Coffee beans put local company on world stage

WR Carpenter PNG has won silver medals at a global event for its coffee beans from Kigabah and Sigri estates in Jiwaka.
The green beans were used to make espresso blends at the 2018 Golden Bean AU/NZ competition, staged in New South Wales, Australia, last month.
Golden Bean AU/NZ is the largest annual global roaster competition and conference.
The decade-old event draws coffee enthusiasts, exporters, importers and connoisseurs from all corners of the globe.
“This was an unusual year as we had one of the highest yields of coffee berries in two decades,” WRC Estates’ senior manager John Sathya said.
“For this competition, we were given two days’ notice.
“We took out arabica green beans from our regular coffee lines in Kigabah and Sigri, and passed them onto the roasters.
“The fact that we won medals in this category means that our quality control process is on track, as we did not have to do much work to produce really good coffee.
“Usually, for a competition at this level, producers would put months of effort into ensuring their coffee beans are up to world standards.
“This means our regular production is at award-winning standards.”
WRC PNG exports coffee green beans to roasters worldwide.
The green beans are used in specific proportions by roasters to create unique blends.
These ratios give roasters their unique tastes, and therefore remains a trade secret for commercial reasons. The Arabica coffee that is produced at the company’s estates has a special aroma, due to the high altitude, climate and rich volcanic soil at Kigabah and Sigri estates.
“We have great products and we have great people behind these household names,” said WRC PNG country manager John Mangos.
“For a company that has been in PNG for almost 100 years, WRC has done pretty well at several events this year.Our team at Carpenter Estates are to be commended for adhering to their stringent standards of quality control.”