TAU-REMA
Altitude: 1950maslLead Farmer: Mario & Marquita de Deus
Google Earth Co-ordinates: 8°50’09″S 125°30’16″E
| Working together | Since 2021 | Process | Fully-washed |
| Harvest Period | July – August | Packaging | 30kg (Ecotact & Jute) |
| No. of farmers | 12 | Screen Size | 17, 16, 15 |
| Varietal | Typica, Timor Hybrid | What we taste | Blackberry, Molasses, Green Apple |
At close to 2,000masl, Tau-Rema is our highest altitude group and this is our fourth year working together with the members of this close-knit community.
Since our partnership first began in 2021, Tau-Rema’s members have conscientiously worked on improving the processing of their coffee to meet the high standards required of the speciality market. Seeing the year-on-year improvements in their processing has been a great example of how a community of coffee farmers who previously had little opportunity to process their coffee, can come together and make impactful changes to improve their livelihoods. Previously the members from Tau-Rema (as with their sister group Remagoa) were only able to sell their freshly harvested cherries to the local commodity buyer, by carrying their coffee approximately 2km to the nearest mountain road, only to receive a price of $0.32c per kilo. By working together with Karst, the price received for their fully washed parchment has continued to increase year on year, reaching $3.50 per kilo during the 2024 harvest.
Implementation of coffee tree rehabilitation activities have also benefited the Tau-Rema farmers and their coffee forests are now looking healthier and less wild. As a result of the 510kg of Tau-Rema’s green coffee sold from the 2023 harvest, a total of 51 coffee tree seedlings were distributed and planted. Whilst the work on rehabilitation and maintenance will be ongoing, farmers are already starting to see the benefits of this and 2024 saw increased yields for those trees that had previously been rehabilitated.
Our highest altitude group is fast gaining a reputation for producing a coffee which is clean, sweet and brightly balanced; everything you’d expect of a high quality fully washed coffee. With a desire to learn and expand their knowledge, we are continuing to unlock and see the true potential of what this community has to offer.
