Coffee Glossary

A process in which coffee cherries are fermented along with other fruits, spices, or ingredients, resulting in distinct and deliberate flavors.

The common name for Hypothenemus hampei, the coffee berry borer (CBB) beetle is the number one coffee plant pest in the world, responsible for upward of US$500M in damages annually. Though it originated in Africa, the pest has propagated throughout most of the world’s growing regions and causes coffee berries to drop before they're ripe.

The fruit of the coffee plant containing the coffee beans

An area reserved for growing coffee plants and harvesting coffee beans. Agrotourism has also made coffee farm tours a popular activity and revenue stream for coffee producers.

A person responsible for the day-to-day, hands-on cultivation of coffee farmland, planting and maintenance of coffee plants, and processing of coffee cherries.

The type of coffee plant

The manual or mechanical process of harvesting ripe coffee cherries from coffee trees during the harvest season.

Though sometimes used interchangeably with “farmer,” a coffee producer typically serves in a supervisory role and can oversee operations at multiple farms from quality control to export logistics.

Coffee beans come from the coffee tree (or plant, shrub). These trees can grow to a height of 15-20 feet in the wild and live for up to 100 years.

A large-scale facility — typically found close to a port — where green coffee beans are stored before being shipped to roasters.