Papua New Guinea Asaro comes to us from smallholder producers in the Eastern Highlands. The story of coffee in Papua New Guinea is unlike any other origin. In the Eastern Highlands, altitudes range from 1,400–1,700 meters above sea level, across a variety of districts, valleys, soils and microclimates. However, roads are often nonexistent, communities are incredibly remote, and most coffee is grown casually in gardens alongside a family’s food supply. In fact, 99 percent of coffee is grown by individuals with an average farm size of .83 hectares and an average production of 10 bags per year.
Without access to mills, these producers pulp (often sharing a hand pulper with neighbors. Then, they ferment, wash and sun-dry their own coffee. Finally, small volumes of parchment (average yield of 400 kg per their one cultivated hectare) are sold to collectors or mills where they are aggregated into volumes large enough to sort and export.
New Guinea Highlands Coffee Exports
This point in the story is where our sister company New Guinea Highlands Coffee Exports (NGHCE) enters the picture. Decades-long operations have made NGHCE experts in navigating such unique circumstances. One of its most reliable tools is its Quality Control analysis. In fact, NGHCE maintains a strict goal of cupping every lot brought to its door — sometimes by the producers themselves — no matter how small. NGHCE supports more than 4,000 smallholders in the Eastern Highlands and reliably produces high quality coffee from this unique coffee country. Papua New Guinea Asaro is one such offering.
