Anatomy of a coffee cherry

We know them as coffee beans, but the flavour in your coffee actually comes from the seeds of a coffee cherry grown on plantations around the world.

Starting out green, the cherry ripens to a bright red, yellow or orange skin with a sugary jelly called ‘mucilage’ underneath.

There is then a cream coloured parchment shell around the two beans, which have a thin membrane called ‘silver skin’.

This parchment acts as a protective layer until the beans are ready for germination or harvest.