Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers handpick ripe cherry. Some farmers have processing set ups at home but most cherry is collected and brought to larger washing stations or processing centers. At the processing center, cherry laid to dry. Parchment is dried either on raised beds or on patios. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying.
India – AB
AB grade in India means parchment is screen sizes 15 and 17.
Rainforest Alliance
RFA stands for Rainforest Alliance, a certification system that emphasizes climate-smart agriculture. RFA farms have at least 40% of land covered by canopy, significant species diversity (at least 12 native tree species per hectare, on average) and a system of natural vegetation buffers between agricultural land and bodies of water. The farms also use organic fertilizers.
Coffee in India
Though India is typically perceived as a tea-growing and drinking country, coffee production in the country actually predates tea. Records indicate that coffee first arrived in India in the 1600s, whereas tea did not arrive until more than 200 years later, in 1839. What does unite the two drinks, however, is that the British thirst for cheaper, more plentiful tea and coffee were the major reason that they were both first widely cultivated on plantations across India.
Coffee farms are typically situated between 700 and 1,200 meters above sea level. Most coffee cultivation is ‘traditional’ and two-tier shade canopies are mixed with leguminous, nitrogen-fixing trees. In this method, it is very common for coffee trees to be intercropped with spices (like vanilla or pepper) and fruit trees.
After harvest, which is most often done by hand by family members or hired laborers, cherry is usually processed as Natural or Fully washed. Most farms dry coffee on patios or tables, though some of the larger estates also have mechanical dryers.
Today, approximately 30% of coffee production is consumed internally. The other 70% is prepared for export.