“From Farm To Cup”

“From Farm To Cup”
We know the taste, not the travel.
By: Muhammad Surhio, Muhammad Faisal, Zayan Mirza, Wesam Yousef
July 24, 2025
Think your coffee just shows up? Think again. 
Source: Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels
Most people say their day starts not with alarms, but their favorite cup of coffee. However, not many have the knowledge of the journey each of the 150 billion coffee beans used every day takes from farm to cup. (Crapanzano, 2021)

It All Starts With a Seed
Before coffee reaches your mug, it starts off as a seed sowed in tropical regions along the equator, the so-called “Bean Belt.” Countries like Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Vietnam are among the world’s biggest coffee producers. (Coffee, 2025)
The seed germinates in fertile soil, watered by rain and sunlight. The tree can take around 3-4 years to yield its first full crop. (Coffee, 2025)
Source: Coffee Belt
Processing: Removing the Bean from the Fruit
Cherries should be processed immediately after harvest to prevent fermentation. There are three main methods:
Wet (Washed) Process
This method involves pulping the cherries and then fermenting them to remove the mucilage layer, resulting in a cleaner cup profile.
Natural (Dry) Process
Whole coffee cherries are dried in the sun, allowing the beans to absorb flavors from the fruit, leading to richer, heavier tones.
Honey Process
A method between the wet and natural processes, where some mucilage is left on the bean while drying.
Processing, in fact, impacts the flavour, but also the acidity, body and cleanliness of the brewed coffee.
(Serious Eats, 2011; SwaledaleCoffee.com, 2023)
Images source: https://noc.coffee/en/blog/coffee-processing-washed-natural-and-honey/
Harvesting by Hand or Machine
The coffee fruit is known as a cherry, and each holds two beans. The cherries are picked when they turn deep red.
In countries like Colombia or Ethiopia, hand-picking is a familiar part of quality control.
In flat areas, such as those of the Brazilian fields, machines are employed for high production.
Harvest seasons vary from region to region, but for most regions, it comes once a year, and the process goes on for several weeks. (Wikipedia, 2025)
Drying and Milling
Beans must be dried to a moisture level of approximately 10-12%.
1
Drying
Drying is done by:
Drying in the sun on patios or raised beds (7-14 days).
Mechanical drying, particularly in wet or damp regions.
2
Milling
The beans are then dried, and hulled, removing layers like parchment or husk. Then, they are:
Sized by size, weight and number of defects
Machine or hand sorted (and especially for special coffees)
The only beans that are classified as specialty grade come from top-quality coffee crops and adhere to strict international standards (think SCA cupping scores). (Wikipedia, 2025)
Export and Global Distribution
After milling, the green coffee is carefully packed for its journey across the globe. It's typically sealed in jute bags weighing 60kg, or sometimes in vacuum-sealed packaging, before being shipped to roasting countries worldwide.
Coffee stands as one of the most significant commodities traded globally, with its market value exceeding $100 billion each year. Key importers include:
USA
Germany
Japan
Italy
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf (countries like Bahrain)
In Bahrain, there's a growing appreciation for coffee, evident in the rising popularity of specialty cafés, diverse espresso blends, and the enduring traditions of Arabic coffee.


Source: https://ska-indonesia.com/three-stages-of-exporting-coffee/
Source: Paulig press release photo, retrieved from:https://dailycoffeenews.com/2025/02/28/weekly-coffee-news-biofuels-for-coffee-cargo-cqi-head-on-the-4-market/
New York Coffee W.L.L. Bahrain
The most well known importer and coffee store here is New York Coffee, which imports premium beans and roasts locally.
Imports
New York Coffee sources its premium beans from renowned coffee-growing regions such as Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, and Guatemala.
Roasting Plant
With a state-of-the-art roasting plant in Sitra, Bahrain, they ensure freshly roasted beans are tailored to the local palate.
Direct Trade
New York Coffee often engages in direct trade with farms, fostering relationships that guarantee ethical sourcing and fairer wholesale pricing for farmers.
Wholesale
Beyond their retail cafés, they supply high-quality coffee beans to a wide network of restaurants, offices, and hotels throughout the Kingdom of Bahrain.
New York Coffee plays a vital role in Bahrain's coffee scene through the importation of green beans and local roasting, packaging, and brewing.
(New York Coffee, 2023)
Roasting: Unlocking the Flavor
Once the beans reach their destination, they are roasted, turning green beans into brown, fragrant ones.
Light Roast
origin, floral/acidic notes.
Medium Roast
balanced, chocolatey, a hint of sweetness.
Dark Roast
rich, deep, char flavors.
It is science: the temperature can range from 200°C – 240°C, the time in the roaster affects body, aroma and the amount of caffeine retained.
Roast Profiles: One Size Doesn't Fit All
Every coffee cherry is its own density, moisture content, flavor profile and potential, that's why an experienced roaster creates roast profiles to match each origin and process.
For example:
1
High altitude Ethiopian beans are roasted lighter so that they are more upfront with citrus and floral notes.
2
And rich, lower-acid beans from Brazil, which can have a distinct nutlike flavor, could take to a medium-dark roast to increase body and sweetness.
3
Natural coffees may need a longer, cooler roast to maintain the delicate fruit flavors and prevent charred surface sugars.
Professional roasters rely on digital software and cupping sessions and monitor its temperature curves: by tracking these, they're able to make infinitesimal tweaks that keep the coffee tasting as good as possible. (Serious Eats, 2011)
Roasting in Bahrain: Local Freshness
In Bahrain, cafés such as New York Coffee have their own in-house or local roasting operations which means that they are able to:
1
Modify profiles to suit customer needs
2
Roast in small batches to ensure freshness
3
Appeal to all tastes - espresso lovers and fans of the speciality filter brews!
Grinding and Brewing: Every Bean Brews Differently
Once roasted, coffee beans are ready to be ground, but not all coffee beans are created equal. The size of the grind depends on the coffee bean type and the brewing method and you should grind your beans only when you are ready to brew as this exposure to air degrades your coffee's quality. 
Why Grind Size Matters
It's directly related to the way water flows through coffee. The finer the grind, the more surface area there is to touch water and extract, and the coarser the grind, the greater the distance the water has to travel, the slower it extracts. Too fine for the wrong approach and you’ll get bitterness. Too rough and the brew becomes weak and under-extracted. (SFBayCoffee.com, 2023).
What Influences the Right Grind?
There are quite a few variables that determine how to grind a bean:
Roast - Light roasts for a denser grind may require a little on the coarser side. Dark roasts are also easier to grind and react more quickly.
Bean Origin & Processing – Ethiopian washed beans require a different grind compared to naturally processed Brazilian beans to maintain the clarity and body. (Swaledale Coffee, 2023)
Precision at New York Coffee, Bahrain
The baristas at New York Coffee are a mighty serious bunch when it comes to grind precision. You can endlessly repeat the stale ‘freshly roasted’ tagline, but the true difference is in the beans, often from small specialty producers, and in the grind, which is freshly calibrated to the highest precision for each recipe and method. Be it smooth espresso, cold brew, or a personal favorite, hand-brewed V60 -the team adjusts grind settings daily, factoring in:
Bean origin and roast
Humidity and bean age
Time of day and demand
It's these little touches of attention to detail that separate New York Coffee from the rest, and make sure you're able to brew your café-quality coffees everywhere across Bahrain. (New York Coffee, 2023)
Finally…The Cup
Years of growth, meticulous processing, global shipping, and expert roasting - and your coffee is about to be poured.
But that simple cup represents a world-spanning chain of agriculture, of labor, trade, and craft working that tens of millions of people here and elsewhere practice.
Around the World in One Sip
So, next time you take a sip of coffee, just remember one thing: That cup didn't grow on the shelf of a store. It came from a farmer's field and went through dozens of hands and thousands of miles - just to be in your morning.
Coffee is more than a beverage; it's a complicated product, with history, science, and people behind it. It makes every sip matter to know what the path of that cup was.
The Impact of BaydrSoil on Sustainability
In BaydrSoil, Coffee ground waste gets reused by turning them into an eco-friendly product. In collaboration with NY Coffee Bahrain and UNESCO, BaydrSoil aims to inspire others to see waste as an opportunity for growth through creativity, community engagement, and education, while also envisioning a future where every cup of coffee contributes to a greener world, where waste is minimized, resources are reused, and communities embracing sustainability as part of daily life.
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