By Rosemary Yambune
Central Mamina Coffee, a local business devoted to package and distribute coffee will be displaying coffee samples from Goilala District, Central Province during a four-day Specialty Coffee Expo that will be held in New Orleans, USA on September 30.
Owner of Central Mamina Coffee Nellie Varmari says she will only be showcasing Goilala coffee because the government of the United Kingdom rated it as the best in PNG.
“I will be showing the parchments, the green beans to the roasted whole beans and the ground” she said.
The Speciality Coffee Expo will feature hundreds of exhibitors from 75 different countries showcasing their most original products and competing in the shows Best New Product and Design Lab awards.
Nominated by Specialty Coffee Association to participate in the Expo, Nellie says she is ready to showcase PNG coffee with pride and honour from September 30th to October 3rd.
Apart from Goilala coffee, Nellie also collects from coffee growers in isolated areas reachable by planes and foot only like inland Rigo which she packages it as Rigo Bunibai and Mt Koiari coffee labelled under the name Koiari Boutique.
According to the website of the organizers of the Speciality Coffee Expo, participators can network with professionals across the industry, including producers, importers, and baristas at the Cupping Exchange; meet coffee roasters from around the globe in the Roaster Village; and coffee researchers in the Scientific Poster Session.
Nellie Varmari who is also a mother and a wife to a supportive husband, encouraged other small SME’s to continue the strive and find passion in what they do. She plans on expanding Central Mamina Coffee by owning a coffee factory of her own of which she hopes to achieve after she returns from the Specialty Coffee Expo.
