Ex-MP John returns to land, coffee

By MAJELEEN YANEI
IT was no big deal for John Simon to return to the coffee industry after he lost his seat as the Maprik MP during the 2022 general election.
“Basically my life has been around coffee. So after politics, when I decided to get back into coffee, it was nothing new.”
His father had left East Sepik in the late 1950s and went to Jiwaka, married his mother, and planted 400 hectares of coffee in Waghi valley where he lived. When coffee farming started in East Sepik, he returned home.
Today John roasts and sells Robusta coffee in his JS cafes at Sky View, Kennedy Estate and Boroko in Port Moresby. Simon roasted and packed his first coffee earlier this year. The JS stands not only for his initials but also for where his parents come from – Jiwaka and Sepik.
“After roasting Robusta coffee, I realized that it contains 50 percent more caffeine than Arabica, and is too strong for consumption. So I decided to blend them. Sepik vanilla is also infused into the coffee solution when it’s still hot, giving it a sweet aroma.”
He has seen challenges facing coffee production and sales, resulting in farmers not earning enough.
“In coffee shops, the price is high but farmers are paid lower than that. So I decided to venture into coffee and support them.”
When he was the agriculture and livestock minister, John travelled to Dubai, Manila and other destinations trying to source coffee markets.
“We are subject to European’s market price, where the cut price is higher than the market price. There is also no domestic market for coffee and it’s difficult to cover cost as Papua New Guineans are not coffee drinkers. At my cafes, I also sell cakes and drinks to cover cost.”
Simon noticed people buying Robusta coffee parchment at K3 or less when he was the minister. So he took that up to K5.
“People want to leave coffee (production) due to the low price. I felt sorry for them and urged them to continue and I’ll pay at the same price. That was after I lost the national election in 2022.
“Now I have difficulties because it is higher than the selling price. The landed cost of cash crops in PNG is above K5 per kilogramme. If we want to promote agriculture, our farmers cannot get anything less than K5.”
He did a cost analysis and realised that that the cost of producing coffee in rural places is about K4, while farmers are paid only K3.

“ Basically my life is surrounded by coffee. So after politics, when I decided to get back into coffee production, it was nothing new.”

Coffee can stay fresh for between eight and 12 months if kept in proper bags.
“Arabica is difficult to keep. We have wharves in coastal areas where the climate is hot. It is a cold climate coffee and if you take it down to Lae before export, it slowly loses its quality. Robusta can be kept in hot climate.”
John hopes that the Government builds a storage facility where the temperature of Arabica coffee can be controlled so that it doesn’t lose its quality before export.
Simon plans to establish coffee cafes in Maprik so people taste the coffee they work hard for.
“I am only trying to keep my father’s legacy alive and I love it when I help people. It’s my dream that one day the price will be high so I leave a legacy.
“When I saw Starbucks in other countries making huge money on coffee, I grew jealous of them. Why do people who don’t grow coffee become rich while we the growers are seen as slaves? I decided to take this journey to help local farmers.”