Producer: AAAK Cooperative
Farm: Keiya Cluster
Region: Highlands
Altitude: 1,400-1,615 masl | 4,593-5,299 feet
Varietal: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuaí, Arusha
Process: Washed
Roast: Light
Notes: Praline, Baked Apple, Dark Chocolate

Imported by our friends at Crop to Cup.

"Last July, we were devastated to learn of the death of Brian Kuglame, the general manager of the AAAK Cooperative. As we mourned the loss of our friend, we also worried what would become of the cooperative that was his life’s work. So we did what we had the power to do as buyers: we showed up, and reaffirmed our commitment to purchasing from the group and continuing the work we’d started together. A year later, we’re nearing the end of a new harvest. The AAAK Cooperative, now under the steady leadership of Regina Lusaro, carries on—propelled by the same vision for quality Brian ignited.

"Now entering the twelfth year of purchasing from AAAK, we expanded our support, building on the successes of previous years while working to simultaneously promote quality incentives, improve infrastructure, and further accelerate speed of payment.

"With the exception of a few well-known estates, Papua New Guinea coffee is from smallholder production, all very small scale with little attention paid to specialty production due to the involvement of middlemen. While middlemen play a valuable role in bringing the coffee economy to remote areas up in the mountains, they complicate quality promotion between buyer and seller.

"With so many disparate cultural groups and languages across the Highlands, PNG culture has traditionally not lent itself well to cooperative export structures. AAAK is one of the few organizations in the country to have successfully organized farmers across the Western, Central and Eastern Highlands into cohesive groups focused on quality."

This lot underwent a drying process devised for smallholder farmers without moisture meters and extensive processing infrastructure. After the coffee is washed and moved to a patio or drying beds, a small control sample is designated and weighed. The sample is treated the same as the rest of the coffee, but weighed daily throughout the drying process to track the declining weight—and thus moisture content—of the coffee.

The goal of the 20-30 day process is a relatively low 10-10.5% moisture content, which contributes to greater stability and longer shelf life. Good airflow, protection from rain and dew, and controlled temperature are essential throughout the process.