PNG coffee continues to impress

WR Carpenter PNG has made its mark again at another world class event by winning silver medals for its coffee beans from Kigabah and Sigri estates, both located in Jiwaka Province.

The green beans were used to make espresso blends at the 2018 Golden Bean AU/NZ competition, staged in New South Wales Australia from November 19 to 24.

The person who heads coffee production at WRC’s estates is Senior Manager John Sathya. He said the company’s coffee estates had done well this year.

“This was an unusual year as we had one of the highest yields of coffee berries in two decades. For this competition, we were given 2 days’ notice. We took out Arabica green beans from our regular coffee lines in Kigabah and Sigri, and passed them onto the roasters,” said Sathya. “The fact that we won medals in this category means that our quality control process is on track as we did not have to do much work to produce really good coffee.

“Usually for a competition at this level, producers would put months of effort into ensuring their coffee beans are up to world standards. This means our regular production is at award winning standards.”

WRC PNG exports coffee green beans to roasters worldwide. The green beans are used in specific proportions by roasters to create unique blends. These ratios give roasters their unique tastes and therefore remains a trade secret for commercial reasons.

The Arabica coffee that is produced at the company’s estates has a special aroma due to the high altitude, climate and rich volcanic soil at Kigabah and Sigri estates.

“We have great products and we have great people behind these household names. For a company that has been in PNG for almost 100 years, WRC has done pretty well at several events this year,” says WRC PNG Country Manager John Mangos.

“Our team at Carpenter Estates are to be commended for adhering to their stringent standards of quality control. They are the reason we did so well in these competitions.”

Exporters usually sell green beans to coffee roasters. Green beans are the end result of putting coffee berries through a procedure called wet processing and milling.

Globally, there are two types of coffee plants that are used to make coffee - Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora. These are commonly known as Arabica and Robusta respectively.

Arabica are high-maintenance plants that grow at high altitudes and account for 60-80 percent of global coffee exports. This species of coffee does not tolerate freezing temperatures and is used in specialty coffees like latte, cappuccino and espresso. On the other hand, Robusta is used in instant coffees, grows in lowlands, and like its name it is a robust or sturdy plant.

Golden Bean AU/NZ is the largest annual global roaster competition and conference. The decade old event draws coffee enthusiasts, exporters, importers and connoisseurs from all corners of the globe.

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Press release