What Are Coffee Beans and How Are They Made?

If you’ve ever sipped a cup of coffee and wondered where it all starts, the answer lies in a small red or purple fruit grown on shrubs across the tropics. But how does that fruit become the coffee you drink? The journey from plant to cup involves botany, agriculture, processing methods, and global trade — all centered around the humble coffee bean.

Coffee beans are the seeds of berries from the Coffea plant, a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree. There are several species, but the vast majority of coffee consumed worldwide comes from just two: Arabica and Robusta. These beans are processed, traded, and roasted to create the beverages enjoyed in over 150 countries.

What Is Coffee and Where Does It Come From?

Coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family, genus Coffea. It’s a perennial evergreen shrub or small tree that’s been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Native to tropical regions of Africa, coffee cultivation began around 525 BCE by Arabs, who originally roasted and ate the beans. Large-scale cultivation started in the 15th century, and by the 18th century, coffee had spread across tropical and subtropical zones of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Today, it stands as the world’s most widely traded and consumed beverage crop.

How Are Coffee Beans Processed?

Coffee beans are the seeds found inside coffee cherries, and getting them ready for brewing involves one of two main methods: dry processing or wet processing.

Dry Processing (Natural Method)

This is the simpler method. Coffee cherries are either sun-dried or dried using electric drying equipment. Once dried, the outer fruit layers — including the skin, pulp, and parchment — are removed through threshing and screening, leaving behind cleaned, green coffee beans ready for sale.

Wet Processing (Washed Method)

Used in most producing regions, this method yields higher-quality beans. The steps are:

• Wash the fresh cherries in water
• Remove the skin using a depulper
• Ferment the beans to break down the mucilage (1–2 days depending on variety and climate)
• Rinse off any remaining sticky residue
• Dry the beans (either in the sun or using mechanical dryers)
• Remove the parchment layer
• Obtain the final green coffee bean

Fermentation times vary: typically 1 to 1.5 days for Arabica (smaller beans), and 1.5 to 2 days for larger-bean varieties. Too long causes sour flavors; too short leaves sticky residue, affecting drying and bean color.

What Are the Different Coffee Varieties?

The coffee plant has four main cultivated species, each contributing differently to the global coffee profile:

1. Arabica (Coffea arabica, Small Bean / )

Originating in Ethiopia, Arabica is a small evergreen shrub with sweet fruit and mild, aromatic beans. It has lower caffeine content, giving a smoother, less bitter cup. Arabica makes up over 80% of global coffee production and is mainly grown in Brazil and Colombia.

2. Robusta (Coffea canephora, also called Canephora or )

Native to the Congo rainforest, Robusta is a small tree with round or oval fruit that turns purple when ripe. Its beans have a thicker, tighter parchment layer and a stronger, more bitter flavor due to higher caffeine levels. Fermentation and processing must be carefully managed. Robusta is widely grown in Southeast Asia, India, and Africa.

3. Liberica (Coffea liberica, )

This tall tree produces large, oblong fruit that turns reddish-brown when ripe. The beans are harder to cultivate and have a strong, harsh flavor with medium caffeine content. Production is limited, mainly in Liberia, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

4. Excelsa / Ethereal Species (Coffea excelsa or )

Originally from the Chari River basin in Africa, this variety produces small fruit with a uniquely intense, slightly bitter flavor. It’s rarely cultivated today.

Globally, Arabica and Robusta dominate the market, with Arabica leading in both volume and value.

What About Coffee’s Global Role and Trade?

Coffee ranks as the world’s number one beverage crop by production, consumption, and economic value. Major producers are located in South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, with most exports coming from Central and South America. The United States is the largest coffee importer, followed by Japan, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Finland, and Norway.

The global coffee trade primarily deals in four products: green (raw) coffee beans, roasted beans, ground coffee, and instant coffee — with green beans making up the bulk of the trade.

In China, coffee cultivation began in Taiwan in 1884 and later expanded to Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and Yunnan. Annual production is around 2,600 metric tons, but domestic demand relies heavily on imports — about 12,000 metric tons of green beans and 700–800 metric tons of coffee products yearly, sourced mainly from Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. China also exports around 2,000 metric tons of coffee annually.

Coffee Cherry and Bean Structure

A coffee cherry is a small stone fruit, typically elliptical, measuring 9–14 mm in length. When ripe, it turns bright red or purple. Each cherry normally contains two seeds (beans), which are flat on one side with a central groove. The fruit consists of several layers:

• Outer skin (exocarp)
• Fleshy middle (mesocarp)
• Inner skin/parchment (endocarp or seed coat)
• Silverskin (thin membrane over the bean)
• Bean (endosperm or seed embryo)

The bean removed from its parchment is what we recognize as the green coffee bean sold commercially. The color and thickness of the seed coat help distinguish coffee varieties.

How Is Coffee Produced and Traded?

The global coffee industry measures quality and trade using standard specifications, especially for imported green beans. These include criteria for size, density, defects, and moisture content — though the specific contract standards referenced in the original article are not detailed here.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee Beans for Coffee Explorers

Explore the origins of coffee with FrontStreet Coffee’s single-origin offerings: try their Ethiopia Yirgacheffe for floral and citrus notes, or their Colombia Huila for balanced caramel and nutty tones. For a classic benchmark, their Brazil Santos showcases the smooth, low-acid profile typical of high-quality Arabica. These beans highlight the diversity rooted in the species and processing methods discussed in this article. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.