How Coffee Beans Are Picked, Processed and Dried

When you sip your morning espresso, you’re tasting the seed inside a fruit — not just any fruit, but a bright red coffee cherry. But how does that cherry become the green bean you roast? From the tree to the parchment layer, every stage shapes your coffee’s flavor. Let’s break down how coffee goes from cherry to green bean ready for roasting.

To make specialty-grade green coffee, ripe cherries are picked, depulped (or not), fermented, washed or dried, and then sorted — usually over a period of 2–4 weeks depending on the method. Most coffee is harvested once a year and processed either by the sun or water. Each choice impacts flavor, body and sweetness.

What Is a Coffee Bean, Really?

The coffee ‘bean’ is the seed of a fruit called the coffee cherry. These cherries grow in clusters on branches. The outer skin (exocarp) is thick and bitter. Beneath that lies the fruity, grape-like mesocarp. Next is a sticky layer called the parenchyma, similar to honey in texture, protecting the bean. The actual coffee seeds are covered in a thin, paper-like layer called the endocarp (parchment), shielding two green coffee beans per cherry. Each bean also has a silvery skin called the silver skin or seed coat.

When and How Are Coffee Cherries Harvested?

Coffee cherries are typically harvested once a year, with timing based on location. In the northern hemisphere, harvest runs from September to March. In the southern hemisphere, it’s April to May. Most coffee is hand-picked, either by stripping all cherries from a branch or — more selectively and expensively — choosing only perfectly ripe ones. Selective picking is usually reserved for high-quality Arabica.

Two Ways to Process Coffee: Natural vs Washed

Natural (Dry) Process

The simplest and most economical method: harvested cherries are spread out in the sun on patios or raised beds. Workers rake them regularly to ensure even drying. Over 7 to 10 days, the cherries dry until their moisture level drops to around 11%. During this time, the skins turn yellowish and the beans inside loosen, making a rattling sound as they dry fully.

Washed (Wet) Process

In the washed method, the fruit’s pulp is removed within 24 hours of harvest. This is done using a pulper machine that strips the skin and flesh. The beans are then placed in fermentation tanks for 12 to 48 hours, where natural enzymes break down the sticky mucilage (parenchyma) layer. Once fermented, the beans are either sun-dried or machine-dried. At this stage, the beans are still coated in their protective parchment layer.

Drying, Sorting and Exporting Green Coffee

After drying — whether via the natural or washed process — all the outer layers (skin, pulp, mucilage and parchment) are removed in a step called hulling or peeling. Sometimes a machine removes any remaining silver skin. The beans are then sorted by size and density: heavier, denser beans typically indicate higher quality. Sorting may be done by hand on conveyor belts or with fans that blow away lighter (often defective) beans.

The final product is green coffee — unroasted beans that are exported and stored in jute or hessian sacks, or large plastic shipping containers. Globally, around 7 million metric tons of green coffee are shipped annually.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to dry coffee cherries naturally?

Drying coffee cherries using the natural (dry) process takes about 7 to 10 days under the sun, during which the moisture content is reduced to around 11%.

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

Natural processing dries the whole coffee cherry in the sun with the fruit left on the bean, creating a sweeter, fruitier cup. Washed processing removes the fruit within 24 hours and ferments the beans to clean the mucilage, resulting in a cleaner, brighter flavor profile.

When is coffee usually harvested?

Coffee is typically harvested once a year. In the northern hemisphere, it’s harvested from September to March; in the southern hemisphere, from April to May.

Are coffee beans manually or mechanically picked?

Most coffee is hand-picked, either by stripping all cherries off a branch or selectively picking only ripe ones. Selective picking is costlier and mainly used for high-end Arabica.

What happens after coffee is dried?

After drying, the coffee undergoes hulling to remove all outer layers including parchment and silver skin. It is then sorted by size and density before being packed in jute sacks or containers for export.

How much green coffee is shipped globally each year?

Approximately 7 million metric tons of green coffee are shipped around the world annually.

FrontStreet Coffee Beans Processed Naturally

Explore FrontStreet Coffee’s natural-processed beans to taste how sun-drying amplifies sweetness and fruit. The Ethiopia Humbera highlights floral and citrus notes with medium-bodied sweetness typical of high-altitude Ethiopian sun drying. The Yirgacheffe Red Cherry (YirgacheffeRed Cherry) offers tropical fruit and fermentation depth after 27–30 days on raised beds. For earthier richness, try the 2013 Yunnan Arabica , a sun-dried classic with berry, almond and tea-like balance. All showcase the hallmark body and complexity of natural processing. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.