2025 Coffee Season in Australia

HARVEST HAS KICKED OFF HERE AT THE FARM IN MAREEBA. BEFORE WE GET TOO DEEP INTO IT, WE’VE TAKEN A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS. LAST YEAR PROVED WHAT WE’VE BELIEVED FOR A LONG TIME - AUSTRALIA CAN GROW OUTSTANDING SPECIALTY COFFEE. IT’S NOT JUST CLEAN OR WELL-ROUNDED COFFEE WE’RE PRODUCING, IT’S COFFEE WITH IDENTITY AND DEPTH. COFFEE THAT SPEAKS OF THIS PLACE.

THERE’S BEEN A POLITE STORY DOING THE ROUNDS FOR YEARS THAT OUR COFFEES TASTE LIKE LOW-ALTITUDE BRAZILIANS. THAT IDEA HAS RUN ITS COURSE. WHAT WE’RE GROWING HERE CARRIES ITS OWN DISTINCT CHARACTER. STONE FRUITS, BROWN SUGAR, SOFT CITRUS. AND THANKS TO STEADY WORK IN THE FIELD AND SMALL REFINEMENTS IN HOW WE SORT AND PROCESS, WE’RE BEGINNING TO SEE THE BEST OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE. PROCESSING CAN STRETCH A FLAVOUR PROFILE, SURE, BUT IT ONLY WORKS IF THE TREES ARE HEALTHY. AGRONOMY STILL DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING.

A QUIET BUT MEANINGFUL STEP LAST YEAR WAS GETTING THE JOPER ROASTER GOING ON SITE. IT’S NOW RUNNING MOST DAYS, AND WE’RE DISPATCHING FRESH ROASTED COFFEE DIRECT FROM THE FARM. THERE’S MORE TO COME ON HOW WE’RE THINKING ABOUT ROAST DEVELOPMENT, BUT FOR NOW, IT’S BEEN A GOOD THING TO BRING THE PROCESS FULL CIRCLE - GROWN, PROCESSED, AND ROASTED ALL HERE. WE’VE ALSO HAD TO EXTEND THE SHED. TRUTH BE TOLD, WE THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A BIT MORE TIME BEFORE WE OUTGREW THINGS, BUT HERE WE ARE. MORE SPACE WAS NEEDED FOR DRYING BEDS, STORAGE, AND JUST MOVING AROUND WITHOUT BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER. IT’S A WELCOMED CONUNDRUM, EVEN IF IT CAME SOONER THAN EXPECTED.

WEATHER CONDITIONS IN MAREEBA: A FAVOURABLE YEAR FOR FARMING

UNLIKE MUCH OF THE COUNTRY, WHICH SAW ITS FAIR SHARE OF TOUGH WEATHER OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE’VE BEEN FORTUNATE UP HERE. FROM MAY 2024 THROUGH TO JUNE 2025, MAREEBA WAS SPARED THE MAJOR BLOWS—NO FLOODS, NO CYCLONES, NOTHING THAT SET US BACK. IT’S NOT SOMETHING WE TAKE LIGHTLY. THAT STRETCH OF STABILITY GAVE US SPACE TO FOCUS. IT MEANT WE COULD STAY ON TOP OF OUR AGRONOMY AND SPEND MORE TIME OBSERVING, LEARNING, AND ACTING EARLY WHEN THE TREES SHOWED SIGNS OF STRESS. IT’S BEEN A QUIET BLESSING, AND WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE CONDITIONS THAT HAVE HELPED THIS CROP ALONG SO FAR.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE 2025 HARVEST

WITH MORE EXPERIENCE UNDER OUR BELT, THIS YEAR WE’RE EXPANDING OUR SMALL LOT PROGRAM. THERE’S MORE CARE IN EVERYTHING WE’RE DOING, AND THAT SHOWS IN THE COFFEE. HERE’S WHAT’S COMING THROUGH:

• NATURAL PROCESS COFFEES USING A MIX OF CLASSIC METHODS AND MORE EXPERIMENTAL FERMENTATIONS

• HONEY PROCESS COFFEES NOW BEING PRODUCED AT SCALE FOR THE FIRST TIME

• IMPROVED WASHED LOTS WITH BETTER SORTING AND SLOWER, MORE EVEN DRYING ACROSS THE BOARD
  

BETTER SORTING, SEPARATION, AND VARIETAL FOCUS

WE’RE DIALLING IN OUR PICKING AND SORTING. MORE UNIFORM RIPENING MEANS LESS CONTAMINATION FROM UNDERRIPE OR OVERRIPE FRUIT, AND THAT’S LIFTING CUP CLARITY. WE’RE ALSO PAYING CLOSER ATTENTION TO HOW EACH VARIETAL BEHAVES IN THE CUP AND IN PROCESSING, WHICH IS HELPING US REFINE WHAT WE DO LOT BY LOT.

PUSHING FOR ZERO WASTE AND SMARTER FARMING

MOST OF OUR ENERGY COMES FROM SOLAR, AND THIS YEAR WE’RE PUSHING TOWARD ZERO WASTE. THAT MEANS REUSING EVERYTHING, INCLUDING UNDERRIPE GREENS. PULP AND SKIN ARE BEING TURNED INTO MULCH AND FERTILISER RIGHT HERE ON THE FARM. WE’RE AIMING TO MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY PART OF THE CHERRY, AND IN DOING SO, LEAN INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO GROW COFFEE RESPONSIBLY.

PROCESSING EXPERIMENTS RUNNING ALONGSIDE HARVEST

WE’VE GOT A NUMBER OF EXPERIMENTS UNDERWAY WHILE THE MAIN LOTS MOVE THROUGH THE SYSTEM. THERE’S ONLY ONE WINDOW A YEAR TO TEST IDEAS PROPERLY, SO WE’RE USING IT. WE’RE TRIALLING DIFFERENT FERMENTATIONS, MOISTURE CONTROLS, SEPARATION TECHNIQUES, AND SEEING HOW VARIETALS RESPOND UNDER DIFFERENT HANDLING METHODS. EVERYTHING WE LEARN FEEDS BACK INTO THE NEXT SEASON.

LETTING THE COFFEE REST

AFTER PROCESSING, ALL OUR COFFEE IS RESTED IN A TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED ROOM. IT’S WHERE THE FLAVOURS SETTLE AND THE STRUCTURE LOCKS IN. REST BRINGS STABILITY AND BALANCE. IT’S NOT THE MOST GLAMOROUS PART OF THE PROCESS, BUT IT’S ESSENTIAL—AND WE’RE GLAD TO GIVE THE COFFEE THE TIME IT NEEDS.

WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THE 2025 RELEASE WITH YOU SOON. IT’S FRESH, CLEAN, AND GENUINELY AUSTRALIAN COFFEE, GROWN AND ROASTED RIGHT HERE.

WANT TO KEEP ACROSS DEVELOPMENTS AND THE RELEASE OF OUR 2025 LOTS SIGNUP TO OUR NEWSLETTER HERE.