Cameroon
In March of 2009, Mocha Joe's Roasting Co. partnered with the Farmer’s Cooperative Initiative, a group of US roasters and investors working with 31 families in the Northwest of Cameroon, to pre-finance and import the first container of specialty preparation coffee to the United States. As the only country in West Africa with a climate and elevation suitable for specialty grade Arabica coffee, Cameroon coffee has a flavor profile that makes it a truly unique African coffee. During the 2009 season, Pierre and Ingrid (one of our long-time baristas) traveled to Cameroon to oversee and train coffee sorters and agronomists in SCAA defect identification, in order to begin the process of elevating the coffee to specialty quality.
While the focus in 2009 was mainly on improved sorting techniques, this season we have expanded our focus to improving crop quality at the farm level. Over the last several months, we and our consultants have been working closely with local agronomists to train farmers to recognize common problems with the coffee that cause defects in the cup, and how to combat them. Additionally, agronomists are working closely with farmers during harvest to improve technique, such as only picking red cherry, and discarding cherry that has fallen off the tree.
Additionally, Mocha Joe’s has continued working towards its long-term goal of creating a fully-washed Cameroonian coffee by facilitating the construction of farmer-owned mills. Mocha Joe’s is currently in contact with several companies that manufacture small wet mills and are researching mill options that would best suit the production scale of the communities in which we are working. In country, agronomists are working with farmers to create an ownership strategy for these mills, including construction financing, strategies for maintenance and staffing and transportation concerns. We hope to begin with two pilot mills, one in the Bamenda region and one in Fongo Tongo (Western Province).
This winter, Pierre and his family will be traveling to Cameroon and remain there until spring to oversee harvest, milling, and export. We hope that through this process, we can identify and address problems and challenges at every step, and connect various actors in the coffee industry to create a consistent, quality oriented supply chain that we can nurture and rely on in the coming years.
Try our French Roast Cameroon Peaberry by visiting our online store: