The Coffee cycle

Coffee takes a very long time to get from the farm to our breakfast table. A huge number of people are involved all the way along the supply chain. All of them require payment. The following is not to be an accurate calendar, but it illustrates the life cycle of a single crop. As can be seen in this many-handed chain, by the time the farmer receives payment for the crop, preparations for the following year are already under way.





2. January: Cofee cherries are still developing. With too much or too little rain or sun, cherries can fail to mature or develop their sugars and the final quality will be lower.



3. February: Tha majority of coffee cherries are ripening and it's time to start picking. Paying pickers is around 60per cent of the annual cost of producing coffee.

4. March: Peak harvest season and long working hours for farmers who process their own cherries. Picking by day and depulping and washing by night places a high demand on families. Farmers in a cooperative might deliver their cherries to a central washing or processing station instead of processing at home. They will receive a lower price but with a second payment due on export.


5. April: Tail end of the harvest. All fruit must be picked, as rotting fruit on the trees can attract pests that cause damage to the trees or to next year's crop. Trees are pruned and fertilized ready for the next flowering.

6. April-May: Once the harvest is complete, any farm or cooperative that exports their coffee direct must look at the smaller batches and work out how to compile exportable parcels of coffee. These needs to bulk up into shipping container quantities of between 275 and 300 sacks. In the case of average -quality coffees traded by larger exporters, this work is done by the export house and the bulk lots will be blended from many farms to produce a regional or merely country-level style.  For the quality-focused producer, samples of daily production are roasted, cupped and evaluated. In smallholder communities, this may be just a few sacks, so a great many lots need to be sampled and accessed so that the flavour characteristics of the final lot represent the character and quality expected by the buyers.


7. May-June: The current crop is now 'resting', still inside its dried papery skin, or parchment. During this period, the coffee can be marketed. Samples of exportable lots ('offer samples') are sent out from the export companies to buyers around the world usually importers, sometimes roasters, who in turn roast, taste and assess agreement them for their own business and markets. When an agreement to buy has been made, a contract is written specifying delivery date, price and quality characteristics to be observed and the coffee can finally be prepared for its journey.


8. July: The coffee is milled from its parchment layer. The milling is done by an external company and the cost of this may come out of the farmer's or producers' pocket either directly or as a reduction in the price paid by the exporter. In addition, at this stage and physical defects or damage arising during growing, harvesting, drying and milling becomes apparent and it may be necessary to remove a small percentage of the crop in order to protect the cup quality. Again, the farmer often pays for this.
The milled coffee, now in its hessian or jute bags (weighing 69 kg or 60 kg depending on country of origin), is loaded into the container to go on board the ship. Once on board, the export documents are presented to the buyer for payment to be arranged. Payment is then made to either exporter or cooperative and the work that began in April the previous year can finally be converted to cash.


Source: Real Fresh Coffee: How to source, roast, grind and brew the perfect cup (p.58-59)