Banz Kofi Fektori has become the first coffee producer in Papua New Guinea to achieve the internationally recognised Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) accreditation.
HACCP is an internationally recognised way of managing food safety and protecting consumers. This accreditation means Banz Kofi products can be exported to Australia and other countries where HACCP accreditation is a requirement before accepting imports.
Company owner Patrick Killoran said this was a significant achievement for Banz Kofi. He said without the support of PHAMA, they would not have achieved their ambition of gaining HACCP accreditation.
Banz Kofi has been operating since 1990 from Mt. Hagen in the Western Highlands Province where coffee is grown and harvested from the beautiful Waghi Valley at 4,000 feet above sea level.
The Australian and New Zealand-funded Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program has been instrumental in assisting Banz Kofi achieve HACCP accreditation. PHAMA works with private sectors and government agencies to help manage and improve exports.
PHAMA PNG Country Manager Sidney Suma commended Banz Kofi following their accreditation.
“We are happy that Banz Kofi has got its HACCP accreditation. PHAMA is also very appreciative of the collective efforts put in by Banz Kofi, the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), HACCP Australia and also the support of the Coffee Industry Working Group (IWG) in this achievement,” Mr Suma said.
CIC general manager for Industry Operations Division, Steven Tumae, also praised Banz Kofi for its achievement. He said CIC has been rolling out its strategic plans and focusing on helping industries achieve international accreditation.
“Banz Kofi has set the pace for other roasters to also get their facilities certified. The upcoming APEC meetings in PNG will put Banz Kofi in a good position to market their products as more people are ‘food safety’-conscious about what they consume,” he said.
“PHAMA's involvement in the HACCP program is very important to CIC and the PNG coffee industry. The financial support given in this program and the facilitation of a HACCP consultant from Australia to help our coffee manufacturers is very much appreciated.”
Tumae said the CIC management were keen to have all coffee manufacturers as well as other players in the coffee value chain HACCP-accredited.
PNG exports approximately 43,000 tons of coffee per year, valued at around K394 million with over 300,000 households involved in the value chain.
(Patrick Killoran, sixth from left, from Banz Kofi with the Coffee Industry Working Group after a meeting in Port Moresby last month. The meeting was facilitated by PHAMA)