Listadi, 62, a farmer from Amadanom village in Dampit district, Malang regency, East Java, shows Robusta coffee beans still on the plant on Wednesday (26/7). Dampit is one of Malang’s coffee producing areas, known for the popular Dampit or Amstirdam coffee.
Coffee farmers in Amadanom village of Dampit district, Malang regency, East Java, are busy with a tourism project. They are developing an ecotourism destination called Coffee Kampong, with their coffee plantations as the main attraction.Their goal is to promote a flavorful local coffee variety called Amstirdam.
On Wednesday afternoon, several workers were completing the construction of a mushalla (small prayer room) and toilets to the rear of a coffee plantation owned by Katiran, 67, in South Amadanom village. After several months of work, the Coffee Kampong ecotourism site is taking shape.
Pathways about 1.5 meters wide, made of paving blocks, divide the coffee plantations covering 3,350 square meters. Coffee trees heavy with ripe coffee berries line the paths on both sides.
To the front of Katiran’s plantation, on the edge of the Dampit-Pasirian highway running through Lumajang regency, a parking area has been prepared. "There are 350 coffee trees, several durian, banana, mango and petai [Parkia speciosa] trees in the plantation,” Katiran said.
That afternoon, Katiran was drying dozens of kilograms of partially dried coffee beans in his yard near Coffee Kampong. The current price of coffee in Dampit has risen to between Rp 27,000 and Rp 28,500 per kilogram, from between Rp 20,000 and Rp 22,000 per kg. The price of coffee began in creasing two months ago as a result of the decline in coffee production caused by bad weather.
Coffee kampong
Katiran did not know when the kampong would be open to tourists. The Coffee Kampong will be managed by the Harapan Farmers Collective, of which he is a member. As a plantation owner, Katiran will receive a share of the earnings from the ecotourism site.
Before developing the Coffee Kampong, the Harapan Farmers Collective, assisted by the Malang Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantations Agency, established a coffee shop called the Amadanom Coffee Shop, which has been operating for two years. The coffee shop is located on the terrace of a house owned by Tustiningsih, 50,along the side of the highway.
Amadanom Coffee Shop offers several different kinds of coffee beverages made from Amstirdam specialty coffee. “Amstirdam”is a compound acronym derived from the names of four local villages: Ampelgading, Sumbermanjing, Tirtoyudo, and Dampit.
To make it sound “cool”, the beverages have unique names such as "Stronger espresso roma, espresso roma (Robusta amadanom), espresso roma, roma coffee, roma long coffee, roma black coffee, and roma ginger coffee". Although the names may sound Western,the coffee is sold at local prices and cost onlyRp 5,000 to Rp 12,000 per cup.
The coffee beverages on offer might not be particularly unique, but the atmosphere of the shop is. For example, visitors are welcomed with a greeting spoken in a mixed Indonesian-English language. The coffee can also be roasted according to the preferred roast: light, medium or dark.
The shop’s guests are generally passersby, as well as students who are conducting research in the coffee plantations. The Coffee Kampong is located quite strategically, because it is situated on the road leading to local tourist attractions, such as beaches on the Malang coast. "So a lot of tourists pass by here," said Tustianing, treasurer of the farmers collective.
Empowering farmers
Suliadi, the Harapan Farmers Collective chairman, said the Coffee Kampong Ecotourism could help improve the welfare of the local farmers. Thus far, the farmers had only sold their harvests as raw beans, so they will earn an additional income through the ecotourism venture.
"Malang is a tourist area. Tourists and coffee lovers can enjoy coffee at the site of the plantation. They can also view the coffee plantations. This will provide a new market for farmers," said Suliadi.
The farmers collective, whose name means “hope”, has 25 members who together own about 25 hectares of coffee plantations. In favorable weather, they can produce 50 tons of coffee a year; but if the weather is less friendly, they produce about 18.75 tons, or an average 750 kg of coffee per hectare.
The head of the Malang Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantations Agency, Nasri Abdul W, said that the farmers could increase their buying power through ecotourism. Malang’s specialty coffee is promoted not only on the domestic market but also abroad.
In mid-2016, the Malang government took Amstirdam coffee to the Indonesian Festival in Moscow, Russia. The response was positive. Dozens of Russian businessmen, accompanied by Indonesian Ambassador to Russia M Wahid Supriyadi, visited Malang recently.
According to the head of the Malang Tourism Office, Made Arya Wedanthara, the city will once again hold an exhibition to promote the local culture, including Amstirdam coffee and traditional dancers.It is expected that more and more coffee lovers around the world will become familiar with Malang’s coffee and eventually bring the commodity into their countries.
In order to further raise the image of Amstirdam coffee, the Malang government will also open a coffee shop in a pavilion located at the Malang regent’s office.
The innovative spirit of the Amadanom farmers and Malang officials should be appreciated.
Their enthusiasm in developing ecotourism and organic coffee farming in recent years is an integral part of important efforts to raise the reputation of the local coffee. In doing so,local commodities will no longer be underestimated.
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