{"title":"Asia \u0026 Oceania","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"aak-cooperative-papua-new-guinea","title":"AAK Cooperative • Papua New Guinea","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is our first year purchasing coffee from the AAK Cooperative (AAK), via \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.croptocup.com\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCrop to Cup\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. This coffee is replacing Kunjin as our ‘staple’ offering from Papua New Guinea! We were introduced to the AAK by one of our importing partners, Crop to Cup, in 2023, and they have been working with AAK since 2011. We believe their relationship has been built to last, and we want to support both of their goals and vision for the future by being a consistent partner who purchases from them annually.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis coffee comes from 64 different “house-lines”, or single-family villages, each with languages and traditions uniquely their own. What binds them is a creole language called Tok Pisin (despite the over 850 languages spoken throughout the country!) and their membership in AAK. The name itself stands for Apo, Angra, and Kange; all words for “Unity” in three major local languages. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAAK has historically been led by Brian Kuglame, who tragically passed away in 2022. Following his passing, the central leadership structure of the cooperative weakened, devolving to the “cluster” level, (these clusters are a way to denote different village groupings operating within the coop) with much of the day-to-day organizing carried forward by Crop to Cup’s exporting partner, PNGCE, and their lead coordinator, Regina Lusaro. Cooperative export structures have always been challenged by PNG’s linguistic and cultural diversity, however AAK has stood apart as an exception: uniting farmers across the Western, Central, and Eastern Highlands into cohesive clusters committed to quality. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEach harvest in PNG is shaped by whether groups maintain cohesion, whether washing stations stay active, and whether coffee makes it past intermediaries without being sold elsewhere. More than 80% of PNG’s coffee comes from smallholders with tiny plots of land, very low yields, and little to no infrastructure connecting them. Additionally, middlemen play an outsized role in moving cherries down from remote highland villages; while these middlemen extend access, they also complicate the link between producer and buyer, making promotion of quality coffee more difficult. The country offers extraordinary coffees, but we are told turning that potential into reliable, traceable supplies remains as challenging as it is rewarding. Few organizations in PNG have so successfully brought so many disparate groups together, and AAK continues to hold coffee at the center of that effort. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAAK is the embodiment of what we think coffee is all about. We chose to work with this coffee because we feel that the story and message of the AAK Cooperative is beautifully in line with our philosophy and theory behind green buying. We are honored to be a part of the work that these farmers do, to highlight their coffee to the best of our abilities, and to share and enjoy it with the communities we serve. This coffee is clean, sweet like brown sugar and has notes of chocolate, walnuts, cranberries and raisins.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Commonplace Coffee","offers":[{"title":"12oz","offer_id":50513905811703,"sku":null,"price":21.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2lb","offer_id":50513905844471,"sku":null,"price":52.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5lb","offer_id":50513905877239,"sku":null,"price":123.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/4731\/3911\/files\/AAK_Cooperative_web_12oz.png?v=1771881983"},{"product_id":"hulikere-estate-india","title":"Hulikere Estate • India","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is our second year purchasing coffee from Shreedev and Sushmita Hulikere, via our friends at \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ositocoffee.com\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOsito Coffee\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShreedev and Sushmita manage Hulikere Estate, a sprawling 100 hectare farm, with over 100 year-round employees. This is a big deal: positions like a coffee picker, for example, tend to be a seasonal labor force, and by offering more stable work, Hulikere has a base of a very skilled team that knows what it takes to produce higher quality coffee.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHulikere Estate is also a part of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kaadkaapi\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaadKaapi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e collective, which focuses on integrating the systems of coffee production \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ealongside\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e the natural environment. To put it more clearly: these producers prioritize the health of their farmland and forests before coffee cultivation. They believe that, in the face of our shared climate crisis, conservation of local biodiversity should be the primary goal, using coffee as a tool for that care.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll coffee at Hulikere is hand picked and processed within the same day. Processing techniques include float removal, disc pulping, natural fermentation, and meticulous drying in clay brick yards. This is a massive feat, thanks to their year-round workers, that contributes to the impressive quality of their coffee.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe selected this coffee to continue showcasing Hulikere Estate, as well as highlight the consistency of coffee from Chikmagalur, India. Over the last 3 years, we’ve purchased many coffees from India, and washed lots like this one remind us of what makes India’s terroir so special. This coffee has complex nutty and umami notes of sesame and pistachio, a caramel-like sweetness\/finish, and lingering notes of dried mango and baking spices. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Commonplace Coffee","offers":[{"title":"12oz","offer_id":50643942441207,"sku":null,"price":23.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2lb","offer_id":50643942473975,"sku":null,"price":55.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5lb","offer_id":50643942506743,"sku":null,"price":131.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/4731\/3911\/files\/Hulikere_Estate_web_12oz.png?v=1775138912"}],"url":"https:\/\/commonplacecoffee.mom\/collections\/asia-oceania-1.oembed","provider":"Commonplace Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}