Pohnpei Coffee

04/04/2014

03/14/2014

John Ranahan

November 12, 2013
Kolonia, FSM- Earlier this year, the Pohnpei Buzz pilot project team started the first of many quality trials on the taste of Pohnpei Buzz coffee to prepare for its first and limited edition scheduled for early December.
quality coffee
What does it taste like? Does it have that great coffee aroma? Is it a quality product? As part of the Pohnpei Buzz Pilot Project to develop a viable specialty coffee business with Wilbur and Magdalena Walter, around forty samples of dark and medium roasts have been offered to ‘target market’ potential customers since July. The ‘Buzz’ Team has also invited coffee lovers to the project office for a few tastings as they further develop the product’s quality.

“I am on a mission to produce a beautiful cup of coffee for my customers. I want to develop a quality product that Pohnpeians can be proud of. I am learning a lot and still have much to learn but what I know for sure right now is that quality is everything. It starts with growing healthy trees and ends with positive customer feedback,” said Wilbur Walter, grower, roaster and owner of Pohnpei Buzz Coffee.

In July, a gathering to taste-test the first of the medium roasted coffee was organized by Ms. Wanpen Ordonez. These first respondents made positive comments, using terms such as “distinctive” “clean,” “delicate,” and “pleasant” to describe Pohnpei Buzz coffee. Some in this initial group also said that they were impressed with the business idea and the tasteful packaging of the coffee.

Since then, other coffee drinkers have tried dark roasted beans. All those who have sampled the dark roast commented enthusiastically about its fine taste and strong aroma. “The taste is indeed quite different from the coffee we usually drink. It has a nice flavor which becomes more noticeable after a few sips. We both find it is a very strong coffee. We liked it and will be willing to buy," said the proprietors of Nett Ramen restaurant. One taster of the dark roast was so impressed that he joined the Pohnpei Buzz team.

The team has also taste-tested Pohnpei Buzz coffee against internationally known coffee such as a breakfast blend by Godiva and Tanna Coffee from Vanuatu, and have found that the taste is comparable, if not better.

In order to obtain professional advice on the initial quality of Pohnpei coffee beans, the Buzz Team sent green bean samples to the Coffee Quality Institute, to Shawn Steiman, a master taster based in Hawaii, and to Michael Lambros of Global Delights, a specialty coffee shop based in Oregon, who wrote “We received the sample, roasted the beautiful beans, and truly enjoyed the outcome.” He then proceeded to express interest in securing a future supply of Pohnpei Buzz to sell at his shop.

However, five out of forty sample reviews were not so positive, including the sample sent to Shawn Steiman whose quality seems to have been affected in transit. The team has since sent him a newly roasted and better-packaged sample, and are awaiting his response. The team has also worked to improve the taste quality of those samples that received negative reviews and are now confident that Pohnpei Buzz coffee is ready for sale.

Coffee sales will begin in late November, are limited and subject to harvest, which is projected to continue until May 2014. The first commercially available quality coffee grown, roasted and packaged in Pohnpei is coming. Warm up your taste buds.

Coffee Fact: Green coffee beans can be stored in climate-controlled conditions for up to a year. However, uncontrolled conditions drastically reduces the shelf life and quality of the beans. To maintain the quality of the beans, growers should keep the air temperature for storage at approximately 70° F (21.1° C) and the relative humidity between 50-70%.

Source: http://goo.gl/fS3sw6

03/14/2014

By John Ranahan

August, 2013

Kolonia, FSM – On May 29, 2013, a meeting hosted by Mr. Wilbur and Senator Magdalena Walter to discuss how they could use the coffee trees on their farm resulted in the ‘Pohnpei Buzz’ Coffee Pilot Project, a private sector initiative which can have a significant impact for increased income to the people of Pohnpei.

Wilbur Walter is most commonly associated with the Nihco Store and Marine Park. But few people know that he started planting 350 coffee trees four years ago. These trees are starting to produce fruit, and the first official harvest will begin next month.

“The seeds are from the coffee trees already on island from the Japanese era. I took the first fruits to Greenwell Farms in Hawaii earlier this year and their positive reaction to the taste and quality of the beans encouraged me to push forward with a business based on coffee,” explained Mr. Walter.

However, the Walters deep interest in the coffee business started long before this affirmation from a world-class coffee farm. “It is speculated that coffee is the second most valuable world commodity after oil. If Pohnpei can have just even a little slice of that, we will feel better about our children and grandchildren’s future. Like many others, we worry about the challenges after 2023 and I hope that a successful, sustainable coffee industry can be one way we can prepare our home, our state, to overcome the tough times ahead,” said Senator Walter.

The Pohnpei Buzz Coffee Pilot Project is, therefore, both a business and a blueprint for developing a coffee industry on Pohnpei. To assist them, the Walters requested the assistance of Dr Leah Briones, a development specialist who has lived and worked in Pohnpei the last two years. Dr Briones is Coordinator of the project and has assisted with the development of the business and project work plans. “This is a little coffee project with big plans. The potential gains are as big as the challenges. In our planning, we’ve been careful to factor the lessons learned from the many enterprises that have succeeded on Pohnpei state and in the FSM, but also those that have failed,” said Dr Briones.

The Pohnpei Buzz team is working with the College of Micronesia extension service to apply for a feasibility study grant. If the study shows that there can be an economically and environmentally viable coffee industry here, the development impacts could be far-reaching. With a sizable population living in or connected to the rural areas through traditional obligations, the agricultural sector has the potential to employ the greatest number of workers in Pohnpei.

“Mature coffee industries in other pacific countries have seen increased incomes translated into better access to education and health services. In Papua New Guinea, for example, the coffee industry earns around $147 million annually of which 60 – 70% goes straight to growers’ households. Significantly, the industry enables women’s formal participation in the economy which has resulted in growers’ communities thriving in places like Tanna in Vanuatu,” said Dr Briones.

The pilot project is financed by Mr. Walter. While he has invested in growing, processing, and marketing materials, others have provided technical assistance on an unpaid basis. Mr. Walter added, “I know that this project is worthwhile because of the amazing amount and quality of volunteer assistance. People are willing to invest their time and expertise because they believe in and are excited by the possible gains for the people of our island. And I can even tell you that not all are coffee lovers!” Other expertise and support provided to the project so far includes James Hollyer from the University of Hawaii, Shawn Steiman of Coffea Consulting, Jim Currie from the College of Micronesia, Adelino Lorens of Pohnpei State Office of Agriculture, USDA and the US Embassy.

Subject to harvest yields, Pohnpei Buzz roasted coffee is scheduled to go on sale around October at the earliest and July next year, at the latest.

Source: http://goo.gl/eVue6A

Micronesia's newspaper based in Pohnpei

03/14/2014

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