Indonesia - Kerinci (Honey)
The cooperative this coffee comes from sits at the foot of Mount Kerinci - one of the many volcanoes making up the Pacific Ring of Fire. Fertile volcanic soil means the 320 farms that supply the cooperative have a lush environment to grow their coffee in.
This cooperative is managed by Triyono, who leads members in processing and roasting their own coffee. They have a fully outfitted roasting facility, including a cupping lab, next to the dry mill. Particularly impressive considering the cooperative was only founded in 2017.
On average, farms in Sumatra are between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares - pretty small. While coffee is generally the cash crop, most farmers intercrop their trees with vegetables and fruit. In addition to growing coffee, many farmers will also work as hired labourers at nearby tea plantations, as tea is also a huge crop in the area. Initiatives to organise cooperatives have been rapidly growing, as they allow farmers to share resources, organise training, and negotiate better prices.
Triyono oversees the activities on and around nine smaller washing stations (known as UPH stations) owned by the cooperative. The coffees are processed here and bought by the coop, and then moved to the central mill. As of 2019, contributing farmers receive 9,500 rupiahs per kg of cherry. This means that members of the coop have a fixed buyer for their cherry, and the profit of the coop is either invested into infrastructure or is shared with the producers. Farmers also receive technical support and seedlings for shade trees on and around the farm.
REGION: Kerinci, Sumatra
FARM: Koerintji Barokah Bersama
VARIETAL: Andung Sari, Sigarar Utang
PROCESS: Honey
CUP PROFILE: Sweet / Clean / Berry / Lemon