 |
| Labi Coffee |
After 40 years as a farmer, Yong Khian Fook decided he wanted to try something new. He began planting 2,000 coffee trees on 2 hectares on his farm in rural Labi, Belait in 2012. Now there are 10,000 coffee trees growing on 8 hectares.
There is a mix of arabica and robusta coffee trees grown. The coffee trees grow to about 3 to 3.5 m tall. White flowers appear first followed by green berries which turn red when maturing. It takes 2 or 3 years after planting before berries (coffee beans) can be harvested.
It is a long process to get to the point of enjoying a nice cup of coffee. First, he and his team of workers grow the coffee trees with their dark green oval leaves, then pick the fruit (known as cherries) that take about 7-9 months to mature, then peel back the skin to reveal usually 2 flat seeds, known as coffee beans, then they dry the coffee beans, then they peel off the coffee beans silver bean (parchement layer), then they roast the coffee beans
It is a long process to get to the point of enjoying a nice cup of coffee. First, he and his team of workers grow the coffee trees with their dark green oval leaves, then pick the fruit (known as cherries) that take about 7-9 months to mature, then peel back the skin to reveal usually 2 flat seeds, known as coffee beans, then they dry the coffee beans, then they peel off the coffee beans silver bean (parchement layer), then they roast the coffee beans
 |
| Labi Coffee |
Yong Khian Fook is a second generation farmer who looks after Labi Coffee with his family and staff. In the 1990's Labi was famous for growing oranges, His family farm grew 5,000 orange trees. In the early 2000's a virus suddenly hit the crop nationwide, and a ban was placed on planting orange trees. The Fook family had to cut all the orange trees and pulled the roots from the ground.
Other families started growing vegatables, but Yong started looking for a more valuable, robust and less perishable crop in the long term. He came across the idea of growing coffee trees. By 2012 he had planted 2,000 coffee trees. He hopes to end up with all of his 19 hectare farm growing coffee trees.
Labi coffee has now made his first commercial sales and is selling to local shops and is export Brunei's first homegrown coffee.
Yong can be contacted at fook8333@gmail.com or +6738738333. The Labi Facebook site is https://www.facebook.com/Labi-Coffee-398873204280853/
Yong can be contacted at fook8333@gmail.com or +6738738333. The Labi Facebook site is https://www.facebook.com/Labi-Coffee-398873204280853/
 |
| Labi Coffee |
No comments:
Post a Comment