Have you ever wondered how coffee ends up in your roasting operations? Every sack of coffee has a fascinating story that begins long before you receive it. Let us take you behind the scenes of the coffee journey, from its early days to the moment you roast it.
Our Journey Begins with a Small Bud – Occurs late April through May
Yes, that tiny promise of what's to come starts when the coffee trees begin to form flower buds at the nodes where the leaves meet the branches. With time, that bud grows and transforms into a beautiful white, jasmine-like coffee flower. But that's just the beginning!
Following the blooming phase, called anthesis, the process continues with the formation of the coffee cherry. This is referred to as the “pinhead stage” or fruit set. – Occurs in June
Here, the small coffee bean begins to form and grow. It's a journey of patience, dedication, and precision, requiring careful nurturing and attention to detail (lots and lots of TLC). This stage is crucial, as it's where the coffee starts to take shape and develop its flavor profile.
As the pinhead grows, it evolves into a young green cherry. And this is where some “cool magic” truly happens J. – July to August
The coffee beans develop slowly, absorbing all the flavors and aromas that will eventually delight your senses. This painstakingly slow process is where the coffee's unique characteristics begin to emerge, setting the stage for the complex flavor profiles we all strive to achieve.
The Journey to Perfection: From Maturation to Your Roaster – October to February
After the coffee bean filling stage, the coffee beans enter the maturation cycle, changing color from green to yellow, orange and red. The coffee cherry’s skin thickens and the pulp inside the cherry develops, enclosing the 2 coffee beans inside. Every step of this journey is crucial to ensuring that the coffee that reaches your Roaster is of the highest quality. Our team is dedicated to meticulously caring for each stage, so you can savor an exceptional cup of coffee. From the first bud to the perfect bean in your roaster, we work tirelessly to offer an unparalleled coffee experience!
The process begins with the harvesting of mature coffee cherries, an essential step to ensure the quality of the coffee. Our skilled pickers carefully select the cherries at their optimal ripeness, harvesting each cherry by hand, one at a time! Once the harvesting is complete, the coffee is brought to the wet mill on site.
Wet Milling- Occurs November to February
Upon arrival at the wet mill, the coffee cherries are measured by gallon or weight in order to determine the wages earned by each picker. Then, the coffee cherries are transferred to the wet mill hopper, where they pass through a screen that separates the good cherries from the defects. The selected coffee cherries are moved through elevators to the pulper, which separates the pulp from the 2 coffee beans inside each cherry. The pulp is directed through a conveyor belt further processing, while the coffee beans are sent to a fermentation tub. After 12-18 hours of fermentation, the coffee is washed in a mechanical washer. Then, the coffee is transported via pipes (gravity driven) to the cement patio. From there, the wet coffee is loaded onto wheel barrels to begin pre-drying in the patio, where it loses a percentage of water. Then, the coffee, is transferred to mechanical dryers to continue the drying process where the team measures humidity and water activity to ensure the optimal conditions and ensure the longest shelf life of the green coffee.
Quality Control
We take pride in our rigorous quality control process, which begins with a thorough examination of the dried coffee in parchment form. Our Q-Grader evaluates the coffee's humidity and water activity levels, cleanliness, acidity, and other attributes, assigning a cup score based on SCA standards. Only when our quality control team gives the "green light" we carefully package the parchment coffee in nylon sacks with GrainPro bag liners, ensuring optimal freshness and protection (the sacks are sawn shut). Each sack is sawn and weighted and released into finished goods inventory for storage. Once you order green bean, we carefully hull and classify the coffee beans according to screen size, density, and color using state-of-the-art equipment, including an electronic sorter. We now repeat our quality control checks to guarantee that the coffee meets all specifications before we start packing for export. This attention to detail ensures that every bean meets our high standards.
Packaging and Exportation
Once quality control confirms that the coffee meets all specifications, the coffee is discharged and weighed into GrainPro bags and jute sacks and is ready for exportation. The staff will load our farm trucks, which will transport the coffee to a place where we will cross-dock into containers for transport to the port of Honduras (Puerto Cortes).
Commitment to Excellence
Each stage of the process is designed to ensure that the coffee maintains its exceptional characteristics and arrives at its destination in perfect condition. Our team works with care and passion to guarantee that every coffee bean receives the attention it deserves. From flowering, bean development, harvesting to your roaster, the coffee journey is a journey full of dedication and attention to detail. So, the next time you indulge in your favorite cup of coffee, remember the incredible journey it took to get to you and appreciate the effort behind every bean! We are confident that with our meticulous processing and quality control, our coffee beans will elevate your blends and delight your customers. Partner with us to experience the difference that exceptional quality and dedication can make.
If you are not yet buying from us, please support our farm by roasting our family's coffee. Request samples at the bottom of our website https://www.fincatcoffee.com or email Al al@fincatcoffee.com harry@fincatcoffee.com. We're expecting to sell out of our washed coffee again this year, so be sure to reach out to Harry to discuss booking and secure the volumes you need.