Local coffee spot
In April 2007 Bangalow Heartbeat reported that the local coffee, Bangalow Coffee, was a medal winner at the Fine Food Show held in conjunction with the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
In this article Judy Baker from the heartbeat team finds out more.
The Coffee Competition attracts entries from across Australia and is judged by the RAS team of experts after the coffee is brewed by professional baristas. So it was an impressive win for first-time entrants and a small family-operated coffee farm.
Andy and Michelle Clarke both studied horticulture and Andy is also a geologist so they were well qualified to start farming when they planted their first bushes ten years ago on their Nashua farm. They now have 7,000 coffee bushes on the best slopes of their twenty hectares and sell their entire crop through local Farmers Markets, the local supermarket, farm stays and loyal mail-order customers.
There are two main species of coffee, Coffea arabica and C. robusta but the Arabica species is considered far superior in flavour. Robusta is higher yielding but inferior in flavour and so is used for instant coffee or blending with Arabica beans. Like most local growers, Andy and Michelle grow only Arabica and have selected varieties such as K7, (from Kenya) with an open bushy habit that is high yielding and easier to harvest, and Condon Range, a Bourbon variety that has good frost tolerance. Coffee bushes are very attractive, with glossy green leaves, masses of perfumed white flowers borne in the axils of the branches and later, the ‘cherries’ which change from green to red then dark crimson when ready for harvest. The flavour of roasted coffee depends on many factors, starting with the soil and environmental factors during growth.
Michelle believes post-harvest treatment is the most important, in particular their sun drying technique (instead of machine drying). Coffee does best in free-draining soil, with all the essential elements, growing in a frost-free position protected from strong winds. It’s constant work: balancing the soil minerals, adding natural fertiliser (composted chook manure), pruning to keep the bushes to a manageable height, then harvesting and processing. With such attention the Clarke’s coffee bushes are very healthy and don’t suffer insect attack so it’s good to know the coffee is pesticide free. Coffee in this area often ripens over several months, making picking a challenge. The Clarkes pick their early crop by hand with family labour and some ‘woofers’ (Willing Workers on Farms). The final harvest, when more uniform ripe beans are present, is by machine.
I don’t know how anyone discovered how to process coffee – it’s such an involved procedure! The ‘cherries’ are picked at the fully ripe crimson stage. A pulper then removes the flesh around the two beans inside and a fermentation process removes the mucilage covering the beans. Each bean still has a parchment covering and it is at this stage that the beans are dried, using natural sun-drying as Andy and Michelle are sure this improves the final flavour of the coffee. The dried beans are stored for a couple of months to improve their quality before roasting. After hulling, there is still a silvery membrane to be removed before the roasting process. Bangalow Coffee is sent off for custom roasting to John Nilon at Rosebank on a weekly basis.
Coffee always tastes best when freshly roasted and ground so it’s best to buy small quantities and store in a dark, cool place in an air-tight (moisture-proof) container.
Customers at the Byron Bay Farmers Market can buy their hot coffee prepared expertly by Michelle. I’d describe it as well-flavoured, medium-roast, no bitterness, and with a wonderful aroma. She makes a great coffee!
this article first appeared in Bangalow Heartbeat Aug 2007