Calendar of coffee picking seasons
WHY COFFEE IS HARVESTED AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR
There are several influences on coffee cultivation. Coffee grows in several countries around the world, some of which are right on the equator, others not. And this also means that coffee ripens in different areas at different times throughout the year. The time when green coffee arrives at the roastery is also influenced by themethod of processing the coffee or the laying of the country of origin.
Remember, however, that with select coffees there are exceptions to every rule. So, occasionally you may encounter some coffee outside of its harvest time. Some coffee-producing countries lie right on the equator, which allows them to harvest coffee all year round. Other farms and cooperatives produce enough coffee to last the entire year, so there is little or no interruption in supply. Roasters therefore often indicate the harvest period on the coffee packaging in addition to the roasting date.
One of the rules of selective coffee is transparency of origin. This information can normally be found on the coffee package.
Inaddition to stable climatic conditions, the rainy and dry seasons alsohave an impact on the harvest , but these are not always entirely predictable. So it may happen that the harvest takes place slightly later because of the prolonged rainy season. As you will see below, some seasons are much shorter than others, which of course means there is less coffee and you can usually expect slightly higher prices for these coffees.
PROCESSING, RESTING AND TRANSPORT
But it's also important to note that knowing when the harvest season is is only part of what affects when a given coffee is available. Once harvested, coffee needs to be handled gently, carefully and patiently. Once dried, the coffee should rest for at least 30 to 60 days in a protective layer of parchment. If this time were to be accelerated, the coffee's flavour potential would be destroyed.
The coffee must then be packaged, sold and loaded into shipping containers and loaded onto ships that will bring the coffee closer to the roastery. In the case of some of the remote and far-flung places where our coffee comes from, this can take several months.
THE USUAL COFFEE HARVESTING SEASON IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
For the Democratic Republic of Congo, the main harvest period is typically between April and July. The secondary season starts in September and ends in January. Coffee is usually available to roasters from July onwards.
There are three coffee production systems in Ethiopia - forest, garden and plantation. The coffee harvest is usually betweenOctober and December.
Due to its meridian location, coffee can be harvested twice a year in Kenya. The main harvest takes place betweenMarch and July and the summer harvestbetween September and December.
Thedistribution of coffee from Rwanda faces a transport problem. Because it has no coastline of its own, Rwandan coffee must first be shipped 1 500 km overland to Mombasa in Kenya or Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. The coffee cherry harvest usually takes place between February and July. They are usually delivered to us from January onwards.
In Tanzania, coffee is grown in virtually all the highlands of the country. Farmers here harvest coffee between July and December.
In Uganda, the vast majority of coffee is processed at home by small farmers. The main harvest takes place between October and February and the secondary harvest between April and August.
Within a very short period ,Burundicoffee is usually available from roasters . Here, the harvest usually takes place between March and August. In recent years, however, there have been several problems, one of which is the long rainy season. In addition, most of the coffee trees are old. They were mostly planted in the 1930s and 1960s when Burundi was colonised by Belgium.
WHEN COFFEE IS HARVESTED IN CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES
One of the largest coffee producers in Central America is Costa Rica. It has 8 main growing areas where coffee is harvested from October to March.
In El Salvador, coffee is grown in seven areas, with a harvest period ranging from October to March. It is imported into the countries where it is subsequently roasted from July onwards.
Another country where choice coffee is grown is Guatemala. In eight separate growing regions, coffee cherries are harvested betweenNovember and April.
In Honduras, coffee cherries are grown in six regions. The coffee harvest here usually starts in November and ends in April.
Coffee production in Nicaragua is concentrated in the highlands of Matagalpa and Jinotega. And coffee is harvested here from December to March each year .
There are three coffee-growing regions in Panama. The coffee cherry harvest takes place between December and March.
HARVEST SEASON IN THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH AMERICA
TheBolivian coffee harvest usually takes place betweenJuly and November. However, Bolivia faces a number of problems, one of which is transport. Bolivia is a landlocked country and exports are usually made from Peru, which means that transport is not entirely straightforward. Shipments then usually arrive in Europe from January onwards.
Another country is Brazil, which is the largest coffee producer in the world. The harvest usually takes place betweenMay and September, but due to the abundance of coffee you will see it most of the year.
Colombian coffee is harvested almost year round depending on the region. Regions have different harvest seasons, with the main harvests usually taking place between October and February. In some other regions it is also from March to June. There is also a second harvest inColombia a few months later (mitaca), which again varies according to the region and microclimate.
Peru is currently the world's largest exporter of organic coffee, with around 90 000 hectares certified organic. The harvest usually takes place between March and September.
SEASONAL COFFEE HARVESTS IN ASIA
Thelargest coffee producer in Asia and the second largest in the world is Vietnam. Coffee is usually harvested from October to April.
Themain harvest season from July to September is typical forIndonesia. Coffee here is usually processed using the fully washed method. After harvesting, the 'Giling Basah' ('wet peeling') process is traditionally used.
In Sumatra, two crops are harvested each year. Farmers harvest the main crop betweenSeptember and October. The time for the secondary harvest usually comes in May and lasts until June. In Java, the harvest is usually fromJuly to September. The coffee from Indonesia is then usually available from March onwards.
COFFEE PICKING IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Thecoffee industry inPapua New Guinea employs more than 2.5 million people, almost half of the total population. The coffee harvest here begins in April and ends in September. Coffees of this origin are then on offer mostly from November onwards.
In Mexico, the vast majority of coffee is grown in four states, with the harvest taking place between November and March. It is then usually available from roasters at the end of April.