Quality, Traceability, Integrity are the pillars that hold up the Himalayan Arabica brand. Transparency is an important aspect of our business relationship and we can provide information on how much we produce, from where we source our coffee and how we maintain our sustainable relationship with producers and importers.
ABOUT US
HimalayanArabica® Brand
HimalayanArabica® is a coffee brand owned by Greenland Organic Farm Pvt. Ltd, Kathmandu, Nepal. The brand exemplifies quality, traceability and ethical. It is a quality-focused brand that is widely recognized for its superior taste and flavor. Himalayan Arabica is the first brand from Nepal to flourish in the specialty market and to have achieved an international award and is well on its way to truly becoming The Jewel of Asian Coffee™.
Only the selected varietal (Mostly Bourbon) ‘Hard Beans’ (HB) – grown at 1200 to 1400 meters and ‘Strictly Hard Bean’ (SHB) – grown above 1400 meters are branded as HimalayanArabica® Coffee.
More importantly, it is not just ‘a brand’ but our life so we can’t afford to compromise on quality when we pack our sacks with our brand name.
OUR FARM
Greenland Organic Farm
Greenland Organic Farm is a cooperative based socially responsible, ethical coffee producer growing coffee together with 465 individual households representing 2325 farmers in Kavre, Lamjung and Kaski districts of Nepal.
We work hard to create high quality, organically cultivated, environmentally sustainable green coffee.
Staffs and farmers are getting higher than the minimum wage according to Nepal government standards, almost double, not only because they deserve it, but also because that is what is needed to maintain a sustainable value chain. We are against using child labor here at our farms or producing products, which can be harmful to people’s health and our lands.
Greenland Organic Farm ensures a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment. We take issues of environment, health, safety, and quality very seriously.
Since the farm is a member of ‘National Tea and Coffee Development Board’ and a supporter of IFOAM – Organics International e.V., Germany, we are happy to adopt their code of ethics & principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care.
We provide support for the education of our staffs’ children. Some of the earning goes to our partner NGOs who are working for the needy children, particularly in their education and health.
We are committed to the well-being of our community members and our promise continues.
We have two beautiful coffee farms: ‘Farm Hilltop’ and ‘Farm Basecamp’. Both of them are located at Chyamrang Besi of Kavre District Nepal. Farm Hilltop (27.453613, 85.434472) is at 1690 meter altitude, probably the highest in Nepal with some old Pacamara plants. Farm Basecamp (27.450869, 85.421375) is at 1100 to 1300 Meters. We are growing some of the finest arabica washed, natural and honey processed coffee normally scoring 82 to some nano lots of 89 points.
Greenland Organic Coffee Farm is located at 58 Kilometers South East from Kathmandu, around 4.5 hours off-road bumpy drive and at least 45 minutes sharp uphill trek. Located at Bhairabthan Mtn., Lamidanda village, near Chyamrang Besi of Kavre District Nepal. We love to take you in our coffee farm. It is small, a little far but most people feel good when they reach at the farm.
MEET THE FOUNDER
The Man Behind the Vision
Farmer, Processor, Roaster, Q Grader, SCI Instructor, SCA Professional and Consultant
The Founder, Raj Kumar Banjara, PhD is an awardee of Nepal Bidhya Bhusan ‘Ka’ Medal, the highest level of Academic medal conferred by the Rt Hon. president of Nepal. He is the first licensed coffee Q Grader of Nepal who has been working in different sectors of coffee including growing, processing, roasting and export; all of which, cultivated his understanding of what a good quality coffee should be.
He has experience working effectively within local communities, international organizations, and government officials specially in the sector of sustainability initiatives, international coffee supply & value chain activities, coffee quality improvement and international trade. He has provided training & consultancy services for many coffee enterprises, cooperatives and farmers.
He has worked with public and private sector coffee industry stakeholders to increase the value of coffee trade through improvements in capacity development, and market access for high-value specialty coffee.
He is a strong leader with demonstrated ability to work effectively with farmers, local communities, entrepreneurs as well as international communities and senior government officials. He is persistent and flexible in order to find mutually beneficial achievements.
Dr. Banjara is an executive board member of Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) and Nepal Coffee Federation (NCF). He has been nominated as the president of National Coffee Academy (NCA); member of Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), and International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR)
The only secret that differentiates us from other good producers is our determination to bring our customers the best (literally) Nepal coffee. Our years of continuous hard work, understanding coffee from seed to cup, using roast profiles and cupping gives us higher credibility and a little more exposure as the ‘Top Quality Producer’ from Nepal.
Nepal is a country with a limited but excellent quality coffee which is sweet or rather complex, of regular acidity and with a strong aroma ranging from chocolaty to flowery. This type of coffee is the preferred component for many blends. We don’t just want customers but a passionate partner who can truly differentiate ‘a great coffee’ from ‘a good coffee’.
Please join us in the passionate pursuit of Truly Great Nepal Coffee.
Coffee Related Experiences
- Host SCA Brewing Intermediate and Professional – 2019
- Host Cum Facilitator – CQI Coffee Processing level 1 with Ms Emma Sage – 2019
- Principal Trainer, Coffee Production and Quality Management – 2018 (Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) Regional Office Pokhara, Nepal)
- Lead Consultant, Pre Q Cup Tasting Training Program – 2018 (Organized by EU funded Hamro Coffee Project and National Coffee Producers Association)
- National Senior Expert, National Coffee Cupping Even- 2018 (Organized by Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB); Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD); Ministry of Commerce (MoC) in association of EU-TPSD Project)
- Technical Committee Member for 2017 – 2018 National Skill Testing Board, Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT)
Book Published
- Effects of Organic Farming on the Livelihood of Small Holders in Nepal
Key Publications
- Economic Impact Of Organic Farming; Cases From The Farmers Of Nepal – Published by – Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, UK
- Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) As Alternative To Third Party Organic Certification For Farmers In Nepal Published by – The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, India
- Sustainable Model Of Organic Agriculture Published by – Journal of Advanced Academic Research (JAAR), Nepal
- Principles Of Organic Agriculture And Its Social Implication In Reference To The Nepalese Practices Published by – Int’l Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food (IJSAF), UK
- Implication Of Diffusion Model In The Process And Practices Of Organic Farming In Nepal Published by – New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research
Industry Qualification:
- Active Q Grader,
- AST (Authorized SCA Trainer)
- SCI Instructor
Main Area of Expertise
- Coffee: Training, Processing, Production, Sustainable Projects, Value Chain, Market and Trade Specialist
Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)
- CQI Certified Active License Q Grader Since 2012
- CQI Processing Level 1
Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
- AST (Authorized SCA Trainer)
Recent Events Attended
- Tokyo Coffee Festival
- SCA Seattle
- BIOFACH – Japan
- BIOFACH – Germany
Active Position
- Executive Board Member – Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board
- Executive Committee Member (Expert) – Nepal Coffee Producers’ Association
- Lead Trainer – National Coffee Academy
- Consultant – Nepal Coffee Consulting (NCC)
Membership of Professional Bodies
- Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), USA
- International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Germany
- International Society for Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), India
- European Centre for Research Training and Development, UK
- PhD Association of Nepal (PAN), Kathmandu, Nepal
- Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA)
- National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal
- Nepal Coffee Producers Association (NCPA)
Related Major Awards & Achievements
- Nepal Bidhya Bhusan ‘Ka’ Medal – 2018 by Rt. Hon President of Nepal
- Best Gourmet Coffee award for two consecutive years 2016 and 2017, France
- Best Coffee Processor 2017, Nepal Coffee Producers’ Association
- Best Coffee Producer 2016, Nepal Government.
- SCA Roasting Skills Professional
- SCA Sensory Professional
- SCA Brewing Skills Professional
- SCA Green Coffee Intermediate
- SCA Introduction to Coffee
Sustainable Coffee Institute (SCI)
- SCI Certified Instructor & In-Country Partner for Nepal
- SCI Roasting Level 3
- SCI Processing Level 3
- SCI Green Level 3