The Ngopi Saraosna was a collaboration between the West Java administration, the Bank Jabar Banten regional development bank and the Murbeng Puntang farmers’ group of Bandung regency. In its fourth iteration this year, 60 West Java coffee farmers participated in the event and shared their farming experiences with each other.
“What is the main cause of a decline in coffee production?” asked the event’s host. The farmers from Bandung, Garut and Sumedang raised their hands simultaneously, hoping that the host would pick them to answer the question.
Only one was given the opportunity. “Leaf rust,” said the participant. He was correct.
However, not everything went smoothly, such as when the host asked the participants for the Latin name of leaf rust.
Silence fell. Some participants spoke out their answers, but the quiz’s judge and famed coffee farmer Wildan Mustofa from Pangalengan, Bandung regency, made an X with his hands to show that none of the answers were correct. It seemed that the farmers were not familiar with the Latin name for leaf rust, Hemileia vastatrix.
Another example was when the host asked about sorting full black coffee beans. Sorting is a necessary primary process to maintain the final quality of coffee beans.
For a while, no one gave the correct answer. One farmer said that sorting full black beans was a secondary process. This time, quiz judges Faqih Asikin, a farmer from Mitra Malabar, and Firman Budiman from Javanero Coffee, simultaneously made an X with their hands.
Quiz co-organizer Ayi Sutedja, 52, said that he was convinced the farmers understood Hemileia vastatrix and full black sorting. It was just that they were not familiar with the scientific terms. “This will be in our evaluation. We need to work harder to introduce Latin and English terms,” said Ayi, who is a farmer in Gunung Puntang, Bandung. A year ago, Ayi’s coffee won the highest bid at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo in the US.
Ayi said that comprehension of Latin and English terms played a significant role in improving farmers’ global competitiveness. The two languages are widely used in global researches on planting techniques and post-harvest processing. “The world’s eyes are now on Indonesian coffee. Through learning, Indonesian coffee could be the best,” he said.
Lessons learned
Not far from the stage where the quiz was held, Deni Ramdani, 26, from Pangalengan, said that he learned many things by participating in the barista contest. He was eliminated in the 16th round.
“I was not familiar with the contest’s rules. The organizer gave me coffee beans without giving me information on the variety. The coffee brewing equipment was also different from the ones I usually use,” he said. Nonetheless, he was not discouraged. He saw his loss as a learning experience. In the future, he said he would be ready to make coffee with whatever coffee variety and equipment provided.
West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan said that, apart from refreshing farmers’ knowledge, the local administration used the event to distribute free coffee seeds to farmers. “At the end of December, we will distribute an additional five million prime-quality coffee seeds. We have allocated Rp 50 billion (US$3.7 million) from the regional budget,” said Heryawan.
West Java is a major coffee producer in Java, with 36,000 hectares of coffee plantations. This year, the province aimed to produce 25,625 tons of coffee.
Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia executive director Veronica Herlina said that the will and creativity of the farmers were the key. West Java coffee farmers are known for their generosity in sharing their skills with anyone.
“In November, they held [skills] sharing sessions with their peers in Papua,” she said.
Furthermore, the vast knowledge these farmers possessed did not make them complacent. West Java coffee farmers are known for their thirst for knowledge. Veronica said that their enthusiasm was visibly evident when they participated in the Coffee Master Trainer program.
“Our target is for our planting and post-harvesting training program to reach at least 50 percent of local farmers by 2020. Currently, the program is available in 15 coffee-producing provinces. Apart from Java, we have similar programs in regions from Aceh to Papua. Through sharing knowledge, coffee will be maintained as a sustainable source of living,” she said.
Sweetness of coffee
Coffee farmer Amir Sutisna, 59, from Palintang in Manglayang district, Bandung regency, clearly heard the message of the “Bisma Rubuh” wayang golek (wooden puppet) show held at the same event. Adhi Konthea Kosasih served as puppet master. Running from Friday night through Saturday morning, the show told the tale of the Kurukshetra civil war.
“No matter who has won, everyone loses if one fights one’s own kin. Hopefully, this will not happen in Indonesia’s coffee world,” he said.
He said that Ayi Sutedja was his “coffee relative”. Although he had been cultivating coffee much longer than Ayi, Amir said he had learned many things from Ayi. On the other hand, Ayi was not stingy with his knowledge.
“In my first 17 years of being a coffee farmer, I sold only red beans. Just one year after I first met him, I learned of the sweet taste of coffee. The key is the post-harvest processing.
Amir implemented Ayi’s suggestion to build a greenhouse measuring 30 meters by 7 meters. There, he learned a variety of techniques for processing coffee beans, including natural processing and the honey process.
The results were satisfying. The 25-ton harvest from a coffee farm of more than 10 hectares was highly profitable. From selling red coffee beans at Rp 2,500 per kilogram, Amir now sells grind-ready coffee beans at Rp 80,000 per kilogram.
It is not the piles of rupiah that bring a smile to Amir’s face. He can now employ up to 50 people during harvest season. He is also teaching 30 coffee farmers in his village how to prosper with coffee.
“Now, I am waiting for the seed nursery certification. Once I have it, I can further share my knowledge with other coffee farmers,” Amir said.
These farmers and businesspeople are proof that sharing is wonderful. Creativity in the coffee brotherhood fosters prosperity among men.
