The paper examines the broader environmental issues and environmental management
aspects of primary coffee processing in general and more specifically how it is
addressed in India. Primary processing, the production of green beans from the
coffee fruits, is practised to bring out more flavour. Coffee is an important global commodity,
yet seen from a systemic view the producers and consumers of such an important commercial
commodity are far apart. Primary coffee processing, with all its attendant environment impact,
takes place at the producer end. The consumers in general are unaware of these impacts. The
various methods of processing, the processing steps and the waste discharge associated with
them are reviewed. A review of pollution and associated management methods is presented. An
anaerobic bioreactor design developed and tested in a few Indian coffee plantations as a simple
solution is also described
