Agriculture and Agribusiness

Coffee Production and Post Harvest Processing

Coffee earns a premium for cup quality, and cup quality is destroyed far more often in the two days after picking than in the two years of growing that preceded it. This course gives the post harvest stage the weight it deserves. Delegates work through variety and altitude, establishment, shade management and the pruning cycle that sustains bearing. Nutrition and the biennial bearing pattern are addressed. Pest and disease control is covered, including coffee berry disease and leaf rust. Picking is addressed as a quality decision: selective picking of ripe cherry against strip picking, and what each does to the cup. Processing follows in detail across washed, natural and honey methods, covering pulping, fermentation, washing, drying rate and moisture target. Drying is treated carefully, since over rapid drying and re wetting both cause defects. Hulling, grading and defect counting are covered. Cupping is introduced so growers understand the assessment their price rests on. The course closes on traceability, certification and specialty market access.