From Cherry to Cup • How Coffee Is Made
Good coffee · Honest work · Shared responsibility
A cup of coffee represents many people and many careful steps. Follow this simple guide, with photographs and videos from our October 2026 Colombia trip.
These are general stages of coffee production. Processing methods vary; each linked gallery shows what we observed at that particular visit.
1. Growing and harvesting
Coffee beans are the seeds inside a fruit called a coffee cherry. Growing healthy plants and picking cherries at the right stage are the first steps toward a good cup.
2. Processing the cherries
After harvest, coffee is processed to separate and prepare the seeds. Depending on the method, producers may remove the fruit before drying or dry the coffee with some or all of the fruit still attached. The method varies by farm and lot.
3. Drying
Coffee must be dried carefully before storage and further preparation. Our La Playita photographs show coffee spread across raised trays in a covered drying area.
4. Milling and preparing green coffee
Dried coffee is hulled to remove the remaining protective layers, then sorted and prepared as green coffee for roasting. The exact sequence depends on the processing method.
5. Tasting and evaluating
Cupping helps people compare coffees and evaluate their qualities. Our AGROTATAMÁ visit offered a closer look at the tasting table and sample coffees.
6. Roasting, grinding, and brewing
Roasting develops the aromas and flavors in green coffee. We roast our in-house Reserve coffees in Ohio, then offer whole-bean or ground coffee for your preferred brewing method.
Bring the story home
Explore our Country Casa Reserve Collection and the Colombian origins behind each coffee.
Shop the Reserve CollectionExplore the farm galleries