our coffee processing

For the first part of the coffee season up to about mid-December the coffee red cherries are carefully harvested; to be processed as semi-washed coffee using modern Brazilian “eco-friendly” equipment that uses minimum spring water, before going to the coffee beds, for drying in the Ethiopian highland sunshine. There is no need for machine-drying in Amaro. The residues from the washing process are composted for re-cycling into the coffee-growing process.

Care in the drying process is important in order to achieve acceptable moisture content. Semi-washed coffee beans from the washing process (not fermentation) are dried on raised beds, an essential way to dry the coffee for they allow no contact with the ground, resulting in a much cleaner coffee. The beds also provide an even aeration, in which dry air can reach the beans from both above and below.

For coffee red cherries that do not go through the washing process, they are harvested and sent directly to the drying beds. After the red cherry harvesting phase is finalized about mid-December, the sun-dried berries continue to be processed. The coffee beans are sorted and cleaned to ensure that the coffee green beans meet export standards for specialty coffee.