About Us

The Australian Grown Coffee Association (AGCA) represents and promotes the interests of the Australian grown coffee industry, including growers, processors, roasters, baristas and all other supporting industries.

OUR AIMS

Promote public awareness, increase understanding, taste and consumption of Australian grown coffee
Provide education by disseminating research on processing and preparation
Provide a forum for the exchange of information
Render services to members and
Establish a central quality control committee to ensure the best quality of green bean possible.

HISTORY

Coffee has been grown in Australia for over 200 years but labour costs involved in harvesting by hand made it an unviable proposition. The resurgence in coffee plantations during the 1980’s and 1990’s can be attributed to the efforts of a few pioneers keen to develop a coffee of quality and the developments in mechanised harvesting.

In recent years Australian grown coffee has continued to gain recognition as the consumption of brewed coffee has increased and the distinctive qualities of Australian coffee have become more broadly recognised. There are two major production regions in Australia – northern New South Wales / subtropical south-east Queensland and tropical north Queensland. The coffee from each region has a distinctly different flavour profile due to their different climate and soil environments.

The Australian Grown Coffee Association was formerly the Australian Subtropical Coffee Association. In 2022 industry consultation and feedback provided the impetus for the association to expand its remit to represent and promote coffee grown in all regions of Australia, not just the sub-tropics.

TERROIR

Australian subtropical coffee is grown in an area stretching between Noosa in the north and Coffs Harbour in the south, and Australian tropical coffee is predominantly grown in and around Far North Queensland, with the Atherton tablelands in particular providing a productive environment for coffee growing. Our pristine Australian environment, which is free from pests and diseases affecting coffee and with soil and climate just perfect for growing coffee gives us the ability to grow coffee of superb quality and flavour.

Using natural production systems, we are able to meet community expectations for maintaining a clean environment and producing a pollution free coffee.

THE CLIMATE

In the sub-tropics the cooler climate and distance from the equator allows coffee to be grown at lower altitudes and gives our coffee a distinctive character increasingly recognised for its complex flavour profile, medium to low acidity and natural sweetness. One of the advantages of growing coffee in the subtropics is the long slow ripening period. Coffees grown in the tropical north of Australia are generally grown at higher altitudes providing the cool relief from tropical heat that coffee enjoys, delivering that classic high quality arabica suite of coffee flavour profiles.