The Coffee
The Origin of Coffee
Most of the world’s finest coffee beans are grown in a band between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Arguably the best growing conditions for coffee trees are in the equatorial regions – New Guinea, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Kenya and Colombia for example.
5 Senses Coffee was born in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea in Chimbu – a region that sits between the Eastern and Western Highlands Province. The area is mountainous and highly inaccessible with a subsistence population living largely without the need for money.
PNG produces some of the world’s finest coffee beans. Rich, volcanic soil and ideal climatic conditions combine to produce a mellow, yet aromatically complex coffee – good body, moderate acidity and broad flavour. Good in a blend. Greater on its own.
While the soil is extremely fertile and ideal for growing coffee, the region’s isolation and inaccessibility have rendered it uneconomical for large plantations and coffee farms.
Despite this, the local government has subsidised local growers to develop a coffee industry in the region – many have no other source of income. The Simbu Government has provided small farmers with the starting crop (a strain derivative of the famous Blue Mountains Arabica), and with the skill to develop sustainability. Thousands of Simbu people now grow an exceptionally high grade coffee using the traditional methods of organic farming and hand harvesting.
Here is where 5 Senses Coffee takes a left turn. Small producers normally have small farms of 300-500 trees, yielding crops of 30-50 bags per season. The Simbu people redefine ‘small’ – the average villager has just 20-30 (some as little as 6-7) trees, capable of producing just 2-3 bags per season (with two seasons per year).