Arokara Cooperative, Papua New Guinea
These plantations were originally set up with modern farming methods by the Rural Development Bank. In the last 10 to 15 years, the plantations have been returned to the ownership and management of their original landowner groups, who do not use any chemicals or fertilizers in the production process. The cherry is handpicked by the whole group (or clan, as they're called locally) and then pulped on the same day and fermented in cement vats for 36 hours.
After the fermentation process, the coffee is washed with fresh mountain stream water from the nearby Aru River and then sun dried until it reaches the nice, even blueish colour that coffees from the area are known for. The drying process can take between seven and 12 days.
Coffees from Papua New Guinea are revered for their interesting acidity and high variety. The country itself is unique in its mountainous topography and the incredible cultural diversity of its thousands of indigenous tribes.
