Queensland coffee on track

When one thinks of a coffee growing nation, traditional powerhouses such as Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia probably spring to mind. But the coffee belt spans many nations; some are located firmly within the prosperous geographical area whilst others brush against it, forcefully trying to get a piece of the action. One such country that straddles this wondrous ‘belt’ is Australia, and some coffee farmers based in the state of Queensland are beginning their harvest right on time.

Skybury Coffee, from Mareeba in the far north of Queensland, is expecting to produce around 50 tonnes of their Arabica this season. But sadly though for our Australian readers who might be hoping to drink a home-grown espresso, the majority of the beans get exported to Europe and Asia.

“The consumption in Europe varies little from year to year and they are by large the largest consumers of Australian-grown coffee,” said Skybury Tropical Plantation’s director Ian MacLaughlin.

However there has been a shift in demand from Australians – which goes against figures that suggest consumption has dropped from an average of 11 cups of coffee a week per adult to 9 – but it seems unlikely that their hunger for home-grown speciality coffee will be abated this harvest.

“We have certainly seen a shift in recent years,” Mr MacLaughlin continues, but the problem is that the country’s ability to produce an environmentally clean product built upon sustainable foundations has already drawn interest from abroad.

The small company also say that they have benefitted from the misfortunes of the traditional coffee growing nations such as Brazil, who have been subjected to adverse weather conditions which has severely impacted crop levels. In comparison, the climate in Queensland has been quite steady and despite the slightly late arrival of the rainy season, Skybury’s harvest is well on course to meet targets.