Come to discover the whole history of your cup of coffee!

Try to imagine how many oceans are crossed, how many high-altitude paths are trodden, how many rain drops and sunny hours, how many attentive and precise gestures are necessary for just a few centilitres of that brown nectar!

Born in Ethiopia, the coffe-tree grows in the regions spreading between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. Five years after it was planted, it produces red berries called "CHERRIES"; each cherry , when ripe, will release two green beans.

As each tree gives only 2.5 Kilos a year it means 500 grams green coffee, that is 400 grams roasted coffee. You can imagine how many years and trees are necessary to meet the needs of two human beings out of three: 2.5 billion cups every day!

Two main species of coffee trees are cultivated :

• Arabica: it grows at altitudes between 600 and 2000 meters above sea level in South America, Central America, East Africa, Asia and Oceania.
  Arabica is mild, pleasantly flavoured, slightly bitter which is a sign of quality for coffee and contains little caffeine (less than 1.5 %).
• Robusta: less fragile than Arabica, it is grown from sea level up to an altitude of 600 metres in Western and Central Africa and Indonesia.
  There is more caffeine in it (from 2% to 4%). Therefore, it is bitter, stronger and more tonic.

As for wines, there are great vintages for coffee and in the same way, the ground, the climate and the mode of cultivation are major factors. After selecting the best crops, the specific skill of the expert in charge of roasting is crucial.