Parami Washed

Timor-Leste, one of the world’s youngest nations, is writing a new chapter in its history. As oil reserves begin to decline, coffee is set to become the country’s most vital export. In the municipality of Ermera, where coffee is more than a crop, it represents a future. In these lush highlands, around 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, and coffee provides a lifeline for thousands of families.

Despite this importance, productivity remains extremely low, and profitability is both limited and volatile. This is largely because almost all coffee is sold on the commodity market at a discounted C price. To address this, our partners met with producer groups across villages in Atsabe to understand how the coffee market has served them in recent years.

This plan focuses on sustainably raising and maintaining coffee quality to consistently score above 80 points, establishing long-term relationships with committed roasters, and systematically addressing the financial, legal, cultural, infrastructural, and technical challenges involved in accessing the specialty market.

The Parami lot represents this transformation: exceptional coffee grown by dedicated smallholder farmers and processed with care at the Raimutin wet mill.

The Raimutin wet mill serves as a central hub for processing the cherry from producers across the Ermera municipality. Located at 1,400 masl, the wet mill functions not only as a place to purchase, process, and dry cherry, but also as a meeting point for village chiefs, neighborhood leaders, and the Raw Material team.

Expanding access to specialty coffee as a viable and profitable option depends heavily on training and knowledge-sharing. The Raimutin wet mill has successfully served as a hub for training courses in cultivation, picking, and processing for local producers.

Grown at altitudes of 1.800 MASL, these coffees thrive in the mountainous terrain of the region. Smallholder farmers cultivate Typica, Timor Hybrid, and Moka varieties, reflecting generations of tradition and resilience. Each lot embodies the hard work of farming families and a shared commitment to quality and sustainability.

Coffee is Timor-Leste’s most important agricultural crop. With declining oil income, strengthening the coffee sector is critical to the country’s future. Today, coffee is the second-highest earner after oil, with 37% of households dependent on coffee for income.

Ripe cherry is carefully selected and floated in water to separate by density, with higher-density cherry indicating higher quality. Low-density cherry is removed and processed separately for local markets. After floating, station staff hand-sort the cherry to remove any damaged or underripe fruit.

The sorted cherry is pulped, separating the fruit from the parchment and fermented for 24 hours. After fermentation, the parchment is washed again to remove residual floaters and remaining cherry skin, which are then sold locally.

Drying takes place on raised beds under the sun for 15–20 days, with regular turning to ensure even airflow. Once moisture content reaches approximately 14%, the coffee is moved to lower altitudes with higher temperatures to complete drying. Finally, the coffee is hulled and prepared for export at the Railaco dry mill.