04/26/2026
Each coffee cherry is picked by hand. But that's just the beginning of the story.
What happens next determines everything you taste in the cup — and most people never see it.
Sorting
Not every cherry that leaves the tree makes the cut. At the sorting table, damaged, unripe, and overripe fruit gets pulled. Only the select ones move forward.
Processing
This is where the flavor road diverges. Washed, natural, honey — the method chosen here shapes how fruit sugars and fermentation leave their mark on the bean inside.
Drying
Patience isn't optional. Depending on the process, the coffee rests on raised beds in the sun or tumbles in heat controled vats — watched closely, dried to just the right moisture level. Rush it, and the cup suffers.
Hulling
The outer layers — parchment, pulp, or dried fruit skin — get removed to reveal the green bean underneath. One machine, one pass. Simple in theory, critical in practice.
Grading
Size, density, defects. Every bean gets evaluated. This step separates quality from commodity and ensures the best beans are packed.
Bagging
Finally — bagged, labeled, and ready to travel. Bags of green beans are stacked and pallets and shipped to the US where they will be roasted.
Every cup of Melton Trading Co coffee holds months of careful decision-making made by farmers, processors, and graders who never meet the people who'll drink it.Ethically sourced coffee matters to us. So does the work that happens between the tree and your cup.
