The Original Australian Coffee Pioneers

We pulled into the plantation parking lot at 4:30pm. There were no other cars around. There was a café which also doubled as the check-in point and there we met the Jaques family. They officially closed at 5pm but were more than happy to give us the tour, which consisted of a 10-minute introductory film to the family and the plantation and then a tour of the plantation itself on the Bean Machine. And considering we were the only people there, we got terrific personalized service and access to the family and the land.

Their story is absolutely fascinating. Nat Jaques originated from Tanzinia and Linda came from Zanzibar. He grew coffee; she grew tea. After getting married, they decided to move to Australia and open their own coffee plantation. After doing much research, they decided to settle in Cairns as the climate seemed perfect for coffee growing. In the late 1970’s, they purchased land and planted 25,000 coffee seeds. Coffee takes about 5 years to flower and ripen and by 1983, they were about ready for their first harvest when Australia suffered a major recession. Bank interest rates skyrocketed to 22% and they were forced to give up their land and leave the 25,000 plants of coffee ready to be picked. Not to be deterred, they purchased another plot of land a few years later and tried again. This time around, as the coffee was ready for its first harvest, the government came in and sprayed the entire plantation with pesticides, since there was a fruit fly infestation in the area, though there was no evidence of the fruit fly in the plantation itself. But instead of spraying the legal amount they were supposed to, they sprayed 10x over the prescribed limit and killed the entire crop.

But the Jaques were determined to try again. And like they say, third time’s a charm. Since the pesticide devastation, they’ve been growing and roasting coffee unabated. But, they’ve also been involved in a 12-year battle with the government for compensation over the episode. They did win the original case but since then, they’ve been mired in appeal after appeal, with the case going all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in their favor yet the government found something else on which to extend the case, and they’re currently waiting for one more judgment, which will hopefully be in their favor, end the fight, and finally close this chapter of the story.

What is fascinating here is that the Jaques are normal people and their plantation is family-owned and operated. They know a hell of a lot about coffee, were the first ones to grow coffee in Australia, and they make a fantastic roast. After the movie and the tour, we sat for around 50 minutes in the café, sipping their coffee and chatting with Linda, learning about their plight and how they’d love to expand operations once the pesticide case is over. Just to give some perspective: anyone who has seen me drink coffee knows that I like it sweet. With this cup, I enjoyed the coffee with only 1 tsp of sugar. It was that good.

In addition to coffee, they have a few fruit trees growing. As we were getting ready to leave, they picked a few bananas off one of the trees and gave me one to taste. The banana was terrific.

We left the plantation with two bags of coffee, one bottle of excellent coffee liqueur (we asked if it was grape-based; she didn’t know, so she rang the winery down the street who makes it with her coffee base, and asked for us; they thankfully answered “no”), and a shot glass. More importantly, we learned something new about Australia, met some fantastic people, and had an excellent time yet again, off-the-beaten-touristy-trail.