Coffee has been grown on Tanna, in southern Vanuatu, since the mid-1800s. In 2017 RNZ reported 157 years of coffee growing on the island.
That year, 1,000 Vanuatu coffee farmers were certified organic on a single day.
Cyclones, earthquakes and the pandemic have repeatedly halted production. Cyclone Pam in 2015 destroyed farms. During COVID-19, Tanna coffee had to be blended with Papua New Guinea beans.
Field notes
What the record says
- In 2017 RNZ reported that coffee had been grown on Tanna for 157 years.1
- In September 2017, 1,000 Vanuatu coffee farmers were certified organic under the Organic Pasifika standard on one day.1
- Tanna Coffee exports to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and supplies seedlings to organic growers in Samoa.1
- Cyclone Pam in 2015 destroyed coffee farms on the island.2
- Cyclones, earthquakes and COVID-19 have repeatedly disrupted production; during the pandemic Tanna coffee was blended with Papua New Guinea coffee.2
What we couldn't confirm
Start dates of 1852 or 1860 appear in other sources; only the RNZ '157 years' figure is used. Variety claims (Arusha from Tanzania) came from a retailer and are left out. Tonga was searched but nothing was sourced well enough to include.
Sources
- 1000 coffee growers in Vanuatu certified organic · RNZ Pacific, 2017 in the bibliography
- Bean to cup: resilience and partnership key ingredients to Vanuatu's coffee industry · Vanuatu Daily Post, 2026 in the bibliography
