On a hidden mountain top between Wollumbin and Mt Nardi, sits a breathtakingly beautiful property, with 360-degree views, quietly producing Australian Award-winning Arabica coffee, Hass avocados, macadamias and some cattle grazing.

What most locals don't know is that Mountain Top Coffee recently won the prestigious 2021 Sydney Royal - Champions Award. This is one of the best coffees in Australia.

3 brothers originally owned the farm, one of whom was Walter, since then it has been passed down to multiple generations, before being sold then rebought by Denise Whitney and Husband Owen Whitney based on their Daughter Rowena's encouragement. 

Walter was Owens Grandfather. Rowena grows Hass Avocado's, grafting them herself in their nursery, and jokes that their farm provides the best breakfast "who doesn't love smashed Avocado on toast and Fresh Roasted Coffee?"

Denise told the Lismore App coffee in the region has become even more scarce since the specialised harvesting equipment was sold, taking it up to North Queensland, where there are now 4 harvesters instead of 2, leaving just 2 here in Northern NSW.

When you walk through the property, admiring the outlook and the incredible beauty of the area Denise explains it is even more spectacular when the coffee plants flower. They only flower for 24hrs and appears as if it has snowed, as the flowers are white.

With 45,000 trees you can imagine it must be a magnificent sight, apparently, the most recent flowering event happened around the Xmas period!

For Mountain Top Coffee to be produced it is grown and then harvested annually over a period of months, it is then dried mechanically over several days and after a couple of months of being stored, the whole product is processed and sold, cherry tea, green bean, roasted bean as well as the husks to growers and gardeners. 

Some of the Mechanical Dryer machines used to dry the coffee after harvest

After 20 years of winning world competitions, Bernard Rooney the roaster tells me, the original roaster Andrew Ford, began with great insight into what was going to happen here in the market. Australian demand has increased as more Australians are willing to spend more on good coffee.

Despite drought, fire, flood and a bat invasion, Bernard was able to secure the prestigious 2021 Sydney Royal - Champions Award.

“It was postponed twice. We had to Mail all the information in. Due to the postponement, it allowed us to have the freshest coffee harvested and toasted within a couple of months, allowing it to be tasted at its best,” smiles Bernhard. 

“We sent down the roasted beans, a certain amount of green bean needed to be included. We were asked to send one packet of how we sell it commercially, then the rest was to be sent in generic bags with just numbers on them, and that allowed for anonymity and fair judging. It’s known as ‘Blind cupping’. 

Royal Champion Roaster- Bernard Rooney with their Award

If you would like to taste the winning blend, you can sample some of Mountain Top’s Coffee at Local shops in Nimbin, including the Newsagent, Emporium and Petrol Station, the Goolmangar shop, and The Channon Tavern has it in the bistro.

“In the Emporium, if waste-free is your thing, you can buy it in bulk, in your own container,” says Denise. Bernard has tip for the avid coffee drinker “Don't store it in the freezer in a permeable container as the moisture will get in and spoil the coffee”. 

Farmer, Peter Webb explained his methods “I am always trying to do better, and perfect what I’ve already changed. There are no pesticides used at all on the coffee”.

Mountain Top Coffee is leading the way, integrating better practices to ensure they reduce their carbon footprint, installing extra solar, eliminating diesel pumps where they can and ensuring zero-waste production on their coffee. Now if the local coffee drinkers could just switch to Australian coffee, we would be happy” Denise says “I don’t care what coffee you drink, so long as it’s Australian”. 

Mountain Top Coffee has been formally invited to participate in the invitation-only competition the Sydney Royal Presidential Medal Award, which the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW says on its website "presents the ultimate award in agricultural excellence, The President’s Medal. It is unique in that the Medal is not awarded solely on taste; the Medal recognises an Australian Sydney Royal medal-winning producers overall financial, social and environmental integrity through the entire production cycle from gate to plate.

It draws from Sydney Royal Champions throughout the year, examines, and celebrates truly inspirational, innovative agricultural food and beverage achievers.

Sydney Royal Medals are awarded to products of outstanding quality, while the President’s Medal differs in that it judges not only on sensory attributes but on the ‘Triple Bottom Line’. Judges examine the commercial success, environmental integrity and social involvement of the Australian producer. Competitors can be assured of unbiased, expert and ethical judging - the constant hallmarks of any Sydney Royal competition.

The judges, Ed Halmagyi, whose culinary career spans more than 20 years and Michael Bullen, whose extensive career with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, have been selected based on their knowledge and expertise of sustainable food and beverage production.

If you would like to find out more about Mountain Top Coffee you can check out their website or facebook page