August 6: The EU-Nepal trade and investment program has prepared two dozen coffee roasters of international level to increase the quality of coffee in Nepal. They have been trained according to the standards of the Special Coffee Association, an organization that monitors the quality of coffee of specific taste and quality around the world.

Coffee roasters from Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara, Kavre, Dhankuta and others participated in the workshop held in Kathmandu in collaboration with the National Tea and Coffee Development Board and Nepal Coffee Producers Federation. The workshop was organized targeting businessmen and workers involved in the coffee roasting sector with the aim of increasing the quality of coffee cups and producing skilled manpower necessary to make special Nepali coffee more popular.

As the coffee roasting companies operating in Nepal lack technical skills for high quality coffee roasting, this workshop is expected to produce international level coffee roasters in this area. It is also expected to help in improving the quality of coffee. About 20-25 coffee roasting firms are operating in Nepal.

Coffee roasting is a very technical and complex subject. The quality of the coffee is determined by the roasted coffee beans. The course of this workshop is to show the technical aspects of roasting to the trainees in an experimental manner and make them familiar and proficient in it, said the organisers.

“Since there are participants working in this field, roasting skill as per the international standards will greatly help in increasing the quality of coffee,'' said Nima Sherpa, the main trainer of the workshop.

In the workshop, the participants were introduced to the roasting process through practical methods and theoretical knowledge in a high-level laboratory.

Sherpa, an internationally recognized trainer, said that the method of roasting cycle, roast level to identify changes in coffee beans and how to manage the roasting site were taught during the worksop.

Stakeholders believe that the workshop will help improve the value chain of Nepali coffee. Coffee businesses with high-quality roasters can attract high-end consumers and earn good profits.

“We believe that such skilled roasters will strengthen the profile of the cafe and roasting business and demonstrate their commitment to quality control," said Santosh Pokharel, secretary general of Nepal Coffee Producers Federation.

“I found this workshop very enlightening and fruitful. I am confident that we can help to increase the quality of coffee by using technology to promote quality in coffee roasting through people like us who are trained from here," said Ghomaya Gurung, a trainee who came from Chitwan to attend the workshop.

The European Union has been helping to strengthen the value chain of Nepali coffee.