A coffee grower in Papua New Guinea found the taste of his own product put him off instant coffee forever.
Harvesting of coffee cherry - Eastern Highlands, PNG Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
Daniel Kinne said being shown how to roast, grind and brew his own coffee has revolutionised his business.
Despite coffee being the major commercial crop of his region, the executive manager of PNG's Highland Organic Agricultural Co-operative (HOAC) had never tried the real thing.
HOAC Chairman Daniel Kinne cupping his coffee in PNG. Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
Mr Kinne said he'd been happy with instant.
He said learning to take coffee from crop to cup changed things.
"We were doing coffee but not really putting all our best into doing a good quality of coffee or giving most of our time to coffee," he said.
The Costa Rican coffee master
A professional associate and friend of Mr Kinne's, Fairtrade Australia New Zealand's producer support officer Will Valverde agreed.
Mr Valverde who grew up surrounded by coffee farms in Costa Rica now works closely with growers and producers to shape a more strategic Fairtrade business ethos.
Will Valverde of Fairtrade demonstrates wet mill at Neknasi. Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
He said through the model of sustainable development Fairtrade focused on engaging farmers with the supply chain.
"To change the mentality that they are coffee pickers," he said.
"We are trying to convert them into coffee growers and also trying to change the mind-set of having the coffee as an ATM, a cash crop, where they go and process coffee only when they require some cash."
Mr Valverde commented that better processing practices had improved productivity, profitability and living standards for the Highlands' communities involved.
HOAC representatives sample roasting their coffee for evaluation. Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
The co-operative's Daniel Kinne said it was Fairtrade that initially linked HOAC to others in the supply chain.
Sewege Moa of HOAC and Mike Murphy of Kokako discuss best-practice in coffee cherry harvesting. Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
"Then we knew that there was a roaster in New Zealand, by the name of Kokako Coffee, buying coffee from us and really likes our coffee and wanted to visit us," he said.
"One time they came to our place up at HOAC in Okapa district and it was a great experience, wonderful experience for us as producers."
Kokako's managing director Mike Murphy told of the strong bond he forged with growers in PNG.
"One of the things that I always hear from them is, please tell our story in New Zealand and please communicate more about our culture and our people and who we are," Mike Murphy said.
He said coffee producers were aware that too many stories from PNG were quite negative.
Mr Murphy said the Fairtrade story is different, how it told of a fair price to the producer and a further premium which allowed for local investment.
"Whether that's a dry mill or construction of a new school - which we've obviously seen and visited and walked into and seen the classrooms in action," he elaborated.
"Or whether it's a new coffee pulper or a new vehicle to transport coffee, we are actually being able to witness the benefits of the trade that we're doing with HOAC."
Crunching the numbers
Over the last decade the Highland Organic Agricultural Co-operative's 5000 tonnes of Fairtrade coffee sales brought in $US18 million to the local economy.
The Fairtrade premium paid on top of this exceeded $US2 million, which Mike Murphy said changed things from when he first visited.
"We weren't shocked but we were surprised that most coffee farmers had never had the opportunity to drink anything other than instant coffee or black tea," he said.
"A lot of it is just down to resources."
Sample of HOAC coffee roasted in May 2017 Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
The co-operative's Daniel Kinne said it was Kokako that gave him the knowledge and means to roast, grind and brew his own coffee.
"It really helped us change that culture of coffee. We can now see the coffee, appreciate it by the looks of it and then by the taste of it," explained Mr Kinne.
"So, that can put us in the perspective where, when a coffee doesn't taste really good, we say okay this coffee was not produced the way it should be. What can we do to improve it?"
Mike Murphy, Managing Director of Kokako Organic Coffee Roasters, and Daniel Kinne, Chairman of Highlands Organic Agriculture Cooperative in PNG Photo: Josh Griggs / Fairtrade ANZ
Kokako's Mike Murphy commented that if you're selling something and you don't know how it tastes, you don't know how to improve it.
He said HOAC's evolving business culture stands them in good stead for what coffee drinkers are looking for world-wide.
"With specialty coffee, consumers are hungry for knowledge and provenance and diversity."
Mr Murphy said what started as coffee tourism for him in PNG's Eastern Highlands has developed into a long term relationship as a collaborator and partner.
