Offering great body and acidity with a nice spiciness and floral notes, the Purosa Valley coffee delivers strong hints of cocoa/chocolate and caramel on the finish. For us at Bun it’s as much about the origin story as the taste of the coffee. This is the wonderful story behind this amazing coffee…
We are very happy to have secured a large consignment of Organic, Fair Trade PNG Purosa Valley Arabica from the Highland Organic Agricultural Cooperative (HOAC).
Daniel Kinne is a second-generation coffee farmer, chairman, and founding member of the Highland Organic Agricultural Cooperative (HOAC) in Papua New Guinea.
HOAC is an association of 2,600 organic coffee growers scattered over 60 square kilometres of remote mountain terrain in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. With little government support provided to the region, Daniel looks to Fairtrade as a way he can help his family and the community.
“We are producing organic Fairtrade coffee in Australia and with the Fairtrade Premium we can see the future, we can become stronger using the Fairtrade Premium.”
It is estimated that between 50,000 to 60,000 people in the community benefit from the association.
After achieving Fairtrade certification in 2005, the Fairtrade Premium has supported HOAC to increase its capacity to produce large amounts of high quality coffee and take steps towards a brighter future. Investment in tools including coffee pulpers has helped keep consistency in pulping and ensures less beans are crushed in the production process.
The benefits of Fairtrade in Papua New Guinea aren’t just limited to the coffee gardens but have had positive impacts for the whole community. HOAC, through the Fairtrade Premium, recently funded a water supply project for the local community worth over $65,000. Water is now being piped directly from the source in the hills behind the villages. Currently, there is one tap for every three houses, but it is hoped that the community will be able to extend the supply directly to each household. They have also built four new schools and teacher accommodation, while assisting with the construction of two schools in other villages.
HOAC has also worked closely with local government and the Eastern Highlands Province Governor to achieve road improvements in the region.
One of the major concerns for the Fairtrade growers and the local communities in the area around HOAC is poor road access. To address this problem a proportion of HOAC’s Fairtrade Premium was allocated to the improvement of the local roads and to cover the cost of the petrol to run the grading machines. The improvement in the road network has bettered access to market and hence improved business for small coffee farmers, while also allowing better access to education and health services for locals. The maintenance of the roads is done by local residents that live along and near to the roads, providing them with much needed paid work.
The cooperative has also purchased over 100 individual pulping machines for farmers. These pulpers greatly increase the quantity and quality of the farmer’s output. HOAC have also recently purchased a disused mill in a neighbouring district and have started milling their coffee ready for export. This is providing greater returns for farmers as they move up the supply chain capturing more of the value for processing their coffee.
Education for the next generation is a key concern for the farmers. This is not surprising when you consider that only 50% of Papuans have had three or more years of education The Okapa region has often been overlooked by government for basic health and education services due to its remote location. Over the past few years HOAC have been working to rectify this by investing Fairtrade Premiums into purchasing textbooks and desks for community schools as well as building new schools for different communities. To date, HOAC have built 4 permanent elementary schools and teacher accommodation.
Purchase our PNG Purosa Valley Coffee online today!