Your morning coffee makes a long, meticulous journey before it reaches your mug. From high-altitude mountains in Guatemala to the lush forests of Sumatra, coffee is a remarkable plant that requires precise climate, soil, and care to thrive.
Understanding how it’s grown and why sustainable farming practices matter can unlock a deeper appreciation for every sip. Pour a mug and join us as we explore the journey of coffee from seed to harvest and how that shapes the flavors in your cup.
Where Does Coffee Grow?
Coffee is grown in the “Coffee Belt,” which are the tropical latitudes in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
At Dean’s Beans, we source coffees from farmer partners in all three major production areas:
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Latin America: Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Peru.
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Southeast Asia: Sumatra, India, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea.
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Africa: Ethiopia.
For a taste of Mexico, try our Birdwatcher’s Blend, a smooth, nutty pairing of Mexican Chiapas and Guatemalan Huehuetenango beans. If you’re after something bolder, our Ring of Fire blend brings together volcanic-soil coffees from Indonesia, Timor and Papua New Guinea for a full-bodied dark chocolate cup. And for a bright, single-origin cup from Ethiopia, our Ethiopian Oromia offers floral, fruity, and subtly smoky notes.
What Does a Coffee Plant Need to Thrive?
What the plants need to thrive depends partly on the species grown, which are mostly Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora).
Climate
Climate is probably the most important factor. No coffee variety can withstand prolonged freezing temperatures of 32°F (0°C), and most thrive between 73°F and 82°F (23–28°C).
Arabica trees require annual rainfall between about 60” and 80" (1,500–2,000 mm), along with a 2–3 month dry season. Robusta is hardier and can tolerate less rain and hotter temperatures.
Altitude
Arabica thrives in cool, subtropical climates, so it must be grown at higher elevations between 2,000 and 6,500 feet (600–2,000m) to escape the heat. The cooler air slows cherry growth, allowing beans more time to develop complex sugars and pleasant acidity.
Robusta prefers warmer lowland climates, thriving between sea level and 2,000ft (600m).
Shade
Coffee is a small tree that in nature typically grows under the canopy of other trees. Sustainable coffee farms work with that natural growing habitat by planting coffee under shade trees, allowing the fruit to mature more slowly while supporting a healthier, more diverse ecosystem.
While coffee farms often grow monocultures (large fields of a single crop, grown without other plants for shade or diversity) in the sun for higher yields, those farms are often more susceptible to certain diseases, like brown eye spot, dieback syndrome, and leaf blight, making them heavily reliant on synthetic chemicals.
Soil
Coffee trees have deep roots requiring fertile, well-draining soil. Volcanic soils are prized in growing regions like Central America, Colombia, and the East African Rift Valley for their high nutrients and porous structure. In non-volcanic soils, healthy coffee-growing soils rely on deep layers of organic matter and compost.
Organic vs. Conventional Growing
Organic farming works with the ecosystem, relying on compost, organic fertilizers, and healthy soil to feed the plants along with mechanical weed suppression methods like intercropping, hand-weeding, and even goats. Instead of pesticides, a biodiverse ecosystem is far less prone to pests, and if pests do become unbalanced, natural pest management methods are used.
Conventional farms rely heavily on synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to maximize yield. However, this approach degrades the soil and destroys biodiversity habitat, creating a vicious cycle requiring more chemicals to manage pest populations since the chemicals eliminate many of the beneficial insects that are natural enemies of coffee pests.
At Dean’s Beans, we prioritize caring for the planet, sourcing from farming cooperatives all over the world who share the same values, like organic, sustainable, and shade-grown farms, which also helps create sustainable communities.
How Coffee Is Grown: From Seedling to Harvest
Planting
Coffee seedlings are started in shaded nurseries to protect them from bright sunlight before carefully planting them outdoors during the rainy season. Once in the ground, how those young trees are grown alongside other plants shapes the farm for decades to come.
Shade-grown farms typically involve intercropping with other trees, which can be used for fruit or timber harvest to supplement the farmer’s income. However, a mix of tree species and structure, including native trees, is encouraged for stable agroecosystems, and it’s critical for overall diversity and Bird Friendly® coffees.
Flowering
It takes about 3–4 years for new trees to flower and bear fruit. In many regions, the arrival of the rainy season triggers mass flowering, which may only last a few days, covering the fields in delicate, fragrant white blossoms reminiscent of jasmine or orange blossoms.
Arabica is self-fertile, meaning it can pollinate its own flowers, though native bees still help boost crop yield. Robusta, on the other hand, can’t self-pollinate. It depends entirely on bees, wasps, butterflies, and the wind to carry pollen between flowers.
Cherry Development
After flowering, it takes 6–9 months for Arabica fruits to mature, though they tend to yield less, while the higher-yielding Robusta takes 8–10 months. As the cherries develop, they shift from hard and green to soft and deep red or purplish once ripe, with sugars and acids building steadily inside the fruit along the way.
This slow transformation is where a lot of a coffee’s eventual flavor gets shaped. Cherries that mature gradually (especially at higher, cooler elevations) have more time to develop complex sugars. This is part of why altitude and shade matter so much to the final cup.
Harvesting
The cherries are usually harvested by hand in shade-grown farms, where pickers selectively choose only the ripest cherries, since unripe cherries can lead to quakers (pale, underdeveloped beans that don’t roast properly and count as defects). Too many defects can knock a coffee out of specialty grade, so timing the harvest matters as much as the harvest itself. On large, sun-grown farms with flat terrain, cherries are usually harvested with machines, which pick cherries indiscriminately regardless of ripeness.
Most regions get one cherry harvest per year, but locations like Colombia might get a main harvest and a secondary harvest.
How Coffee Is Processed After Harvest
It’s the seeds inside the cherries, what people call “beans,” that we use for coffee. How the cherries are processed to separate the beans produces slightly different flavors.
Washed (Wet) Process
The washed or wet process is used in areas with abundant water and involves several steps. Farmers remove the fruit’s pulp, then immerse the beans in water to partially ferment and decompose any remaining pulp. The beans are then washed and dried in the sun before the parchment layer (a thin dry skin around the seed) is removed. This method tends to produce clear, bright flavors.
Natural (Dry) Process
The natural or dry method is where freshly picked cherries are laid out in the sun to dry directly. It’s often used in places like Ethiopia, where there’s plenty of sunshine but limited water. Once dried, the cherries are hulled to remove the pulp and parchment from the beans. Drying the beans with the fruit intact tends to impart more fruit-forward flavors.
Honey or Semi-Washed Process
The honey process is a hybrid method where some of the pulp is removed in a wet process, but a sticky layer is left behind, which turns golden brown and looks like honey. Once dried, those outer honey and parchment layers are removed. This method tends to produce cups with both sweetness and clean clarity.
Wet-Hulling
This technique is a traditional process unique to humid areas like Sumatra, where the constant rainfall makes drying challenging. Here, they pulp the fruit and only partially dry the beans before removing the parchment while the bean is still soft and wet. Then they dry the naked, moist beans. This tends to produce rich and earthy coffees with notes of dark chocolate.
Who Grows Your Coffee?
We source our beans through long-term partnerships with farming cooperatives, supporting sustainable coffee and communities through our People-Centered Development model. We practice what we source: Dean’s Beans is a Certified B Corporation and an active member of the Fair Trade Federation, holding ourselves to the same standards of accountability and fair partnership we ask of the cooperatives that we work with.
Every cooperative below grows certified organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown coffee, each with its own signature profile.
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The Cooperativa del Sur del Cauca (CoSurCa) in Colombia produces coffees with balanced flavor notes of caramel, red fruit, and citrus.
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The Sidama Union in Ethiopia produces natural-process coffees founded in tradition that highlight vibrant notes of blueberry, florals, and citrus, balanced by a lively acidity and tea-like body.
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Our Guatemalan coffees come from the Asociación Barillense de Agricultores (ASOBAGRI) cooperative, producing full-bodied brews with notes of citrus, cocoa, and baking spices.
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The Café Orgánico Marcala Sociedad Anónima (COMSA) cooperative in Honduras produces well-balanced coffees with notes of caramel, stone fruit, and chocolate.
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The Cooperativa de Producción Tzeltal-Tzotzil in Mexico, made of indigenous farms in Chiapas, produces medium-bodied coffees with notes of nuts and chocolate.
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The Promotora de Desarrollo Cooperativo de las Segovias (PRODECOOP) produces our Nicaraguan coffees, smooth brews with notes of cocoa, almond, and apple.
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The Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa in Peru produces beans with notes of cocoa, toasted nuts, and citrus.
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The Koperasi Gayo Lauser Antara (KGLA) produces our Sumatran coffees, bold and earthy with herbal depth, notes of dark chocolate and spice, and a full body with low acidity.
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Our East Timor coffees come from the Cooperativá Café Timor (CCT), who produces beans with a full body and notes of dried fruit and spice.
Why Growing Practices Matter for Your Cup
When coffee is grown with respect for the land, it supports sustainable farming communities, but we also get to enjoy richer, sweeter, more complex cups with more vibrant flavor notes.
Shade-grown coffee matures more slowly, allowing the cherries more time to develop natural sugars, organic acids, and nuanced flavor notes. High elevations and nutrient-rich volcanic soils or healthy soils rich in organic matter allow them to grow flavor-packed beans with lively acidity and distinct regional character. Meticulous harvesting and processing helps preserve the origin characteristics while allowing different flavor notes to shine through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Do Coffee Beans Come From?
Coffee beans come from the seeds of the coffee cherry that grows on trees throughout the tropics in a region called the coffee belt. Tropical latitudes have the ideal stable year-round mild temperatures and enough rainfall to produce delicious coffees.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Coffee?
Coffee trees take about 3–4 years to produce fruit after planting. After flowering it takes between 6 and 10 months for the fruits to mature, depending on the variety, growing method, and location, so most growers get a single harvest every year.
How Many Pounds of Coffee Cherries Equal One Pound of Roasted Coffee?
The exact ratio varies by variety, processing method, moisture levels, and roast level. What matters more to us than a fixed number is quality. That’s what our cooperative partners prioritize at every stage, from harvest through processing, so every batch we roast reflects careful, patient work.
Discover Organic, Fair Trade Coffees Grown by the People Who Know Them Best
The journey of coffee from seedling to delicate, fragrant blossoms to a meticulously processed bean is a testament to the skill and dedication of smallholder farmers. Factors like shade, rich volcanic soils, organic farming, and traditional processing methods protect delicate ecosystems and shape the sweetness, acidity, and flavor notes in your cup.
Try Dean’s Beans certified organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown coffees sourced from long-term partnerships with farmer cooperatives to find your next favorite origin or blend grown by our skilled farmer partners.
