Speaking the same language

Not long ago, Papua New Guinea was one of the leading suppliers of coffee to Australia, providing more than half the nation’s imports. However, after PNG gained independence in the 1970s and quotas and duties were lifted off other origins in the 1980s, Australia began looking elsewhere to source its coffee.

This led to a decline in PNG’s coffee production, a drop Fairtrade says is falsely attributed to the nation’s coffee quality. Due to this, its single origin potential is often overlooked.

Fairtrade works with smallholders and cooperatives in PNG to improve their farming practices and the reputation of their coffee. In June 2019, Fairtrade arranged for Hernando Tapasco from