About This Coffee
Hadomi Café Organic Farmers Group has 25 members and is led by Martinho Brites. The group was founded in 2020 with support from FarmPro. The farmers wanted a central point of collection for their coffee. The group was established to help farmers improve organization and coffee quality so that all coffee collected was of a high quality. In the future, the group wants to become a training center for farmers looking to improve their farm management skills.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers handpick ripe, red cherry and process it on their farms. They pulp cherry and ferment it before washing parchment in clean water. They lay parchment to dry, typically on patios or tarps, raking parchment frequently to ensure even drying. Farmers deliver their parchment to a central location for milling and export.
Coffee in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste has had a long and tumultuous history that has seen colonization, several occupations, independence and a long and difficult path to peace. Coffee has played a role in Timor-Leste’s economy since the beginning of the country’s modern history.
While coffee production in Timor-Leste continues to expand and quality continues to improve, the climate presents difficulties. The arid weather and short rainy season make it difficult for coffee cherry to grow. On top of contrarian weather, the low nutrient-content in the soil and negligible access to fertilizers and pesticides makes it more difficult for coffee trees to thrive. The average farmer currently collects only about 500 grams of green coffee per tree (2-3 kg cherry).
Timor-Leste’s coffee industry is prevailing in the face of these difficulties. Both quality and productivity are rapidly increasing. Small changes are increasing coffee quality by leaps and bounds, while several programs, funded by NGOs, are working to fundamentally change coffee harvesting and processing in the country.
The government is also playing a role in improving coffee quality by investing in infrastructure, such as new roads, that will make transporting both cherry and parchment easier. Timor-Leste is poised to be a reliable producer of good quality and versatile coffees.
We’re proud to be active in Timor-Leste. We work alongside farmers, cooperatives and agricultural extension officers to help farmers increase yields and quality. Our goal is to work with our partners to help farmers reach an average yield of 2.5 kilograms per tree while also increasing quality. Higher production and higher quality will mean larger incomes for farmers.