COFFEE PRODUCER

Kaku

Kaku is located in Paliang, the largest coffee-producing area in Menglian County, Yunnan. This is a family owned farm, started by the late Mr Li, a veteran coffee farmer and producer for over 20 years. The farm and mill is now run by his son and other family members.

Overview

Location:

Paliang, Menglian County, Yunnan

Altitude:

1600 masl

Varietal:

Catimor

Meet The Producers

Mr Li was deeply committed to supporting the local Lahu community of coffee growers and pickers, many of whom come across the border from Myanmar prior to Spring Festival, to work as temporary labourers. Mr Li provided seedlings, fertiliser and committed to purchasing their coffee cherry at higher prices than the dominant commercial buyer. Kaku farm is now run his son and other family members.

They are continuing the family's coffee business and its commitment to thelocal Lahu community in Menglian, helping many villagers with education and healthcare, which is highly valued in this remote area of Yunnan.

Alongside coffee, the farm grows a variety of trees such as camphor tree (used as an essential oil), Tianzhugui (used in traditional Chinese medicine), with Huanghuali (a type of rosewood) grown to provide shade. Although the focus on specialty coffee relatively recent, the commitment to quality combined with higher than average elevation, means that Kaku produces some of Yunnan's consistently highest scoring washed specialty lots.

Harvesting & Processing

1 . Harvest: Coffee cherries are hand harvested from surrounding villages.

2 . Pulping & Fermenting: The coffee cherry is pulped to remove the skin, fruit and mucilage. The remaining coffee (called parchment) is dry-fermented for 18 hours.

3 . Sorting: Next, they are run through narrow channels of flowing water to sort the parchment by density

4 . Drying: The parchment is spread out on drying patios for approximately 10 days.

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