Programme overview
Introduction:
Coffee cultivation and green coffee processing, covering Arabica farms, post-harvest and grading, is a 5-day course for agronomy, cooperative, green coffee quality and development programme managers, ending with a Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan for a case cooperative. Many highland growers lose yield to rust and berry borer, then lose price at the buying station to uneven fermentation, wet parchment and defect-heavy lots. Nominees already supervise terrace plots, processing stations or green coffee buying, and the course is taught through case files of farm records, drying logs and defect counts. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this coffee cultivation course.
Course Objectives:
- Plan Arabica terrace plots by variety, plant spacing, shade cover, irrigation scheduling and soil nutrition for steady cherry yield
- Apply integrated pest management to coffee berry borer, leaf rust and other field threats using scouting thresholds and cultural controls
- Organise selective picking, cherry sorting and float tests so that only ripe, sound fruit enters the wet or dry mill
- Run washed, natural and honey processing with controlled fermentation, raised-bed drying and moisture readings before storage
- Grade green coffee by screen size, density and primary and secondary defect counts and confirm lot quality on a cupping form
- Design a cooperative quality and traceability system linking growers, processing stations, certification audits and domestic roasters
Target Audience:
- Managers responsible for the agronomy, labour and yields of coffee estates and highland terrace farms
- Managers responsible for cooperative collection points, wet mills, drying yards and dry mills
- Managers responsible for buying, grading and approving green coffee lots for roasting companies
- Officers responsible for designing and funding coffee growing projects in agricultural development programmes
- Managers responsible for certification, traceability and grower training in coffee producer organisations
Course Outline:
Day 1: Arabica Coffee Plant, Terrace Farms and the Green Coffee Chain
- Arabica Plant Phenology From Flowering to Ripe Cherry
- Variety Selection Matrix for Altitude, Rust Tolerance and Cup
- Seed-to-Green Coffee Chain Map From Terrace to Roaster
- Cherry Price, Parchment Price and Green Coffee Value Steps
- Cooperative Baseline Survey of Plots, Yields and Lot Rejections
Day 2: Terrace Agronomy, Shade, Irrigation and Integrated Pest Management
- Terrace Layout, Plant Spacing and Contour Planting Plan
- Shade Tree Canopy Design and Light Management Rules
- Deficit Irrigation Scheduling and Soil Moisture Monitoring
- Soil Testing and Leaf Analysis for Fertiliser Programmes
- Integrated Pest Management for Berry Borer and Leaf Rust
Day 3: Selective Harvesting, Wet Milling and Coffee Drying Practice
- Selective Picking Rounds and Ripe Cherry Ratio Checks
- Float Tank and Hand Sorting of Harvested Cherry Lots
- Washed Process Pulping, Fermentation Tank Control and Washing
- Natural and Honey Process Mucilage Choices and Handling
- Raised Bed Drying, Turning Schedules and Moisture Meter Readings
Day 4: Dry Milling, Green Coffee Grading, Cupping and Certification Risks
- Hulling, Density Sorting and Optical Colour Sorting Steps
- Screen Size Grading and Primary and Secondary Defect Counts
- 100-Point Cupping Form Scoring of Green Coffee Lots
- Wet Mill Wastewater Recirculation and Pulp Composting Controls
- Certification Audit Checklist, Lot Traceability and Storage Bags
Day 5: Case Study Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan
- Case Cooperative Farm Records and Lot Rejection Review
- Case Agronomy Calendar for Pruning, Nutrition and Pest Scouting
- Case Processing Station Layout and Drying Capacity Calculation
- Case Green Coffee Grading Sheet and Roaster Supply Terms
- Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Arabica Variety Selection
- Shade and Irrigation Planning
- Coffee Pest Scouting
- Fermentation Control
- Parchment Drying Management
- Green Coffee Defect Grading
- Cupping Evaluation
- Coffee Lot Traceability
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan for a case cooperative to the cooperative board or programme director for approval
- Decide whether a lot should be dried further, reprocessed, downgraded or offered to a roaster on the evidence of moisture, defects and cup score
- Avoid rejected lots, mould in storage, rust outbreaks and price discounts caused by over-fermentation or uneven drying
- Train grower groups and station staff with picking standards, fermentation logs, drying schedules and a grading sheet
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan to the cooperative board, the estate owner or the development programme director. They use it to approve variety and shade changes, the pest scouting calendar, investment in fermentation tanks and drying beds, and the grading rules applied when buying from growers and selling to roasters. After the first harvest under the plan, the unit should review cherry ripeness ratios, drying times, rejected lots, defect counts and cup scores before revising the plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before the coffee cultivation and green coffee processing course?
Participants should already work with coffee farms, processing stations, green coffee buying or coffee development projects. No laboratory or cupping qualification is needed. Bringing farm yield records, drying logs or lot rejection data helps them apply the case work to their own cooperative or estate.
How does coffee cultivation and green coffee processing differ from a cafe or barista management course?
It stops at the green bean: terrace agronomy, pest control, harvesting, fermentation, drying, hulling and grading. Cafe and barista courses start after roasting and cover brew recipes, bar workflow, menu costing and guest service, so the two serve different stages of the coffee chain.
Why does drying matter so much in green coffee processing?
Drying decides whether a good harvest keeps its value. Parchment dried too fast cracks and loses flavour, while parchment left too wet invites mould and is refused at buying stations. Turning schedules and moisture meter readings keep each lot stable for hulling and storage.
What does a participant take back from the coffee cultivation and green coffee processing course?
Each participant takes back a Coffee Farm and Post-Harvest Improvement Plan for a case cooperative, with an agronomy calendar, a processing station layout, drying capacity figures, a green coffee grading sheet and supply terms for roasters that can be adapted to their own farms.