Guide

Coffee Harvest Season 2026: When to See Picking in Antioquia

Antioquia's main coffee harvest runs from September into the end of the year, so a November or early December farm visit near Medellín is your best shot at seeing picking in 2026.

October 31, 2026 · 9 min read · Last checked: October 31, 2026

If you want to watch coffee being picked near Medellín in 2026, go between now and early December. Antioquia's main harvest runs from about September to December, and the heaviest picking usually falls in October and November. December still has activity on many farms, but it is the end of the curve, not the peak.

This guide is built for planning a tour, not for buying beans. It covers when the 2026 harvest is happening, what you will actually see on a working finca, and how to time a visit if you are only in Colombia over the holidays. For the year-round view, including the mitaca and the quieter months, see our explainer on the best time of year to visit a Colombian coffee farm.

The 2026 harvest calendar in Antioquia

Colombia grows coffee in two cycles. The main harvest (cosecha principal) is the big one. The smaller second harvest is called the mitaca or traviesa. The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros' own glossary describes it as a lower-volume harvest that usually comes about six months after the main one.

In Antioquia, the main harvest falls at the end of the year. A Federación-sourced report in La República's Agronegocios put about 70% of the department's production in the last four months of the year, with the largest volumes in October and November. Barista Hustle's regional profile lists Antioquia's main crop as September to December.

The 2026 season is following that pattern. On August 31, 2026, El Colombiano reported that the main harvest in Antioquia was ramping up in September and October. It also reported that authorities were deploying about 700 police officers to the Suroeste for the season.

Month-by-month: what a visit near Medellín is likely to show

Where the picking happens in Antioquia

Coffee grows across much of the department. El Colombiano reported in 2025 that the Plan Cosecha covered 94 coffee-growing municipalities. The highest demand for pickers was in 13 of them, including Andes, Betania, Betulia, Ciudad Bolívar, Concordia, Fredonia, Salgar and Santa Bárbara.

Most of those towns sit in the Suroeste, the region south and southwest of Medellín. That is where you will find the classic coffee pueblos visitors know, such as Jericó and Jardín. For 2026, El Colombiano reported about 59,000 pickers expected in the Suroeste alone, roughly 20,000 of them from other departments.

If you only have a day, the closer farms still harvest in the same season. Our guide to Fredonia coffee farms covers one Suroeste option that works as a day trip from the city.

What you will see on a harvest-season farm visit

A harvest visit shows the whole chain in one morning, which is the main reason to time a trip for it. Off-season tours explain the steps. Harvest tours let you watch them.

Picking

Colombian coffee is mostly picked by hand on steep slopes. Pickers select ripe red (or yellow, depending on variety) cherries and leave green ones for a later pass. Many tours include a few minutes of picking with a basket tied at the waist; ask whether that is allowed during peak work.

Processing (the beneficio)

Later the same day, cherries go through a depulper that separates seed from skin. The beans then ferment and are washed on most Antioquia farms, though some producers also run natural or honey lots. Our explainer on washed, natural and honey coffee shows how to tell the methods apart on a tour.

Drying and sorting

Washed parchment coffee dries on patios or under covered dryers called marquesinas. During the peak, these are full. Ask your host to show you parchment at different moisture stages so you can feel the difference.

The people

Harvest brings seasonal workers to the farm, often from other regions. Be courteous, ask before taking photos of anyone working, and keep out of the way of loaded bags on narrow paths.

If you are visiting in December

Many travelers reach Medellín for Christmas and New Year's, after the peak. You can still see coffee activity in December, but plan around three realities.

1. Picking is lighter. Most of the crop has already been harvested by then. Some farms, especially higher ones, still have ripe fruit; others are mostly drying and sorting.
2. The calendar matters. The weeks around Christmas and New Year's are a holiday period in Colombia. Ask whether the farm has picking crews working on your specific date.
3. Book early. The holiday weeks are a busy time for tours and transport out of Medellín. Send your date range and a backup date as soon as you know them.

If seeing picking is the point of the trip, aim for the first half of December rather than the last week. If you are flexible, a November visit gives you the best odds of all.

The 2026 crop and the earthquake

This is not a typical year in the coffee region. On August 21, 2026, Federación manager Germán Bahamón said the August 10 earthquake had not affected coffee production. He projected 2026 output at about 12.5 million 60-kg bags, around 8% below 2025, mainly because of heavy rain earlier in the year and the onset of El Niño.

The quake did hit growers' homes and farms. Forbes Colombia reported on August 19 that 8,070 coffee-growing families had reported damage to their homes, in Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, Quindío, Antioquia and Chocó. The same report counted 4,713 damaged processing facilities.

For a tour near Medellín, the practical effect is small, but it is worth asking. A farm that is repairing its beneficio may still welcome visitors and will show you a different part of the operation. If you are heading to the Eje Cafetero instead, read our separate guide on visiting Filandia and the coffee region after the earthquake before you book.

How a harvest-season tour day usually runs

Harvest tours follow the farm's working rhythm rather than a fixed script. A typical day from Medellín looks like this.

1. Early pickup. Leaving the city early gets you to the farm while crews are still on the slopes. Picking slows as the day warms up and the baskets fill.
2. Farm walk and picking. Your guide explains the plants, the varieties and how pickers judge ripeness. This is the moment to try picking, if the farm allows it.
3. Weighing and intake. On many farms, pickers bring their cherries to a central point to be weighed. It is a good time to ask how the harvest is going this year.
4. Processing. Depulping, fermentation and washing follow. You may see the same day's cherries begin the process you just watched in the field.
5. Drying and tasting. The visit usually ends at the drying area and then a cup of the farm's coffee, sometimes with a short cupping.

If you are short on time, a half-day visit to a closer farm covers most of this. A full day lets you reach the Suroeste towns and see a larger operation. Our comparison of half-day and full-day coffee tours walks through the trade-offs.

Wear closed shoes with grip. Harvest paths are steep, and they can be muddy after rain. Long sleeves help with branches and insects, and a light rain layer is worth carrying in any month.

Before you book: a harvest-timing checklist

Harvest stages change week to week, so the most useful information comes from the farm itself. Send these questions with your inquiry.

Start the day early. Picking happens mostly in the morning, and processing follows once the cherries come in. A half-day tour that starts around breakfast time usually catches both.

If you miss the main harvest: the mitaca

If your trip falls in the first half of 2027, you can still see some picking during the mitaca. Sources disagree on the exact months. El Colombiano reported in 2025 that the Antioquia committee expected the following mitaca in February, March and April. Barista Hustle lists April to June.

The practical answer: picking in the first half of the year is smaller and less predictable than in the fall. Ask the farm a week or two ahead, and treat any picking you see as a bonus.