Tasting Notes
Starburst Candy
Tropical Fruit
Nectarine
Processing
Honey
Varieties
Typica, Mundo Novo, Catuaí, Caturra, Bourbon
Producers
Smallholder producers near the Waghi Valley, Western Highlands Province
Altitude
1500-1800m
Description
Tenenga, which means “it’s our own”, is a producers association comprising 220 smallholder farmers in the mountains surrounding the Waghi Valley in the Western Highlands Province. This honey-processed coffee was milled and exported by Jiwaka Coffee, a PNG social enterprise founded and operated by Emma Wakpi. Emma grew up in the coffee-growing region of the Western Highlands. Noticing that most farmers were producing coffee as a basic cash crop and receiving abysmally low prices, she started Jiwaka Coffee to increase market access for farmers and provide them with resources to improve the quality of their coffee. On top of purchasing and exporting coffee, Jiwaka provides resources to improve farm management and harvesting practices, in addition to resources on budgeting and accounting. A significant barrier many farmers in PNG face is the long distance needed to travel to washing stations where they can sell their cherry. That’s why Jiwaka opened a processing mill right in the heart of the coffee-growing villages in 2018. This both increased accesss for many farmers who were previously too remote and allowed Emma to control and refine the coffee processing to improve cup quality.