Journey to the World of Coffee

Our coffees come from plantations in tropical areas, particularly on well-maintained terraced gardens in the volcanic islands of Central America. With coffee, as with wine, origin, climate and ground conditions are the crucial factors in quality and taste. Coffee is as different as the regions from which it comes.

Coffee is cultivated in 80 countries. The best growing conditions are found in the tropical belt along the equator. Two thirds of the worldwide total production comes from the countries of Latin America – with Brazil the leading producer. Other important "coffee countries" are Colombia, Mexico, the central Americas, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uganda and the Ivory Coast.

15 billion coffee plants grow worldwide on 10 million hectares of land along the equator. Up to 8m high, they can grow into impressive coffee trees with full-green shoots.

Only when the young bushes are at least four years old can the first beans be harvested. The coffee tree is a sensitive plant: it does not like frost or temperatures over 30°C, but needs plenty of water for a good harvest. A coffee tree can have a working life of 25 years. Each year on average, it harvests 5-8kg of fruit, producing only 1-2kg of coffee beans. In order to fill a bag with 60kg of beans, its necessary to harvest cherries from 100 trees.