Gold medal for local coffee project

THE Glasshouse Mountains Coffee Project (GMCP) has scooped the pool at the recently announced Sydney Royal Fine Food Show with a gold in the latte or piccolo section and a bronze medal in the espresso.

The show is a competition designed to encourage and reward excellence, with the aim to support a viable and prosperous future in agricultural communities.

The winner of class 12 – 100% Australian grown, latte or piccolo section – from a field of 17 entries for Australian-grown coffee from a single estate was GMCP with its first-time entry in this prestigious show.

The shade-grown coffee top scored with 90.5, beating well-known Di Bella Coffee and Campos Coffee, which both won silver medals.

GMCP grower and roaster Hamish Murray said that a particular focus on innovative fermenting processes plus caring for shade-grown trees in a biosphere that encouraged bees, birdlife and natural insect predators, had all added to their overall success.

By 2050, trends show that the amount of coffee consumed worldwide will increase by 50% yet the available and suitable land for growing coffee will decrease by 50%.

“It just shows, once again, that the Glass House Mountains area can grow new and emerging crops,” Hamish said.