Vanuatu coffee

A Japanese investor with a string of coffee shops throughout Japan is taking a sample of Vanuatu coffee for his customers to taste.

RNZI reports Jun Sugimoto said if people liked the coffee the next cafe he opens will sell nothing but Vanuatu coffee.

Vanuatu's Director of Agriculture, Antoine Ravo, has welcomed the initiative saying what Mr Sugimoto has been doing is in line with Vanuatu's agri-tourism policy to link farmers with clients.

Vanuatu with a long history of Arabica Coffee production, is best known for its coffee in many parts of the word.

The Tanna Coffee Development Company is an internationally recognized brand which encourages farmers around Tanna to produce organic coffee.

The International Coffee Day will be open to everyone and there will be educational displays on coffee growing, harvesting, processing and roasting from ‘Tree to the Cup’.

Some whose coffee plants survived the cyclone are hoping for a good harvest next year while others will not see a single coffee bean until 2018.

A joint initiative completed in August by UNDP, Vanuatu's agriculture and provincial authorities and Tanna Coffee aimed to help revive the industry by providing clearing and pruning assistance to badly damaged coffee farms all over the island.

Benson Samuel of Tanna Coffee says farmers on the island are grateful for the assistance but still face a long wait till their next harvest.