CRISTO LIURAI
Altitude: 1500 – 1600maslLead Farmer : Luis & Paola Santos de Jesus
Google Earth Co-ordinates: 8°50’33″S 125°26’46″E
| Working together | Since 2020 | Process | Fully-washed |
| Harvest Period | June – July | Packaging | 30kg (Ecotact & Jute) |
| No. of farmers | 18 | Screen Size | 17, 16, 15 |
| Varietal | Typica, Timor Hybrid | What we taste | Apricot, Raisin, Black Pepper |
The statue of Cristo Liurai (Christ the King) dominates Letefoho, keeping a watchful gaze over the region’s coffee forests and mountain communities. Located in the western part of the sub-district, it is here that you will find the 18 members of the Cristo Liurai group, all of whom live around the southern perimeter of the steep Cristo Liurai mountain. Karst first entered into partnership with this group in 2020 and 6 years on, continues to work collaboratively with this community of smallholder farmers led by lead farmer Luis Santos de Jesus.
2025 saw a further increase in purchase price from 2024’s $3.50/kg to $4.00/kg and as a result, each of the Cristo Liurai members have experienced an increase in return from their coffee. This was particularly evident as this year’s harvest unexpectedly produced considerably higher yields, however this was largely due to favourable weather conditions rather than the result of widespread rehabilitation work. This highlights the need for further coffee tree rehabilitation activities to be carried out in order to ensure that yields such as this, become part of the norm and not an anomaly. Encouraging Luis and his members to implement this will be one of Karst’s priorities for 2026.
Fully washed is the mainstay of Timorese coffee processing, which ultimately relies on stable access to large amounts of water. Sadly, direct access to a consistent water supply is not a given in Timor-Leste and this is especially evident in mountainous regions such as Letefoho. With this in mind, Karst has begun to look at how we can provide support with water storage. A predominant recurring issue is the need to collect water from the closest water source, which can be as far as 2-3km away. As an initial short-term solution, Karst has supplied a 2500L water tank to the community to collect rain water during the rainy season (December to April,) which can then be later accessed during the dry season for personal use and also coffee processing. Whilst only a short-term solution, it will suffice until a more suitable long-term solution is found.
We are delighted that we have been able to continue our partnership with the Cristo Liurai group and overcome challenges together so that we can continue to provide our customers with clean, sweet and well-balanced coffee.
