About Benchmark
A true sourcing partner.
Not just an importer — a partner in production, sourcing, and roasting.
Mission & concept
Represent the best, connect roasters directly.
We have direct relationships with producers at single estates in Papua New Guinea, and coordinate closely with smallholder networks across the Highlands. Our mission is to represent our partners’ top grades, connect roasters directly with production, and act as a true sourcing partner for relationship coffees.
We bring roasters the ability to source some of Papua New Guinea’s best coffees with a level of quality and traceability that is uncommonly found in PNG.
Background
A year spent listening to roasters.
In 2013 and 2014, we spent a year personally visiting roasters across America. We found that top grades from PNG were underrepresented, and that roasters increasingly prefer to source coffee directly, ethically, and with as much transparency and traceability as possible. We felt we were in a unique position to partner with quality- and relationship-focused roasters on this.
Why it matters
Too many hands, not enough traceability.
Coffee production in PNG is 85–90% smallholder coffee, and it 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 adverse outcomes.
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Smallholders are the most vulnerable in the chain
The people doing the most demanding work are the ones with the least leverage in a long chain of custody.
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Even basic traceability becomes impossible
By the time coffee changes hands five or more times, there's no meaningful way to trace it back to its source.
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Quality becomes very difficult to manage
Without a direct line to production, consistency is left to chance.
How we're different
From nursery to container.
Single estates like Sigri, Bunum Wo, and Kindeng are among the very few left in Papua New Guinea able to manage their own production, from nursery to loading a container. That control protects estate pickers, supports more consistent quality, and makes real experimentation possible.
Alongside these estates, we coordinate closely with smallholder networks like Kinmuga. Together, these partnerships allow us to offer a full range of PNG coffees — from single-estate lots to network coffees to dependable blending components — all sourced with the same direct relationships and social commitment.
Social projects
Direct payment, direct impact.
We pay our producer partners directly for coffee — ensuring purchases go toward actual production and the social programs that support pickers and their families, year-round.
Thank you
Thank you for the relationship and your continued support. We know that roasters who work with us have chosen to support us, and we don't take that for granted. Please let us know if there's anything at all we can do to add value or make your experience with us better.