Down the rabbit hole, into our Quest
Every quest begins with a leap. Ours started with one question: could speciality coffee taste extraordinary without taking a single litre of water from the land that grows it? Chasing the answer felt like tumbling down our own rabbit hole — discovering the will, the partnerships and the patented innovation (KAKAW KAPE™) to transform coffee circularly, free of wasteful water use and harmful run-off. Here's the trail so far — and more milestones keep falling into place as we go.Where the Quest began
Quest Specialty AB is founded in Sweden on a single question: can specialty coffee taste extraordinary without taking a single litre of water from the land that grows it whist eliminating waste toxic water contamination and up-cycling organic matter discarded as waste e.g. cacao pulp? What started as a hunch became years of travel, trial, and fermentation experiments — the groundwork for KAKAW KAPE™.
KAKAW KAPE™ is born
Amid the volcanic soils of Acatenango, Guatemala, at Finca La Senda — 1,850 metres above sea level — the Quest team implements successfully a groundbreaking coffee processing method: KAKAW KAPE™. Named in Kaqchikel, a branch of the Mayan language, it symbolises the union of cacao and coffee.
Quest Speciality traveled to origin — to select, process and dry the coffee - working hands-on in Guatemala with Finca La Senda. Then, importing, roasting and selling the coffee itself for the most transparent value chain in the industry.
Protected in Sweden and the EU
The KAKAW KAPE™ innovation is patented in Sweden and protected across the European Union.
La Joya: a quality lift into specialty territory
Implemented on the La Joya lot at Finca La Senda in Acatenango, the protocol lifted coffee quality from the mid-eighties (84 to 86 points) to 87, 88, and 89 points on the SCA grading scale, firmly in specialty territory.
SCA cupping score — La Joya lot, Finca La Senda
- 85 & 86 ▂ Before — baseline cupping score
- 87 & 89 █ Final — firmly specialty grade
Fourth place, first attempt
Hernan Marcovecchio competed with this project at the Specialty Coffee Association Swedish Barista Championship in 2025, reaching the final and placing fourth in his first competition using this innovation, notably without relying on typically favored Colombian or Panamanian coffee.
Demand beyond the harvest
Guatemalan lots processed with the protocol sold out through Kavi Coffee in London and Winchester, England, and at events in Paris and Sweden.
Tecnicafé - Colombia: Proving the protocol travels far & beyond
Working with Tecnicafé, a leading coffee technology institute based in Cauca, Colombia, the protocol was applied to three varieties — Castillo, Caturra, and Sudan Rume — at the end of harvest season using overripe, commodity-grade cherries. The result: coffee transformed into specialty grade at more than 86 points, proving the protocol can turn what the industry discards into a premium product, anywhere in the world.