PNG - Fully Washed Grade B

This coffee is grown in fertile volcanic soil at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 meters above sea level, in the highlands of Papua New Guinea where the cool, misty climate creates ideal conditions for slow coffee maturation. Many of the farms are located in remote, rugged areas, accessible only by foot or small plane, which adds to the unique character of Papua New Guinea’s coffee industry.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a relative newcomer to the specialty coffee scene. The remote locations of the nation’s smallholders—who produce 85% of total coffee in the country—combined with historically-poor infrastructure has made the transition to specialty difficult. Nonetheless, the country is working towards innovative solutions that will hopefully lead to better quality coffee and improved livelihoods for the nation’s smallholder coffee producers. 

Smallholder farmers in Papua New Guinea often manage plots of just a few hectares. Coffee cultivation is typically done using traditional methods, with little use of chemical inputs. Farmers grow a mix of Typica, Bourbon, and other Arabica varieties, maintaining the biodiversity of their farms. Coffee trees are grown under shade and intercropped with other plants, ensuring the protection of the natural ecosystem. 

Ben Colbran pioneered coffee growing in the Eastern Highlands, especially in Kianantu District. Colbran moved from New Zealand to PNG in 1963 with his wife, Norma, and their three children, Jill, Sandra and Nichol.

Colbran purchased a farm of around 600 acres (242 hectares) and due to the cost of the transaction needed to begin making money as soon as possible! He started with vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, and fruit, such as strawberries. These crops flourished in the highlands and were much sought after in the port city’s markets. With the money he earned, he would buy goods such as sugar, tea and flour that were hard to get in the highlands. In this way, he slowly saved enough money to set up a sawmill, which he saw as a better means of generating funds for his new coffee farm – which had been the dream all along!

From that time forward, Ben ran Colbran Coffeelands as one of the most notable coffee estates in all of PNG. His son, Nicol, who had lived in the country virtually his whole life, had helped him from a very early age. When Ben Colbran sold the farm in 1979 and moved to Australia, Nichol stayed and worked in the farm’s management under the new owners. Nichol has lived on the Colbran Coffeelands estate since age 6, when his family moved to Papua New Guinea. In 1997, he bought the farm back and has been the Owner and Director of the farm ever since.

Today the farm composes around 220 hectares of mature coffee trees alongside some sections of newer plantings. Colbran Coffeelands also works with farms and farmers in the surrounding region, offering processing and marketing support.