PAPUA NEW GUINEA - FTO

Coffee touches and shapes the lives of two to three million people in Papua New Guinea. Grown in fifteen of the nineteen provinces, almost 50% of PNG rural households are involved in growing and harvesting coffee.

The Kuta Plantation coffees from PNG Coffee Exports Ltd. (a Volcafe Group company) are sourced from approximately 70 farmers in the Central Hagen District in the upper Whagi Valley of central Papua New Guinea. Of these farmers, 30% are smallholder farmers, 60% are blockholders and 10% own small plantations. The coffees are produced over a total area of 1,100 hectares and Volcafe PNG manages a fully transparent supply chain.

The Whagi region is at approximately 1,500 meters above sea level and coffee is grown in sandy loamy type soils. After the coffee  is harvested on the individual farms, it is delivered to the Kuta Wet Mill for selection, depulping, fermentation and drying. Once dried, the beans rest in parchment form for up to 3 weeks. It is then hulled and hand-sorted prior to transport to the port for shipment.

The Kuta Mill, which has build up a reputation for consistency and quality, is owned and operated by Mr. Brian Leahy. His father was one of the first pioneers of coffee in the Highlands of PNG. After having successfully operated a wet mill in Hagen for several years, Brian was encouraged to start his own operation. In 2007 he purchased suitable land in Kagamuga and established the Kuta Wet Mill. Kuta, which in the local language means spice or salt, is the name of the ridge where his father first settled and where Brian first learned about coffee as a child.

Cupping Notes:

Rich maple syrup, & notes of chocolate and roasted peanuts. / Medium-Dark Roast.

Varietal: Typica, Bourbōn