From Blossom to Brew: The Coffee Production Process
(The World Encyclopedia of Coffee)

The Beginning

Coffee begins as a white blossom on a tree that is at least 4-5 years old. Two coffee beans grow at the center of each red cherry. Fertilization provides coffee trees with additional nutrients necessary to achieve the maximum possible productivity of 4,000 beans, or one pound of roasted coffee, per harvest. Conservation Coffee is grown in the shade of the existing forest canopy using natural fertilizers. The best coffee is high-grown arabica, which grows on mountain slopes at an altitude 800 meters (2624 feet) above sea level and higher.

Extracting the Beans from the Fruit

After the cherries are picked, they are transported to a central processing plant where coffee beans are mechanically extracted from the cherry. Extraction must take place within ten hours after the cherries are picked or the fruit will spoil and ruin the beans. In the first step of the extraction process, a mechanical mill removes the outer layer of the fruit. At this step in the process, Conservation Coffee pulp is removed by a small hand-powered or water-powered machine.

Fermenting

To extract the bean from the rest of the cherry, layers of cherry pulp and the protective skin must be removed by fermenting the cherries in large tanks of fresh water. The coffee cherries are allowed to ferment for 12 to 16 hours. Then they are removed from the tank and washed again in fresh water. The bean and its parchment, or protective skin, are all that remain.

Dry Processing

The coffee bean and its parchment are placed out to dry in the sun on cement patios, where they are shifted periodically so that they dry evenly and thoroughly. This pergamino, or parchment coffee, is then dried in a gas drier to reduce the moisture content to the requisite 11-12 percent.

To the Mill

The parchment layer, which covers the coffee bean, is mechanically removed, or hulled, in a mill.

Grading the Coffee

The product of the mill is then graded according to size, shape, and uniformity. This step guarantees the highest quality, most consistent coffee possible. As a further check on quality, the beans are separated into a tube of rapidly moving air in which the heavy (quality) beans drop and the lighter (defective) beans fly out the top. The heavy (quality) coffee undergoes an additional quality test in which beans are run through a tube with an electronic current called an "electronic eye." If this "eye" hits a light (defective) bean, it expels the bean from the tube through a side opening.

Distribution

International clients purchase the coffee according to a pre-determined quality standard. In a process called "cupping," the client approves the shipment by tasting the coffee to determine if the flavor is up to quality. The coffee beans are then packaged in lots (containers of 250 burlap bags) and exported, primarily to the United States and Europe. To preserve its freshness and unique flavor, coffee must be kept in an area free of other products whose scent and flavor coffee can absorb. CI's Conservation Coffee program helps local farmers export the coffee directly to the client or a specialty coffee broker, eliminating middlemen and increasing farmers' profits.

Roasting

The graded and processed beans are then roasted. This consists of rotating the beans in large vats at high heat until they are dark brown. At this stage of the process, coffee beans acquire the strong aroma and flavor that give each coffee its unique taste. After roasting, the beans are cooled.

Blending

Different brands of coffee obtain their distinctive flavors through blending various grades and types of coffee beans.

Grinding & Brewing

The roasted coffee beans are ground, and then brewed. Enjoy!