HATUHEI
Altitude: 1500 maslLead Farmer: Carlos & Maria de Deus
Google Earth Co-ordinates: 8°51’29″S 125°28’04″E
| Working together | Since 2020 | Process | Fully-washed |
| Harvest Period | June – August | Packaging | 30kg (Ecotact & Jute) |
| No. of farmers | 32 | Screen Size | 17, 16, 15 |
| Varietal | Typica, Timor Hybrid | What we taste | Green Apple, Floral, Caramel |
2023 is the fourth year of working together with the Hatuhei group, situated in the south-eastern part of Letefoho, in one of the region’s most remote and difficult to access areas. Whilst the drive there during the dry season is possible, during the wet season, Hatuhei is completely cut off from the rest of Letefoho, meaning that outside of the coffee harvest, opportunities to earn an income are few and far between for this community.
Hatuhei has now established its reputation as a group who process high-quality speciality coffee and we have been able to slowly expand the size of this group through inviting other members of the community to join and share in the increased income that processing speciality coffee together with Karst can bring.
Carlos continues to work closely together with Simao Pedro de Deus (our field manager and lead farmer of the Eratoi group,) so that all of the smallholder farmers from Hatuhei receive weekly support during the harvest to ensure that as this coffee gains in popularity and volumes increase, quality is never compromised. Only the ripest cherries are used to ensure optimum sweetness which usually requires an incredible amount of patience as multiple harvests are often needed during any given season. To ensure that exacting high standards of processing are maintained, we have continued to invest in further processing materials within the community, including the purchase of two new traditional pulping machines.
Carlos has also been working tirelessly to encourage rehabilitation activities with the members of his group and this is a priority for us going forward in order to maximise yields and ensure increased earning potential.
