The process begins when selected seeds are planted in an area with hot, subtropical climate, a wet soil and a constant temperature between 15 and 25 degrees. One must wait three years following sowing, before the plants bloom for the first time and another year for the first crop. The fruit of the plant are actually drupes which are initially green and, eventually, turn red as they ripen. Once ripened, the fruit can be harvested. This phase varies depending on the climate conditions and geographical characteristics of the plantations. For example, in Brazil they harvest between March and April; in Africa the process begins in March and goes all the way through September; in Central America from October to April.

There are two main harvesting methods: picking and stripping.
The picking method consists of picking only the perfectly ripen cherries one by one, going from plant to plant following a regular time-schedule. This method requires more time, but guarantees a final homogeneous product of higher quality.

With the stripping, tree branches are “stripped” by hand from the stem outward and all fruits are harvested regardless of their degree of ripeness. This is a much quicker system, but involves the risk that cherries which are too ripe or unripe are not properly discarded.

Coffee beans must be removed from the fruit, the drupes, immediately after picking to preserve the quality of the fruit. This can be done in two ways, known as the dry and the wet methods. Usually, Robusta beans are processed using a dry method while for Arabica beans the wet method is the favourite one. Only Brazilian beans, regardless of the specific type of coffee, are skinned using a dry method.

Once the beans are skinned, they are sorted by hand or machine to remove debris and beans which have already started to ferment. Then, they are run through sieving machines which sort them into different sizes and grades.

Finally, the roasting process can begin; this is truly a fascinating part of the process as it is in this phase that the "magic" takes place. A phase during which the beans loose certain characteristics and acquire new ones which make coffee such a unique and distinctive drink.

During the roasting process, the temperature reaches 230°C, transforming not only the colour of the beans, but also their structure and features.

The special equipment and, above all, the experience and skills of Moak's "mastri torrefattori" (coffee roasting experts) are of fundamental importance in obtaining a perfect roasting balance. Since its early days, Moak adopted the system of roasting single variety beans separately. Each variety of coffee requires a different roasting, because of their different chemical composition and characteristics. Only a specific roasting process for each bean variety can preserve and enhance their unique flavors and qualities, and in the following blending process, the creation of a perfectly balanced blend.