Papua New Guinea-based coffee bean exporter Elijah Harro of Alpha Coffee Collective joined forces this year with industry stalwart and long-time international coffee advocate Gina Di Brita at the 2022 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE), where they worked to highlight the unique and world-class flavours of Papua New Guinean coffee.
As the region’s largest dedicated coffee event, MICE is an annual event that brings together the best of what the industry has to offer. As part of Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia’s inaugural ‘Pacific Showcase’ stand, Alpha Coffee used the exhibition to showcase their single origin organic arabica, which comprises a mix of the Arusha, Typica, and PNG Blue Mountain varieties, all of which score between 85 and 89 points on the Q-coffee system, developed to grade speciality coffee.
Jeremy Grennell, PTI Australia’s General Manager of Exports, said that with over 11,000 visitors, the exhibition was a great opportunity for Pacific businesses like Alpha Coffee to increase the recognition for Pacific coffee and their own brand awareness, while also forging direct buyer connections in the Australian market.
“As a farmers collective with members in the Eastern Highlands’ Goroka Valley, Alpha Coffee illustrates the premium quality of products coming out of the Pacific region. For our Pacific coffee growers like Alpha Coffee, the exhibition presented a great opportunity to engage with buyers in a one-on-one environment, allowing them to really share the story behind their beans and gain access into the Australian market.”
Launched in 2012 with a purpose to connect coffee buyers and sellers, MICE seeks to bring industry members together in a dedicated space. As an annual event, it also provides an anchor point for international guests to connect with new and existing Australian customers.
While the event was on hiatus last year due to COVID-19, the 2019 event saw Gina Di Brita of Numero Uno Coffee Roasters win the prestigious ‘Eleonora Genovese Australian Coffee Woman of the Year’ award. An industry icon and co-founder of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance of Australia (IWCAA), Di Brita says she is passionate about championing and building relationships with Australia’s closest coffee producers, smallholder farmers in Papua New Guinea.
“I have centred my involvement in coffee around respect for the people of the land and their culture through my roasting company – Numero Uno Coffee. My goal is to assist the Papua New Guinean smallholder farmers in creating new channels to market, while also acknowledging the vital presence of women at every stop along our coffee journey – connecting, sharing, and empowering one another through Australia’s relationship with the country’s coffee industry.
“This year’s Melbourne International Coffee Expo provided a timely opportunity for us to encourage consumers to take up the challenge of making a difference in the greater Pacific region, whether through the purchase of an environmentally friendly product, or through the forging of connections with coffee buyers throughout Australia.”
General Manager of Alpha Coffee, Elijah Harro, says the wide-reaching impact of coffee sales on the community is immense.
“Alpha Coffee is part of a collective of farmers from Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea. Most of our farmers are smallholder farmers who use traditional methods to cultivate high-grade coffee in what is widely considered to be the perfect growing temperature and humidity, in a pesticide-free environment.
“Many of our farmers here in PNG work with the PNG Small Holder Speciality Coffee Association (PNGSCA) to consolidate their coffee, allowing them to save on the cost of freight. Through this practice of direct export, farmers are able to derive a higher income than they would otherwise.
“Our farmers and their families depend entirely on coffee production for their future. It is through this income stream that families are empowered to meet educational needs, raise living standards and develop improved horticultural and farming practices.
“The increased income that farmers derive through sales of their beans to Alpha Coffee and PNGCSA goes directly back to the development of the people and their communities. This income improves lives while also encouraging sustainable development within the community. In this part of the world, coffee supports everyone.”
For more information regarding Pacific coffee in the Australian market, please contact Jeremy Grennell – General Manager of Exports PTI Australia at: Jeremy.Grennell@pacifictradeinvest.com
