What is the Hummingfish Foundation? How to Enjoy Timor-Leste High Mountain Coffee Beans?

The Hummingfish Foundation: Supporting Timor-Leste Coffee Farmers

The Hummingfish Foundation (Hummingfish) is a charitable organization registered in Hong Kong. Its founder, Daniel Groshong, was formerly a war photographer who lived in Timor-Leste for two years, capturing the country's stunning natural landscapes and compiling them into the small nation's first photography series. Hummingfish has been dedicated to helping Timor-Leste coffee farmers produce coffee through natural methods and to develop green enterprises. MMC is a key project aimed at improving the lives of local coffee farmers and protecting the local natural environment.

Overcoming Geographic and Infrastructure Challenges

The emergence of the Hummingfish Foundation has changed the situation. The original mountainous areas are remote, nearly 6 hours' drive from the capital Dili. Local infrastructure also remains relatively underdeveloped, so not many coffee merchants are willing to travel to these areas to buy coffee beans from local farmers. The farmers had no choice but to gather together to transport their coffee to urban areas or sell it at nearby markets.

Quality Processing and Fair Compensation

The foundation teaches farmers cultivation techniques, collecting only premium coffee beans and settling payment daily by weight. After settlement, a series of processes follows, from washing and drying the beans to packaging and transportation, all handled with meticulous care.

Market Access and Community Development

After repackaging, the coffee beans can be sold at higher prices to coffee shops in Timor-Leste and even overseas. All revenue is returned to the local farmers to continue supporting local development.

Organic Arabica Excellence

Timor-Leste highland coffee beans belong to the Arabica species. They are cultivated organically, insisting on natural food grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides and taking in the nutrients that nature itself provides, so the coffee that is grown is pollution-free, premium-quality coffee.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests using water at 89-90 degrees Celsius to brew Timor-Leste coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Timor-Leste's highland coffees are valued for being organically grown, clean, and gentle, and if that island-Arabica style appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Lindong Mandheling is a natural point of comparison. It is wet-hulled, the process developed for Indonesia's humid climate, which gives a cup that is richer and smoother than many washed coffees, with herbal and spice notes and almost no acidity, suiting drinkers who prefer a low-acid profile. For a higher grade, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is hand-sorted three times and machine-sorted once, keeping the defect rate to a minimum so the cup is cleaner and smoother, with clearer woody and caramel notes. Both are brewed much like the Timor-Leste beans above, so you can use the same gentle 89-90 degrees Celsius water and taste how these neighbouring island origins differ.