Sector Sheet

🚜 Sector

There are several stages in the cultivation and manufacture of coffee:

Cultivation** : Growing coffee requires specific climatic conditions, generally found in tropical areas. Coffee is grown on shrubs that take around 3 to 4 years to start producing fruit, called coffee cherries. Most coffee trees belong to two main species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora (also known as Robusta). Arabica is more delicate to grow, but is generally considered to produce better quality coffee. Robusta is more resistant to disease and grows at lower altitudes.

<aside> 🌳 A coffee tree starts producing flowers 3 to 4 years after planting, reaching full productivity in 5 to 7 years. Productivity begins to decline after around 20 years, although with proper management, trees can bear fruit for around 50 years. A feature of coffee production is the biennial pattern of fruit production by the trees, with a high yield every two years. In years of high production, to sustain their high fruit production, the trees sacrifice the production of new shoots. The following year, this is compensated by a reduction in fruit production.

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Harvesting: Coffee can be harvested either manually or mechanically. The manual method selects ripe cherries, while the mechanized method harvests all cherries simultaneously, whether ripe or not. The manual method is more costly but produces better quality coffee.
Processing: Once harvested, coffee cherries undergo a pulping process to remove skin and pulp. This can be done by hand or by machine. Next, the coffee beans (still surrounded by their parchment) are fermented to dissolve the remaining mucilage. This is followed by washing to remove any residual mucilage. Finally, the beans are dried in the sun or in mechanical dryers.
Hulling: The coffee beans are then hulled to remove the surrounding parchment. This process produces green coffee beans ready for roasting.
Roasting: Roasting is the crucial step that gives coffee its distinctive flavor. Green coffee beans are heated to temperatures ranging from 180 to 240 degrees Celsius, triggering chemical reactions that develop the aromas. Roasting time varies according to the type of coffee desired (light, medium, dark).
Grinding and infusion: The roasted beans are then ground to a specific granulometry, according to the type of infusion required (espresso, filter, etc.). Finally, hot water is passed through the ground coffee to extract the aromas and create the beverage we know.

📌source: Coffee processing methods home coffee expert

📈 Production & consumption

Coffee is the world's second most-traded commodity after oil.

The top 5 of the world's biggest coffee producers are:

Brazil : Brazil is the world's leading coffee producer, producing around a third of the world's coffee. It is particularly well known for its Arabica coffee production.
Vietnam : Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer and the leading producer of Robusta coffee, a coffee variety that is hardier and higher-yielding than Arabica.