What is Coffee Harvesting?
Definition of coffee harvesting
Coffee harvesting is the process of collecting ripe coffee cherries from the coffee tree. It´s the beginning of the post-harvest journey and plays a critical role in determining the potential quality of the coffee. The timing, method, and precision of harvesting directly impact the flavour, consistency, and value of the final product.
What is coffee harvesting?
Coffee cherries don’t ripen all at once. On a single branch, you’ll often see green, ripe, and overripe cherries side by side. This makes harvesting a selective, labour-intensive task. The harvesting process involves choosing when and how cherries are picked and decisions vary depending on the region, altitude, climate, and the producer’s goals.
Coffee Harvesting methods
There are different ways coffee can be harvested. The choice of method affects quality and cost.
Selective hand-picking
In this method, only ripe cherries are picked by hand. This usually involves multiple passes through the same field over several weeks, allowing pickers to harvest cherries at their peak.
- High labour cost, but results in consistent, high-quality lots
- Most common method in specialty coffee-producing countries
Strip-picking
All cherries are stripped from the branch at once—either by hand or mechanically. This includes unripe and overripe cherries, which then require sorting later in the process.
- Faster and cheaper, but typically lower quality
- More common in commercial-scale production or regions with flat terrain suitable for machinery
Mechanical harvesting
Machines shake the coffee trees to remove the cherries. While increasingly efficient, especially on large farms in Brazil and parts of Central America, this method tends to be less selective.
- Suitable for flat, well-planned farms
- Requires post-harvest sorting to separate ripe cherries from underripe and overripe ones
Why harvesting matters
The quality of a coffee starts at the point of harvest. Picking cherries too early can result in astringency and grassy flavours, while overripe cherries may ferment and create off-notes. Precision in harvesting means more uniformity, better processing results, and higher cup scores.
Harvesting also affects yield, labour dynamics, and the broader sustainability of coffee production. A well-managed harvest supports both better flavour and better outcomes for producers and workers.
Harvesting in the specialty vs commercial sector
In the specialty sector, coffee harvesting is often slower and more selective, prioritising flavour and lot separation. In the commercial sector, time and volume tend to take precedence over cherry maturity or consistency.
In specialty coffee
- Cherries are picked based on ripeness, often over multiple passes
- Sorting and separation are done with care to maintain quality
- Harvest is usually coordinated closely with processing teams to ensure freshness
In commercial coffee
- Cherries are harvested in bulk, often regardless of ripeness
- Sorting is minimal or deferred to milling stages
- Focus is on maximising volume and reducing cost per kilo
Where Nordic Approach fits in
We work with producers and exporters who put great effort into the harvesting stage. That often means collaborating on training programs, paying premiums for selective picking, and adjusting harvest timing based on microclimate and maturation patterns.
We believe that investing in better harvesting practices pays off across the entire supply chain—with improved cup quality, traceability, and long-term sustainability for producers.