If you’re anything like me, you can’t start your day without a good cup of joe. But have you ever wondered where those amazing coffee beans get their start in life? Pull up a chair and let me give you the scoop on the origins of your morning pick-me-up.
Coffee is a fruit that grows on small trees or bushes. The fruit is called a “coffee cherry” and it turns a bright, deep red when it’s ripe and ready to be harvested. Inside each cherry are usually two little green beans – those are the seeds that we roast, grind, and brew into the coffee we all know and love.
So where do these coffee trees and bushes grow? They need very specific conditions to thrive. Coffee plants love a hot, rainy climate near the equator. The optimal temperature range is between 60°F and 70°F. Too cold and the plants can’t grow. Too hot and dry, and they’ll wither away.
That’s why most coffee is grown in the “Coffee Belt” – the areas around the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This region provides that perfect hot and humid environment that coffee cherries crave.
Top Coffee-producing Countries
The biggest coffee-producing countries are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Together they grow over two-thirds of the world’s coffee supply! Other major regions are Central America, India and parts of Africa.
The next time you take that first sip of your morning brew, think about the incredible journey those little beans took to get to your mug. From a tropical plant bearing bright red cherries to your local cafe or kitchen – coffee sure does travel a long way to help wake us up! Aren’t you glad it makes the trip?
Caffeinated Clatter
