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Inside HuyEco: How a Coffee Huller Machine Transformed Our Coffee Production

Learn how a manual coffee pulping machine helped HuyEco improve quality, reduce waste, and share the story of sustainable coffee with travelers in Da Lat
Inside HuyEco: How a Coffee Huller Machine Transformed Our Coffee Production

Bản tiếng Việt đã dịch (Vietnamese Version): Máy bóc vỏ Cà phê tươi: Hành trình sản xuất cà phê bền vững tại HuyEco | HuyEco.vn

☕ A Small Machine, A Big Step: My Journey with Coffee Pulping at HuyEco

I didn’t buy this machine from a showroom. I bought it from a farmer in Lam Ha — a quiet district about 20km from Da Lat. He told me he no longer used it, and offered it to me for just 500,000 VND. It still worked perfectly. I strapped it to my motorbike and brought it home.

This pulping machine is smaller than the one I used at my first farm, but it’s exactly what I need for my new production space at HuyEco Coffee & Culture. I don’t need a motor. I don’t need noise. I just need a simple, hand-operated tool to remove the skin from ripe coffee cherries — quietly, efficiently, and with purpose.

Manual coffee pulping process at HuyEco Coffee: fresh cherries being fed into the hopper, separating beans from skins.
Operating our manual coffee pulping machine at HuyEco — fresh cherries go in, beans and skins come out separately.

Watch how we manually pulp fresh coffee cherries at HuyEco — separating beans from skins with care and intention. A quiet, hands-on step toward sustainable quality.

🌱 Why This Machine Matters

In Vietnam, most smallholder farmers harvest coffee by stripping all the cherries — ripe and unripe — from the branches. They dry the cherries directly on the ground, then sell them to large companies or local markets for instant coffee production. Quality isn’t the priority. Speed is.

But this method has consequences:

  • Mixed ripeness leads to uneven fermentation
  • Ground drying causes mold and weight loss
  • Machine pulping becomes unstable due to green cherries
  • Farmers earn less for lower-grade coffee

Some farmers now skip pulping altogether and dry whole cherries (Green Cherrie Natural process). It’s easier, and even if mold appears, the bean inside remains protected by the outer skin.

In 2024, I dried Natural Process coffee (100% Ripe Coffee Cherrie) — but the weather turned. One full week of rain in November ruined the batch. Mold spread. Quality dropped. Climate change is real, and it’s changing how we farm.

That’s why I chose this machine. With Honey and Washed processing, I can reduce drying time, save space, and avoid the risks of unpredictable weather. I use the Honey method this year, which doesn’t require water fermentation — meaning less labor, less water waste, and less environmental impact.

Coffee beans being sorted after pulping at HuyEco Coffee; unpeeled cherries are identified and reprocessed manually
Sorting freshly pulped coffee beans — any unpeeled cherries are returned to the hopper for a second round of processing.
Red coffee skins exiting the pulping machine at HuyEco Coffee, collected for composting as part of our zero-waste farming approach.
Coffee skins discharged from the pulping machine — bright red from fully ripe cherries. We compost these skins to enrich the soil and reduce waste.

🔧 How It Works at HuyEco

  • I handpick only ripe cherries
  • Use the pulping machine to remove the skin
  • Leave the mucilage intact for Honey fermentation
  • Dry the beans on raised beds

This machine isn’t just a tool. It’s a symbol of how small choices can lead to better coffee, better farming, and better futures.

Honey-processed coffee beans drying on raised beds at HuyEco, coated in golden mucilage from fully ripe cherries.
Honey-processed coffee drying on raised beds at HuyEco Farm — the golden, sticky layer of natural sugars gives this method its name.
Close-up of dried honey-processed coffee beans at HuyEco Farm, showing golden-brown sugary mucilage from ripe cherries.
Fully dried honey-processed coffee at HuyEco Coffee — coated in a golden-brown layer of natural sugars, sweet and sticky to the touch.
Coffee beans undergoing washed fermentation at HuyEco, submerged in water to break down mucilage. Process now discontinued due to environmental concerns.
Washed coffee fermentation at HuyEco Coffee — beans soaked for 1–2 days to remove mucilage, producing a sour aroma and flavor. We’ve since discontinued this method to reduce water use and protect the soil from acidity.

📍 Visit & Learn

At HuyEco Coffee & Culture, you can see this machine in action, hear the story behind it, and taste the results in every cup. We believe that sustainable coffee starts with transparency — and we’re proud to share every step of our journey.

If you’re traveling to Da Lat and want to experience coffee like never before, come visit us:
📍 Address: HuyEco Coffee & Culture, Alley 29, 3/4 Street, Ward 3, Da Lat, Vietnam
📌 Map: View on Google Maps
🌍 Booking tour: HuyEco Coffee Tour
📦 Order Coffee: huyeco.vn/order-coffee
📹 YouTube: HuyEco Coffee & Culture
We believe that every traveler can be part of the change. And every cup of coffee can be a step toward a better world.

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🌍 External Links (industry references & platforms):

 

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In case you want to use the materials for non-profit community purposes, please contact the author at email address: huyeco1125@gmail.com
Sincerely
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