The Past
Unknown to many people, coffee has been grown in Australia since 1832 when a small planting was established at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.
By the 1880’s, coffee was grown in northern New South Wales and along the Queensland coast as far north as Cooktown. The most extensive area under plantation was then, as now, concentrated in Tropical North Queensland.
By 1900, 50-60 farmers in the Cairns region were collectively producing 40% of our young nation's coffee supply. Many early pioneers won international recognition in Europe for the Australian bean. Unfortunately by 1926 the industry slipped into decline and until the 1980's only small plantings had survived.
The Present
In 1981, 2 major plantings totaling 120ha were established in the Mareeba area on the Cairns Highlands. Though both failed financially, these pioneering efforts laid the foundations of the Australian coffee industry today. The new pioneers reduced labour costs by inventing a mechanical harvester.
Mareeba continues to be Australia's Coffee Capital. There are now more than a dozen plantations in the area producing around 80% of Australia's total Arabica coffee crop.
Irrigation and mechanisation have been key factors in establishing this new industry. Within the Australian coffee industry there are differing methods of harvesting, processing and grading ripe coffee beans. We choose to purchase only the premium quality local Arabica beans. These guarantee us the consistency of quality we look for in all origin coffees we select.
