Meandering Moose

Simbai Balus Kopi (Simbai Airplane Coffee) comes from the Simbai area, just over the Bismarck Range bordering the Western Highlands Province and Sepik Province. Volcafe PNG Exports, our sister company in Papua New Guinea, services over 4000 farmers in this isolated region through four airstrips.

Since all coffee from Simbai is transported via plane, getting Simbai Balus Kopi is not easy. In order to access the supply chain Simbai farmers must bring their coffee to an airstrip; some farmers have a day’s journey from their farm to the airfields. At the airfields, the parchment is weighed, recorded and stored in sheds (which were built by Volcafe PNG).

When there is enough coffee for a plane-load our local managers get a charter flight ready. They also organize freight and people for the airstrip for the outbound journey to cover part of the charter cost (usually about $2,000 USD). The coffee is then transported to Mt Hagen where it gains access to our global supply chain.