Five Papua New Guinea (PNG) women coffee farmers and exporters had the opportunity to showcase their products at the 2023 Melbourne International Coffee Exhibition (MICE), where it was said that PNG Coffee took on center stage.
The five women’s trip and attendance to the event was made possible through the Australian Government, through its Australia- Papua New Guinea Economic Partnership. One of the five women who made the trip was the Manager for Gabiga Coffee Exports, Ms. Aida Igaso.
She said the whole experience was an eye opener as she has never attended such an event to promote PNG coffee to the world.
For over a decade Aida only had two buyers, but at this event she met another interested buyer and has started negotiations. PNG’s presence at MICE 2023 was an opportunity to showcase PNG’s exceptional beans, celebrate its coffee-growing communities, and allowed PNG coffee farmers and exporters to forge valuable connections within the global coffee market.
Visitors that came by the PNG Coffee booth were all inspired by the all women back-end team, from the booth designer who did a fantastic job of capturing PNG’s natural beauty, to the roaster who roasted all the green bean samples for the show, and the barista who brewed all the roasted coffees over the three days.
The participants at the MICE 2023 also learnt about the intricate coffee production process, and experienced a delicious taste of the diverse flavours and aromas that are unique to PNG’s quality bourbon, typica and blue mountain arabica varieties that are planted throughout the Highlands Region. PNG coffee exports will benefit over 2.5 million Papua New Guineans who rely on coffee as a crucial income source for their families.