investing in community housing.
  • Creating new jobs with competitive salaries.

Through Bulletproof coffee purchases from devoted consumers like you, our Guatemala farm provided food for children attending school and assisted with after-school care. Additionally, we’ve produced past unique reserve varietals to benefit communities in Costa Rica and Tanzania. We are fully committed to advocating for our farmers and their families. By drinking Bulletproof coffee, you are supporting them, too.

From bean to brew, we take pride in the Bulletproof Coffee experience. We care about where we source our beans and prioritize giving back to our local coffee farm communities. We go above and beyond to test, taste and produce clean coffee beans that make you feel good inside and out.

Want to keep making a difference through your coffee experience? Consider creative ways to reuse coffee grounds, from composting to skincare routine.

Join the Bulletproof Revolution

Sign up for early access to sales, product launches, the latest Bulletproof news and more!