The Difference Between Coffee Mill Processing And On-Farm

Coffee mills are where the fruit is transformed into raw beans by first removing the pulp and then drying the seeds to a moisture content of 10-12%.

There are many different ways of treating coffee, from natural treatment, washing (wet), various honey treatments, and many experimental and emerging treatments, all of which add to the complexity and multi-processing of the process.

The centralised coffee factory is separate from the producer, who transports the coffee fruit to the factory and is immediately paid for it.

In addition, you will find some farms that have small coffee factories, where one family is usually responsible for all the processes, from pulp removal to drying, in a more traditional way.

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Why are there two types of mills?

Traditional coffee mills usually give producers more control over the fruit, which allows some producers to set targets. For example, in 2014, FNC, the Colombian National Producers' Union, offered advice to 491 coffee farmers on organic planting and processing.

Allowing producers to wet-process their coffee directly on the farm is a great way to control quality and define the treatment of their own coffee, as well as experiment with how the treatment can improve the quality of the coffee and provide more complete recourse for the end buyer.

Many boutique coffee buyers are interested in sustainability and information transparency, so they are interested in the cultivation, harvesting, and processing processes.

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However, centralised coffee plants can mitigate the effects of labour shortages and environmental pollution, and this approach offers more benefits to producers.

Let's look at the different advantages of these two types of processing.

The Farallones coffee plant in Colombia is a modern and industrial example, with a capacity of 3.75 million kilograms of coffee per year, giving a total of 62,500 bags of raw beans at 60 kg per bag.

In this coffee factory, the quality control process begins as soon as the fruit arrives, with samples being sent immediately for analysis, and the producer is paid a corresponding amount per kilo upon confirmation of the results. The coffee is then graded according to density and quality, which will help to standardise the final product.

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After these steps, the processing begins with the fermentation process and washing to remove the outer layer of pulp, followed by machine drying of the beans for 30 hours, at which stage the beans remain in the parchment layer (shelled state), before being dehulled to obtain bagged beans, transported and then roasted.

On the other hand, the coffee mills attached to the farms process much smaller quantities and according to Cenicafe Colombia, they only process an average of about 3,750 kg of raw hulled beans per year.

The advantage of such a small coffee plant is that the traceability of the raw beans is very good, and a centralised plant with a good record-keeping system can also achieve good traceability.

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Industrialised processing plants can use water more efficiently. On average, they save 3-30 litres of water per kilo of shelled beans, which is a significant amount of water when processing such a large volume of coffee each year. The coffee mills are also responsible for disposing of the water after use so as not to pollute the local water supply.

Smaller coffee factories can of course also save water, but every action can add to the cost of treatment. Cenicafe, for example, has developed a treatment system called Becolsub, which claims to save 95% of water consumption.

Which is better for the income of producers, centralised treatment or small-scale treatment on farms? It really depends on the situation.

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Farallones works with 650 coffee farms and when these producers bring their fruit to the factory and settle their payments immediately, their cash flow is faster and more convenient for the producers. In addition to increasing the efficiency of the process, industrialised coffee plants also allow producers to earn more income and reduce the risks associated with investing in hardware.

On the other hand, a coffee factory attached to a farm allows producers to increase the value of their coffee. By improving quality, producers can attract buyers to trade directly with them, but this requires an investment of time, labour, and money, and producers need to find ways to attract buyers.

Melissa says that the time savings from centralising the plant are actually greater than the economic benefits, as it gives producers a better quality of life and more time to spend with their families. "Many producers like the system and are asking for more coffee plants, saying that their quality of life has been greatly improved".

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He also believes that it provides a social experience for the producers, bringing them together. When they bring the fruit to the plant, they meet other producers from the area and can talk to each other while waiting to receive their reward. In a small place where they can have something to eat and drink coffee... it's a good opportunity to get together with everyone," she told the author while at Farallones Coffee Factory.

What if the producers owned the coffee factory themselves? In addition to investing time and money in the hardware, producers need to hire additional labour if they don't want to overburden themselves with work.

Social media is also a good way for neighbouring producers to come together.

So which is better, a centralised coffee factory or a farm-based coffee factory? Both have the potential to produce good quality coffee, and both have the opportunity to create large-scale factories and provide better job opportunities and income for producers. When producers choose between these two systems, it depends on the producer, the producer's farm, and the producer's needs.

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