Agrivero.ai and How to Leverage Technology to Select the Best Coffee Beans

Founded in Germany by Russian entrepreneur Darina Onoprienko, the startup is making its way with an innovative device that analyzes coffee from multiple angles and aims to expand into cacao in 2026.

Coffee is the quintessential hot beverage of the Western world, so it is no surprise that entrepreneurs worldwide strive to offer it in the highest quality. A clear example of this is the startup Agrivero.ai. Founded in 2020 and based in Berlin, the German capital, its main offering is the development of an artificial intelligence-based solution for classifying and ensuring the quality of green coffee beans—meaning unroasted beans.

“In Germany, I worked with coffee importers and was surprised to see how they initially purchased containers for 100,000 euros but later sold the cargo at a lower price because the beans were damaged during transportation. I found it interesting how price is connected to quality, in addition to my curiosity as a consumer,” explained Darina Onoprienko, founder and CEO of Agrivero.ai, in an interview with Tribu.

Initially, the startup team aimed to create a lightbox app for mobile phones as a pivot to analyze coffee beans. However, clients wanted something more sophisticated, which led to the evolution of VeroLab 1.0. This device automates the classification of green coffee beans, delivering results with 97% accuracy in just four minutes per sample.

Additionally, the VeroLab scans each coffee bean from multiple angles using high-resolution industrial cameras and image analysis through artificial intelligence algorithms. Finally, the results are presented in a web application, providing detailed studies and full traceability throughout the supply chain.

“One difference from other startups is that we create a network of devices. For us, it is important to provide technology to every point in the coffee supply chain and lower the price of our devices to democratize their use. Our focus is on data analysis through artificial intelligence, but we are not a device manufacturer at heart. This allows us to reduce costs,” explains Onoprienko.

The Agrivero.ai founder notes that many of their clients now trust AI more and want to understand the criteria used by the algorithms to classify a defect as A or B. They also want to learn whether they can make changes to this system to integrate it into their business processes.

Onoprienko believes that in the coffee sector, producers are resistant to learning the technology but not to using it. Whether in a Brazilian farm or a Colombian plot, coffee growers and their partners must analyze the beans before exporting them.

Additionally, the startup sells its products directly and offers other services to clients, such as developing a customized algorithm for each company. “Large corporations want to digitize their knowledge. This process is currently manual, but with our support, they can digitize it. However, with new investments, we will change our business model and pricing to offer devices at lower prices,” says the CEO.

It is worth noting that by 2026, Agrivero.ai plans to venture into cacao cultivation, as it often shares climate, geography, and clients with coffee. At the same time, the startup is seeking funding rounds in both Latin America and the United States to drive this new step. With the surge in international prices for both commodities in January, many will seek to ensure high-quality shipments, much to the delight of producers and consumers alike.