Karst Organics | East Timor

About Karst

Karst Organics is wholeheartedly committed to its work in Timor-Leste, spending six months each year (including the entirety of the harvest season) in the mountains of Letefoho. They work closely with over 140 partner farmers, allowing them time to  gain a deep understanding of the communities, language, culture, and expectations of the farmers they collaborate with.

(Photo of Mana Filomena pulping coffee cherries using a traditional pulping machine)

By working directly with producers, they are able to tackle challenges together; providing support where needed, from direct investments into farm infrastructure to offering hands-on help during peak harvest times. No task is too much for them, whether it's assisting with picking, sorting, pulping, washing, and drying, or offering training opportunities, Karst remains focused on their mission to uplift farmers and make a positive impact on East Timor's agricultural heritage. 

Karst Organics ensure complete transparency throughout the entire supply chain. They take pride in connecting roasters like myself with the farmers who produce the beans, creating a direct and honest relationship. Last year, we were delighted to have the opportunity to speak closely with Simao. We spoke about the uniqueness of East Timorese coffee, the difficulties faced in the rainy seasons, such as the reliably seasonal weather-related devastation of East Timor's transportation routes and how the farmers balance their coffee cultivation with the requirement for self sufficiency. 

(Photo of Maun Simao with Coffee Saplings)

We also spoke more broadly about forestry management, what different irrigation and tree management techniques they were using (such as shade growing and leguminous intercropping) and how the management of the soil based mycelium networks help to increase yield, quality and flavour potential. 

(Stewart with Partner Farmers drying coffee parchment)

Karst offers full transparency and traceability throughout the entire process, sharing wonderful details about the origins of their coffee and the people involved in its production, making each cup a reflection of the hard work and dedication at every step of the journey.

(Maun Obi, Stewart and Hatuhei's Lead Farmer Carlos)

Their integrity as a value led company has made it the easiest decision in the world to make their coffee a permanent seasonal edition of our coffee offerings. 

The Founders of Karst Organics

Stewart first arrived in Timor-Leste in 2016 as a Project Manager for an educational and capacity-building program with the Timorese military. In 2017, while visiting a colleague’s family farm in Letefoho, Ermera, Stewart fell in love with the region, its people, culture, and coffee. When we first bumped into Stewart at the the Nottingham coffee festival, we were immediately met with a beaming radiant smile and a huge "Hello mate!". His restless positivity and genuine kind-heartedness make him a beacon of joy at any coffee festival and an example to all. \

Kar-Yee, with her extensive background in business development, was instrumental in establishing Karst Organics in Timor-Leste in 2018. Coming from a family of restaurateurs, Kar-Yee has always had a natural talent for flavour and taste, making her transposition into coffee tasting and profiling a natural extension of her existing skillset. The dedication with which she attends to her craft is unique in itself, and her unrelenting passion for Karst has been a driving force behind the company’s success. 

Simao, is the Field Manager at Karst Organics. He serves as the primary contact for the coffee community in Letefoho, where he has lived his entire life. With over 20 years of experience in Timor-Leste’s green coffee production, Simao has a unique insight into the challenges faced by Ermera’s coffee producers. His role is crucial in maintaining quality control across all partner groups and providing essential support in coffee tree rehabilitation and maintenance.

 

Hatuhei Group

While we were greatly drawn to working with Karst Organics in virtually any capacity, we were particularly captivated by the coffees produced by the Hatuhei Group. Hatuhei services 32 smallholder farmers, led by Carlos de Deus and his wife Maria.

Carlos has been working tirelessly to encourage members of the Hatuhei group to partake in coffee tree rehabilitation practices in order to maximise the health of the trees, the yields and also ensure increased earning potential. 

Carlos continues to work closely together with Simao Pedro de Deus (Karst's field manager and lead farmer of the Eratoi group,) so that all of the smallholder farmers from Hatuhei receive weekly support during the harvest. This helps to ensure that as their coffee gains in popularity and their production volumes increase, quality is never compromised. Only the ripest cherries are used to ensure optimum sweetness which usually requires an incredible amount of patience as multiple harvests are often needed during any given season. 

Karst have extended their partnership with the Hatuhei group to their fifth year working together. The partnership, although very strong socially, is not without its natural challenges! 

Hatuhei is located in the south-eastern part of Letefoho, in one of the region's most difficult and remote areas to access. While it is possible to reach this area by car during the dry season, this is simply impossible during the wet season. The Letefoho road network is made mostly out of packed soil, which, while sturdy during dry months, wash away during wet months - completely cutting the Hatuhei group off from any road access.

There are some efforts by the World Bank to service over 40 km of road section and rebuild this to a higher specification, due to commence in Q1 2025 and complete in Q2 2027. 

 

Our Most Recent Conversation with Karst Organics

On Friday 4th Oct 2024, we were really fortunate to be able to arrange a conversation with Maun Simao, Kar-Yee, Stewart and a number of the other farmers that work closely supplying the Hatuhei and Eratoi groups.

It's worth noting closely, that Maun Simao is an industry leading expert in the Timorese agricultural field, and so to pick his brains on the phenomenal work he and the team have instigated in the pursuit of quality was a truly unique experience for me, and one that I learned a great deal from.

We spoke for about an hour and a half before the connection was disrupted by an incoming weather event on Cascara and the importance of providing farmers with a second income. Cascara until recently has been widely banned in the UK and Europe, due to its status as a 'Novel Food' and needed approval for consumption. In 2021, the ESFA released a report that was set to aid with Cascara's sale and approval in the EU, which has made the lines very blurry about what kind of supply is and is not legal.

In addition to this, we spoke a little bit about the upcoming prospect of coffee leaf. Some companies like Headstand have developed products using coffee leaf as a key ingredient, which can provide a valuable secondary income source, should the market for this grow (also you should definitely try Headstand if you haven't already! Josh and I used to work together at Kiss the Hippo, and he's a real expert in the field - plus his drink is awesome). 

We also spoke greatly on the importance of regenerative and sustainable farming practices, such as the importance of leguminous intercropping. Maun Simao went into detail about how intercropping with leguminous trees helps to not only provide valuable shade to keep temperatures cool and consistent year round, but also to protect freshly tilled earth from soil erosion during spells of wet weather. The roots helping to hold the earth together like glue.

 

In addition to this, leguminous intercropping also helps to share nutrients across plants via the mycelium web, meaning that yields are more consistent and the plants are adequately nourished year round. Simao has set up a model farm (which we visited virtually last year) to demonstrate the effectiveness of this practice and also supplies coffee saplings and leguminous saplings to aid local farmers in their cultivation practices. It's very easy to see Simao's enthusiasm for the projects that he is working on. 

Our Purchasing Commitment 2025

Ahead of the harvest leaving East Timor and making its way over to the UK, we've put together an initial purchase order of 50 SACKS which will make it the largest purchase order we've put together yet, and will supply our Easy Drinker between January and April.

We have been so impressed not only with the sustainable pricing structure that Karst has committed to, but also the positive influence that they have been having on the Letefoho agricultural world and the legacy of Timorese farming. Under Simao's watchful eye, the quality has improved year on year, and thanks to favourable cultivation climate conditions this year in addition to the increased rigour and confidence that the 32 farmers of Hatuhei have been approaching the harvest with this year, we are expecting this year's harvest to be even higher quality than years previously. 

When we first started buying coffees from Karst Organics, and the Hatuhei group, the coffees were scoring around 85.00 on the SCA scoresheet. Last year, the coffees we cupped achieved a very confident 85.75 and this year we're very excited to see what quality awaits us!

Click here to learn more about Karst Organics

Click here to learn more about our other Green Coffee Partners

If you'd like to make Karst's coffee part of your cafe's seasonal offer list, please feel free to send us a wholesale enquiry here!