Arabica was planted at Wau in 1928, and the plantation later run by Carl Wilde supplied seed that helped found the highlands industry.
Wau and Bulolo are towns in Morobe Province. In 1928 arabica was planted at the colonial Department of Agriculture's experimental station at Wau, which was sold in 1931 to the German entrepreneur Carl L. B. Wilde. By 1935 he was selling roast and ground coffee domestically and overseas. Seed from the Wau plantation was planted at the Aiyura research station in 1937 and distributed across the highlands. No coffee production figures specific to Wau or Bulolo were found.
Field notes
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PNG's highlands arabica seed stock came from a plantation at Wau in Morobe, not from the highlands heartland.
Sources · 3 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10. Some details here are less settled than others.
- History of Coffee in PNG (Coffee Industry Corporation) · Coffee Industry Corporation (PNG)
- Morobe Province — Wikipedia · Wikipedia
- Papua New Guinea, Sucafina origins (North America site) · Sucafina