What Coffee Harvest Season Looks Like and What It Means for Your Coffee
Every great cup of coffee has a backstory.
Before the coffee reaches our roaster in Calgary, it passes through months of flowering, ripening, selective picking and careful processing at origin.
It has been a while since we shared an update from our family farm in El Salvador, and this year’s coffee harvest season has given us plenty to talk about.
It is shaping up to be one of our strongest harvests in years, not because of one lucky moment, but because of decades of planning, thoughtful farming decisions and weather that arrived at the right times.
What Happens During Coffee Harvest Season?
Coffee harvest season is the period when ripe coffee cherries are picked from the trees and prepared for processing.
Unlike crops harvested all at once, specialty coffee often requires several passes through the same section of the farm. Pickers collect only the cherries that have reached full ripeness, leaving the green fruit on the tree for a later round.
At our farm, harvesting began near the end of November and continued through January because the cherries ripened in stages.
During the first passes, approximately 40% of the crop was intentionally left on the trees. Those cherries were not ready yet, and picking them early would have compromised their flavour and quality.
That means more time and more work, but quality has never been about taking shortcuts.
One of Our Strongest Coffee Harvests in Years
This season has delivered one of the best productions we have seen in a long time.
Part of that success comes from the long-term renewal of our coffee trees.
Our family has grown coffee for four generations, and many of the trees on our 170-acre farm had been producing for more than 70 years. Those trees carried extraordinary history, but as coffee plants age, their productivity and consistency can gradually decline.
For the past two decades, we have carefully removed some of the oldest plants and replaced them with younger coffee trees.
Coffee farming requires patience. Newly planted trees generally need three to four years before producing their first meaningful harvest. Decisions made years ago are only beginning to show their full results today.
This year, many of those younger trees reached productive maturity, helping create stronger yields and greater consistency throughout the farm.
Why Rain and Coffee Flowering Matter
The timing of rain plays an important role in determining when coffee trees flower and when the cherries will eventually be ready to harvest.
Following a dry period, significant rain helps trigger the coffee trees to bloom. These delicate white flowers last only a few days and have a light fragrance often compared to jasmine.
Every flower has the potential to become a coffee cherry.
Simply put:
No flowering means no cherries—and no cherries means no coffee.
This season, our farm received two important rains: one in February and another in April. That created two main flowering cycles.
Coffee cherries generally need around seven to nine months to develop and ripen after flowering. Because the trees flowered at different times, the fruit also matured in stages.
Staggered ripening allows us to be more selective, but it also means our team must return to the same trees several times throughout the harvest.
How Coffee Cherries Are Picked
Our coffee cherries are harvested by hand.
On a typical harvest day, each picker:
- Selects fully ripe cherries from the branches
- Leaves green cherries on the tree to continue ripening
- Removes damaged or overripe fruit
- Checks that the cherries in each bag have consistent ripeness
Most ripe coffee cherries turn a deep red. Our Pacamara Amarillo, however, ripens to a rich yellow colour.
Knowing exactly when each variety is ready requires experience. Colour, texture and how easily the fruit releases from the branch all help indicate ripeness.
This attention matters because underripe green cherries can introduce harsher, more bitter or less developed flavours into the finished cup.
The quality of coffee is not created only inside the roaster. It begins with the fruit selected at the farm.
What Happens After the Coffee Cherries Are Picked?
Once the bags are filled, they are weighed and grouped at collection points along the farm roads.
At the end of the day, a truck gathers the cherries and carries them to the mill for processing.
Moving the freshly picked fruit promptly is important. Coffee cherries begin changing after they leave the tree, so delays can affect fermentation and flavour consistency.
At the mill, the coffee will begin the next stage of its journey. Depending on the lot and intended flavour profile, it may be processed using a washed, honey or natural method.
Each decision—from picking to processing and drying—shapes what we eventually taste in the cup.
What Coffee Harvesting Means for Coffee Quality
A careful coffee harvest helps create:
- Cleaner flavour
- More consistent sweetness
- Better balance
- Fewer unpleasant or underripe notes
- Greater clarity between varieties and processing methods
When cherries at different stages of ripeness are mixed together, the resulting coffee can taste inconsistent.
Selective harvesting gives us better raw material from the beginning. Roasting can develop the qualities already present inside the bean, but it cannot completely repair coffee that was picked too early or poorly handled at origin.
That is why we say:
Quality is not added later. It is protected at every step.
The People Behind Our Coffee Harvest
None of this would happen without the people who care for and harvest the coffee.
Our farm employs 25 full-time team members throughout the year. During coffee harvest season, that number grows to approximately 60 people with the addition of seasonal workers.
Having a consistent and experienced team allows us to harvest the cherries as they reach peak ripeness.
Labour shortages are a serious challenge for many coffee farms. Without enough skilled pickers, producers may be forced to leave ripe fruit on the trees or collect cherries before or after their ideal moment.
We are deeply grateful for every person who brings their knowledge, care and attention to our farm.
Every bag of coffee we roast begins with their work.
From Our El Salvador Farm to Your Cup
Our family’s involvement does not end when the coffee leaves the farm.
We grow coffee in El Salvador, evaluate and select coffees at origin, and use that experience when roasting in Calgary.
That direct understanding of the entire process helps us make better decisions at every stage, from how the trees are cared for to how the final coffee is roasted.
When we talk about seed-to-cup coffee, this is what we mean.
It is not simply a phrase. It is the connection between the people growing the coffee, the decisions made during harvest and processing, and the cup you brew at home.
What Comes After Coffee Harvest Season?
The first cupping of this harvest takes place in early February, when our family and buyers evaluate the season’s first processed lots in El Salvador.
Cupping allows us to assess:
- Aroma
- Sweetness
- Acidity
- Body
- Balance
- Flavour clarity
- Overall cup quality
Our farm’s coffees have consistently scored above the recognized specialty-coffee threshold, and the early signs point toward another exciting season.
Could there be another El Salvador Cup of Excellence contender among these lots?
We will have to wait until the coffee has been fully processed, dried and evaluated—but we are looking forward to finding out.
A Final Note From Our Family
Thank you for loving our coffees and supporting what we do.
Every order allows us to continue farming with intention, investing in our team and protecting both quality and legacy.
The journey from flowering coffee trees in El Salvador to freshly roasted coffee in Calgary is long, careful and deeply human.
We are grateful to share it with you.
Explore Our El Salvador Coffees
From our farm to your cup.
Brew boldly. Live fully.
The Crickle Creek Family
Coffee Harvest Season: Frequently Asked Questions
When is coffee harvested in El Salvador?
The main harvest in El Salvador generally takes place during the dry season, commonly between November and March. Exact timing varies according to elevation, weather, variety and flowering dates.
How long does coffee take to ripen?
Arabica coffee cherries generally take around seven to nine months to ripen after flowering, although growing conditions and coffee variety can affect the timing.
Why are coffee cherries picked more than once?
Not all cherries ripen at the same time. Specialty coffee farms may make several picking passes so only fully ripe cherries are collected during each round.
Why are coffee cherries picked by hand?
Hand-picking allows workers to select ripe cherries and leave unripe fruit on the tree. This creates a more consistent harvest and can help protect cup quality.
What colour is a ripe coffee cherry?
Most coffee varieties turn red when fully ripe. Some varieties, including our Pacamara Amarillo, ripen to yellow instead.
Does harvesting affect how coffee tastes?
Yes. Ripeness, sorting, handling and processing all influence sweetness, balance, clarity and consistency in the finished coffee.