About This Coffee
The 320 members of the Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative live and farm on a plateau that sits at the foot of Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra. Mount Kerinci is one of the many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped series of 452 volcanoes that are part of an almost constant dance of eruptions and plate movements. Mount Kerinci’s historic eruptions have assured that the surrounding area is lush and verdant with a deep supply of fertile volcanic soil. The cooperative is managed by Triyono, who leads members in processing their own coffees.
Cultivation
Almost all farms on Sumatra are small. On average, farms are between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the primary cash crop for farmers, but most also intercrop their trees alongside vegetables, potatoes and fruit. This intercropped produce will make up a substantial part of the family’s diet for the year.
In addition to growing coffee as a cash crop, many smallholder farmers also work as hired laborers at nearby tea plantations. Like coffee, tea is a huge cash crop in the area. The bigger tea plantations are often near coffee farms. When the harvest is finished, coffee farmers will go there and pick leaves under contracted labor.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
During the harvest season, coffee is handpicked. Usually, most labor is supplied by the immediate family.
After picking, the coffee will be delivered to a UPH collection center. A UPH is a collection center where coffee cherries are purchased by the cooperative and where the coffee is processed before moving it to the central mill. Essentially, a UPH functions as a small washing station. Triyono oversees the activities on and around nine UPH stations owned by the cooperative.
Indonesia is known for its unique ‘Wet Hulled’ Process (Giling Basah). Tryiono and his team are expanding Indonesia’s coffee processing traditions. With this Fully washed lot, the coffee is pulped and then left to ferment overnight in buckets. It is washed the next day and agitated to remove the mucilage. The coffee is first dried on patios. Afterward, it is transferred to raised beds. The beds are located in domes to protect the coffee from rain or harsh sunlight. When dry, the coffee is milled and sorted by hand.
As members of the coop, farmers have a fixed buyer for their cherries. At the end of the year, the coop invests its profits in either infrastructure to increase quality or shares them as quality premiums with the member producers.
Coffee in Indonesia
Indonesia has a long coffee producing history, but recently their coffees have been overlooked by the specialty market. Thanks to our innovative and ever-expanding supply chain, we are proud to bring you high-quality coffees from many of Indonesia’s unique regions, accompanied by in-depth traceability information.
Indonesia is perhaps best known for its unique wet hulling process (giling basah). Though its exact origins are unclear, wet hulling most likely originated in Aceh during the late 1970s.
