Where is Timor coffee grown?
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, is a small country located in Southeast Asia, known for its unique and flavourful coffee. Coffee production is one of the primary agricultural activities in Timor-Leste and has significant cultural and economic importance to the country.
This is a country struggling to develop the coffee industry after years of neglect due to the fight for independence from Indonesia. Timorese coffee is truly wild and organically grown underneath the imposing shade trees that dominate the landscape. With time old traditions in processing coffee, passed on from generation to generation, coffee is helping to build up more opportunities for Timorese people to create a consistent and sustainable income from which to support and provide for their families and the local community.
We buy our Timor Leste Coffee - Hatuhei Cooperative from Kar-Yee and Stuart at Karst Organics - a UK company dedicated to directly exporting and importing specialty Arabica coffee beans from Timor-Leste, with a strong focus on supporting local farmers. Their mission is to foster relationships between coffee farmers in Timor-Leste and speciality roasters, minimising the distance in the supply chain. They prioritise direct connections and sustainability throughout their operations.
Key aspects of Timor-Leste coffee
History
Coffee cultivation in Timor-Leste dates back to the colonial era when the Portuguese introduced coffee plants to the island in the 18th century. The coffee industry experienced fluctuations due to political instability and conflicts, particularly during the Indonesian occupation from 1975 to 1999. However, since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has been working to revitalise and expand its coffee sector.
Arabica Varieties
Timor-Leste primarily grows Arabica coffee, which is known for its superior quality and distinct flavour profiles. The country's coffee is often characterized by its full-bodied taste, with earthy, spicy, and sometimes slightly fruity notes. The unique landscape of Timor-Leste, with its volcanic soils and high altitudes, contributes to the coffee's exceptional quality.
Another unique quality of East Timorese coffee is the combination of Typica and Hybrido de Timor varietals, which produce the deliciously sweet cherries used in our coffees. The Hybrido de Timor is particularly significant. It is a naturally occurring hybrid between C. Arabica and C. Canephora, offering the exceptional taste of Arabica and the resilience of Canephora. This plant was first discovered in 1917, but serious research into its properties didn't begin until 1975.
Since then, Hybrido de Timor has become a popular cultivar, serving as the genetic foundation for many disease-resistant Arabica cultivars known as Sarchimors and Catimors. As climate change poses increasing challenges to the global coffee community, the need for resilient plants has never been greater. The Hybrido de Timor may play a crucial role in helping farmers adapt to these challenges.
Cooperatives and Smallholder Farmers
Coffee production in Timor-Leste is largely driven by smallholder farmers who belong to cooperatives or community-based organisations. These cooperatives play a crucial role in organising farmers, providing technical assistance, and facilitating access to markets. By working together, farmers can collectively improve their bargaining power and negotiate better prices for their coffee.
Fair Trade and Speciality Coffee
Timor-Leste's coffee industry has seen a growing emphasis on fair trade and specialty coffee production. Fairtrade certification ensures that farmers receive fair prices for their coffee and promotes sustainable farming practices. Additionally, Timor-Leste's speciality coffee sector has gained recognition in international markets for its high quality and unique flavour profiles, attracting coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
Challenges
Despite its potential, Timor-Leste's coffee industry faces various challenges, including limited infrastructure, lack of access to financing, and vulnerability to climate change. Addressing these challenges requires investment in infrastructure development, extension services, and climate-smart agricultural practices to ensure the long-term sustainability of the coffee sector.
Organic and Shade-Grown
Many farmers practice shade-grown coffee cultivation, where coffee plants are grown under the canopy of taller trees. This method helps protect the coffee plants from direct sunlight, preserves soil health, and provides habitat for diverse flora and fauna. Much of Timor-Leste's coffee is cultivated using traditional, environmentally sustainable methods which are organic but generally not certified organic.
Quote from Kar Yee at Karst Organics:
"Our coffees are not certified organic mainly due to the fact that Timor-Leste only uses organic farming practices. Due to Timor-Leste’s complicated history and lack of development, the Ministry of Agriculture has yet to introduce chemical pesticides into farming practices therefore making all agricultural practices organic by default. Whilst we fully support the idea of organic certification of those origins where chemical fertilisers are also used, we have prioritised on the investment and support to all our partner farmers through providing processing materials to elevate the quality of the coffee which they are producing. Organic certification comes at a substantial cost and as a small company which is fully self-funded, our priority is to work on building strong relationships with all our partner farmers, and fulfilling our commitment to them to continue to pay a high price for the coffee which they are producing."
"The Timorese culture also follows animism, a belief system that respects Mother Nature and believes that there is connectivity in all living beings. All of our partner farmers grow other food crops alongside their coffee which are mainly used as daily food staples so the importance of only using organic fertilisers to show respect to Mother Nature and nourish the land is of the utmost importance to the farming communities where we work. This organic fertiliser tends to be made up of the cleared weeds and leaves from pruning and maintaining their coffee trees, chicken manure and the remaining cherry skin after pulping. All this is mixed together and combined to create a mulch which is then placed around the base of the coffee trees to provide the necessary nutrition following the coffee harvest."
Timor-Leste's coffee industry is an essential component of the country's economy and cultural heritage, offering a distinct and flavourful brew appreciated by coffee lovers worldwide.
What flavour is Timor Leste coffee?
Timor Leste coffee is renowned for its unique and distinctive flavours, which often include:
Floral and Fruity Notes - Many coffees from Timor Leste exhibit bright, fruity flavours such as citrus, berry, and stone fruit, along with delicate floral aromas.
Nutty Undertones - There is often a nutty quality to the coffee, which can include flavours like almond or hazelnut.
Chocolate and Spices - Some Timor Leste coffees have rich chocolatey notes, complemented by hints of spices like cinnamon or cloves.
Earthy and Herbal - A mild earthiness or herbal quality can also be present, providing a grounded and complex taste.
Balanced Acidity and Full Body - The coffee typically has a balanced acidity and a full, smooth body, making it both vibrant and rich.
These flavour profiles can vary depending on the specific region, altitude, and processing methods used by the local farmers. Overall, Timor Leste coffee is celebrated for its complexity and depth of flavour.
Our Timor Leste Coffee - Hatuhei Cooperative has sweet notes and aromas of treacle and soft fruits. It is a smooth coffee with a low acidity and a pleasing finish.
About the Hatuhei Cooperative of coffee farmers in Timor Leste
Karst Organics have been working with the Hatuhei group since 2020. Located in the southeastern part of Letefoho, it is one of the region’s most remote and inaccessible areas. While the drive there is manageable during the dry season, the wet season renders Hatuhei completely isolated from the rest of Letefoho. This isolation means that apart from the coffee harvest, there are very limited opportunities for the community to earn an income.
Over time, Hatuhei has built a reputation for producing high-quality specialty coffee. Karst Organics have gradually expanded this group by inviting other community members to join, allowing them to benefit from the increased income that comes from processing specialty coffee in partnership with Karst. At the time of writing this the group has 32 members.
Lead farmers Carlos and Maria de Deus (pictured above) gives weekly support to all smallholder farmers in Hatuhei during the harvest, to ensure that as the popularity and volume of this coffee increases, its quality remains uncompromised. Only the ripest cherries are used to ensure optimum sweetness, which often requires tremendous patience due to the need for multiple harvests within a season. To maintain high processing standards, Karst Organics have invested in additional processing materials for the community, including two new traditional pulping machines.
Carlos has also been dedicated to promoting rehabilitation activities among his group members, which is a priority for everyone moving forward to maximise yields and enhance earning potential.
Where to buy Timor Leste coffee in the UK?
We are a UK stockist of Timor Leste coffee. We are an independent artisan coffee roastery based in the Welland Valley, on the border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. We hand-roast ethically sourced speciality coffee from around the Coffee Belt of the world. We are passionate about single origin Arabica coffee and aim to preserve their unique characteristics and enhance them through delicate roasting. We also have a selection of our own espresso house blends.
We carefully select all our green coffee beans from our Direct Importers, allowing us to trace the origin of the coffee beans not only back to the region, but also to the specific farm and farmer, or cooperative. This traceability ensures that farmers and their workers are fairly compensated for their efforts and that they are taking the necessary steps to protect their local environment.
Every single origin coffee we offer has been tasted and enjoyed by us, and we hope you will enjoy them too.
Haven't tried our Timor Leste Coffee - Hatuhei Cooperative yet? Just add a 200g bag to your next coffee order to give it a try. And enjoy!