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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What are the origins of coffee?
A. Coffee originates from the Ethiopian Highland rainforest area
known as ‘Kaffa’.
Q. How long has coffee been grown in Vanuatu?
A. First recording was Port Resolution on Tanna Island in 1852.
Q. Where did this coffee come from?
A. Probably planted by ‘Sandalwooders’ from Australia through New
Caledonia.
Q. What type of coffee is grown on Tanna?
A. It is the Arabica Coffee type and a hybrid variety known as ‘Catimor’.
Q. What does ‘Catimor’ mean?
A. This variety of Arabica is a combination of Caturra, Catuai and
Timor coffee.
Q. Why grow this particular variety?
A. It is a relatively new variety that was bred to resist Coffee
Leaf Rust disease.
Q. Does it grow well?
A. Over 15 years of trials on Tanna it has proven to be ideally
suited to Tanna’s unique climate.
Q. What makes Tanna unique?
A. All other ‘top quality arabica’ is grown at very high altitudes
in equatorial zones.
Q. Why is Tanna different?
A. The rich volcanic soils and temperate climatic conditions make it
identical to other areas.
Q. How does this equate?
A. Vanuatu and particularly Tanna, has a latitudinal compensation
for it’s lack of altitude.
Q. How does the coffee rate internationally?
A. Tanna Coffee is highly regarded internationally and keenly sought
after.
Q. Why isn’t more grown?
A. There has been a Coffee Development Program underway on Tanna for
the last 5 years.
Q. How many trees are planted?
A. There are more than 350,000 trees planted and maintained by over
400 farmers.
Q. How much coffee is grown?
A. All the coffee is currently produced on Tanna and this year’s
crop will be around 40t.
Q. Where else is it grown?
A. A small amount is grown on Aneitum and an extension program is
underway on Efate.
Q. What is the potential that could be grown?
A. The goal of the Industry is to ultimately produce around 500t
annually.
Q. Could you sell it all?
A. The demand for Tanna Coffee is extremely high and at present
requests cannot be fulfilled.
Q. Where is it sold now?
A. 40% of coffee produced is consumed locally, with the balance
being roasted and exported.
Q. Where do the exports go?
A. There are currently small exports to USA, Japan, Taiwan, New
Zealand and Australia.
Q. Do you sell Dry Green Beans?
A. There are no DGB sales in order to maximize value-addition & fund
development.
Q. How many Coffee Cherries make a Kg of DGB?
A. It takes approximately 7 Kg of cherries to make 1Kg of DGB.
Q. How many Beans are there in a Kg?
A. There are approximately 1,860 Dry Green Beans to a Kg.
Q. How many beans does it take to make 1 Kg of Roasted Coffee?
A. There are approximately 2,240 beans to 1Kg.
Q. How many cups of coffee can you get out of 1 Kg?
A. Around 120 cups can be extracted from 1 Kg. of coffee.
Q. How many beans make a cup?
A. Filter coffee is 7.5gm per cup & espresso 9gm, so an average of
around 19 beans.
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