Lass Malo

Syrupy sweet maple syrup, chocolate notes and a hint of raisins. Vibrant coffee with a clarity not often seen or tasted in Papua New Guinea Coffees. Founded by Maureen Ken and her husband in PNG’s Eastern Highlands, Lass Malo empowers local smallholder farmers by providing access to quality systems and sustainable pricing, all while preserving the region’s rich coffee-growing potential.

The Eastern Highlands Province is a diverse and fertile region, ideal for high-quality coffee cultivation. However, smallholder farmers in remote villages like Lufa and Okapa face challenges in accessing quality equipment and infrastructure, which has limited their ability to produce specialty coffee and realize the full potential of their harvests.

Maureen Ken, a local entrepreneur, founded Lass Malo Coffee (LMC) in 2015 to empower these rural farmers by providing access to quality support and a fair market for their coffee. LMC offers a value-added price, significantly improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and enhancing the quality and consistency of their coffee exports.

LMC prioritizes ethical farming practices, including careful farm management, hand-picking, and proper processing techniques. This commitment not only ensures high standards but also supports sustainable livelihoods for the farming community. LMC’s investment in a new factory and advanced grading systems further underscores its dedication to quality and fair trade.

Through partnerships with organizations like the International Women’s Coffee Alliance of Australia, LMC and its supporters are committed to fostering gender equality and economic empowerment in the coffee industry. This collaboration enhances the capacity of female exporters, promoting ethical and socially responsible practices in the global coffee market.

Blends are available year-round with a smooth, balanced taste, while single-origin coffees highlight unique regional flavours and change with the seasons.

Our single origin coffees are from single estates, regions or producers. It allows a more defined and specific flavour and characteristic of coffee to shine.

After harvesting, coffee undergoes a fermentation process, which shapes its flavor.

Washed (Wet) Process: The fruit is removed early, and the beans are washed and fermented in tanks for a clean taste.

Natural (Dry) Process: Whole cherries dry in the sun for weeks, creating fruity, complex flavors.

Other Methods: Hybrid techniques like honey processing and modern yeast fermentation add unique twists.

Coffee trees come in many shapes and sizes, with characteristics adapted to the local climate, growing conditions and sometimes selectively bred in labs. These are called Varietals, and they can paint a picture of the coffee before you even taste it!

Elevation is the altitude the coffee grew at. Higher doesn’t always mean better, but denser coffees usually come from higher altitudes. Denser coffees have higher concentrations of nutrients, which affects the roasting and brewing process.

The taste or tasting notes are what we all came here for. The unique flavour profile of every coffee is exciting. We want our tasting notes to reflect the coffee but also be inclusive and easy to understand. For green coffees, we supply the sourcing partner cupping and tasting notes, but for our roasted coffees we taste them and describe them ourselves, as roasting style has a big impact on the expression of the flavours in the cup.

We rely on incredible, responsible and quality driven sourcing partners to broker coffees on our behalf in the market, and we want to honour that relationship by sharing their story and how it aligns with ours.