OUR MODEL
Mission and Concept:
We have direct ties to the producers of coffee at several single estates in Papua New Guinea. The concept and mission for Benchmark is to represent the estates’ top grades, connect roasters with production, and to act as a true sourcing partner for our relationship green coffee beans. We bring roasters an ability to source some of Papua New Guinea’s best coffees with a level of traceability that has not previously been possible for coffees from this origin.
Background:
We arrived at this concept after a dedicated effort to visit hundreds of roasters throughout America over one year. We found that top grades from PNG were underrepresented in America. We also saw that roasters throughout the country increasingly prefer to source coffees in a more direct way, ethically, and with as much transparency and traceability as possible. We are in a unique position to partner with quality and relationship-focused roasters in this endeavor.
Why?
Coffee production in PNG is 85-90% smallholder coffees. Coffee, almost entirely, follows the same chain of custody: smallholder to cherry buyer to miller to exporter to importer to roaster. Changing hands this many times leads to three significant adverse outcomes:
- the most vulnerable in the supply chain, the smallholders, are taken the most advantage of
- Even a basic level of traceability becomes impossible.
- Quality becomes very difficult to manage
Estate-grown coffees are becoming increasingly rare in Papua New Guinea, as most coffees are regionally aggregated with limited emphasis on quality and with no realistic way to implement better farm practices. From nursery to loading a container, to even an in-house export license, the estate-grown coffees we offer are managed our producer-partners through the entire production process. The enables protection of estate pickers, more consistent quality, possibilities to experiment and, with Benchmark, connection to roasters and end consumers with complete traceability. We’ve taken advantage of a really special opportunity to bring together production, sourcing, and roasting in a way that allows all parties to bring great PNG coffee to consumers in a socially responsible way.
Our Philosophy
We aim to provide top grade relationship coffee with with complete exposure to the people and processes behind the beans. We work to provide the reliability of quality and stock that will create long lasting relationships. Our process is dependable and transparent. We support sustainable farm practices, fair wages, and robust social programs.
