Producing delicious specialty coffee hinges on maintaining high standards throughout the supply chain, making it crucial to harvest coffee beans exclusively from the ripest cherries.
There are various methods for picking coffee cherries, with producers opting for either hand-harvested techniques or mechanized ones. The choice between these two methods significantly affects the quality of the coffee, production costs, and the environmental and social implications associated with the harvesting process.
What Is Hand-Harvested?
Manual coffee picking, often referred to as hand-harvested, involves laborers harvesting the cherries directly by hand. On some farms, workers may gather all the cherries in a single pass using a technique called strip picking. This method involves wrapping their hand around the base of a branch and pulling along it to remove all the cherries at once, typically resulting in commodity-grade coffee.
In contrast, farms aimed at the specialty market focus on picking only the ripe cherries. This hand-harvested approach ensures that the coffee has sweeter and more complex flavors, as the sugars have had time to develop fully. To achieve this, pickers must conduct multiple harvests to collect cherries as they ripen, a method known as selective picking.
While manual coffee picking is prevalent in many countries, including my home country of El Salvador, there are some exceptions to this practice.
What is The Process Of Mechanized Harvesting?
There are two main types of machines utilized for mechanized coffee picking.
Derricadeiras are compact, handheld devices that resemble a long stick with two large vibrating “hands” at the end. Workers will set up plastic or canvas sheets underneath the coffee trees to catch any falling cherries. Once in position, they activate the derricadeira and bring it close to the coffee branches, using the vibrations to dislodge the cherries.
The second type of machine used for coffee harvesting is the stripping machine. These larger machines are typically driven around the farm, allowing them to collect a greater volume of coffee in a shorter amount of time. They utilize rotating and vibrating rods to dislodge the cherries, which are then captured and transferred to a holding bin through a system of plates and pipes.
While stripping machines are efficient, their use is limited by the topography of the land, as they can only operate on relatively flat terrain.
Mechanized harvesting is prevalent in regions like Brazil, Hawaii, and on large farms, and it is primarily associated with commodity coffee production. However, some farms also employ these machines for specialty-grade coffee, even when hand-harvested methods might yield better quality.
Earlier this year, I attended the Brazil & Sustainable Coffee Conference, where I had the opportunity to visit the Cooxupe coffee cooperative. I also spoke with Ricardo Pereira, Director of Specialty Coffee at Ally Coffee, who shared insights on the advantages and disadvantages of using mechanical harvesters compared to hand-harvested techniques.
Which Harvesting Approach Is Optimal For Quality?
The significance of using only ripe coffee cherries cannot be overstated. Cherries that are under-ripe or over-ripe can introduce undesirable flavors and may be classified as defects. This can lead to a decrease in balance, consistency, and complexity in the final cup. If a coffee sample contains too many defects, it may lose its specialty designation.
As a result, most specialty coffee farmers opt for selective picking, which is often a hand-harvested approach. This method is highly recommended by specialty buyers since strip picking and mechanized harvesting often result in the collection of both under-ripe and over-ripe cherries.
In addition to gathering ripe cherries, coffee pickers can assess the health of the coffee trees, including branch and leaf conditions, signs of pest infestations, and early warnings of plant diseases or fungi. This information is vital for maintaining plant health and ensuring coffee quality, necessitating regular crop inspections.
However, it’s important to note that other harvesting methods can still yield quality coffee. For instance, producers can enhance post-harvesting quality control by utilizing water tanks to separate cherries based on ripeness or manually sorting them. Any under-ripe cherries would be removed rather than left to ripen on the branch.
Ricardo Pereira also mentions, “With mechanical harvesting, you can adjust the vibration rates and the speed of the arms in the machine to ensure that only the ripest cherries are collected, similar to what a hand-harvested approach would achieve.”
Additionally, since the cherries at the top of the tree tend to ripen first, another effective strategy is to harvest the higher branches initially, followed by the lower branches later in the season.
…Higher Yield?
Coffee farmers must balance productivity with quality, as the two are closely linked. The longer it takes to harvest coffee cherries, the higher the risk of them becoming overripe or even falling from the branch.
Mechanization can be seen as a more productive option since machines can pick coffee more quickly and cover larger areas, which is especially beneficial for larger farms. However, the quality achieved through hand-harvested methods often outweighs the speed of mechanization.
However, mechanized harvesting may require more time and effort during post-processing, potentially reducing overall efficiency. Additionally, it could lead to lower crop yields if under-ripe cherries are discarded after harvesting.
In contrast, with selective hand-harvested picking, under-ripe cherries don’t have to be removed during processing (though using water tanks or flotation methods to eliminate defective cherries is still advisable). This technique allows unripe cherries to remain on the branch to mature for future harvesting, ultimately boosting crop yields.
Nonetheless, labor shortages can result in some coffee being left unpicked, leading to lost crops and diminished profits.
…More Lucrative?
Whether dealing with commodity or specialty-grade farming, it’s crucial to weigh the costs of harvesting against the financial benefits derived from higher quality or productivity.
In Minas Gerais, Brazil, the average monthly wage for a coffee picker is R$1540, roughly equivalent to US $465 (Global Living Wage Coalition, 2016). Farm owners also provide transportation and other benefits, which can influence the decision between mechanized and hand-harvested methods.
Additionally, as Ricardo points out, “Rural labor is becoming scarce. Today, many people prefer city life, pursue higher education, and seek to avoid farm work.”
This trend makes mechanized harvesting a potentially cost-effective solution for Brazil, especially given the size of some coffee farms. However, it’s essential to factor in the initial investment for the machinery and its maintenance costs over time compared to the costs associated with hand-harvested labor.
Conversely, in certain coffee-producing countries, labor is less expensive, and there is a larger pool of rural workers. In El Salvador, for example, a coffee picker earns around US $120 per month, making it significantly more affordable to hire workers for the harvest compared to mechanized options.
…More Eco-Friendly?
Determining which method is more sustainable is challenging, especially given the various dimensions of sustainability. In terms of social sustainability, hand-harvested methods create more jobs on the farm. However, it’s essential to evaluate whether these jobs are well-compensated and provide a good quality of life for workers.
Environmental sustainability is also critical for coffee producers, as they must contend with the long-term effects of harmful farming practices. While all machinery has some environmental impact, certain equipment is designed to be more efficient. For instance, low carbon emission machines are now available, which can be a more sustainable option than traditional methods, but still may not match the eco-friendliness of hand-harvested practices.
Carlos Alberto Paulino da Costa, President of Cooxupé in Brazil, explains that cooperatives can collaborate with organizations to enhance their environmental practices. His cooperative partners with BASF Crop Protection for this purpose.
“Sustainability aligns with the primary demands of both the market and society,” he notes. It’s vital for coffee producers, and increasingly, it’s a requirement that many buyers are looking for.
Which Coffee Picking Method Reigns Supreme?
In my view, asking a producer which method is better might not be the most insightful question. Instead, it’s important to consider factors such as the availability of mechanization, the affordability of labor, the farm’s specific goals, and its conditions and topography.
While it’s possible to make broad statements about coffee quality and costs, farmers must assess the overall impact on their operations.
More pertinent questions would be: Is this coffee picking method suitable for your specific situation? And are you utilizing it effectively to achieve your objectives, including quality, sustainability, and productivity, whether through hand-harvested methods or mechanization?