Brazil Santos NY 2/3 17/18 GC - unroasted coffee beans - 1 kilo

Most Brazilian coffee is grown on huge farms, built and equipped for mechanical harvesting and processing, maximising productivity. The relatively flat landscape in many of Brazil's coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting rather than selective hand-picking.

In the past, this mechanisation meant that strip cropping was the norm; however, today's mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning that farms can harvest only fully ripe berries at each picking stage, which is good news for producers focusing on speciality products.

In many cases and on less flat parts of farms, a mixed form of 'manual mechanised' harvesting can be used, where ripe coffee is picked with a derricadeira - a type of mechanised rake that uses vibrations to harvest ripe berries. A tarpaulin is stretched between the coffee trees to catch the berries as they fall.

Using these newer, more selective technologies, a growing number of farms are increasingly concerned about - and able to deliver - cup quality.

After harvesting, the cherry is usually laid out in thin layers on patios to dry. Under direct sunlight, the berry is carefully checked and turned regularly