Custom Business software
Le Lab
Development of a business application dedicated to coffee evaluation and tasting.
Introduction
Development of a business application dedicated to coffee evaluation and tasting. The solution digitalizes the entire process,from sample management to final validation,in compliance with SCA standards. Data is centralized, shared in real time, and directly actionable, enabling teams to gain efficiency, reliability, and full traceability.
Problem and Objective
De l’échantillon à la décision : Modernisation de l’analyse et de la dégustation des cafés
L’évaluation de la qualité des cafés est un processus clé, au cœur des décisions de sourcing et de validation chez Belco. Jusqu’ici, les équipes s’appuyaient sur des outils et des méthodes qui avaient fait leurs preuves, mais qui montraient leurs limites face à des usages en constante évolution et à des exigences croissantes en matière de collaboration, de tracabilité et d’efficacité.
Aujourd’hui l’équipe qualité évalue plus de 150 échantillons par mois et doit se doter d’un outil performant en phase avec leur quotidien et leur croissance.
Pour soutenir le développement de l’activité, Belco a la volonté de repenser ces processus et de créer une application, en s’appuyant à la fois sur les standards de la Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) et sur la réalité du terrain.
Cette refonte a donné naissance à l’application le Lab, conçue comme un véritable levier de performance : gestion des échantillons, analyses physiques et sensorielles, validation des cafés et digitalisation complète du parcours de dégustation.
Les données sont centralisées, l’information est partagée, et les décisions sont plus rapides et plus justes. L’outil est conçu pour accompagner les équipes au quotidien et sublimer la qualité des cafés sourcés par Belco.
Un processus d’évaluation qui atteint ses limites
Avant le projet, le processus reposait sur :
Des comptes rendus individuels réalisés manuellement sur papier, puis retranscrits dans une plateforme
Un outil de ressaisi au design daté, avec un parcours utilisateur peu optimisé.
Des débriefs qui ne mettaient pas en avant les résultats de l’ensemble des dégustateurs.
Un fort volume de saisie manuelle, source de perte de temps et d’erreurs potentielles.
Conséquence : Ce fonctionnement limitait la fiabilité des données, la lisibilité des résultats et la valeur apportée au client final.
Belco exprime un besoin clair :
Une plateforme digitale unique, capable de centraliser l’ensemble des données d’évaluation.
Un outil simple, explicite et performant, utilisable directement sur mobile, pendant les sessions de cupping.
Un système de notation respectant strictement les règles de la SCA, tout en restant fluide à l’usage.
Une délibération finale collective, avec l’affichage clair des avis et notes de chaque participant.
Un résultat transparent, compréhensible et immédiatement exploitable pour le client final, sans retraitement manuel.
Une ambition claire : repenser l’outil d’évaluation des échantillons de café
En s’appuyant sur :
Les règles établies du métier,
La réalité terrain des équipes qualité,
Et les usages digitaux actuels.
L’objectif : Créer une plateforme ergonomique, mobile, interconnectée, qui limite au maximum la ressaisie, remplace définitivement le papier, et accompagne les équipes de plusieurs pays dans un processus exigeant et collaboratif.
The process
Stage 1
From Sample to Decision: Modernizing Coffee Analysis and Tasting
Coffee quality evaluation is a core process at Belco, central to sourcing and validation decisions. Until recently, teams relied on tools and methods that had proven effective over time but were reaching their limits in the face of evolving practices and increasing demands for collaboration, traceability, and efficiency.
Today, the quality team evaluates more than 150 samples per month and requires a high-performance tool aligned with their daily operations and growth.
To support the company’s development, Belco set out to rethink its processes and create a dedicated application, grounded both in the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and in the operational realities of the field.
This transformation led to the creation of Le Lab, designed as a true performance driver: sample management, physical and sensory analyses, coffee validation, and the full digitalization of the tasting journey.
Data is centralized, information is shared, and decisions are made faster and more accurately. The tool was built to support teams in their daily work while enhancing the quality of the coffees sourced by Belco.
An Evaluation Process Reaching Its Limits
Before the project, the process relied on:
Individual reports completed manually on paper, then re-entered into a platform
A data-entry tool with an outdated design and a poorly optimized user journey
Debrief sessions that did not highlight consolidated results from all tasters
A high volume of manual input, leading to time loss and potential errors
As a result: data reliability, clarity of results, and the value delivered to the end client were all impacted.
Belco clearly expressed the need for:
A single digital platform capable of centralizing all evaluation data
A simple, intuitive, high-performance tool usable directly on mobile during cupping sessions
A scoring system strictly compliant with SCA standards, while remaining seamless in use
A collective final deliberation process with clear visibility of each participant’s ratings and feedback
Transparent, understandable, and immediately actionable results for the end client — without manual reprocessing
A Clear Ambition: Rethinking the Coffee Sample Evaluation Tool
Built on:
Established industry standards
The on-the-ground reality of quality teams
Modern digital usage patterns
The objective was clear: to create an ergonomic, mobile-first, interconnected platform that minimizes manual re-entry, permanently eliminates paper-based processes, and supports teams across multiple countries in a rigorous, collaborative evaluation workflow.
Avant
Use of paper forms for tasting sessions
A platform with limited ergonomics and usability
Significant manual data entry, increasing the risk of errors
Time lost on re-entering and consolidating results
Après
An innovative tool supporting the feedback and debrief phase, where all participants’ evaluations are displayed, ensuring discussions are not dominated by a single voice
A single international platform that centralizes all data, making it immediately actionable
Results that are stored, time-stamped, and securely archived
Clear sample tracking based on status (to be analyzed, to be tasted, to be validated, approved/rejected)
An automatically generated coffee quality report delivered in both internal and client-facing versions
A drastic reduction in manual re-entry, leading to improved data reliability
Automatic email notifications sent to suppliers upon validation or rejection of a sample
Sales teams equipped with up-to-date data, enabling greater responsiveness toward clients and significantly reducing time-to-market
Information directly shared with teams through internal sales and sourcing platforms
The process
Stage 2
Business Intelligence tools to analyze data and improve performance management
Dashboards designed for detailed analysis and day-to-day activity monitoring
All collected data — aromatic notes, comments, validation statuses, final scores — is leveraged within Business Intelligence tools
This data feeds Power BI dashboards enabling:
Monitoring of key metrics such as the number of samples by status, distribution by country of origin, average sample processing time, most frequent aromatic notes, and average score by product range
Clear, visual, and synthetic reading of results
Comparative and statistical analyses to manage quality over time
Data is automatically updated
Ability to export data from Power BI for specific projects
Dashboards designed to support project tracking and strategic decision-making
Data becomes a true decision-support asset
Avant
Manual data extractions
The need to reprocess data before conducting analysis
Significant time spent generating activity metrics
Après
Significant time savings
Elimination of manual data extractions
Clear and accessible data available to the entire team
Up-to-date metrics to effectively monitor activity
Results and benefits
A Real Advantage for Teams
Thanks to this platform, the coffee evaluation process is not merely digitalized — it is transformed into a true driver of performance and coordination.
The entire workflow is fully digital, permanently eliminating paper handling and manual re-entry, which were major sources of error.
Tastings and cupping sessions are conducted directly on mobile devices, in real-life conditions, without disrupting the workflow.
Quality teams save considerable time on an otherwise highly rigorous process, allowing them to focus on analysis rather than administrative tasks.
The SCA methodology is better respected because it is natively embedded into the tool: steps are guided, scoring is structured, and rules are applied consistently. The final score is always accurate and standardized across teams in France and in producing countries.
The platform becomes a central coordination hub, where decisions are data-driven and well substantiated.
Results are clearer, more explicit, and more reliable, with automated summaries that highlight the contribution of each taster.
A Platform Connecting Teams and Field Offices
Beyond evaluation, the platform serves as a central coordination point:
It facilitates collaboration between different laboratories, both in France and in producing countries, through a shared framework and common standards.
Results are instantly shared with sourcing teams, providing them with a clear and consolidated view to guide their decisions.
Sales teams gain immediate access to quality data — without intermediaries or delays — enabling faster responses to prospects and clients.
Online quality reports ensure full transparency for clients, strengthening trust and reinforcing the credibility of the offer.
Enhanced Traceability Across the Entire Coffee Lifecycle
The platform significantly strengthens coffee traceability — from the initial evaluation of an offer to shipment and final delivery , ensuring that quality can be tracked at every stage.
Quality data supports all key milestones in the coffee lifecycle: LAB data becomes a valuable asset for sourcing, procurement, sales, and after-sales activities.
The tool serves as a single, reliable source of truth, with historical, actionable, and accessible information available to all relevant teams.
The comprehensive visibility provided by the application enables more informed and strategic decision-making.
Thanks to the LAB, Belco is able to deliver a high level of transparency to its clients and tangibly demonstrate the value of this traceability.
A Strong Competitive Advantage
This modernization delivers immediate efficiency gains, sustainably enhances the experience of quality, sourcing, and sales teams, and significantly increases the value perceived by the end customer.
The platform is no longer just an evaluation tool — it becomes a strategic digital foundation serving quality, performance, and transparency.
Thanks to the LAB, we have gained greater clarity and organization in our work, while continuously improving our processes. Our quality protocol has been strengthened through more detailed step-by-step tracking, fostering better communication both within our internal teams and with our suppliers. It is a true organizational and communication tool. It also strongly supports our continuous improvement efforts: the LAB encourages us to go further in our tasting processes, and the BI statistics provide valuable insights for in-depth analysis. With all this data, we will soon be able to analyze, for example, individual tasters’ sensitivity or examine flavor descriptors by origin — the possibilities are extensive. And it’s worth noting that what used to rely heavily on paper is now entirely digitalized, with the whole process fully streamlined.
Denis
Le Lab
