The evergreen coffee bush - Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta - is now cultivated in over sixty countries spread over five continents. It requires a certain type of climate and hence is generally restricted to areas near the Equator.

Coffea Arabica grows best at altitude, around or above 1000 m (approx 4000 feet) higher than sea level, and it is generally regarded as producing the best coffee beans. Coffea Robusta is grown from sea level up to about 900m (approx 3000 feet). Robusta is generally used in blends, and for what has come to called "instant coffee".

Among the many varieties of Arabica are Mocca, Blue Mountain and Kenya.

The bush produces red or purple fruits, which contain two seeds, often called the "coffee beans" or "coffee berries" even though coffee is not a true, botanical, bean. A few varieties produce one seed, and these are called "peaberry".

The coffee bush will produce fruits after about three years, and continue doing so for several decades. The blossom of the coffee bush is similar to jasmine in both colour and smell, and the fruit itself takes about nine months to ripen.

After picking, the coffee beans are pulped to remove the bulk of the soft flesh, and then the beans are fermented. There are several ways of fermenting the beans but the usual method is wet fermentation in water for between ten to thirty-six hours. The beans are then washed, and dried, often in the sun. This whole process is quite time-consuming, and, for most growers, labour-intensive. It is the beans which result from this process that are roasted to produce coffee.