Timor Leste - Shared Partnership Initiative


This mountainous region of the Lissa Veu - Maubara District area is distinguished as one of the many coffee growing areas in Timor Leste with a rich heritage of smallholder coffee farms, spread throughout the area. All coffee is 100% organically grown by default. Farmers selectively hand pick ripe red cherries which are processed at a wet mill on the same day at Lissa Veu. The fermentation, washing, and sun-drying also occurs at Lissa Veu before the dry parchment is bagged and transported to the capital, Dili, for final hand sorting and grading. We intend to come together and work with a newly formed coffee cooperative of the Maubara district utilising the coffee farming land area of Lissa Veu to implement best farm practices. Lissa Veu will be the pilot coffee farm implementing all best practice methods. We also intend on building trust and holistic support for the surrounding coffee growers within the district. We will invest heavily in training and support for the cooperative members to improve yields, to increase quality and consistency, and develop more sustainable incomes. Our long-term aim is to pay a significant premium to support development projects among coffee-producing households within the Maubara district, with the hope to incentivise and improve the living standards.

Video credit: Jeff Hann