What’s the Story Behind the Photo?

This is not just another springtime bloom...

This beautiful white flower may seem like just another blossom at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. But for coffee farmers around the world, it means something different: it’s the start of the ripening process for this critical crop.

Coffee starts its journey to our cups on mid-sized trees, which begin to flower after a few years. When the blooms fall off, they leave behind green nodes that eventually ripen into bright red coffee cherries. The cherries are then harvested, and the seeds inside are extracted, processed, and roasted. The results are the dark brown coffee beans that many of us purchase and grind for our morning brews.

TechnoServe works with thousands of farmers to turn this flowering crop into a better future for their families. Smallholder farmers produce up to 80% of the world’s coffee, but many of them struggle to escape poverty. We help farmers apply improved, climate-smart growing techniques that dramatically enhance the value of their coffee, enabling them sell to bigger buyers at better prices and improve their incomes for good.

Learn more at technoserve.org/coffee.