Check Out Our New Harvest Calendar!

Becoming familiar with a producing region’s seasonality is a great tool for forecasting your green coffee requirements and ensuring that you’re roasting fresh coffees year-round. 

MCM’s Harvest Calendar provides a rough guide for the harvest, shipment and arrival periods for coffees from each of our sourcing regions.

Published 25 Oct 2024

Download your copy here.

For each shipment, we progress through several key stages:

Pre-harvest Planning: In the lead up to our annual sourcing trip, our team puts together a detailed buying brief to share with our supply partners. For roasters, this is a great time to communicate your requirements or requests to MCM, so that we can add them to our brief and ensure we secure the coffees you love. 

Harvest: The harvest period typically runs for 3–6 months, depending on the country, region and seasonal weather events. During this time, coffees are harvested, processed and dried. We aim to visit our supply partners just after the peak of the harvest, when the best quality is ready to be cupped and selected.

Sourcing Trip/Offer Stage: During the trip, we cup and select our upcoming line-up from that origin. At this stage, we are cupping offer samples, which typically represent coffee lots that are still in parchment, waiting to be milled and prepared for export. Occasionally, our supply partners will send us offer samples to cup in Melbourne.

Shipment: Once we have confirmed our order, the coffees are prepared for export. Post-harvest processing includes milling, sorting, packaging, consolidation and transport of the coffees to port, and may take 2–3 months to complete. Shipment times vary depending on the country of origin, ranging between 1 to 3 months on the water.

Pre-shipment Sample (PSS):  Once the coffees are ready to sail, our supply partners send us pre-shipment samples to cup and assess the quality of the prepared lots. When the samples arrive in Australia and are approved by our team, we add the spot line-up to our offer list and share PSS with our customers so that they confirm or select their preferred lots ahead of the coffees’ arrival 2–3 months later. 

Arrival: Some 4–6 months after we have travelled to the producing country, our coffees finally arrive in Australia! Once the coffees have cleared customs and quarantine, and our team has cupped and approved the landed lots, we are ready to dispatch any reserves to our roasting partners. At this stage, we share landed samples with anyone who missed out on PSS, or anyone selecting coffees from our spot offerings. 

Post-landed QC: Regardless of whether they have sold out or not, we cup and assess each of our coffee offerings at three months post-landing and again at six months. This meticulous approach to QC gives our team great familiarity with our coffees and informs our purchasing decisions for the upcoming season. All qualitative and physical assessment is shared with our producing partners and may inform adjustments to their farming or processing practices, to improve the quality or longevity of future lots.

BOLIVIA

REGIONS: Most of the coffees we source are grown and processed in the Caranavi region, though we also taste and select a few distinct lots from Samaipata, in the southern department of Santa Cruz.

PROFILE: Bolivian coffees tend to be incredibly sweet and silky, with great structure and clarity of flavour. Some are extremely sweet and balanced, with sugarcane and stone fruit in the cup, while others present more winey acidity and notes of tropical fruit. We primarily buy washed Caturra lots, which suit filter and espresso applications. Our long-time supply partners also produce outstanding rare variety and specially prepared nanolots that are often featured as showcase coffees and are suitable for competition. We look for coffees that exemplify the unique terroir and varieties of Bolivia, and the innovative fermentation techniques employed during processing. 

TIMING: The harvest period typically runs from June through to October. Rare varieties and coffees from higher elevations take longer to ripen and are ready for harvest later in the season. MCM’s team travels to Bolivia in August or September to cup and confirm our annual order, with the goal of sailing the coffees from October onwards.

ARRIVALS: Because Bolivia is a landlocked country, transit times can be longer than from other regions. We work to sail our coffees from October to November to land in Australia between January and February. 

LONGEVITY: Generally, Bolivian coffees have a long shelf life, and we are confident they will perform well 9–12 months post-landing. We package rare variety and special preparation lots in vacuum-packed cartons, ensuring they present great vibrancy and distinction upon opening. 

Read more about Bolivia.

BRAZIL

REGIONS: We buy coffees from the towns of Mucugê and Piatã, both located in the Chapada Diamantina region of Bahia.

PROFILE: Brazilian coffees are well-loved for their sweet, low-acidity and full-bodied profiles, which pair well with milk. In Piatã, we source exceptional microlots from small, independently owned-and-operated estates that present a refined, fruit-forward profile in the cup, reflecting the region’s high elevation and unique growing conditions. We also source full-bodied, sweet and clean high-volume pulped natural and natural lines from Fazenda Progresso in Mucugê; these offer outstanding value and are suitable for espresso development and blending.

TIMING: Bahia’s harvest season runs from June to October. Coffees from cooler climates and higher elevations (e.g., Piatã) take longer to ripen and are ready for harvest later in the season. MCM’s team typically travels to Brazil between August and September to cup and confirm our annual order, with the goal of sailing coffees from September onwards.

ARRIVALS: We bring in several shipments from Brazil annually, which land in Australia between November and March. 

LONGEVITY: Generally, our Brazilian lots have a long shelf life and taste sweet and clean up to 12 months after landing in Australia, making them suitable as a year-round blending component. We work closely with customers who contract blending lines, to forecast appropriate volumes and ensure the coffee is tasting great throughout its usage. 

Read more about Brazil.

COLOMBIA

REGIONS: We buy refined and complex microlots from single smallholder farms (often just 1–3 hectares in size), as well as larger blended lots with contributions from several producers from the same municipality or community. We source these lots from various distinct micro-regions in Huila, Antioquia, Nariño, Tolima and Cauca states.

PROFILE: Colombian coffees are medium to full-bodied and intensely sweet, with notes of ripe fruits, juicy acidity and complex florals. We look for coffees that are distinct to the region they were produced in, with cup profiles that – depending on the processing, variety or intended use – range from rich, sweet and clean to extremely complex. We find that Colombian coffees offer great versatility and suit filter, espresso, blending or ‘showcase’ applications.

TIMING: With so many distinct micro-regions producing both a main and fly crop, Colombian coffees are harvested and shipped year-round, offering great flexibility for coffee buyers. We primarily buy from Nariño’s main crop from March to August, and from the main and fly crops in Cauca, Tolima, Huila and Antioquia, which run from March to June and September to December, respectively. MCM’s team typically travels to Colombia in October–November.

ARRIVALS: We aim to sail two main shipments from Colombia annually, the first sailing around mid-year to land between September and November and the second to sail towards the end of the year to land between February and April. 

LONGEVITY: We package all our Colombian microlots in vacuum-packed cartons to ensure they stay fresh and vibrant for 6–9 months post-landing. This, coupled with sailing multiple shipments annually, means we rarely experience woody or faded notes in our Colombian lines.

Read more about Colombia.

ETHIOPIA

REGION: We buy washed and natural lots that have been processed at centralised washing stations or processing sites and are traceable back to a kebele (local village) within the regions of Yirgacheffe, Sidama and Arbegona in the SNNPR political region, and Guji and West Arsi in Oromia. 

PROFILE: Ethiopian coffees are renowned for their fruit-forward and floral characteristics and are often featured as filter or ‘showcase’ offerings. We look for distinct washed and natural lots that present floral complexity, elegant citrus and stone fruit acidity and intense sweetness, and that are exceptionally clean and well-structured.

TIMING: The harvest period typically runs from October through to February, with the peak of the harvest varying slightly depending on the region. MCM’s team travels to Ethiopia in January or February to cup and confirm our annual order, with the goal of sailing the coffees from March onwards.

ARRIVALS: We work to ship our coffees between March and May, to land in Australia between May and July.

LONGEVITY: Ethiopian coffees have a long shelf life, typically presenting complex floral and fruit notes from when they land in Australia and up to 12 months following.

Read more about Ethiopia.

GUATEMALA

REGIONS: We buy coffees from the acclaimed regions of Huehuetenango, Cobán, Santa Rosa, Fraijanes and Antigua.

PROFILE: Guatemala’s diverse topography and microclimates produce a wide variety of flavour profiles that are suitable for filter, espresso, blending or ‘showcase’ offerings. We have worked with many of our producing partners for over a decade, sourcing coffees that range from rare variety and specially prepared nanolots through to large-volume blending options. We look for coffees that are distinct to the region they were produced in, with cup profiles that – depending on the processing, variety or intended use – range from floral, fruit-driven and complex through to rich, creamy and balanced.

TIMING: The harvest period typically runs from January through to May, with Antigua, Santa Rosa and Fraijanes starting a few weeks earlier than Huehuetenango and Cobán. Rare varieties and coffees from higher elevations typically take longer to ripen and are ready for harvest later in the season. MCM’s team travels to Guatemala in March to cup and confirm our annual order, with the goal of sailing the coffees from April onwards. 

ARRIVALS: We book in shipments as the coffees are ready, typically landing a container of Antiguan lots around May–June and later containers around July–August.

LONGEVITY: Generally, Guatemalan coffees have a long shelf life and we are confident they will perform well 9–12 months post-landing. We package rare variety and special preparation lots in vacuum-packed cartons, ensuring they present great vibrancy and distinction upon opening. 

Read more about Guatemala.

KENYA

REGIONS: We buy coffees that are grown on the high plateaus surrounding Mt Kenya, including Nyeri, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Embu and Murang’a counties. 

PROFILE: Kenyan coffees are known for their distinct and vibrant cup profile, with high acidity and a juicy mouthfeel, and are typically featured as filter or ‘showcase’ offerings. We look for coffees that are distinctive and delicious, with sparkling fruit character balanced by intense sweetness and great structure. We work with several quality-focused cooperatives and small independent estates to ensure we have great traceability on the lots we offer.

TIMING: The country’s best coffees are grown at high elevations and harvested from November through to January. Our team typically travels to Kenya in February so that we can sample coffees from the entire season and choose the strongest lots. 

ARRIVALS: We work to sail the coffees from April to May, to land in Australia between June and July. 

LONGEVITY: We ship all our Kenyan microlots in vacuum-packed cartons to ensure they stay fresh and vibrant for up to 12 months post-landing.

Read more about Kenya.

RWANDA

REGIONS: We buy coffees that have been processed by our long-time supply partners at centralised washing stations in the Nyamagabe and Huye Districts in the Southern Province, and Gakenke District in the Northern Province. Every lot we select is traceable back to a washing station, producer group, or individual producer.

PROFILE: For such a tiny country, the flavour profile of coffees grown in Rwanda can vary quite a lot. Coffees from the Southern Province are rich and sweet with black tea and dried fruit in the cup, while those from the Northern Province are typically juicy and floral with bright citrus and berry notes. Most of the lots we purchase are washed, but we can buy some distinctive and unique naturals on request.

TIMING: The harvest period typically runs from April to July. Our team visits Rwanda in June to cup and confirm our annual order, with the goal of sailing the coffees by September.

ARRIVALS: Because Rwanda is a landlocked country, transit times can be longer than from other regions. We work to sail the coffees around September, to land in Australia between November and December. 

LONGEVITY: We find that our Rwandan offerings hold up well throughout their shelf life and recommend using them within 6–9 months of landing.

Read more about Rwanda.