From Farm to Cup: How Coffee is Grown

A single shot of espresso—20-30 ml of wonderfully rich coffee. It takes just a minute or two to drink, but it requires years of relentless effort to create. From growing high-quality coffee trees to harvesting, processing, sorting, and drying the beans, the work of a coffee farmer is never-ending.

But how do farmers select their coffee plants? How do they harvest them? What steps are involved in the processing?

Choosing the Right Variety

There are numerous coffee varieties. Some produce high-quality beans but are susceptible to diseases, while others are more resilient, some yield higher quantities, and others offer a sweeter flavor.

So how do farmers choose the right variety for their needs?

The choice of seeds often depends on local geographical and cultural factors. In most cases, farmers opt for varieties that are either traditional to the region or well-suited to the local soil.

However, because the quality of the final product can vary greatly depending on soil characteristics, humidity, and local climate conditions, farmers must carefully select their seeds. They must also consider the final product’s quality, the market price of the beans, and resistance to diseases and pests.

Availability of seeds is another crucial factor. For example, the F1 hybrid Starmaya variety is high-yielding, of superior quality, and disease-resistant, making it an ideal choice for cultivation. However, only a few farmers can access these seeds, making them more of a dream than a reality for most.

After considering all these factors, farmers finally choose the most suitable variety for cultivation.

But how do farmers select their coffee plants? How do they harvest them? What steps are involved in the processing?

Planting the Seedlings

Once the right variety is selected, the planting process begins. According to experts, temperature is the most critical factor affecting coffee plants during the initial stages of cultivation, including the seedling and transplant stages. For instance, Arabica coffee thrives at temperatures between 18-21°C, and higher temperatures can negatively impact the plant.

Seedlings are grown in sandy soil prepared to protect them from pests and diseases for 70 days. After this period, each seedling is transplanted into a special soil-fertilizer mixture contained in bags. These seedlings will grow in these bags for 7 months to a year, during which time farmers cover them with plastic to limit light exposure. Ensuring the roots grow straight at this stage is crucial for the plant’s future development.

Nurturing the Coffee Trees

Before planting young seedlings in the field, it’s essential to calculate the spacing between them carefully. The spacing depends on the variety, how the fruits will be harvested, and the frequency of care and pruning.

Regular care of coffee trees during their growth is vital for improving yield and maintaining consistent bean quality over the long term.

To increase yield, farmers regularly prune the trees, but pruned trees do not bear fruit until they regrow. Therefore, farmers divide the plantation into several sections and rotate the pruning process, ensuring a steady overall yield and making it easier to replace old trees with new seedlings.

Coffee trees absorb nutrients through their leaves and roots, so regular fertilization according to a set schedule is necessary to provide all the nutrients they need.

During periods of high rainfall, constant maintenance, including clearing weeds and removing yellowing or moldy leaves, protects the trees from disease and ensures consistent bean quality.

During periods of high rainfall, constant maintenance, including clearing weeds and removing yellowing or moldy leaves, protects the trees from disease and ensures consistent bean quality.

From Farm to Your Cup

Each year, after the rainy season, coffee trees bloom. These colorful white flowers are not just decorative but are crucial for the growth of coffee cherries.

For example, it takes 9 months for an Arabica coffee tree to produce harvestable cherries after it begins to flower. However, during this time, farmers don’t just wait—they carry out numerous tasks, including checking whether the cherries are ripening on schedule and whether they are affected by pests.

Finally, the harvest begins, but this is no easy task. To meet the high standards of quality-conscious customers, farmers painstakingly pick only the well-ripened cherries, a process that requires considerable time and effort. A few poor-quality cherries mixed in with good ones can significantly degrade the final product.

After harvesting the cherries, the beans are separated and dried. During the drying process, the beans must be turned and their position changed to prevent molding and fermentation.

There are several main methods for processing coffee beans:

• Traditional Method: The coffee cherries are dried whole, resulting in beans with a sweeter, milder flavor, though achieving a consistent taste can be challenging.
• Washed Method: The beans are separated from the fruit, lightly fermented in water, and then dried. While this method yields more uniformly flavored beans, it requires more equipment and labor.
• Semi-Washed Method: Some parts of the fruit are removed from the beans, which are then dried with part of the pulp still attached. The flavor of the coffee can vary depending on how much pulp remains on the beans, making this a labor-intensive and riskier method.