Burwell Beans Gets Peace of Mind
I am Rick Appleton and a coffee fanatic, probably just like you. When I started Burwell Beans, I was passionate about crafting fabulous coffee, but it also had to ethically sourced, environmentally conscious and we had to have an opportunity to help others.
Burwell Beans sources beans that are ethically produced and have full traceability, including some direct-trade partnerships with the farmers. We care about the community and our planet too and is reflected in our mission and operating principles. Ethically conscious roasting proved to be a bigger challenge.
Roasting produces not only smoke and odor, but CO2 and potentially harmful materials. One choice put our minds at ease.
We looked at different solutions to deal with our environmental problem. Our roastery is in a mixed-use area north of Boston. It has got light industrial and residential areas in close proximity, so we knew we needed to take care of our neighbors.
We needed an affordable solution that would match our desire to care for the environment. Electrostatic filters were too expensive to maintain and an afterburner may solve the smoke and odor issues, but at a real cost to the planet.
We discovered the EcoFilter by VortX and had also seen it in operation at a coffee lab. The EcoFilter proved to be the answer to our problems.
First, it vastly minimized our smoke and odor, so we can confidently roast knowing we will not disturb our neighbors. Each roast produces a small amount of steam that is barely visible in the area around our roastery.
Most importantly, the EcoFilter beautifully handles all the CO2 and harmful elements of the roasting process that would otherwise be released into an already worsening environment.
If you are like me and you care about our planet and those around you, then you should consider the EcoFilter. I sure am glad that I did and highly recommend it.
Happy roasting,
Rick Appleton
Founder and Owner, Burwell Beans LLC
Rowley, MA
Clean Air Innovation in the Coffee Roasting Industry
The EcoFilter uses the energy of a cyclone plus the power of atomized water to filter particulates from exhaust air, mute odors and reduce visible smoke.
The self-cleaning system recycles its water and requires less than 15 minutes of daily maintenance.
- Sustainable and eco-friendly
- Lowest operating cost of all air cleaning methods
- Easy to install with our complete duct design service
- Increases the safety of your roasting operation
About VortX
Scientists have been warning us for many years that climate change is an existential threat and that we can, we must, do something about it. Every day this deep concern drives us to help our customers, the specialty coffee industry, play a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while keeping a commitment to clean air and a safe operation.
We founded VortX because we knew there had to be a better way to filter smoke and odor, or more precisely – particulates, VOCs and products of combustion from coffee roasting exhaust.
When we discovered the impact made by instantly cooling the hot, dirty air from a roaster, the VortX EcoFilter was born. We sold our first unit in 2017 and in 4 short years we have established customers on 6 continents. These “early adopters” helped us focus on refining and improving our technology. We love every one of them; they helped us make the EcoFilter the impressive solution it is today.
We continue to serve the retrofit market and we are now building products for roaster manufacturers who are bringing to market a new generation of smokeless/odorless roasters.