Cameroon - Bafoussam - Frères du Noun - Java - FW

Belco has a long-standing relationship with Les Frères du Noun and appreciates their commitment to quality and innovative approach to coffee farming in Cameroon.

On their farm, the brothers have opted for shade cultivation and selective manual harvesting. The coffee is picked by hand, cherry by cherry, from October to January, taking care to select only perfectly ripe fruit.

After pulping, fermentation and washing, the coffee is dried twice. First it is laid out on racks to allow the wind to dry it evenly, then it is spread out on cemented areas. The same rigour is applied to sorting. Mechanical sifting is followed by meticulous manual sorting by women, which contributes to the quality of the coffee and to local employment.

Les Frères du Noun is a coffee farm located in Kouoptamo, in the Noun Department of Western Cameroon, between Lake Bamendjing and Lake Petpenoun. Founded in 1931, it was bought by brothers Patrick and Jacques Desplaces in 2004 after a long period of neglect. 

The plantation stands out for its bold choice of Java, an unusual variety in Cameroon. Between 2006 and 2009, the farm was completely replanted with this variety, following the recommendations of renowned CIRAD experts and experienced growers. 

Today, the farm covers 63 hectares of volcanic soil rich in basalt, at an altitude of between 1,100 and 1,200 meters above sea level. The plantation has around 100,000 coffee trees, with a density of 1,666 trees per hectare.

The Desplaces brothers paid particular attention to shade, planting Leucaena Glauca shrubs every six feet of coffee to create a favourable microclimate. They also built a water reservoir to avoid water stress for the coffee trees in March, the driest month in the region.

Brothers Patrick and Jacques Desplaces, who arrived in Cameroon in 1955, began their coffee adventure in 1985 with the purchase of La Brulerie Moderne, a roastery in Douala. In 2004, the brothers, who are deeply attached to their adopted country, bought Les Frères du Noun, a 63-hectare plantation founded in 1931 and abandoned for several years. 

The farm's activities are not limited to coffee. It also produces palm oil, beans, spices (pepper and chilli) and cocoa, with the aim of expanding the latter to 10 hectares in the near future. 

The plantation stands out not only for the excellence of its coffee, but also for its socio-economic impact. Since it was taken over in 2004, it has become the main employer in the area. During the harvest season, more than 250 local people benefit from well-paid jobs. 

Committed to local development and education, Patrick and Jacques have funded the construction of a new primary school to give local children access to education. This initiative reflects their deep commitment to the local community and their desire to contribute to the sustainable development of the region, combining their passion for coffee with a socially responsible vision.