OUR CONCEPT
Coffee is a labor intensive job with very limited reward, and the Alpha Farmer Collective intends to harness the farmer’s hard work by providing skills through education and attention to detail for these hard working farmers so that theyproduce quality coffee controlled through the production stages to provide quality green beans for export.Hopefully, the collective sharing of skills and education will ensure higher returns and remunerate the farmers who work so hard. Alpha Coffee Farmers Collective intends to collaborate with other farmer groups and develop innovative programs through training collaborations with women’s groups and NGO’s to address crop diversification and to address quality issues.The stages of Production, includes: NURSERY &Planting(1) Picking and harvesting(2)Fermentation and Washing(3) Drying (4)Processing and Preparation(5) for export.The collective will also address social issues, like providing access to Clean Water, access to Electricity, access to Health Care (6). The collective has set up a warehouse in Marcoola(7)on the Sunshine Coast in Australia from which the collective can supply the Roasters throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, so our Farmers can benefit from direct marketing.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Papua New Guinea occupies the Eastern Half of the Island of New Guinea, and the Western Half is occupied by the Indonesian Province of Irian Jayaand is occupied by people of Melanesian decent, with pockets of Polynesians. Papua New Guineans speak a total of over 800 distinct languages and would be one of the most culturally diverse countries.People of the Highlands take pride in their culture and take part in Singsings at every opportunity to feast. These feasts are varied and can be at Bride Price ceremonies, where a groom must bring Pigs, Cassowaries cash and other things of value as bride price. Other feasts likeMoka’s are for exchange of wealth including pigs at ceremonies to strengthen traditional allies. The Goroka Show is a major cultural event that is held annually during the months of September for People to celebrate the Country’s independence and show of Customs and cultural diversity. Majority of the people live in tribal groups where customary obligations are still very strong and agriculture for subsistence and cash crops continues to provide livelihood for 90 % of the population and coffee is high among direct support to family livelihood. With the introduction of Money into the economy, people need Money to purchase necessities of life, resulting in the need for cash crops and Coffee remains the major cash crop involving Households where benefits filter down to family and tribal groupings..
1. NURSERY & PLANTING
Our seedlings are obtained from the Statutory Body (CIC) governing coffee growing in Papua New Guinea. The seedlings must be certified by CIC and purchased in batches of 5 Kg (Approximately 25, 000 Coffee Seeds). Coffee seeds are generally planted in large beds in shaded nurseries. The seedlings will be watered frequently and shaded from bright sunlight until they pass the butterfly stage (2 leaves) and are robust enough to be transplanted permanently. Planting often takes place during the wet season, so that the soil remains moist while the roots become firmly established.
2. PICKING & HARVESTING
Picking and harvesting is normally done in family groups and only the ripe cherries are harvested, and they are picked individually by hand. Pickers rotate among the trees every 10 to 15 days, choosing only the red/maroon colored cherries which are at the peak of ripeness. Because this kind of harvest is labor intensive and more costly, it is used primarily to harvest the finer Arabica beans. A Family group of three (3) can average approximately 210 Kg of coffee cherries a day, which will produce32 Kg of Exportable green beans. The 210kg of Cherries are then taken to family owned pulpers to de-husk the cherries.
3. FERMENTATION & WASHING
The picked coffee must be pulped within 12 hours where freshly harvested cherries are passed through the pulping machine to separate the skin and the pulp from the bean. The coffee is then allowed to be fermented for 24 hours then washed in creeks or running streams, so the mucilage is removed and the coffee is clean and white.
4. DRYING
The Alpha Coffee Collective has trained its farmers to dry their coffee on raised beds to avoid inconsistency.. The washed coffee must now be sun dried on raised beds and turned throughout the day, then covered at night or during the rain to prevent the coffee from getting wet. With the increase in heat, the farmers try to dry they coffee at low heat (Under Shade trees) so as not to burn their coffee. The farmer has been trained to ensure his coffee is dried to consistent 11-12 % moisture content.
5. PROCESSING & PREPARATION
At this stage the coffee is at the Parchment stage, (With the Inner Shell), and the coffee must be Hulled and Aired so that it achieves a Bluish/Green Color ready for export. During the Preparation Process the coffee is then hand sorted to remove defective beans that may be missed during grading and sorting by machines. This process is very important to ensure bean quality is of very high standard and chipped beans or defective beans are not exported.
6. SOCIAL ISSUES
Social Assistance will be provided to Farmers involved with the Alpha Coffee Collective. The first assistance which the farmers seek is “Clean water”, through the supply of roofing sheets for Farmers to access through the collective. The Farmers will be provided Roofing sheets and small tanks so they are able to collect Clean Drinking water for themselves and their immediate families.