What are the growing conditions for East Timor coffee beans? How many coffee varieties does East Timor have?

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What are the growing conditions for East Timor coffee beans? How many coffee varieties exist in East Timor?

In 1994, after years of conflict, East Timor's coffee industry began to emerge. With assistance from NCBA and USAID, coffee farmers formed the Cooperativa Café Timor. This island nation, located about 400 miles off the northern coast of Australia—then still part of Indonesia and a few years away from declaring independence in 2002—started its journey.

To stimulate economic growth, Sam Filiaci, a coffee supplier based in East Timor at the time, was sent to send hundreds of faxes to potential buyers. Filiaci noted that many people were hesitant to travel there during that period. However, Olsen was one of the first to respond to his inquiry.

Knowing that Indonesia already offered substantial coffee—from Sulawesi to Sumatra—Olsen believed it made sense to look beyond traditional sources. Despite this, it was still a risky move. He expected East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to be relatively underdeveloped when he visited. But he didn't realize how underdeveloped it would be.

"The roads were terrible. The houses were very meager. People had nothing. And it's not that you didn't see smiling faces and such. But in political, economic, and social aspects, in every way you could imagine, it was deeply troubled," Olsen said.

During his first visit, Filiaci had only about half a container of coffee available for sale. That was approximately 14,000 pounds or 120 bags of green coffee—an insufficient quantity, especially by today's standards.

Since its modest beginning in 1994, Starbucks has continued to source coffee from East Timor. Filiaci remains our exclusive supplier, and he now also provides us with many Indonesian coffees. Today, coffee plays a vital role in the country's economy, and we purchase the majority of their washed Arabica coffee.

The quality of coffee continues to improve, and we highlight East Timor coffee through special platforms such as Starbucks Reserve® East Timor Peaberry and Starbucks East Timor Tatamailau, part of our single-origin product series.

The Geographical and Economic Context

East Timor, often referred to as Timor-Leste, is an island nation spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In 2002, with a population of 1.2 million, it became a formally sovereign nation. For a country of this scale, Starbucks' global brand promotion capabilities will provide significant momentum for the economy, tourism, and global market awareness.

Mount Rameleau, at an elevation of 9,721 feet (2,963 meters), is the highest peak on Timor Island and possesses a rich and fertile ecosystem. In the indigenous language of Tetum, it is known as Tata Mailau, which literally means: Grandfather of All. A 2013 United Nations Development Program study noted that deforestation has rapidly become an increasing problem in East Timor. This is an issue that sustainable sourcing and expansion of the coffee industry may help alleviate. The Natural Resources Defense Council states, "Agroforestry systems, including those involving coffee, have the potential to improve a country's economic and ecological stability."

Quality and Partnership

Andrew Linneman, a 21-year partner of Starbucks, is enthusiastic about the new Mount Rameleau coffee, serving both consumers and the people of East Timor. He describes coffee from around Mount Rameleau as "very different" with a "brighter flavor profile," atypical of Asian-produced coffees. Mr. Linneman, who first began sourcing coffee from East Timor in 1996, is pleased that Starbucks can now showcase single-origin coffees from the region. As Vice President of Global Coffee Quality and Engagement at Starbucks, he says the new Mount Rameleau coffee "is an important recognition of the work done by the East Timorese government and our farmers in improving infrastructure and supply chain."

As noted in a 2013 report, "46% of East Timorese households rely entirely on coffee for income." A 44-page study by the Swedish Industrial Economics Research Institute on improving the situation for East Timorese farmers in 2012 found that infrastructure, outdated factories, and other technical issues hindered East Timor's coffee industry. It cited other World Bank research studies indicating that through investment and modernization, gross profit margins could increase nearly fourfold, and returns per labor day could increase by over 50%. The Industrial Economics Research Institute's report was published two years before Starbucks launched its single-origin coffee, concluding that Starbucks' presence and its promotion of the country's coffee have high impact.

Coffee is East Timor's main economic crop and the country's primary export product. In 2009, approximately 67,000 households grew coffee, and so far, exports have mainly targeted high-quality niche markets in foreign countries. Starbucks' decision to sell coffee from East Timor has significantly enhanced the product's reputation and opened up a vast potential market.

Mr. Linneman says that approximately 22,000 farmers in cooperatives supply Starbucks from East Timor. He looks forward to the new Mount Rameleau single-origin coffee "enhancing our customer experience." For the same reason, he emphasized the importance of Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) Practices that Starbucks employs in all 28 countries where it sources coffee. These practices include environmental and social programs. For example, farmers working for Starbucks' partners in East Timor have access to 20 mobile medical clinics and 9 fixed-location clinics, with Starbucks helping to pay for these services. Mr. Linneman emphasized, "Our success is intertwined with our farmers' success, and we want to provide stability for farmers so that we can reliably produce our products for consumers and provide reliable livelihoods for our farmers."

Social and Agricultural Challenges

Many communities in East Timor are plagued by what they call the "hungry season"—a four-month period of famine that occurs when last year's crops are depleted and the next harvest is not yet ready.

High child mortality rates due to malnutrition and poverty are among the worst in Asia and often irreparable for farmers during harvest periods.

The World Bank's private sector lists East Timor as one of the most difficult places in the world to do business, but some non-governmental organizations are working to rebuild this small nation's self-sufficient agricultural base and business practices.

For agriculture, rebuilding industry in villages paralyzed by hunger and poverty burdens takes a decade; NGOs like Empreza Di'ak are improving facilities and livelihoods through various projects in a country where food is largely imported.

Other organizations like Seeds of Life are working to identify high-yield crop varieties best suited to the country's climate.

By introducing reliable seeds, they hope to improve livelihoods in East Timorese agriculture and increase yields, but efforts to improve food security and seed distribution in this primarily agricultural society remain controversial.

Some locals accept modern agricultural methods and industrialization with suspicion, stating that traditional organic methods and crops are better because they are part of cultural identity.

Timor Coffee Plant Varieties

The interspecific hybrid of Robusta (Coffea canephora var. Robusta) and Arabica—Hybrido de Timor coffee plant variety—was first discovered on the island of Timor, Indonesia, in 1940.

The Timor coffee plant began to be cultivated for its strong resistance to coffee leaf rust, a disease that afflicts most coffee plant species.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing Method:

• Dripper: KONO dripper
• Water Temperature: 88°C
• Grind Size: Small Fuji grinder setting 4
• Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:14, 17g coffee grounds. First infusion with 25g water for 30s pre-infusion. Second infusion to 238g water total. Extraction time approximately 2:30 seconds.
• Analysis: The KONO dripper has fewer ribs at the bottom, allowing the filter paper to fit closely against the dripper, achieving the purpose of restricting airflow. This allows water and coffee grounds to have longer contact and soaking time in the dripper, ensuring extraction time and rate for coarse grinds. This enables the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, enhancing the rich mouthfeel and making the flavor more concentrated.

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