Process diagram: Coffee processing

The diagram illustrates how coffee beans are processed before they are exported, in eight stages.

Overall, the process is linear. The coffee cherries are picked and cleaned by a series of treatments, and the dried beans are then graded and packed in sacks for export. The first four stages deal with the wet processing of the cherries, while the last four prepare the dry beans for export.

First, ripe red cherries are harvested. Machines then remove the outer skin in the pulping stage, and the beans are soaked in tanks so that the pulp is loosened. Following fermentation, the beans are rinsed in clean water, which washes away the residue.

In the next stage, the beans are dried on raised beds in the sun, so they are dried naturally rather than by machine. The parchment layer is then removed by hulling.

In the final two stages, the beans are sorted by size and quality, a stage called grading, and the green beans are then packed into sacks, ready to be exported.