Coffee Harvesting
Coffee harvesting may have different objective depending in the method of processing as well as the availability and cost of labor.
Where the wet or semi-dry method is to be used, traditionally the main objective is to maximize the percentage of ripe cherries harvested.
On the other hand, if the dry method is to be used, the usual objective is to harvest all cherries simultaneously with the least percentage of unripe ones.
The ideal situation is to harvest all fresh, ripe cherries with the least possible damage to the tree, irrespective of the processing system to be used.
With the harvesting technology available today, 100% ripe cherry harvesting may be only achieved be selective hand-picking, which generally corresponds to the most expensive operation available.
In situations where labor is scarce or expensive in relation to coffee prices, selection may have to be overlooked so unripe and over-ripe cherries must then be picked. This is mostly the case today, with 100% ripe cherries harvesting nearly impossible to achieve with or without selective picking.
High quality coffee may still be produced in any case from the fresh, ripe cherries alone, but the total volume of high quality coffee available is then smaller.
Ideally, only ripe coffee berries should be harvested because they provided the best beverage. In Brazil, 90% of the plantation are harvested manually; the berries are stripes from the plant branches and fall on the ground, into basket or on fabric or plastic strips laid under the plant. Letting the berries fall on the ground is not recommended because dirt, debris, moldy and rotten berries end up being collected as well.
However, mechanical harvesting has been increasingly used it is so difficult to hire manage and pay the large force required for manual harvesting; operational, costs may drop by 40%. Mechanical harvesting is more suitable for medium to large plantation in areas with slopes of up to 20% incline.
Coffee Harvesting
