Is Australian Coffee Good Quality?
There’s so very little coffee grown in Australia, but there’s been enough professional tastings and awards given to celebrate that when ‘done well’, our Australian coffee is worth celebrating. Definitely worth a taste test! Our cooler climate, rich volcanic soils, plentiful rainfall and spring fed water produce the right conditions to grow quality arabica coffee in Australia.
Does Australia Grow Good Quality Coffee?
Well yeah, of course! More than a century ago Australia had a budding industry of coffee growers from the 1880’s through the 1920’s. NSW and QLD Department of Primary Industries have records of locally grown arabica coffee winning awards in European coffee competitions back in the day, signifying the quality of coffee grown in our great southern land. It was unfortunate for Australian coffee drinkers that the costs of Australian labour and lack of coffee processing equipment or mechanisation meant that the local growers had too high costs of production, and not enough profit to continue. So the local grown coffee industry declined and Australia became a nation of coffee drinkers reliant on imported coffee; good, bad or indifferent. Instant coffee got a stronghold until more recent times with the cafe-commercial-supermarket coffees now joined by specialty grade offerings. I say this with all respect to the fine coffees that are produced today around the world’s coffee growing lands. They are produced with less costs than we face in Australia. Regardless of quality, Australia’s real fair labour conditions, land values and high comparative production costs remain a barrier to entry and potential profitability for Australians to grow quality coffee in the most suitable conditions and landscapes, the ‘terroir’ where coffee trees will thrive and be most productive. We can, and DO grow great coffee in Australia. We just have to be careful with our land selection and be willing to invest in the professional harvesting and processing equipment today that allows for efficiency, productive harvesting, sorting, processing and profitability. We need our growers to survive, and thrive right? To be able to make a fair living for the landowner-grower, their workers and families is surely a reasonable aspiration, and expectation for our farmers.
Where Is Coffee Grown In Australia?
The Australian grown coffee industry got re-invigorated in the 80’s. First in far north Queensland, up in the uniquely subtropical zone of the Atherton Tablelands behind Cairns; and then followed shortly in the more southerly cooler subtropical zones of SE QLD and NE NSW. Most recently, as of 2024, newer zones have been selected as being likely suitable for growing quality arabica coffee in parts of WA and even Victoria.
Most of the Australian coffee we taste today is grown in the Queensland Tablelands. That’s where the early entrants set up; the founding farming families from the early 80’s and others following, investing on scale; producing more than 70% of Australia’s quality arabica coffee. Interestingly, I believe I am correct in writing that as of this date, every Australian coffee farm is a family owned business. No major investors are currently in the coffee growing community .. but are sure to enter in the next few years. Meanwhile, when you choose to buy Australian coffee, you are supporting 100% Australian farming families and their employees.
Why Is Australian Grown Coffee Expensive?
In short, a) Australian land prices b) Australian labour costs c) investment in harvesting and processing equipment and cost of Australian business.
As described above, it’s pretty fair to say the costs of producing coffee in Australia is far higher than most other coffee growing lands. Only Hawaii would compete with us on land values and possibly comparable labour costs. Want to grow coffee in the richly fertile hills behind Byron Bay or round Noosa- Sunshine Coast? Line up to pay prices for land that is highly valued for lifestyle. Want to try producing coffee in a new area, e.g. WA or more southern NSW? Suitable land values will still be high, plus distance from existing growers, means you’d best be investing in your own full harvesting and processing gear as you won’t be able to access any contractible services. Add real fair Australian labour investment for all growers and you get the picture. We have to produce quality coffee, in order to be able to ask for a premium price point, compared to most foreign coffees.
To that point, Australia only produces Arabica coffee. No Robusta coffee. Arabica coffee varieties are considered sweeter and more highly valued.
What Makes The Australian Climate Suitable For Coffee Growing?
Our naturally cooler climate is ripe for producing quality coffee. Cooler subtropical conditions do make a difference. Growing in a naturally cooler climate helps develop sweeter depth of flavour in coffee, as the fruit takes longer to ripen over the cooler winter months, developing the sweet fruit sugars within. Just like berries are tastier grown in cooler climates, its the slowing down of the ripening process that develops sweetness.
Cooler climate, sweeter coffee.
Doesn’t The Best Coffee Grow At High Altitude?
To quote more than one agronomist .. “what we lack in altitude, we make up for in latitude.” So we don’t need to be up in the mountains on steep slopes, to grow fine coffee. We have superb conditions for growing quality coffee, without significant altitude. The point is, for Australian coffee growers located so far south of the equator, our conditions all year round are cooler than most, producing a longer ripening time and subsequent sweetness in the coffee fruit developing over 11 months, rather than a typical 9 months. So cooler conditions = sweeter coffee and quality coffee. If you grow coffee in a hot tropical climate – head for the hills; where the richer soils, more rainfall and cooler conditions factor in a coffee’s quality. The higher grown coffees of the Atherton Tableland have proven their conditions contribute to quality coffee characteristics. With our rich volcanic soils around the rolling hills of NSW Wollumbin / Mt Warning and the Qld’s Sunshine Coast, our more southerly terroirs have proven their worth in the cup.
Zentveld’s Coffee Farm & Roastery
Zentveld’s Coffee Farm & Roastery is located in Northern NSW. You can find us at 193 Broken Head Road, Newrybar NSW 2479. Visitors are welcome 8-4pm Monday – Friday.
We run Crop to Cup tours on Wednesday and Fridays. Learn more about our Farm Tours.
Try Australian coffee today with our Taste Of Australia 3 Pack. It’s our 100% Australian coffee blends that we offer, and the perfect place to start your home-grown coffee journey with us.
Conclusion
Australian grown coffee is naturally sweet, and naturally lower in caffeine due to growing in a naturally cooler subtropical climate. We remain free of the pests and diseases prevalent in other coffee lands. Australian coffee is able to be professionally grown more naturally, free of the harmful pesticides. With our environment and biodiversity in mind, many growers have planted rainforest and local tree species along their creek lines and gullies and are incorporating more soil health practices onto their farms. (I will cover this in another blog).
To top it off, most recently professional tasters have identified a distinguishable Australian coffee ‘taste of place‘ – for its distinct sweetness in the cup, compared to most other coffees of the world.
