Korofeigu BREW

ROAST PROFILE: Medium
COUNTRY: Papua New Guinea 
REGION: Bena, Eastern Highlands
ELEVATION: 1400- 1800 masl
PROCESS: Washed
OTHER: Organic farm, traceable, sustainable

FARM INFO
The Korofeigu Organic certification program has been quite impactful on the livelihood of participants. In addition to higher premiums for their coffee, through various initiatives, the Korofeigu Farmer’s Cooperative Society has increased access to farmer trainings, as well as regular social and healthcare workshops. The initiatives also provide extensive work on HIV/AIDS prevention, financial management, gender equality awareness, coffee husbandry and certification standards and procedures.

In early 1945, as the war in New Guinea was subsiding, four village plots in the Korofeigu area were identified by the administration for coffee planting by the villages. Thirteen teenage villagers from Korofeigu and other surrounding areas were selected to be sent to a newly created school for training in coffee production. 

From these small plantings in and around Korofeigu, coffee has become the most important commodity. Today, it provides the major source of income for a third of the country’s population.

Cultivation and Processing

The mountainous and moist area, rich with native shade trees, is ideal for coffee cultivation. A mix of the Arusha and Bourbon varieties grow in the loam soil at an altitude ranging between 1,400 - 1,800 meters above sea level by numerous smallholder producers. 

Wet processing is done at the farm. Cherries are hand-picked and pulped the same day. Next, the coffee is fermented in small vats or buckets for 36 - 48 hours. Then, the coffee is fully washed. The parchment is then dried – oftentimes on beds constructed from simple bush materials – for up to a week. Farmers bring their dried parchment to the collection point where it changes ownership at premium price levels.

Origin photos by Interamerican Coffee.