Coffee production

The coffee plant belongs to the Coffea gender. There are more than 60 different types of coffee, but for commercial purposes, the Coffea Arabica (Arabica) and Coffea Canephora (Robusta) are the most important.

The coffee plant

In some parts of Africa the coffee plants still grows in the wilderness, mainly at the Ivory Coast, in Uganda and in Zaire. Depending on the type of plant, the coffee tree can reach a height of 10 to 15 meters. On coffee plantations, however, continual pruning prevents the trees from growing taller than 1.5 to 3 metres. This guarantees a high yield and makes harvesting easier.

The leaves of the coffee plant are broad, dark green and shiny, similar to that of a Camellia bush. The blossoms are white and star-shaped and resemble the flowers of the Jasmine Tree, both in terms of fragrance, color and appearance.

Harvesting

Trees blossom over a six- to eight-week period in countries such as Brazil and Mexico. But in the countries situated along the equator such as Kenya and Colombia, a coffee tree can have blossoms, ripening fruit and mature berries (called cherries) on the same branch at the same time. Coffee pickers must go over the trees again and again to pick only the perfectly ripe berries. Because harvesting is so labor intensive, it’s one of the most expensive steps in coffee processing.

The time between blossom and harvest averages eight to nine months, depending on the altitude and prevailing weather conditions. Coffee plants produce for about 20 to 25 years, yielding about 2,000 beans per year, which is about one kilogram of raw coffee per year. With modern cultivation methods the harvest in a good year lies between 3,000 and 4,000 kg per hectare.

Green coffee

The coffee bean is the seed of the berry. It resembles a cranberry and has a sweet pulp, protected by a membrane called parchment and a silky thin membrane called silverskin. Coffee beans are actually the two flat-sided seeds inside the cherry. Unprocessed coffee is called green coffee.

Click on the link to read more about coffee countries.