The journey to a high‑quality cup of coffee begins on the farm. Harvesting coffee cherries is a process that requires precise timing and meticulous care. Farmers must balance nature’s rhythm with hands-on expertise to ensure each cherry reaches its full potential.

At Merlo Coffee, we know exceptional coffee starts long before roasting. This guide explains how coffee cherries are harvested, why timing is critical, and how these early steps shape the flavours in your cup.

Importance of Timing

Timing is everything in coffee cherry harvesting. Ripe cherries have a short 10‑day window where natural sugars are fully developed, creating the sweet, complex flavours that define premium coffee.

• Too early: Beans are underdeveloped and sour
• Too late: Overripe cherries produce flat, muted flavours

Farmers plan harvests carefully to capture cherries at the exact moment of peak ripeness, setting the stage for quality at every later stage.

Common Coffee Cherry Harvesting Methods

Coffee farmers use several harvesting methods, each with its own impact on efficiency and final flavour.

Hand-Picking

• Selective and labour‑intensive
• Farmers pick only perfectly ripe cherries
• Produces the highest‑quality beans with premium sweetness
• Best for small farms or premium lots, but time‑consuming

Strip Picking

• Cherries are stripped from branches all at once, regardless of ripeness
• Faster than hand‑picking, ideal for larger plantations
• Requires post‑harvest sorting to separate unripe or overripe cherries
• Efficiency comes at the cost of more sorting and potential waste

Mechanical Harvesting

• Large machines shake cherries from the trees onto collection belts
• Speeds up harvests on extensive plantations
• Like strip picking, it needs careful post‑harvest sorting to remove unripe or defective cherries

Beyond the Harvest

Harvesting is just the first step. Once collected, all cherries must be sorted and graded:

• Unripe, overripe, or defective cherries are removed
• Cherries are separated by size for even processing
• Only the highest‑quality fruit continues to the next stage

This attention to detail ensures that by the time cherries reach processing and roasting, they are primed to deliver the rich, sweet flavours that define premium coffee.

Experience the Difference with Merlo Coffee

Every Merlo coffee begins its journey on the farm, where expert harvesting lays the foundation for flavour. Precise timing, selective picking, and careful sorting ensure only the best cherries make it to your cup.

Taste the result of this craftsmanship in our Signature Blends, available online or at our flagship cafés. From farm to cup, every step is taken to deliver barista‑quality coffee at home.