Papua New Guinea / Sigri

This natural coffee comes to us from a network of smallholders in the Waghi valley, a region known to have been “the food bowl” of Papua New Guinea for thousands of years. Surrounded by an extinct volcano, the loamy soils are exceptionally fertile, with coffee plots bumping up against the Wara Tuman river which brings in rich nutrients from the mountain. 

These smallholders are supported by Benchmark Coffee, who strives to have a positive impact in the region, not only by helping coffee producers to earn fair wages, but by funding a number of social projects that support education, water access, and women’s health, to name a few.

Benchmark recently funded the textbooks for five elementary schools in partnership with our friends at Deeper Roots, and completed construction on a brand new elementary school in 2023. Papua New Guinea has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world, so free elementary schools have a significant impact in helping form healthier communities. 

Because there is no piping system in the highlands where these coffees are produced, Benchmark has also funded and installed seven water collection tanks that are connected to homes, schools and other buildings so locals do not have to spend hours per day collecting water from nearby rivers, allowing them to focus their time and energy on activities beyond mere survival.

This year, Benchmark also partnered with an organization called QueenPads to fund and distribute reusable menstrual products for the people producing their coffees. As part of this initiative, the QueenPads team also traveled throughout the Highlands where coffee is produced to conduct educational sessions and distribute menstrual hygiene products to 580 women. 

By purchasing this coffee, you are helping to support the wonderful work Benchmark is doing in the Papua New Guinea Highlands! And we know you’re going to love the Kinmuga with its fruit forward notes of pear, persimmon and hibiscus. 

TASTING NOTES: PEAR  ///  PERSIMMON  ///  HIBISCUS