Coffee was first introduced to the island by the Portuguese and by the 1900’s it was the country’s leading export, however the industry suffered greatly during the years of Indonesian annexation when the sector was largely ignored. Fast forward to the present day and the coffee farmers of Timor-Leste are working hard to collectively carve out a place for Timorese coffee in the global speciality coffee market, in addition to replenishing and rehabilitating their coffee forests which were so overlooked during the struggle for independence in the latter part of the twentieth century.

Only the ripest cherries are used to ensure optimum sweetness, which usually requires an incredible amount of patience as multiple harvests are often needed during any given season. To ensure that optimum levels of processing are maintained, investments are made to further process materials within the community, including the purchase of two new traditional pulping machines.

One of the most distinguished features of East-Timorese coffee is that it is grown underneath the Casuarina and Albizia shade trees that dominate the mountainous coffee growing regions. Only natural fertiliser is used (consisting of chicken droppings, cherry skin and soil) to nourish the earth. Due to the country’s lack of industrial development and strong animist beliefs, chemical fertilisers have yet to be introduced into agricultural practices. With time old traditions in processing coffee passed on from generation to generation, coffee is gradually helping to create more opportunities for Timorese people to create a consistent and sustainable income to support and provide for their families and the local community.