Relationships are at the heart of everything we do at Kōkako, so it is with some sadness that we heard of the passing of Papa James Kinne, a leader in the coffee community at Purosa, Okapa, Eastern Highlands in Papua New Guinea.
Papa Kinne was the father of Daniel Kinne, the current Chairman of Highlands Organic Agriculture Cooperative. We have a long-standing relationship with Daniel, James and the members of this cooperative – for our main Aotea blend this coffee makes up 50% of the coffee. Papa was a revered leader in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea and instrumental in establishing a strong foundation for HOAC in the international coffee community. Most importantly we know that Papa Kinne was a much loved family member and we send our sincere condolences to the Kinne family.
We are proud to have had the opportunity to meet Papa Kinne on our last visit to his coffee farm, Purosa Estate, in August 2015. We were incredibly humbled that he leant us his home to stay, making a great effort to even construct new wooden bed frames for us and hosting us with incredibly delicious local food.
The Kokako team of Mike and Hannah, together with representatives from John Burton Limited and Fairtrade ANZ went to great lengths to reciprocate this by educating Papa Kinne and his fellow cooperative members in the various taste and flavour profiles of their coffee, using a micro-roaster to roast and showcase the Purosa Estate coffee that Papa Kinne has cultivated over many years. We even introduced Papa Kinne to the Aeropress Coffee Brewing method – he took great pleasure in learning he process to brew the perfect cup of his Purosa Estate coffee.
We know that through Daniel and the rest of the HOAC cooperative the legacy of Papa Kinne will be enduring.
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