The Brand Blog

Coffee is grown mostly in tropical areas and processed in a variety of methods.  Flavor, style and quality of the product are very dependent on selecting cherries of the same level of ripeness.  Specialty Coffee is made up of mostly hand picked ripe fruit that is carefully processed so as not to introduce new faults.

The cherries of most Arabica coffee varietals start life as a flower and then turns into a green fruit which eventually ripens into a dark red color.  If left on the tree beyond the fully ripe red color the fruit will continue to darken and will become black and shriveled, leaving an appearance similar to that of a sultana.  After this growing stage, the farmer removes the fleshy fruit from the seed.
 
Most coffee is milled using either a wet or dry method.  The wet coffee process involves running the fruit through a vat of water and the dry process involves removal of the fruit from the cherry using a mechanical device called a pulper.  In either method, the seed needs to be dried by either using a mechanical dryer or lying on drying beds.  Most commonly, the seeds are dried on outdoor drying patios.  After this process is complete the bean is ready to be roasted.