Work on that last issue is now well under way in Alstonville, NSW, where an AgriFutures-funded World Coffee Research trial of 25 varietals from 10 countries is in its third year. These included investment in better processing (washing, drying, hulling and colour sorting – a key to ensuring quality), creating regional identities (similar to the wine industry), creating a centralised information system (through the Australian Grown Coffee Association), planting more trees to respond to consumer demand and, finally, making a new semi-dwarf variety available (commercial cultivars K7 and Catuai favoured in Australia grow too vigorously and require labour-intensive and yield-disrupting pruning to allow machine harvesting). A recent coffee growers' strategy plan commissioned by the Australian Government-funded AgriFutures made several recommendations on how to keep the industry healthy.Ĭoffee-processing machinery at Jack Murat. "We need to grow like the wine industry, add value to our crop, and meet the expectations of the next generation of coffee drinkers, who are environmentally conscious and have a sophisticated radar for good design and authentic storytelling," says Zentveld.īut it's not just fresh faces the industry needs. Jemal's emphasis on local, quality and modern branding encourages Rebecca Zentveld, an award-winning industry veteran grower and roaster at Zentveld's Coffee in near Byron Bay and president of the newly renamed Australian Grown Coffee Association. And that goes across the board when it comes to produce." "And it's almost less about coffee and more about the underlying sort of ethos that people are seeking. "My vibe is extremely positive," he says of the outlook for Australian-grown coffee. He also believes they are on track to become the largest producer of specialty coffee in Australia. Jack Murat coffee is already available to buy online but Jemal has plans to open a dedicated metro roastery and cafe in the next 12 to 18 months. "People drink coffee, but the global market seems to be closing down on us – prices doubling, shipping costs, etcetera. "I suppose it's about where the younger generation want to go with it," he says. Rooney, who started as a casual in 2006, believes the industry is interestingly poised. Just out of Nimbin, Mountain Top Coffee's process manager and roaster Bernard Rooney says new owners there recently reduced their coffee trees from about 80,000 to 45,000 to make way for avocados. "One being our labour costs and the costs that go into running any business, also the costs of land."Īdding to this pressure recently is a generation of coffee farmers who are retiring and selling their plantations to farmers growing other crops or to lifestyle buyers with no interest in farming. "It's an expensive crop to produce in Australia for a number of reasons," Ryan says. Australian-grown specialty coffee generally compares favourably with imported beans but tends to retail at the higher end of the spectrum.
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