Cafe Timor Leste
We use a single origin coffee grown on the mountains of Timor leste
a small island north east of Darwin, Australia.
A Brief History of Timor
Portuguese traders discovered the island of Timor the 16th century.
They harvested sandalwood and sent it back to Portugal making huge profits,
while colonising the island they planted coffee plantations and grew spices all to be shipped back to Portugal. Portuguese colonisation lasted until 1975 when the Timorese gained their independence, this lasted 9 days before Indonesia brutally invaded the island. Indonesian rule lasted 20 years. During this time the coffee plantations were neglected. In 1999 under pressure from the UN, the Timorese people voted for independence. Indonesia withdrew but not before a scorched earth policy where they destroyed the infrastructure and slayed a large percent of the male population.
Our Timor Connection
Wayne arrived in Portuguese East Timor early in 1975.
He was fascinated by the laid back colonial out post and its grand buildings.
The fusion of Portuguese and local food was amazing. The morning coffee that he remembered for 30 years, what an amazing life style these colonial Portuguese had, including a 3-hour midday siesta. In 2012 he retraced his steps to Timor Leste with an intention of sourcing green beans for The Wholemeal Café. He was aware that the old coffee plantations were being restarted. He always followed events in Timor often with sadness and horror at what was happening there, so close to New Zealand as we lived our lives in safety and comfort. Creating a personal connection with these farmers has helped to establish a quality boutique product through better harvesting and grading. This results in a secure market and guaranteed prices for the farmers and their families.
