Picking, processing and transport

The main periods for example in Brazil are from May to September, in Central America from October to March, in Africa from October to April and in Asia from November to April. The yield of a coffee tree fluctuates between 2.5 and 10.5 kg of coffee cherries, representing a quantity of 0.5 to 2 kg of green beans (raw coffee). In the case of machine picking (“stripping”) the fruits (mostly Robusta) fall on cloths spread on the ground.
Picking itself, however, is done manually. Manual picking is more gentle but also slower. The daily output of a picker is between 50 and 100 kg of cherries, representing approximately 10 – 20 kg of green coffee.
The quality of the coffee is directly related to the plantation where it grows. The farmers, who plan long-term, cultivate a product which is free from chemicals, pesticidesand which does not pollute the environment. Thus, they take special care of the plantation’s sustainability.
The plantation proprietors who provide us with the green coffee take care of the local ecosystem. The ground is protected against solar irradiation by grass and other plants, which grow among the coffee trees. Big banana trees protect mountain slopes against erosion. Since many plants cover most of the plantations, no machines can be used at all. This leads to higher personnel costs especially during harvest, as the coffee cherries need to be plucked individually by hand. This is why we pay a higher price for this kind of coffee compared to the world market price quoted at the New York Stock exchange.

Processing

The picked coffee cherry can neither be consumed, nor can it be stored
for a long time or transported. Therefore, in a first processing step
within the country of origin, the coffee bean is rid from pulp, fruit skin
and membrane, cleaned and dried and then, before exporting, the
parchment is peeled off.

Transport

The coffee is graded according to size, density and colour before it is
packed in bags or as bulk goods in containers and then shipped.
The coffee is then blended and roasted in the country of destination.


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