The coffee we drink starts as the seed of a bright-red fruit called the coffee cherry. This beverage is derived from the Coffea genus, a tropical evergreen shrub that includes the two dominant commercial species: Coffea arabica (Arabica) and Coffea canephora (Robusta). The journey from seed to harvested cherry is a multi-year process influenced by specific environmental demands.
Optimal Growing Environment
The coffee plant thrives in a narrow band around the equator known as the “Coffee Belt,” which lies between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Arabica, the more delicate species, requires high altitudes, typically between 1,200 and 2,200 meters above sea level. Cooler temperatures slow its growth, allowing the bean to develop complex, nuanced flavors.
Conversely, Robusta tolerates warmer, harsher conditions, flourishing at lower elevations, generally between sea level and 800 meters. Both species require a frost-free, mild climate with consistent temperature ranges; Arabica prefers 15–24°C, while Robusta is suited to 24–30°C.
High rainfall, between 1,500 and 2,500 millimeters annually, is necessary for healthy growth, but a distinct dry period is often needed to encourage uniform flowering. The best soils are rich in organic matter, slightly acidic, and ideally volcanic, which provides the excellent drainage and mineral content the plant needs.
From Seed to Seedling
The process begins by planting the coffee seed in a protected nursery environment rather than directly into the field. Seeds are planted in shaded beds or bags filled with nutrient-rich soil and kept consistently moist. Germination occurs within a few weeks as the seed sprouts and pushes a small stem above the ground.
Young seedlings remain in the nursery for six to twelve months, protected from direct sunlight and harsh weather. Farmers manage water and shade to ensure the plants develop robust root systems and strong stems.
Once the seedling reaches 30 to 50 centimeters, it is transplanted to its permanent location on the farm. Planting often occurs at the start of the wet season, allowing the plant to benefit from ample moisture as its roots anchor into the soil.
Maturation and Fruiting
After being transplanted, the coffee plant enters a long maturation period, taking three to five years before producing its first harvest. The first sign of fruiting is the flowering process, often triggered by the first significant rains following a dry spell.
These small, white blossoms are highly aromatic, emitting a sweet fragrance similar to jasmine, and they typically last for only a few days. Once pollinated, the flowers develop into the coffee cherry, a process that takes seven to nine months.
Initially, the cherries are small and green. Over several months, the fruit swells and ripens, changing color from green to deep red (or occasionally yellow). The ripe cherry contains two seeds (the coffee beans) nested inside a fleshy pulp, and the plant yields one major crop annually.
Harvesting
The final stage is the harvest, a labor-intensive and time-sensitive operation. Since cherries on a single branch ripen at different rates, careful judgment is required to maximize quality.
The most precise method is selective picking, where workers pass through the trees every eight to ten days to hand-pick only the perfectly ripe, red cherries. This manual, multi-pass method is costly but yields the highest quality coffee by ensuring a uniform lot of optimally mature fruit.
The alternative method is strip picking, where all cherries, regardless of ripeness, are stripped from the branch at once, either by hand or by machine. While strip picking is faster and requires less labor, it results in a mix of ripe, under-ripe, and over-ripe cherries, necessitating extensive post-harvest sorting.