Goroka Coffee at Melbourne International Coffee Expo

Papua New Guinea-based coffee bean exporter, Elijah Harro of Alpha Coffee Collective, joined forces this year with industry stalwart and long-time

international coffee advocate Gina Di Brita at the 2022 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE), where they worked to highlight the unique and world-class flavours of Papua New Guinean coffee.

As the region’s largest dedicated coffee event, MICE is an annual event that brings together the best of what the industry has to offer. As part of Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia’s inaugural ‘Pacific Showcase’ stand, Alpha Coffee used the exhibition to showcase their single origin organic arabica, which comprises a mix of the Arusha, Typica, and PNG Blue Mountain varieties, all of which score between 85 and 89 points on the Q-coffee system, developed to grade speciality coffee.

With over 11,000 visitors, the exhibition was a great opportunity for Pacific businesses like Alpha Coffee to increase the recognition for Pacific coffee and their own brand awareness, while also forging direct buyer connections in the Australian market.

Launched in 2012 with a purpose to connect coffee buyers and sellers, MICE seeks to bring industry members together in a dedicated space. As an annual event, it also provides an anchor point for international guests to connect with new and existing Australian customers.

The 2019 event saw Gina Di Brita of Numero Uno Coffee Roasters win the ‘Eleonora Genovese Australian Coffee Woman of the Year’ award. An industry icon and co-founder of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance of Australia (IWCAA), Di Brita says she is passionate about championing and building relationships with Australia’s closest coffee producers, smallholder farmers in Papua New Guinea.

General Manager of Alpha Coffee, Elijah Harro, says the wide-reaching impact of coffee sales on the community is immense.