Our Coffees - Papua New Guinea - Moledina Commodities Inc.

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE:

The country is located in the Oceania region, north of Australia. It covers an area of 174,849 sq. miles and has a population of 4.5 million. The climate is equatorial - hot and very humid.

COFFEE BACKGROUND:

The coffee grown in Papua New Guinea is of “Bourbon” botanical variety and was introduced from the “Blue Mountains” of Jamaica in 1937. The Papua New Guinea coffee is mostly a high-grown mild, washed arabica coffee of high quality. Arabica coffee is produced mainly in the Eastern and Western Highlands and the Chimbu Provinces near the centers of Goroka, Kinantu, Mount Hagen and Kundiawa, as well as near Wau and Fischhafen in the Morobe Sepic and Northern provinces.

SPECIES: Arabica

ALTITUDE AT WHICH GROWN: 3,200 - 6,800 FT

PREPARATION METHOD: “Washed”

ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 1,302,000 bags (99-00 crop)

SHIPMENT PERIOD: June - November

TYPES OF COFFEES OFFERED:

YONKI Estate AA Plus: This coffee is grown in the Eastern Highlands and is the best grown coffee in Papua New Guinea. It has a well balanced perfumed flavor with medium body and lively acidity. This Estate has produced the most consistent high quality coffee every year.

OBURA Plantation AA: Also grown in the Eastern Highlands. It has a very similar cup profile to Yonki except it has slightly less acidity.

Organically grown OKAPA (Exclusive to Moledina Commodities Inc.): This coffee is organically grown in Okapa which is an area within the Eastern Highlands as well. This is the best organic coffee cup-wise on the market, with full body and intense acidity. Whereas most of the organic coffees, especially from Central and South America are usually flat and without any flavor, Okapa is so good that few of our customers use it as an ordinary Papua New Guinea coffee. Okapa plantation of 500 acres is completely devoted to growing organic coffee and has one coffee mill as the center of the organic processing system. The total annual production is only 2,500 bags. The certifying agency is the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture of Australia (NASAA), which carries out an annual inspection for this plantation to maintain its organic Level “A” Certification.

Personal Comments:

9/16/98

This coffee is the most under-rated amongst the Specialty Roasters in U.S. It has a tremendous potential if used correctly, especially in blends.

Last years crop has been severely affected by El Nino. This has reduced the volume of high quality coffee, in particular the size of the bean. There is also a huge long term political problem with the natives. The locals who live around the coffee plantations have been stealing cherries off the trees and selling them in the local markets. In fact, the plantation owners are forced to buy their own coffees in the markets just to fulfill their export contracts. The future, at least for the time being, does not look very bright for PNG.