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TANNA COFFEE DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY
The Tanna Coffee Development Company (TCDC) was first established in
1982, to assist in the development of the newly independent South
Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Tanna Island wa s specifically selected
for a Coffee Development Program (CDP), as there was a history of
Arabica Coffee production dating back as far as 1852. A Large-scale
plantation in conjunction with a ‘Smallholder’ program was
established and it was in operation until the mid 1990’s, when a
combination of severe climatic conditions and coffee leaf rust
disease caused its demise. The Vanuatu Government who owned TCDC,
decided to sell the ailing Company to private investors, who set
about re-developing the potentially lucrative business. New (rust
resistant) varieties of Arabica Coffee were introduced and planted
out under the Smallholder Program, which has now resulted in very
encouraging production levels for the last couple of years. (This
year’s production is anticipated to be over 50 tonne).
Over the last 5 years through the CDP approximately 350,000 new
coffee seedlings have now been distributed to the smallholder
farmers (who now number almost 400) and this, along with the
establishment of the Coffee Organisation of Vanuatu (COV) and
provision of technical training programs, has resulted in a
re-invigorated and vibrant coffee industry on Tanna. The COV was
initially established to provide the farmers with a unified voice
and body that could jointly represent them in discussions and
negotiations, while seeking assistance and support from the various
international donor bodies. Raw Coffee is the only true Cash-Crop
income available to the farmers, as the vast majority of the people
are still self-subsisting farmers who rely heavily on the island
barter system, in order to obtain other essential goods and
materials. The reputation and the overall quality of Tanna Coffee
has been maintained throughout its history and it is absolutely
‘100% Organically Grown’, hand picked and processed, naturally
fermented and sun-dried, without the use of any chemicals or
fertilizers.
 Currently, all coffee is sold in Roasted and Packaged form through
TCDC’s finished product facility which is located in Port Vila with
40% being distributed locally and the balance being exported
overseas. The Roasting Factory is now being developed further to
cater to demands from the Tourism Sector, to provide tourists with
an insightful view into ‘The secrets of the humble bean that is
enjoyed by so many, but understood by so few’. The Factory will be
open to the public 3 days per week (or by appointment for larger
groups) and will provide guided tours and full explanation of the
entire coffee operation ‘From the Tree to the Cup’, with
opportunities to sample and purchase some of the finest and
definitely freshest ‘Arabica Coffee’ in the World. Tanna Coffee
(which is internationally recognized and award winning) finds itself
in quite a unique situation where demand for our coffee, far
outstrips our ability to supply and it is now opportune to lift
annual production levels.
A new proposal has now been developed to re-establish the former
TCDC Estate (comprising 1,000 acres) and this, along with the
on-going CDP and plans for coffee production on other suitable
Islands, will hopefully see an annual Vanuatu Coffee production
level in excess of 500 tonne. This staged commercial development
will initially see the re-habilitation (wherever possible) of
formerly planted out individual 1Ha coffee plots, housed within up
to 20 small 10Ha nucleus estates spread throughout the former TCDC
plantation. It’s envisaged that ultimately more than 200Ha of coffee
can be re-established over a 5 year period that could yield between
300 and 400 tonne annually, whilst providing 30-40 full time job
opportunities, as well as 300-400 part time jobs during the 4 month
harvest season. The up-front financial and social benefits of this
proposal are obvious and quite large in relation to the local
Provincial economy and there will also be the additional flow-on
benefits to the overall economy of the nation, in terms of foreign
exchange income earning capacity. The original aims and objectives
of the Company have not changed since its inception, which was to
provide a sustainable and vibrant Agricultural Industry that would
assist in developing Vanuatu towards self sufficiency. |
