Kenya Coffee School (KCS)

Roast Analytics SaaS Platform

📘 Full Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Version 1.0 – 2026
Product Sponsor: Alfred Gitau Mwaura
Institution: Kenya Coffee School (KCS)

Aligned with specialty standards referenced by the Specialty Coffee Association and localized for Kenyan high-density coffees (820–850 g/L).

1️⃣ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 Product Name

KCS RoastLogic™ – Roast Analytics & Certification Platform

1.2 Vision

To digitize roast training, certification assessment, production consistency, and sustainability monitoring into a unified SaaS platform that positions Kenya as a roast-origin authority.

1.3 Problem Statement

Current challenges in Kenyan roasting ecosystem:

Manual roast logs (inconsistent, unstructured)
No standardized certification scoring automation
Limited production data analysis
Weak sustainability benchmarking
No integrated roast-to-sensory tracking system

1.4 Solution

A cloud-based analytics engine that:

Logs and analyzes roast data
Calculates DTR, RoR, shrinkage, cost/kg
Flags profile anomalies
Tracks certification progress
Measures sustainability metrics
Issues QR-verifiable certificates

2️⃣ PRODUCT OBJECTIVES

Primary Objectives

Standardize roast performance measurement
Digitize KCS Advanced Certification scoring
Provide real-time roast analytics
Support production-level quality control
Integrate carbon & efficiency monitoring

Success Metrics (Year 1)

300+ active student users
50+ roasteries onboarded
10,000+ logged roasts
≥80% certification exam automation
20% improvement in average DTR accuracy

3️⃣ USER PERSONAS

Persona 1 – Student Roaster

Learning advanced roast science
Needs DTR guidance
Wants pass probability indicator

Persona 2 – Certified Roaster

Focused on production consistency
Needs defect tracking & energy cost metrics

Persona 3 – Instructor (AST-Level Equivalent)

Evaluates roasts
Requires calibration dashboard
Issues certification approvals

Persona 4 – Roastery Owner

Needs cost-per-kg insight
Sustainability performance metrics
Production consistency overview

4️⃣ PRODUCT SCOPE

4.1 In Scope (MVP)

Roast data logging
Automated DTR calculation
RoR anomaly detection
Shrinkage calculator
Certification score engine
Instructor grading panel
Sustainability dashboard
Certificate generation with QR code

4.2 Out of Scope (Phase 2+)

IoT roaster hardware integration
Marketplace for green coffee
Equipment resale integration
Carbon credit trading exchange

5️⃣ CORE FEATURES

🔥 Feature 1: Roast Data Logging Engine

Functional Requirements

User enters:
- Density (g/L)
- Moisture %
- Batch size
- Charge temperature
- First crack time
- Drop temperature
- Total roast time
- Development time
- Gas levels
- Airflow levels

System Automatically Calculates:

DTR %
Weight loss %
Roast classification
Consistency rating
Profile deviation alerts

📈 Feature 2: Roast Curve Analytics

Requirements

Visual roast curve graph
RoR auto-calculated per minute
Flag:
- Crash
- Flick
- RoR spike
- Flat baking curve

Performance Logic

If RoR > 20°C/min → Warning
If RoR crash > 5°C drop → Alert
If DTR < 18% → Underdevelopment risk

👃 Feature 3: Sensory Calibration Module

Digital cupping form
Instructor approval required
Blind triangulation tracking
Sensory deviation scoring

Score formula integrates into certification grade.

🏭 Feature 4: Production Consistency Dashboard

Displays:

Drop temperature control chart (±2°C tolerance)
Batch comparison tool
Defect frequency analysis
Density-performance scatter graph
SKU roast fingerprint

🌍 Feature 5: Sustainability Module

Inputs:

Gas usage (m³)
Electricity kWh
Batch size

Outputs:

CO₂ per kg roasted
Energy efficiency index
Monthly carbon trend chart
Sustainability badge score

🏆 Feature 6: Certification Engine

Scoring Breakdown

Category	Weight
Practical Roast	35%
Profile Accuracy	20%
RoR Stability	15%
DTR Accuracy	10%
Sensory Score	20%

System determines:

Pass ≥80%
Merit ≥90%
Distinction ≥95%

Certificate includes:

Unique ID
QR verification
Instructor signature
Expiry date (3 years)

6️⃣ USER JOURNEYS

Student Flow

Register account
Log roast
View analytics
Submit roast for instructor review
Take exam
Receive certification

Instructor Flow

View student dashboard
Review roast logs
Add comments
Approve/reject
Issue certification

7️⃣ TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

7.1 Architecture

Frontend:

React (Web)
Flutter (Android-first mobile app)

Backend:

Node.js / Python (FastAPI recommended)

Database:

PostgreSQL

Cloud Hosting:

AWS Africa Region or Azure Africa

7.2 Security Requirements

Role-based authentication
Encrypted user data
Secure cloud backups
QR certificate verification endpoint
GDPR-aligned data privacy compliance

8️⃣ DATA MODEL REQUIREMENTS

Core Entities

Users
Roasts
SensoryScores
Batches
Certificates
CarbonReports
CalibrationSessions

Key Fields

Roast:

roast_id
user_id
density
moisture
batch_size
charge_temp
drop_temp
total_time
dev_time
dtr
shrinkage
ror_profile
flagged_anomalies

9️⃣ NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

99% uptime
Page load <2 seconds
Mobile-friendly UI
Offline draft save
Export to PDF & Excel
API-ready for integration

🔟 KPIs & ANALYTICS

System should track:

Avg DTR per user
RoR anomaly frequency
Drop temperature deviation
Certification pass rate
Energy efficiency improvement
Sustainability compliance score

11️⃣ RISK ASSESSMENT

Risk	Mitigation
Low digital adoption	Provide onboarding workshops
Data entry errors	Validation logic
Instructor overload	Auto scoring engine
Sustainability metric inaccuracies	Provide standard conversion references

12️⃣ IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP

Phase 1 (0–3 months)

MVP build
Internal KCS testing

Phase 2 (4–6 months)

Pilot with 5 roasteries
Feedback optimization

Phase 3 (7–12 months)

National rollout
Institutional partnerships

13️⃣ MONETIZATION MODEL

Tier 1 – Student Plan (Monthly subscription)
Tier 2 – Roastery Plan (Per facility license)
Tier 3 – Institutional License (Annual enterprise contract)

Additional revenue: