The bean belt: cradle of all coffee

This time we’re talking beans & belts. After all, you, me and all those around us, start our day with a great cup of coffee but very few of us are really aware of the origin of the coffee we’re sipping. So, time for a little geography lesson!

The Bean Belt is basically the horizontal strip that lies in between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn in which almost all (Arabica) coffee plants are grown. Summarised by regions, the main coffee-producing countries are:

• Central American – Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
• South American – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
• Indonesia – Java, Sumatra, Papua Guinea
• Southeast Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar
• Africa & Arabia – Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
• Islands – Australia (entirely consumed by Australians), Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Jamaica

The Bean Belt provides the perfect climate for coffee beans to grow as coffee needs a pretty specific climate and environment in order to grow. To produce their best beans, coffee trees need to be grown at high altitudes in moist, tropical climates with both dry and rainy seasons and where there is rich soil. Other factors that affect the quality and flavour of coffee include the variety of the plant, the chemistry of the soil and the way the cherries are processed after being picked. In fact, the combination of factors is so complex, that quality and taste can even vary dramatically within a single plantation.

At Jones Brothers, our expert Roastmaster scours many of these in search for the best coffee he can then roast to perfection. We constantly test new samples, taste new beans and try new blends in order to keep our understanding and knowledge about coffee super fresh. Our coffee is then perfectly packaged in our Jones Brothers Coffee capsules and beans.

So the next time you pick up your favourite coffee, check out its origin, reflect on The Bean Belt and as you savour every sip, spare a moment to recognise the journey our beautiful beans have been through. From bean belt to conveyor belt. From crop to cup!

Love what we brew!

The Bean Team