• Coffee Farm

Coffee farming is described as the practice of growing coffee seeds for the purpose of consumption and further processing.

Coffee is consumed by millions of people worldwide, as a seed and as a by-product. The coffee industry is so big that it provides jobs for almost 124 million people across the globe. While it’s great to have a cup of coffee drink every now and then, it’s also important to know where coffee comes from, how it is grown and how it is processed.

• How Is Coffee Farming Done?

Thee are three major types of coffee farms. They include:

1. Organic coffee farms
2. High production coffee farms

• Small family-owned farms

1. Organic Coffee Farms: This type of coffee farm promotes the practice of growing coffee without the use of use of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals. In organic coffee farms, the yields are usually healthy and the ripening happens naturally within few weeks. Before a coffee farm can be called organic, it must fulfill the following criteria:

• The farm must have been involved in the production of coffee without pesticides, for at least three years.
• Their pest control method must not involve pesticides and their soil should only be fertilized with compost manure and organic fertilizers. 

Due to its high quality, organic coffee is usually more expensive than standard coffee beans.

1. High Production Farms: Just like the name implies, this type of coffee farm focuses on producing high volumes of coffee seeds for food industries. Almost 20% of coffee farms around world are operated in this manner. High productions farms are  found in the Blue Mountain of Jamaica, Mexico and Vietnam.

Small Family-Owned Farms

Do you know that over 80% of the world’s coffee is produced by small-scale farmers? Well, over 125 million people are employed by coffee farming and 25 million are coffee farmers. They the ones who make it possible for you to have a cup of coffee every morning.

• Coffee Plants?

On maturity, coffee plants produce fruits and the seeds are called ‘beans’.  Most people eat the coffee fruit raw, however, it’s not a common practice.

• How Many Weeks Does It Take For Coffee To Mature?

After the coffee seeds are planted, it takes about three to four years for the coffee plant to produce its first fruit. After the plant blossoms and produces its first fruit, the cherries take another one year to mature.

• How Is Coffee Dried?

It takes about six weeks to process coffee properly. Firstly, the coffee is placed under the sun to dehydrate the cherry and prevent the fruit from deteriorating. To dry the coffee, aerated and raised beds are used. While the coffee is being dried by the sun, the farmers usually turn the coffee to ensure uniform dehydration. When there’s rainfall, the cherries are covered.