Rich
volcanic soil, high altitude, adequate rainfall all of these make
Cameroon an ideal place for growing great coffee.
Cameroon
probably has the most going for it of any country in the world.
The
founders of Farmers Cooperative Initiatives, a program designed
to help Cameroon farmers improve the quality and marketability of
their coffees confirms it has the perfect environment, great soil
conditions and a good labour market.
A
large percentage of Cameroon’s coffee is robusta, grown in all provinces
except the north, while arabica is mainly produced in the high altitudes
of the west, northwest and east. The western highlands of Cameroon,
where much of the coffee is grown, averages about 5,000 feet above
sea level and has 2 distinct seasons, the rainy season
(April-
Oct) the dry season (Nov – March).
Farms
and Processing
The
traditional authority of a family head is exercised over the entire
extended family, which averages about 70 individuals. The average
size of a family’s coffee farm is approximately 3 hectares.
Small
scale- farmers, often in multi -crop farms, largely grow Cameroon’s
arabica. Its unique profile comes from rich volcanic soil as well
as from the benefits of growing in a diversified crop environment.
The
combination of mild climate along with the rich volcanic soil cultivated
by a hard working population has led to the development of agricultural
production in this region. Social cohesion, an important characteristic
of the population, has facilitated the formation of groups and associations.
In
order to sustain themselves and provide food for their families,
coffee farmers in Cameroon grow other crops as well, often planted
among coffee trees.
Coffee
is free-range, meaning it grows with what ever else is grown in
the area. So they’re not susceptible to fungus or pests, because
they’re not close together, but it is hard to pick, as a lot of
the trees are 8 to 10 feet tall.
Typically,
the coffee is farmer-washed and organically grown. In these regions
weeds in the farms grow rapidly, and when these are removed (manual
process) each hectare can produce up to 200kg of coffee.
Ripe
cherries are picked from trees by hand and loaded in water drums
from which defective berries are removed. Coffee is immediately
de-pulped using small hand cranked de-pulpers.
The
de-pulped cherries are then left in fermentation tanks for 2 days.
These are often washed a second time and any berries, which were
not stripped of the pulp, are separated.
The
above process is spread out on woven mats and sun dried to between
12% and 14% humidity levels. Once the coffee is dry, it is delivered
to the mill where the export processing and bagging takes place.
History
The
Germans introduced coffee to Cameroon in 1905, but it wasn’t until
1929 that arabica was cultivated effectively.Arabica
was produced by small growers in the Dschang, Bamenda and Foumban,
while robusta was grown at experimental stations at Ebolowa.
However,
in the late 1980’s, coffee, one of the principal export crops of
Cameroon used to be subsidised by the State, which furnished farmers
with fertilizers and insecticides. At the same time, the State regulated
coffee trade, its marketing structure, quality control and pricing.
Since 1988, the withdrawal of government subsidies, the liberalization
of the coffee trade and the devaluation of the CFA franc have combined
to force small farmers to integrate their coffee into traditional
family farms, leading to a less intensive and more casual production
of coffee. Together with the decline of the coffee price, forced
many coffee farmers to abandon or diversify their farms.
The
coffee trees remained, but other crops inter-planted between them.
The care of these crops indirectly benefited the coffee trees, which
continued to produce each year. During this period, interests in
the healthfulness and environmental friendliness of organic farms
grew in the west.It wasn’t until the higher prices returned in the
mid –90’s that farmers again began to see coffee as a sustainable
crop.
Organic
Certification
Now
10 years later the majority of farmers grow their coffee naturally
and some have organized themselves into small cooperatives. Others
have collaborated with groups such as Farmers Cooperative Initiatives
and Mutana the Provincial Delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture
in the North West Region and specialists of l’Association de l’Promotion
de l’Agriculture Biologique au Cameroun, The Association for the
Promotion of Organic Farming. Non-Governmental Organization. Ecocert
International founders of and supervisors of the phyto-sanitary
handled and controlled by a Division of the Ministry of Agriculture
for coffee in Douala. Together all this allowing them to be certified
organic and to be able to present their coffee to the world markets.
The
Taste
Cameroon’s
coffee has it all, a full-bodied, earthy, chocolaty flavour, along
with a tantalising finish with hints of red berries.
Cameroon’s
coffee has a great body, a nice acidity and a real earthy, volvanic
flavour. There are some chocolate tones as well and a finish that
is slightly fruity, reminiscent of currants.
