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Introduction to Asian Coffee Producing Countries - The Story of Papua New Guinea Coffee and Its Anglo-German Colonial History

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, FrontStreet Coffee - Brief Introduction to Papua New Guinea Coffee History Papua New Guinea, once a country colonized by Germans and British, began coffee cultivation and production in Port Moresby and surrounding areas in the 19th century after colonization. At that time, most exports were to the Australian coffee market.

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Papua New Guinea Coffee History

Papua New Guinea, once a country colonized by Germans and British, began coffee cultivation and production in Port Moresby and surrounding areas during the 19th century. At that time, most exports were destined for the Australian coffee market. Therefore, coffee estate owners were mostly private estates, with indigenous residents serving only as laborers.

To this day, the country continues to grow and export coffee, though in very limited quantities. The quality remains quite impressive. In Papua New Guinea, there are not many coffee estates and plantations. Instead, the main cultivators are small farmers, each allocated a small amount of land for coffee cultivation, which can be used for both sales and export. Due to the country's vast forest areas, covering over 63% of its land, there is limited land available for cultivation, with less than 3% suitable for production.

Papua New Guinea boasts hundreds of languages, with significant cultural diversity. Procuring coffee in this country is extremely challenging. The country still has numerous tribes, each with distinct customs and languages. Poor communication conditions also hinder coffee cultivation and production.

In the 1920s, Papua New Guinea introduced the Typica variety from Jamaica for cultivation—the same variety as Blue Mountain coffee. This introduction effectively increased coffee production, primarily cultivated on Pacific islands where most coffee-growing regions are located.

As a former colony, Papua New Guinea's coffee cultivation history is not long. Although production volume is not large, the encouraging news is that Papua New Guinea coffee has always been among the finest in specialty coffee.

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