Coffee's journey and the different stages of processing

Coffee goes on a long journey from the country of origin to the roasting factory and then for us to enjoy.

Picking

The finest grades of Arabica coffee grow high up in the mountains on steep slopes often inaccessible even by road. The climate has to be sufficiently humid but not too hot. The coffee berries are hand-picked and they must be sent as soon as possible after picking for further production at the processing stations.

Processing the coffee

At the processing stations, the coffees can be processed in a many ways, including the washed, natural or pulped natural/honey methods. Coffee processing affects the coffee’s flavour, fullness and sweetness. Coffee is processed in different countries in different ways depending on the climate, rainfall, types of coffee and each country’s processing methods.

Drying and sorting

After processing, the beans are still wet from processing. The coffee bean is dried on concrete patios, dryers or raised netting beds (African Beds), until the desired moisture percentage is reached. After drying, the beans are gathered into warehouse sacks and the coffee is allowed to rest for a few weeks.

In the mechanical hulling process, the dried parchment protecting the bean is removed from the surface. In the sorting machines, the beans are sorted according to size, and defective beans are separated by hand. Each grade passes through these steps in separate batches. Finally, the coffee is bagged.

After this, the coffee is ready for sale.