{ "id": "harvest-calendars", "url": "https://coffearium.org/entries/harvest-calendars/", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "title": "Harvest calendars", "summary": "When coffee is picked in each producing country, why many origins have two crops, and how altitude spreads the harvest over the year.", "domain": "trade", "kind": "Concept", "stage": "trade", "topics": [], "topicSections": {}, "lang": "en", "status": "verified", "reviewer": "Coffearium verification pass", "lastVerified": "2026-10-12T00:00:00.000Z", "updated": "2026-10-12T00:00:00.000Z", "brief": [ "Coffee is picked in different months in every origin, so fresh crops reach the market across the whole year: Brazil from April or May to September, Colombia mainly October to December, Vietnam late October to January.1,2,3", "Many origins have two harvests a year: a main crop and a second crop, called the “fly” crop in Kenya and the “mitaca” in Colombia.2,4,5,22", "Within a country the timing moves with altitude: in Costa Rica picking starts around August in the low south and can run to May in high areas.6" ], "quickFacts": [ { "label": "Countries in the calendar", "value": "28 (about 97% of world production in 2024)" }, { "label": "Brazil", "value": "April or May to September" }, { "label": "Colombia", "value": "October–December, mitaca April–June" }, { "label": "Vietnam", "value": "Late October to January" } ], "aka": [ "Harvest calendar", "Crop calendar", "Harvest seasons" ], "linkTerms": [ "harvest calendar", "fly crop", "mitaca" ], "related": [ "harvesting-and-sorting", "coffea-genus", "flowering-and-pollination" ], "contested": [ "Kenya: the ICO country profile gives two harvests, April–June and October–December4; USDA (2017) calls September–December the early or fly crop and March–July the main crop22; FAO (2000) gives a main harvest in October–December and a secondary one in June and August.18", "Tanzania: USDA (2025) gives July–October for the whole country20; FAO (2000) gives arabica October–December and robusta June–December.18", "Central African Republic: ICO (2008) gives picking from November to January9; FAO (2000) gives November to February.18", "Rwanda: NAEB describes one crop starting in late February or early March, with some northern areas picking until August15; FAO (2000) gives March–June.18" ], "corrections": [], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "title": "Brazil: Coffee Annual (BR2025-0013)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Brasilia_Brazil_BR2025-0013.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The 2025/26 Brazilian coffee harvest began at a slow pace, with robusta varieties in April and arabica in May, and expected to conclude by September.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s2", "title": "Colombia: Coffee Annual (CO2025-0014)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Bogota_Colombia_CO2025-0014.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "there are two distinct peak harvest periods: the primary harvest period extends from October to December", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s3", "title": "Vietnam: Coffee Annual (VM7024)", "year": 2017, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=COFFEE+ANNUAL_Hanoi_Vietnam_5-17-2017.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "Coffee growers often pick Robusta cherries from late October to January.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s4", "title": "Country Coffee Profile: Kenya (ICC-124-7)", "year": 2019, "publisher": "International Coffee Organization", "url": "https://www.ico.org/documents/cy2018-19/icc-124-7e-profile-kenya.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "harvesting takes place during two periods every year, with the first crop from April to June and the second from October to December.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s5", "title": "Indonesia: Coffee Annual (ID2025-0021)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Jakarta_Indonesia_ID2025-0021.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "Arabica crops are harvested twice per year; first between April and May followed by a second harvest which normally begins in September or October.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s6", "title": "Costa Rica: Coffee Annual (CS2025-0010)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_San+Jose_Costa+Rica_CS2025-0010.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The coffee harvest is concentrated in the months of November to February. However, the harvest starts around August in the lower altitudes in the south and can end around May in some higher altitude areas.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s7", "title": "FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products (item “Coffee, green”, element “Production”, 2024)", "year": 2026, "publisher": "Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), licence CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL", "tier": "A", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s8", "title": "Peru: Coffee Annual (PE2025-0018)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Lima_Peru_PE2025-0018.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The harvest season begins in April and extends through September, with peak activity between June and July.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s9", "title": "Communication from the Central African Republic (ICC-100-7)", "year": 2008, "publisher": "International Coffee Organization", "url": "https://www.ico.org/documents/icc100-7c.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "Cueillette : Novembre à janvier", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s10", "title": "Smallholder coffee production in Papua New Guinea, farmer training guide, Unit 3 Module 1: Coffee harvesting and processing (ACIAR Monograph 220)", "authors": "Curry, G.; Tilden, G.; Aroga, L.", "year": 2025, "publisher": "Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research", "url": "https://www.aciar.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-04/FTG_Unit3-M1-PDF_harvest-&-process.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The main coffee harvesting period normally runs from May to July, but there is usually enough cherry ripening from March to October for additional harvesting", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s11", "title": "Uganda: Coffee Annual (2014)", "year": 2014, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Nairobi_Uganda_5-7-2014.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "Coffee harvesting is done all year around with two major peaks, November to February and June to September.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s12", "title": "Country Coffee Profile: Uganda (ICC-124-8)", "year": 2019, "publisher": "International Coffee Organization", "url": "https://www.ico.org/documents/cy2018-19/icc-124-8e-profile-uganda.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The harvesting seasons alternate as main and minor harvest depending on whether the region is in the Northern or Southern hemisphere (see Table 2).", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s13", "title": "Época de cosecha del café", "year": 2025, "publisher": "Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA), Guatemala", "url": "https://www.maga.gob.gt/epoca-de-cosecha-del-cafe/", "tier": "A", "quote": "En Guatemala, la cosecha de café generalmente comienza a finales de noviembre y se extiende hasta marzo, la cual depende de la región y la altitud.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s14", "title": "Informe Estadístico 2020–2021", "year": 2022, "publisher": "Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE)", "url": "https://www.ihcafe.hn/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Resumen-Informe-2020-2021.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "la época de recolección que está comprendida entre los meses de octubre a Marzo dependiendo de la condiciones de altura en que se encuentran las fincas.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s15", "title": "About Rwanda coffee", "publisher": "National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Rwanda", "url": "https://www.naeb.gov.rw/rwanda-coffee/about-rwanda-coffee", "tier": "A", "quote": "Fruits are then formed and the harvesting period starts late February in the Western Province on the shores of Lake Kivu and Early March elsewhere.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s16", "title": "India: Coffee Annual 2023 (IN2023-0033)", "year": 2023, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_New+Delhi_India_IN2023-0033", "tier": "A", "quote": "In India, the arabica coffee crop harvest normally takes place from November to January, while the robusta crop harvest runs December to February.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s17", "title": "Arabica coffee manual for Lao-PDR", "authors": "Winston, E.; Op de Laak, J.; Marsh, T.; Lempke, H.; Chapman, K.", "year": 2005, "publisher": "FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific", "url": "https://laocoffee.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/arabica-coffee-manual-for-lao-pdr-fao-2005.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "In Lao, harvesting for Arabica takes place from October through December and for Robusta, December through February", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s18", "title": "Post Harvest Handling and Processing of Coffee in African Countries, Annex 4: Africa Coffee Producing Countries Profiles", "authors": "Mutua, J.", "year": 2000, "publisher": "FAO (AGSI)", "url": "https://www.fao.org/4/X6939E/X6939e10.htm", "tier": "A", "quote": "Robusta: year round, peak from November to February", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s19", "title": "Mexico: Coffee Annual (MX2022-0031)", "year": 2022, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Mexico+City_Mexico_MX2022-0031", "tier": "A", "quote": "Although coffee is typically harvested from November to April, contacts indicate that changes in climate are adjusting the time frame from year to year.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s20", "title": "Tanzania: Coffee Annual (TZ2025-0004)", "year": 2025, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Coffee+Annual_Dar+Es+Salaam_Tanzania_TZ2025-0004.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The coffee harvest season runs from July to October.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s21", "title": "Philippine Coffee", "publisher": "Philippine Coffee Board", "url": "https://philcoffeeboard.com/philippine-coffee/", "tier": "B", "quote": "The general harvest season lasts from October to March.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s22", "title": "Kenya: Coffee Annual (2017)", "year": 2017, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Coffee+Annual_Nairobi_Kenya_5-15-2017.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "The “fly” or early crop that is harvested between September and December, and the “main” or late crop is harvested between March and July.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s23", "title": "Evaluación rápida sobre el efecto de la roya del café en poblaciones vulnerables dependientes del sector en El Salvador", "year": 2013, "publisher": "World Food Programme (WFP), El Salvador", "url": "https://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp257856.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "La demanda de jornales que se genera en la época de corta de café, que va de octubre a enero", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s24", "title": "Value chain analysis of qat and coffee in Yemen", "authors": "Khan, K.; Al-Kirshi, A. G.", "year": 2022, "publisher": "UNDP Yemen", "url": "https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/VC%20Analysis_Qat%20Coffee_FINAL%20with%20Disclaimer.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "beans are picked 6–10 times during October–December, depending on location and variety.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "id": "s25", "title": "Nicaragua: Coffee Annual (2018)", "year": 2018, "publisher": "USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report", "url": "https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Coffee+Annual_Managua_Nicaragua_10-23-2018.pdf", "tier": "A", "quote": "Despite abnormal rainfall in some areas during the harvest season (November through February), Nicaragua had a good coffee harvest.", "accessed": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z" } ], "markdown": "## Why harvest timing matters\n\nCoffee cherries ripen once or twice a year, and the months differ from origin to origin. The harvest in Brazil, the largest producer7, runs from April (robusta) or May (arabica) to about September.1 In Colombia the main harvest is October to December2, in Vietnam late October to January3, and in Peru April to September, with about 85% of the crop picked from April to July.8 Because the seasons are spread over the year, some origin is harvesting in every month (see the calendar below).\n\nThe harvest also sets when coffee can be shipped. In the Central African Republic, for example, cherries are picked from November to January; the first shipments leave in January or February and exports run from February to August.9\n\n## The calendar\n\nThe tool shows the harvest months of 28 producing countries, which together grew about 97% of the world’s coffee in 2024 (our calculation from FAOSTAT, which has no 2024 figure for Nicaragua).7 Pick a month to see who is harvesting and what share of the world crop those countries grow; tap a country for its notes and sources. Bars show the months as each source states them, so a country can have several bars when sources split it by species or by crop.\n\n
\n\n## Main crop and second crop\n\nMany origins harvest twice. In Colombia the main harvest runs from October to December and a second crop, the mitaca, comes from April to June, mainly in the central coffee region.2 Kenya picks two crops, from April to June and from October to December.4 In Indonesia, arabica is harvested in April and May and again from September or October.5 In Papua New Guinea the main harvest runs from May to July, but enough cherries ripen from March to October for additional picking.10\n\nIn Uganda harvesting goes on all year, with two peaks: November to February and June to September.11 The main and minor harvests swap places between regions, depending on whether they lie north or south of the equator.12\n\n## Altitude and region\n\nA single country can harvest over many months. In Costa Rica the harvest is concentrated from November to February, but it starts around August in the lower south and can end around May in some high areas.6 In Guatemala it usually begins at the end of November and runs to March; it comes later in high areas such as Antigua and Huehuetenango and a little earlier in the lowlands.13 In Honduras the picking season runs from October to March, depending on the altitude of the farm.14 In Rwanda, picking starts in late February on the shores of Lake Kivu and in early March elsewhere, and some northern areas pick until August.15\n\nRobusta and arabica in the same country can ripen at different times. In India arabica is harvested from November to January and robusta from December to February16; in Laos arabica from October to December and robusta from December to February.17\n\n\n\n## Reference table: harvest months by country\n\n| Country | Harvest months | Source |\n|---|---|---|\n| Brazil | Robusta (conilon): Apr–Sep; Arabica: May–Sep | 1 |\n| Vietnam | Robusta: Oct–Jan | 3 |\n| Colombia | Main harvest: Oct–Dec; Mitaca (second crop): Apr–Jun | 2 |\n| Indonesia | Robusta, southern Sumatra: Apr–May onwards (end not stated), Jun–Jul (peak); Arabica: Apr–May, Sep–Oct onwards (end not stated) | 5 |\n| Ethiopia | Arabica: Aug–Jan | 18 |\n| Uganda | Robusta: all year, Nov–Feb (peak); Arabica: Sep–Dec; Peaks, both species (USDA 2014): Nov–Feb (peak), Jun–Sep (peak) | 18,11 |\n| India | Arabica: Nov–Jan; Robusta: Dec–Feb | 16 |\n| Peru | Arabica: Apr–Sep, Jun–Jul (peak) | 8 |\n| Central African Republic | Robusta: Nov–Jan (ICO; FAO differs, see Contested) | 9 |\n| Honduras | All coffee: Oct–Mar | 14 |\n| Guatemala | All coffee: Nov–Mar | 13 |\n| Mexico | All coffee: Nov–Apr | 19 |\n| Laos | Arabica: Oct–Dec; Robusta: Dec–Feb | 17 |\n| Guinea | Robusta: Dec–Mar | 18 |\n| Tanzania | All coffee (2025): Jul–Oct; Arabica (FAO): Oct–Dec; Robusta (FAO): Jun–Dec | 20,18 |\n| Côte d’Ivoire | Robusta: Oct–Mar | 18 |\n| DR Congo | Robusta: May–Jul; Arabica: Nov–Jan, May–Sep | 18 |\n| Philippines | All coffee: Oct–Mar (one industry source; no official calendar found) | 21 |\n| Costa Rica | Arabica: Aug–Oct (some areas), Nov–Feb, Mar–May (some areas) | 6 |\n| Papua New Guinea | All coffee: May–Jul (main); enough cherry ripens Mar–Oct for additional picking | 10 |\n| Madagascar | Mostly robusta: May–Oct | 18 |\n| Kenya | Arabica: Apr–Jun, Oct–Dec (ICO; USDA and FAO differ, see Contested) | 4 |\n| Cameroon | Robusta: Nov–Feb; Arabica: Sep–Feb | 18 |\n| El Salvador | All coffee: Oct–Jan | 23 |\n| Yemen | Arabica: Oct–Dec | 24 |\n| Nicaragua | All coffee: Nov–Feb | 25 |\n| Rwanda | Arabica: Feb (some areas), Mar–Jun, Jul–Aug (some areas) | 15,18 |\n| Burundi | Arabica: Apr–Jul | 18 |\n\n\nMonths as stated in each source; where sources disagree, see Contested. Months shift from year to year with the weather; the sources are country summaries, not forecasts.\n\n## How old the sources are\n\nThe calendar uses the most recent official statement we could find for each country. For most of the large producers this is a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Coffee Annual from 2023–2025.1,2,5,8,16 For several African origins the most recent official country-wide calendar we found is the FAO country profile of 2000, built on 1999 data.18 The tool shows the year of every source with each country; these older rows should be read as the traditional season, not a current measurement.\n\nChina and Venezuela are not yet in the calendar: we found no official source that states their harvest months.\n\n## Key studies\n\n
\n

USDA FAS – Coffee Annual reports. Yearly reports from US agricultural attachés in the main producing countries, covering production, trade and stocks; many describe when the harvest starts, peaks and ends, and how weather shifted it.

\n

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN · fas.usda.gov

\n
\n\n
\n

Mutua, 2000 – Post-harvest handling of coffee in African countries. An FAO report with short profiles of African coffee producers, giving for each country the species grown, the harvest months, the usual preparation and production and exports in 1999.

\n

FAO · fao.org

\n
" }