Coffee beans are the seeds of a small fruit called a coffee cherry.

Coffee plants belong to the Rubiaceae family. The two most common types are Arabica and Robusta. The plant grows white flowers that turn into fruits called drupes. These fruits take nine to eleven months to ripen and turn deep red or purple.Inside the fruit, the seeds are protected by several layers. These include the outer skin, a fleshy pulp, and a thin layer called parchment. Most cherries have two seeds with flat sides facing each other. In about 5% of fruits, only one round seed grows, which is called a peaberry.The caffeine in the seeds acts as a natural defense. It can paralyze or kill insects that try to eat the plant. After farmers pick the fruit, they use water or sun-drying to remove the seeds from the pulp.The raw green seeds are roasted at temperatures between 370°F and 540°F (188°C to 282°C). This heat causes a chemical change called the Maillard reaction. This reaction creates the brown color and the specific flavors of coffee. The world produces over 10 billion pounds of these seeds every year.