March 29, 2023
By Chloe Arrington

Get to know mechanical engineering Capstone Design team The Bean Team who is creating a low-cost cocoa butter extraction method for use in the origin countries of cocoa beans for the spring 2023 Georgia Tech Capstone Design Expo. The team's advisor is Associate Professor Tequila Harris.
 

1. Can you tell us about your team and project?

Our team has been tasked with developing a low-cost solution for cocoa butter extraction for farmers harvesting cocoa beans, adding additional value to their product. Our sponsor is CocoaTown, a firm located in Alpharetta that develops products for chocolate production. Our team is made up of all fourth-year mechanical engineering students: 

• Grant Anderson  
• German Ortega  
• Bryce Parsons  
• Cade Tyler  
• Jacques Wang  
• Mesum Zaidi  

2. What is your team’s design process, how do you go about separating different tasks, and what are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?

The team’s design process is very much a divide-and-conquer style where everybody has their own tasks to complete. This allows us to play to our own unique strengths and work in parallel to achieve our goals. The biggest challenge we’ve faced thus far has been in our prototyping process due to the long lead times and costs associated with making a safe testing setup, though we’ve been able to get some intriguing results with the help of the Montgomery Machining Mall.  

3. Have there been any highlights while working on your project?

Recently, we were able to evaluate our prototype products in the Montgomery Machining Mall. We tested our concept for small scale cocoa butter pressing using a conventional hydraulic press, and while this testing did not go according to our original plans, we learned a significant amount about how we should manufacture and design our prototypes and refine our final concept moving forward. Additionally, we got to make the entire machining space smell like chocolate!  

4. Can you tell us about your experience working with a sponsor?

Our sponsor, CocoaTown, has been extremely supportive of our team throughout the entire conceptualization and design process. Through weekly meetings, we have been able to discuss different methods of extracting the cocoa butter as well as define the end customer requirements for this device. They have allowed us to have a great deal of freedom in our designs, and they are always available for a quick chat to discuss any issues or questions we may have. Additionally, they have allowed us to make several visits to their site to see their products in person and share their expertise, and, as such, we are extremely grateful to have CocoaTown as our sponsor.  

5. What team attributes have contributed the most to your success? 

The biggest benefit to our team has been everyone’s willingness to step up and help. If someone is busy and can’t finish their part, people will help at the drop of a hat. Additionally, each member of our team shows an incredible amount of respect for one another, allowing the group's communication to flourish. This really comes into play when we hold our weekly in-person meetings, which help us greatly in staying centered on our target.  

The Spring 2023 Georgia Tech Capstone Design Expo will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus. At the Expo, over 1200 seniors from various disciplines of engineering, sciences, public policy, and industrial design will showcase their innovative projects designed and built during their Senior/Capstone Design course. Register to attend here!