Papua New Guinea Simbai Balus

Papua New Guinea’s mountainous terrain with amazingly fertile volcanic soil is excellent for growing rich, vibrant Arabica coffee but not very good for transporting it. As a result, many remote villages and smallholder coffee farms that make up 85% of PNG’s coffee production are only reachable by foot or light aircraft, which is why air travel is crucial to get things moving.

Simbai Balus Kopi (Simbai Airplane Coffee) comes from the Simbai region, just over the Bismarck Range that borders the Western Highlands Province and Sepik Province. All PNG green coffee from Simbai is transported via plane. For Simbai farmers to access the supply chain, they must bring their coffee to an airstrip. It’s not easy – some farmers have a day’s journey from their farm to the airfields.