Coffee plants can live for up to 100 years
Coffee plants are far more long‑lived than most people realise. Under the right conditions, a healthy coffee plant can survive for close to a century, although its most productive years typically fall between ages 7 and 20. After that, yield gradually declines, but the plant itself can keep growing, flowering, and producing smaller harvests for decades.
Most commercial farms regularly replace older trees to maintain high output, but heritage coffee estates sometimes keep century‑old plants as living pieces of agricultural history. These long‑lived trees often develop thicker trunks, deeper root systems, and a resilience that younger plants haven’t yet earned. It’s a reminder that behind every cup of coffee is a plant with a surprisingly long and fascinating life cycle
