Coffee green cherries |
Coffee History in brief 2010
According to a coffee history legend, an Arabian shepherd
named Kaldi found his goats dancing joyously around a dark
green leafed shrub with bright red cherries in the southern tip
of the Arabian Peninsula. Kaldi soon determined that it was
the bright red cherries on the shrub that were causing the peculiar euphoria
and after trying the cherries himself, he learned of their powerful effect.
The stimulating effect was then exploited by monks at a local monastery to
stay awake during extended hours of prayer and distributed to other monasteries
around the world. Coffee was born. (For more coffee legends and
details about the history of the coffee bean, visit National Geographic.com.)
Pioneer Plantings
Coffee was introduced to PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG) some 120 years
ago. It was first introduced to New Guinea by the German administration
in the then colony of New Guinea in the last 1800s. Colonial administrative
records suggest that it was grown in German New Guinea at Ralum in
the Kokopo district of East New Britain Province (ENBP) by the famous “Queen Emma” (Emma (Coe) Forsayth) with the aid of a botanist named
Richard Parkinson.
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In Papua, a possible date was given for the introduction of Arabica coffee
was1885 by Catholic Missionaries on Yule Island and Tapini area.
However, first official mention of its presence and growth were in a colonial
government report in 1890 and two years later in 1992, coffee was also
reported to be grown in Rigo. By 1897 a coffee estate at Warirata outside
Port Moresby was planted, whose tree were suggested to be of the Arabica
variety, and in 1899 reported to be flourishing. By 1901 coffee from this
area was sent to Australia fetching price between 4 pence and 10 pence per
pound. Most plantings both in German New Guinea and British Papua
were, however either on an experimental basis or for botanical/science
interest.
However, from a commercial perspective, it was in the 1920s that serious
efforts were made. It is said that the large commercial Robusta plantation
were flourishing in ENBP and Bougainville between 1920and 1930.
In 1928 Arabica was planted at the colonial Department of Agriculture’s
experimental station at Wau in Morobe only to be sold (experimental plantation)
in 1931to the German entrepreneur in New Guinea, Carl L.B.Wilde.
Wilde developed it further, into roast and ground such that by 1935, he was
selling roast and ground coffee both domestically and overseas.
It was from this Wau Plantation that the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
received its first coffee seeds. It is further recorded that in 1937, a colonial
administration’s research station was established at a valley named Aiyura
in the general area formerly known as Upper Ramu and it was this station
that planted the first highlands coffee from Arabica seeds sourced from the
Wau Plantation. Over the years, the station distributed seeds throughout
the highlands and it was from these beginnings coupled with the suitability
of soil, altitude and climate conditions that the majestic highland country
of Papua New Guinea came to embrace the coffee crop and become the
major coffee producing region of the country. (www.coffeecorp.org.pg/
coffhist.html)
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