Kona coffee harvest season is right around the corner. This is the time when the coffee branches are loaded with ripe coffee fruit known as cherry.
As a Kona coffee farmer, knowing when to harvest your crop is crucial to ensuring the best quality beans. One of the most critical indicators of ripeness in Kona coffee cherries is their color. By monitoring color throughout the growing cycle, the farmer can anticipate when the orchard will be ready for picking.
White
The first sign that a new crop is on the way is the lovely white blossoms that appear on the branches of the coffee tree. They are sweetly fragrant and hold the promise of the fruit that will develop with time.
This is a gloriously beautiful time on the farm. Bees are buzzing around the blossoms, and there is a sweet fragrance reminiscent of jasmine or orange blossom that scents the air. When you gaze across the orchard, the trees are all dusted in white, and here in Kona, this phase is cheekily referred to as Kona "snow" since it resembles trees covered in fresh snow.
Green and Yellow
From the white blossoms, tiny buds develop along the branches, and then fruit begins to form. At first, the cherry is tiny, bright green, and very hard. As it develops, it grows larger and slowly changes color, from green to yellow. This process takes about six months. During this process, the farmer is continually monitoring the color progression and the overall health of the trees.
In Kona, farmers are always on the lookout for several pests that can destroy the harvest. One is a tiny beetle that bores into the fruit, destroying the integrity of the seed. Another is a fungus that attacks the leaves of the tree, causing defoliation if infested. Vigilant care of the orchard is required to maintain the health of the trees and to minimize the damage that these pests can cause.
Red
As the fruit develops from green to yellow, then a light red, the farmer knows that harvest season is close at hand. When a large number of cherries turn to a deep, vibrant red, it is a sign that they are ready to be picked. The rich red color indicates that the sugars in the cherries have fully developed. The outer fruit is plump and soft. The farmer typically will inspect the beans inside to check for their size and quality.
The rich red color also indicates that the fruit will pulp, meaning that the seeds will be easily released from the outer fruit. Conversely, green beans will not pulp, so only the ripe cherries must be selected during multiple rounds of picking throughout the harvest season.
Black
Once the cherry is past its prime, it will turn very dark, almost black, and become quite hard. Farmers refer to these unusable, overripe cherries as raisins, and they need to be stripped from the tree before the following harvest.
Color is the Key
Coffee trees are unique in that the branches can simultaneously hold white blossoms, green and yellow unripe fruit, and red ripe fruit all at the same time. The essential element of color is a significant contributing factor as to why Kona coffee is hand-picked by experienced farm workers who are skilled at selecting only the ripest red beans. If unripe green or yellow beans are picked, it will negatively impact the overall harvest yield since that unripe fruit will go to waste and not develop further once picked from the tree, thus losing its potential.
One important note about Kona farm workers is that they are paid very well. Typically, pickers make about $1.10 per pound of cherry picked and can pull in several hundred pounds of cherry each day. Even off-season, the farm workers are paid about $30/hour. This is different from farm workers in other coffee-producing regions where workers are not paid a living wage. Though it contributes to the Hawaiian coffee farmers' overall production cost, it is a point of pride among Kona coffee growers to support fair wages for their hard-working employees.
Unlike other crops that harvest all at once - like apple or pear trees -- coffee trees are harvested over multiple rounds as the fruit develops through its various color stages and is red, ripe, and ready to pick. These rounds take place every three or four weeks, and there may be as many as six rounds that occur throughout each season.
Timing
In Kona, coffee harvest season typically falls between August and February. However, higher elevation farms may start to pick later, and the season may last longer than those at lower elevations. Here at Kona Earth, the farm is located at about 2000 feet in elevation. As a result, harvest tends to start in late August or early September and may continue throughout early spring.
Weather conditions also affect the timing of harvest. Extremely wet or dry, hot or cold conditions may delay harvest season or impact the orchard's overall yield. This is why there is no set date for harvest to begin. The farmer is constantly monitoring the condition of the orchard and the progression of the fruit to determine when the farm is truly ready for harvest to begin.
A Busy Season
Harvest season is one of the busiest times on the farm. In addition to picking the cherry, the farmer will also process the coffee during this time. This involves pulping to remove the outer fruit, then laying the pulped seeds (commonly known as beans) out to dry on large drying decks. As the coffee is drying, the farmer is frequently moving it around with large, specialized rakes. This helps air to circulate among the beans and prevents any mold from forming. Sun drying takes several weeks and is often complemented with large commercial dryers during the peak of the season when the drying decks fill up quickly.
This is a very active time for the farmer, who is processing thousands of pounds of cherry as it comes in from the field during each round of picking. Vacations have to wait. Kona coffee farmers stay close to home during harvest season since the situation is constantly evolving, and timing is so critical.