The coffee Processing on
Songwa Estates
Click on the preparation areas to get more details
Picking
Picking coffee is hard work. The trees are harvested three to four times each season. Coffee picking is done by plucking only the ripened cherries and leaving the unripe green ones on the tree.
Parchment Coffee Storage
The bags are stored in a well-ventilated area, where they remain for at least six weeks to balance out the moisture in the coffee.
Carpenter’s Workshop
Woodworking is done in this area. The wood planks, tables and shelves in the guesthouse and office are made from trees that grow on the plantation.
Office and Guesthouse
This building includes two offices and an education area. The organization of the plantation works, bookkeeping and training for the guests are all done here.
Drying and Sorting
The parchment coffee is set out to dry on trays until it reaches a moisture content of 10.5–11.5%. It is mixed continuously to ensure even drying. This procedure takes up to ten days.
Weighing and Packing
After drying the parchment coffee, it is weighed, packed in 50 kg bags and stored in the parchment coffee storage.
Preparation
The picked coffee cherries are taken to the preparation area. The pickers gather here while they wait to get paid.
Pulping
A coffee pulper contains rotating discs that strip and separate the pulp from the beans. The pulp is immediately discarded while the beans are moved to a simple bean size separator.
Nursery
Seedlings are raised in the nursery, then planted in new plots and used for infilling purposes. There are a number of trained people who take care of the seedlings to ensure their growth.
Fermentation
The coffee beans are transported to the fermentation tanks by means of water channels, where they are allowed to ferment for 16–48 hours.
