Green Coffee Processing
May 2, 2026
Coffee Knowledge
During harvest season, ripe coffee cherries are carefully picked by hand and then sorted. These cherries are inspected in a water container or large bucket filled with water to check for defective beans, such as those with only half a seed, underdeveloped seeds, or rotten seeds. These float to the surface of the water and are immediately removed. The cherries are stirred by hand several times until no more coffee cherries are floating.
The cherries are then fed into the pulping machine while still wet. Here, the beans are separated from the pulp, and the resulting product is packed into a rice sack (approx. 60 kg). The beans are then intentionally fermented for 48 hours. Afterward, the coffee beans are dried to a moisture content of about 14%. To prevent contact with the ground, a plastic tarp and often a mat made of natural material are used.
The farmers store their goods individually in this form in their homes until a potential buyer (such as us) contacts them. Next, the hulling machine is used to separate the green beans from the parchment shell. The beans are then sorted by hand once more to ensure that only the very best beans remain as specialty coffee.
Because the process is done by hand (which leaves room for human error), it is possible that farmers may overlook up to 2 to 3 defective beans per 100 g in the “Specialty” grade.
Finally, the coffee beans are dried to a moisture content of 11.0 to 12.0%. Since the 2024 harvest, farmers have been using moisture meters for this purpose. Further sorting takes place here as well. The beans are then packed in special plastic bags (GrainPro) to protect them from moisture and other external influences.
This process produces intense fruity aromas.
