Indonesia Situbondo اندونيسيا سيتوبندو

Situated along the slopes of the Argopuro Volcano, is a region in East Java known for its coffee production thanks to the rich volcanic soil and high elevations. The iconic volcano creates the beautiful Javanase landscape in the Situbondo Regency. When coffee was first cultivated in Indonesia, it was common for Dutch colonists to plant low-quality Robusta in large estates. However, the 21st century ignited a shift towards Arabica, especially in East Java, whereby more microlots appeared, owned by producers experimenting with new, innovative processing methods.

This lot is one such example of this coffee-quality revolution in Indonesia. Producer and cooperative leader, Pak Muhlisin, founded the Pokmas Walida Cooperative in 2014, to gather producers in the area and spread awareness about new processing methods to improve quality. Muhlisin was born and raised in the Tlogosari village, nestled at the foothills of the Argopuro volcano and studied agricultural science and farming techniques at the Brawijaya University in the city of Malang. His passion for agriculture grew as he studied, pushing him to attend IPB (Institut Pertanian Bogor) / Bogor Farming Institute to undertake a more intensive training in coffee production.

Muhlisin then returned home to begin growing his own coffee in 2012 with the methods and tools he acquired during his education. However, coffee prices were low at the time, forcing other producers to rely on other crops. Pak, on the other hand, sought to obtain higher prices for the producers in this region. This required him to venture into larger cities such as Jakarta, to locate markets he could sell to in order to optimize the potential of the coffee from Argopuro.

Over time, Muhlisin created relationships with various roasters in Jakarta, willing to pay higher prices for coffee from this pristine region of East Java. As his income began to increase, other producers followed suit, planting newer varietals, and practicing different processing methods.

In addition to coffee, producers in this area will also grow tobacco, tea, sengon, and fruit trees such as mango and guava whilst also raising cattle to diversify income. Today, there are roughly 200 producers associated with the cooperative with farms ranging in size from 0.5 hectare to 0.75 hectare.

During the harvest, each producer will carefully handpick the cherries and transport to the collection station adjacent to the Pokmas Walida wet mill. Here, the cherries are submerged in water to remove any floaters to maintain quality. Once sorted, the coffee is then placed into large tanks of water and covered for 72 hours to initiate fermentation. This breaks down the exterior mucilage helping to create a unique tasting profile. When fermentation is complete, the cherries are evenly dispersed on covered raised beds to dry for 15 days and moved to tarped patios to dry for another 10 days. The cherries are regularly moved to prevent mould growth. Once the ideal water content level is reached, the coffee is ready for hulling. The dried cherries are moved via truck to the dry mill, 50 miles away, to be hulled and set to rest prior to export.