The Australian Coffee Traders Association details how it intends to bring the association closer to the coffee community.
November 2023 was a busy month for the Australian Coffee Traders Association (ACTA). The association invited members and non-members to its annual Golf Day on 3 November at Oatlands Golf Course, followed by its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 23 November.
The annual Golf Day included an Ambrose competition, in which 10 teams of four took to the course at 8am, their resolves strengthened by a stimulating morning coffee and brekkie roll. According to ACTA, it was a great day’s entertainment with all 10 teams competing for a number of key prizes before returning to the golf house for lunch and drinks.
ACTA’s Golf Day marks an informal, annual opportunity for members of Australia’s coffee community to meet over a competitive but friendly game of golf at a leading New South Wales golf course. In 2024, ACTA will be holding its Golf Day for the first time in Queensland, with the chosen venue and dates to be announced separately, early in the new year.
On 23 November, ACTA held its AGM at the Park Hyatt in Sydney, New South Wales. Against a backdrop of views across the harbour to the Opera House, ACTA’s Secretary Dominic Enthoven ran through the formal elections of Committee Members for the 2024 calendar year.
This was followed by a highlighted summary provided by ACTA’s Chairperson, Joe Taweel, of the main achievements, focus areas and activities of the association over the previous 12 months, and areas of interest for 2024.
Two leading industry speakers also provided their thoughts on some key industry topics of interest:
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) gave an overview of the work of their department. This included a particular focus on two key areas of concern raised by ACTA members, namely biosecurity delays on full container load coffee imports, and the requirement for phytosanitary certificates on small coffee samples, unless vacuum packed. The session concluded with a Q&A where invited members were able to pose questions both on these topics, and others directly to the DAFF representatives.
Togoba Kofi, a grower, processor and roaster of Arabica coffee in Papua New Guinea, ran through the key challenges and opportunities faced by the PNG green coffee industry. The company offered insight into the work of coffee producers in the country to drive higher quality standards, promoting the position of Papua New Guinea-sourced product both in Australia, and on the wider world coffee stage.
ACTA will be planning regular events around Australia for 2024, intended to bring the association closer to its members.
For more information, visit acta.org.au
This article appears in the December 2023 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
