Some history :
It was in1911 that Mr. Paul Jobin discovered that a Parisian merchant by the name of Armogum, originally from Martinique, was selling an Arabica of exceptional quality from New Caledonia under the name of ‘Bourbon’.

Following up on some useful contacts he had made with this colony, Mr. Jobin founded the Havre Calédonienne company and launched an intensive campaign to promote this coffee source, hitherto unknown in metropolitan France.

From that time on, both its production and reputation began to grow as the settlers became increasingly involved with coffee growing.

Varieties :

Varieties grown in New Caledonia:

More than 90% of our production comes from Robusta seedlings, in particular the Coffea canephora variety (which includes Kouilou).

Arabica production, Coffea arabica, is currently making a new name for itself as a specialty coffee. New Caledonia produces the famous ‘Red Bourbon’, a variety of which appeared on the island of Réunion giving us Coffea laurina. This variety was introduced into New Caledonia by the Marist brothers in the mid 19th century. Its most famous sub-variety, Leroy coffee, also known as ‘Pointed Bourbon’ is considered by knowledgeable connoisseurs to be the world’s best.

There are also various hybrids of Robusta and Arabica, such as ‘Catimor’, often incorrectly thought in New Caledonia to be an Arabica.

The origins of New Caledonian coffee :

Arabica: introduced in 1860- 1880 from the island of Réunion by the Marist brothers Robusta: introduced in 1910 from Java by the Department of Agriculture
Kouilou: introduced from the Colonial Gardens at Nogent-sur-Marne
Congusta: introduced in 1967 from the Institute for Coffee and Cocoa Research (the IRCC), in Madagascar.

New Caledonia’s Plantations in 2003