About This Coffee
The group is led by Simiao Pedro de Deus, who also works as lead field officer coordinating cherry delivery to the Lutlala processing station. Simiao is a highly respected figure in the community and a skilled producer. In 2019 he placed in the top-10 in a best of harvest Timor competition. He also acts as a lead farmer, educating others on best practices, and as a quality officer who checks for high quality and consistency among smallholder-produced parchment.
Cultivation
For the 37 members of the Daurfusu group and their households, coffee is the primary source of income. Some families supplement their income by selling vegetables such as beans, corn, garlic or greens locally.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
This village lot is composed of various small lots, each processed separately on the producers’ own farms. Each family selectively handpicks their own cherry and uses a traditional, locally-produced pulper made from gum-wood and hammered tin to pulp the cherry. They then ferment the parchment in buckets or bags for about 36 hours. Parchment is dried on tarps and is raked frequently to ensure even drying.
Once parchment is dried, producers deliver it to Lutlala washing station, where Simiao and other station workers evaluate and aggregate incoming parchment from Daurfusu Farmer Group producers.
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.