How Coffee Beans Are Harvested and Processed From Fruit to Green Bean

Coffee doesn’t grow as beans—it comes from bright red fruits called coffee cherries. Each cherry holds two seeds, the actual ‘coffee beans’ we roast. But before they can be brewed, those seeds must be carefully harvested, processed, and dried. If you’ve ever wondered how your espresso or pour-over starts life on a tree, here’s exactly what happens between cherry and roast.

Coffee cherries turn bright red when ripe and are typically harvested once a year. They’re picked by hand—either strip-picked (all at once) or selectively (only ripe cherries)—then processed using either the natural (dry) or washed (wet) method. After processing, beans are dried to 11% moisture, hulled, sorted, and shipped as green coffee.

What Is a Coffee Bean, Really?

The coffee bean is the seed inside a fruit very similar to a cherry. These coffee cherries grow in clusters on branches. Each cherry has an outer skin (exocarp) that’s thick and bitter. Beneath that lies a sweet, grape-like pulp (mesocarp), followed by a sticky, honey-like layer called the parenchyma that protects the beans. The beans themselves are encased in a parchment-like shell (endocarp) that shields a pair of green coffee seeds. Each bean is also covered by a thin membrane called the silverskin or seed coat.

When and How Are Coffee Cherries Picked?

Coffee is usually harvested once a year, depending on location. In the northern hemisphere, harvest runs from September to March; in the southern hemisphere, it’s April to May. Most coffee is picked by hand. There are two common methods: strip picking, where all cherries are removed from a branch at once, and selective picking, where only ripe (bright red) cherries are chosen. Selective harvesting is more labor-intensive and is generally reserved for high-quality Arabica beans.

How Coffee Cherries Are Processed: Natural vs Washed Methods

Once harvested, coffee cherries must be processed to remove the fruit and dry the beans. There are two primary methods:

Natural (Dry) Process

In the natural method, the simplest and most economical approach, whole coffee cherries are spread out in the sun to dry. Workers regularly rake and turn the cherries over a period of seven to ten days until their moisture level drops to around 11%. As they dry, the outer skins turn yellowish, and the beans inside loosen and rattle.

Washed (Wet) Process

The washed method removes the fruit pulp within 24 hours of harvest. A pulping machine strips the outer skin and pulp, then the beans are placed in fermentation tanks for 12 to 48 hours. Natural enzymes break down the sticky mucilage layer around the parchment. After fermentation, the beans are either sun-dried or machine-dried.

How Coffee Beans Are Dried, Sorted, and Shipped

After processing, whether natural or washed, the beans must be dried. Once fully dried, all remaining layers—the parchment, silverskin, and any residual fruit—are removed in a step called hulling. Occasionally, specialized machines remove the last fine silverskin. The beans are then sorted by size and density, often using vibrating screens or air blowers to separate lighter (defective) beans from heavier, higher-quality ones.

The final product is green coffee—unroasted beans ready for export. These are typically packed in jute or burlap sacks, or large plastic shipping containers. Globally, around 7 million metric tons of green coffee are shipped every year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a coffee bean look like inside the cherry?

A coffee bean is actually a seed found inside a coffee cherry, which looks similar to a small red berry. Each cherry usually holds two green coffee beans covered by a sweet pulp, a sticky mucilage layer, a parchment shell, and a thin silverskin. The outer skin is bitter and thick, while the inner fruit is sweet like grapes.

How are coffee cherries harvested?

Coffee cherries are mostly picked by hand. There are two methods: strip picking (removing all cherries from a branch at once) and selective picking (harvesting only fully red, ripe cherries). Selective picking is more labor-intensive and is usually used for high-grade Arabica beans.

What’s the difference between natural and washed coffee processing?

The natural (dry) process involves drying whole coffee cherries in the sun until the moisture level reaches about 11%, while the washed (wet) process removes the fruit and pulp within 24 hours of harvest, ferments the beans to remove mucilage, and then dries the beans. Natural processing enhances fruity flavors; washed processing highlights cleaner, brighter profiles.

How long does it take to dry coffee beans?

In the natural process, drying coffee cherries takes about 7 to 10 days in the sun with regular raking. For washed beans, drying (either sun or machine) happens after fermentation and can vary in time depending on climate and method, but typically also takes several days.

What happens after coffee beans are dried?

Once dried, coffee beans go through hulling to remove all outer layers including parchment and silverskin. They are then sorted by size and weight, often using screens or air blowers. The final cleaned and sorted beans are green coffee, packed and shipped for roasting worldwide.

How much green coffee is shipped globally each year?

Approximately 7 million metric tons of green coffee are shipped around the world annually. These are unroasted beans packed in jute, burlap, or large plastic containers for global distribution.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee Beans for Natural Processing

For fans of natural-process coffee, try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Red Cherry, a bright, juicy Ethiopian lot dried on raised beds to highlight tropical fruit and floral notes. The Ethiopia Humbera is another stellar example, offering delicate florals, citrus, and honey-like sweetness with medium body. For something earthier and more stable, the Brazil Queen Manor showcases caramelized sugar, bold nuttiness, and chocolate tones with low acidity. All are excellent representations of how natural drying shapes coffee flavor. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.