Apo & Angra Cooperatives

About 85% of coffee from Papua New Guinea is grown by smallholder farmers whose plots are scattered over demanding and sometimes treacherous terrain. Most smallholders grow around 1,700 trees, but some grow as few as 20 along with a number of other crops. Sourcing a substantial volume of coffee from these smallholders in remote areas can be difficult. Unlike other coffee growing regions of the world, villages in PNG are organized along house-lines. Cooperation within cooperatives is made more challenging by a complex web of family and tribal relationships, which leads to small circles of trust. Outside the family, or certain negotiated relationships, there is not enough social capital for easy trust. While most everyone speaks the national language of Tok Pisam, this pidgin has been described as incapable of narrating a boxing match. The language is lacking in nuance, leading to the heavy use of metaphor and a real chance of miscommunication.  

Crop to Cup starts with farmers who are engaged in the quality of their harvest, and work hard to keep pure lots separate and traceable, to ensure the integrity of supply chain.

We trust our friends at Crop to Cup coffee importers to navigate these complex cultural circumstances and continue developing relationships with the folks of Papua New Guinea. They visit frequently and truly invest in and care about the communities there. Crop to Cup starts with farmers who are engaged in the quality of their harvest, and work hard to keep pure lots separate and traceable, to ensure the integrity of supply chain – from the fields to your cup! Additionally, they build coalitions of stakeholders – both at home and at origin – to bring people and organizations together to assist coffee-growing communities.

They develop relationships with everyone they work with along the way, and put intentionality and care into the process all along the way. The success of this model validates their motto: “Good coffee comes from good people.” 

We feel lucky to have developed a relationship with Jake Elster from Crop to Cup, who has frequented Zingerman’s Coffee Company to do coffee cuppings with our team, give educational presentations to the community, and otherwise offer us support.

Papua New Guinea’s stunningly fertile soil tends to produce beans that have a crisp citrus acidity and are rich with flavors of chocolate and tropical fruits.