Timor Leste East Timor Cristo

Description Overview of Timor-Leste (East Timor) Situated in South-East Asia, approximately 1,000 miles east of Bali, lies the tropical island of Timor-Leste. With its lush green mountains and crystal-clear blue waters, this may look like an idyllic paradise, but the reality is that this small country holds a troubled and complicated history. Timor-Leste holds the unenviable accolade of being one of the few countries in the world to have been both colonised and annexed; colonised by Portugal from 1600s to 1975 and annexed by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999. Having finally gained independence for a second time in 2002, Timor-Leste is now the world’s second youngest nation state and trying hard to find its voice in the geo-political world of the 21st century after centuries of subjugation. Coffee was first introduced to the island by the Portuguese and by the 1900’s was the country’s leading export, however the industry suffered greatly during the years of Indonesian annexation when the sector was largely ignored. Fast forward to the present day and you will see that the coffee farmers of Timor-Leste are working hard to collectively carve out a place for Timorese coffee in the global speciality coffee market, in addition to replenishing and rehabilitating their coffee forests which were so overlooked during the struggle for independence during the latter part of the twentieth century. One of the most special features about East-Timorese coffee is that it is all organically grown underneath the imposing Ai-Kakeu (Casuarina) and Ai-Samtuku (Albizia) shade trees that dominate the mountainous coffee growing regions. Only natural fertiliser is used (consisting of chicken poo, cherry skin and soil) to nourish the soil and due to the country’s lack of development and strong animist beliefs, chemical fertilisers have yet to be introduced into agricultural practices. With time old traditions in processing coffee, passed on from generation to generation, coffee is gradually helping to build up more opportunities for Timorese people to create a consistent and sustainable income from which to support and provide for their families and the local community. Thank you for helping us to spread the word about East Timorese coffee and firmly putting this new and exciting speciality origin on the coffee map. Cristo Liurai Origin: Cristo Liurai, Letefoho, East Timor Producer Group: Cristo Liurai Cooperative (15 farmers) Lead Farmer: Luis Santos de Jesus Altitude: 1500-1600 masl Var