Unroasted coffee beans after processing and milling. Green coffee is the tradable commodity — it's exported from origin countries, evaluated by Q-graders, and roasted locally at the destination. Green coffee can be stored for up to a year before quality degrades.
A roaster buys green coffee, holds it in temperature-controlled storage, and roasts in small batches as needed. The green-to-roasted transformation takes 10–15 minutes.