A true gift of nature, coffee comes from a plant belonging to the genus Coffea, a member of the Rubiaceae family, which includes various species: the most acclaimed is Coffea Arabica which accounts for three quarters of global production.

Its natural habitat is the tropical band of Asia, Africa and America. Arabica coffee is particularly sensitive to heat and humidity – for this reason it grows best at altitudes of between 900 and 2000 m. The higher the altitude, the higher the quality of the roasted coffee bean. The coffee bean starts it's life as a berry, which is initially green in colour and turns a nice shade of red, similar to a cherry in both colour and shape, after approximately 7 months. In tropical areas the temperature is constant (fluctuating between 15 and 25 °C), thus allowing the plant to bear fruit on a continuous basis and to produce berries after each rainy season. The plants simultaneously bear both ripe and unripe berries: the coffee pickers have the task of gathering only those berries which are sufficiently ripe. The berries are processed according to traditional methods which are still in use today: the "Dry method" and "Wet method".