Is Café Nairobi Coffee Mold-Free? See Our Third-Party Lab Report

You've asked us this a lot lately: "Is your coffee actually mold-free, or is that just something you put on the bag?"

It's a good question. It's also the right question, one every coffee brand should be able to answer with more than a promise. So we didn't just tell you our coffee is clean. We sent it to an independent lab, paid for full testing, and got the results back in black and white.

Below is what that report actually says, in simple words, plus how to read one yourself the next time any coffee brand tells you, theirs is "lab-tested."

Why "Lab-Tested" Should Mean Something

Anyone can print "mold-free" on a coffee bag. What actually backs that up is a Certificate of Analysis (COA) from a lab that has zero stake in whether your coffee sells.

Ours came from Cambium Analytica, an NSF company based in Michigan that specializes in testing natural foods, beverages, and supplements. Their lab is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, the international standard for testing accuracy and impartiality. In other words, this isn't a marketing document. It's a scientific one.

The report covered five categories: mold and yeast, mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, and bacteria. Here's what each one found.

The Test That Matters Most: Mold and Yeast

Coffee beans can pick up mold during growing, drying, or storage if they're not handled with care, and that mold can produce toxins nobody wants in their morning cup.

Our results: zero. Total Mold and Total Yeast both came back ND (Not Detected), for a combined Total Yeast and Mold count of 0 CFU/g. Plainly put: the lab found no mold or yeast at all, down to the most sensitive level their equipment can detect.

Beyond Mold: What Else We Checked For

We didn't stop at mold. Since we were already having the coffee tested, we went further.

• Mycotoxins & Aflatoxins: Ochratoxin A and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 all came back ND. Total aflatoxins: 0.000 µg/g.

• Pesticides: Two full panels (GC/TQ and LC/TQ), covering well over 100 individual compounds. Every single one: ND, at or below the official action limit.

• Heavy Metals: Often called the "Big 4" because plants absorb trace minerals from soil as they grow. Cadmium and Mercury: ND. Arsenic and Lead: <LOQ, meaning any trace present was too small to even measure, a stricter, more cautious result than ND.

• Total Aerobic Bacteria: A general cleanliness indicator. Our result: 10 CFU/g, a low, unremarkable count.

Results at a Glance

Quick Definitions, So You Can Read Any Lab Report

• ND (Not Detected): the substance wasn't found at the level the lab's equipment can reliably measure.

• LOQ (Limit of Quantitation): the smallest amount a lab can measure and report as a real number. "<LOQ" means a trace might be present, but it's too small to quantify.

• CFU/g (Colony-Forming Units per Gram): the standard unit for measuring live mold, yeast, or bacteria.

Keep these three terms in your back pocket. They'll help you evaluate any coffee brand's lab claims, not just ours.

What This Report Can (and Can't) Tell You

A lab report is a snapshot of one batch, and that's exactly why it matters to us. It's proof that when we say our coffee is clean, an independent lab checked it. And testing isn't a one-time stunt here, it's part of the same everyday discipline behind everything we do, from how we source our beans, to how we roast them, to how we store them before they ever reach your cup.

That's really the whole reason we're sharing this report: we believe in transparency, and you deserve to see exactly what goes into every cup.

The Coffee Behind the Report

This is the same care we put into everything else at Café Nairobi: choosing the right beans, roasting them right here in Jacksonville, brewing it at farmers markets every week, and now, showing you the proof instead of just asking you to trust us. It's the same coffee we pour into every cup we sell. 

Want the full seven-page lab report, not just the summary? Request your copy here → (we'll send it straight to your inbox)

Ready to taste the coffee behind the results? Shop Café Nairobi Coffee →