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Coffee Plantation Facts & Worksheets

A coffee plantation is land dedicated to growing and cultivating coffee trees for their fruit. These plantations are mainly established in Central and Latin America, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia.

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A coffee plantation is land dedicated to growing and cultivating coffee trees for their fruit. These plantations are mainly established in Central and Latin America, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. Coffee is an aromatic beverage produced by roasting coffee beans. The fruits of coffee trees carry a large amount of caffeine.

See the fact file below for more information on Coffee Plantation, or you can download our 29-page Coffee Plantation worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY

  • The growth and trade of coffee started on the Arabian Peninsula.  
  • Coffee was being cultivated in the Yemeni district of Arabia by the 15th century.
  • By the 16th century, coffee cultivation had already expanded to Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.
  • Coffee became popular and consumed in public coffee houses in Iran called qahveh khaneh.
  • Word of mouth led to the expanded popularity of coffee in the West.
  • European travelers told stories of that dark black beverage that was so popular in the Near East.
  • After the first Dutch trading company sold coffee as early as 1610, the new product that originated from Ethiopia rose to popularity in Europe.
  • Not everyone was a fan of coffee, however, especially the local clergy in Venice, who condemned the beverage in 1615.
  • Pope Clement VIII intervened and tasted the beverage for himself; he fancied it and gave it papal approval.
  • Coffee houses became popular in Austria, England, France, Germany, and Holland.
  • In 1723, the Portuguese set up the first coffee plantations in Brazil to keep control over their foreign trade.
  • The Portuguese expanded the coffee industry to the islands of Sumatra and Celebes.
  • Since 1970, the number of people working on coffee plantations has grown increasingly.
  • Nowadays, plantations exist in more than 50 countries, and there are over 25 million farmers employed in coffee production.

COFFEE PLANTS

  • A coffee plantation is farmland where coffee plants are grown and the beans harvested.
  • Coffee is grown either from seeds or seedlings. 
  • There are over 100 coffee species, and the coffee beans are classified into two main types: Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robust (Coffea canephora).
  • In terms of taste, Arabica beans render a sweeter and smoother taste, while Robusta beans have a more bitter flavor.
  • Robusta beans also have a higher caffeine content than Arabica beans.
  • Arabica comprises more than 60% of coffee production on a global scale, according to the International Coffee Organisation.
  • Robusta beans are more cost-effective because it costs less to maintain this variety.
  • Arabica plants are regularly pruned to 2 meters but can naturally grow up to 5 meters.
  • The Robusta plant is chunkier than the Arabica and thrives at higher humidity and lower altitudes.
  • The Arabica variety is grown mainly in Latin American regions, while the Robusta variety is cultivated mainly in western and central Africa.
  • The Arabica variety is able to self-pollinate, while the Robusta variety is not.
  • There are two main varieties of Arabica species: Typica and Bourbon.

BUILDING A PLANTATION

  • The main climatic factors to consider in establishing a coffee plantation are temperature and rainfall.
  • All varieties cannot grow in temperatures as low as 0°C.
  • The most favorable temperature for coffee plants ranges between 23°C and 28°C.
  • Coffee production requires large amounts of water.
  • For the Arabica variety, the area must have 60 to 80 inches of rainfall a year.
  • If rainfall is less than 40 inches, irrigation is required.
  • Coffee plants must also be suited to the elevation.
  • For Arabica species, elevation should be at least 1,000 meters above sea level, while it’s no more than 800 meters for the Robusta variety.
  • Land must be cleared for use. The soil in coffee plantations must be able to accommodate deep roots.
  • In order for roots to penetrate and develop well, holes should be deep enough and then backfilled with topsoil before adding compost.
  • The correct field layout is also important; if monocropped, 2 meters by 2 meters for Arabica, and 2 meters by 3 meters for Robusta.
  • It is best to transplant coffee seedlings when the conditions are not dry and humid.
  • In taking care of a plantation, one must make sure to keep the soil covered, remove weeds, replace seedlings that have failed to grow, regularly prune coffee trees, and use fertilizers.

COFFEE CHERRIES

  • It takes about 3 to 4 years for newly planted coffee trees to bear flowers and fruit, depending on the variety.
  • The fruit is called a coffee cherry because of its bright red exterior when ripe and ready for harvest.
  • Each cherry would contain two coffee seeds set flat against one another.
  • However, there are also cherries called peaberries that contain only one seed.
  • Coffee seeds are also called beans because of their striking resemblance to beans, but technically, they are not.
  • Generally, there is one major harvest in a year that lasts 2 to 3 months, but in Colombia, there are two harvests.

THREE TYPES OF HARVESTING

  • There are three primary ways of harvesting coffee seeds: strip picking, selective picking, and machine picking.
  • Strip picking refers to picking or stripping all cherries from the coffee plant, including the ripe and unripe coffee beans.
  • This is a fast and efficient way of harvesting, but the catch is there is a higher chance for unripe cherries to be taken to the next step of processing if they are not carefully separated from the ripe ones. 
  • The most common method is selective picking, which is the method of cherry pickers picking ripe fruits individually by hand.
  • It is a more time-consuming and labor-intensive method, but the risk of unripe fruits being processed is much lower.
  • Instead of picking fruit by hand, machine picking can be administered when the plantation is on a flat terrain. 
  • Cherry pickers gather an average of 100 to 200 pounds a day.
  • Around 20% of the harvest is coffee seeds.

PROCESSING CHERRIES

  • Cherries are processed immediately after picking in one of two ways: the dry or “natural” process and the wet or “washed” process.
  • The dry process is the oldest method of processing coffee, which is still used to this day in countries where the climate is dry, such as Ethiopia and Brazil.
  • It is also the simplest method as it requires little machinery.
  • After being sorted and cleaned, the cherries are spread out in the sun to dry on a large surface.
  • To prevent the cherries from spoiling and fermenting, they are frequently raked or turned by hand throughout the day.
  • This could take several days or weeks, depending on the weather, and completed when the cherries contain only 11% moisture.
  • The wet process includes coffee beans being pulped by machines and removed from the fruit, resulting in a dry bean with only the parchment skin called endocarp left on.
  • Wet-processed coffee beans can be stored for a longer time than dry-processed ones.

MILLING

  • Hulling is the process in which the parchment skin is removed from wet-processed coffee using machinery.
  • Dry-processed coffee also undergoes hulling when its entire dried husk is removed. 
  • After hulling, there is an optional process called polishing in which a polishing machine is used to remove any remaining silver skin.

GRADING AND SORTING

  • Once the coffee beans have been hulled and polished, they are ready to be graded and sorted.
  • Grading is important because it informs sellers and buyers regarding the cup quality of the coffee.
  • Cup quality is a term that encompasses a coffee’s aromatic intensity, quality, acidity, bitterness, body, and flavor.
  • Beans are graded by size and weight.
  • An air jet is used to separate heavy and light beans.
  • They are passed through a series of screens to measure accurate sizing.
  • Bean size is typically measured on a scale of 10 to 20,  which represents the size of a round hole diameter in terms of 1/64’s of an inch. 
  • They are also keenly studied for imperfections, such as color flaws.

EXPORTING

  • The final step is exporting the beans, which are referred to as green coffee, after all the processing.
  • The beans are placed in jute or sisal bags and loaded in shipping containers ready to be shipped.

Coffee Plantation Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Coffee Plantations across 29 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Coffee Plantations. Coffee is an aromatic beverage produced by roasting coffee beans. The fruits of coffee trees carry a large amount of caffeine.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Coffee Plantation Facts
  2. Coffee Vocabulary
  3. Cherry Picking 
  4. Arabica vs. Robusta
  5. Correct Sequence
  6. How To Harvest
  7. Tour Guide Script
  8. Dry and Wet Processing
  9. Coffee or Co-false?
  10. Tips and Requirements
  11. Virtual Plantation Trip

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a coffee plantation?

A coffee plantation is an agricultural establishment dedicated to growing coffee plants, typically located in regions with suitable climates and soil conditions for coffee cultivation. It is a managed area where coffee trees are cultivated, harvested, and processed to produce coffee beans.

Where are coffee plantations usually found?

Coffee plantations are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, often within a specific range of latitudes known as the “coffee belt” or “coffee zone.” Major coffee-producing countries include Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Honduras.

How are coffee plants grown on plantations?

Coffee plants are usually grown from seeds or seedlings in nurseries before being transplanted to the plantation fields. They require specific conditions, including moderate temperatures, well-drained soil, and partial shade. The plants are spaced out to allow enough sunlight and air circulation, and they are often pruned to maintain their health and productivity.

How are coffee beans harvested on plantations?

Coffee beans are typically harvested manually by skilled workers during the coffee harvest season. There are two primary methods of harvesting: selective picking and strip picking. In selective picking, only the ripe cherries are hand-picked from the trees, ensuring higher quality but requiring multiple passes as cherries ripen at different times. Strip picking involves stripping all cherries from a branch at once, which is more efficient but may include both ripe and unripe cherries.

What happens to coffee beans after harvesting on plantations?

After harvesting, coffee beans go through several processing steps depending on the desired flavor profile. The most common methods are the wet process (also known as washed coffee) and the dry process (also known as natural coffee). In the wet process, the cherries are pulped to remove the outer skin, fermented to remove the mucilage, and then dried. In the dry process, the cherries are dried as a whole before the outer layers are removed. After processing, the coffee beans are sorted, graded, and often roasted before being packaged for distribution and sale.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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