Papua New Guinea - Ulya Coffee

Papaya, Brown Sugar, Cardamom

Weight: 12oz or 5lb
Roast: Light
Process: Washed
Region: Wahgi Valley
Producer: Ulya Washing Station
Variety: Arusha, Bourbon, Typica
Altitude: 1400-1900 masl

Story from Importers: In the contemporary global coffee industry, Papua New Guinea is wholly unique both in how coffee is harvested and exported from the country. While there are some estates and plantations, most coffee production comes from smallholder farmers, each with around 1–2 hectares of land called “gardens” on which they grow small amounts of coffee along with whatever else a family or community might need for use or sale. Sourcing coffee in Papua New Guinea poses unique logistical, cultural, and linguistic challenges. The country’s many indigenous populations are often very distinct from one another in terms of custom and language, and individual communities might comprise only a few hundred people, making communication and the cultural sensitivity required to do business here more difficult than in other coffee-growing regions. Less than 10 percent of the population is connected to or uses the Internet for communications, and there are roughly 55 telephones (both fixed-line and cellular) for every 100 people.

Since 2012, Cafe Imports’ senior green-coffee buyer Piero Cristiani has made the long trek to Papua New Guinea to develop relationships, cup new coffees, and continue to facilitate development and investment in specialty programs. Monpi is our primary exporting partner in Papua New Guinea. Through this partnership, we have been able to source coffees from individual washing stations and communities such as Kujin, Namugo, and Ulya, and FTO-certified cooperatives like Keto Tepasi, located in the Chivu region.Piero not only cups and sources exceptional coffees through our relationships in Papua New Guinea but also works towards developing programs that provide greater earning opportunities for producers willing to explore more complex cup profiles. By investing in our partners willing to take risks to improve their means of production, picking, sorting, and processing, we build stronger partnerships that provide farmers with greater opportunities for business advancement through the farming of bolder and better coffees.

Please note: We roast-to-order so your coffee is as fresh as possible, but that usually means we need a little extra time to get it ready. Orders will be filled as quickly as possible, but please note that orders arriving after Wednesday may be filled the following week. Need coffee sooner? Check out our list of partner locations to find a retailer near you.