Coffee is becoming increasingly iconic to Bandar Lampung and Lampung province. Lampung coffee is gaining fame in tourism, in line with the mushrooming of coffee shops.
By
VINA OKTAVIA
·4 minutes read
Dusk slowly arrived as around a dozen people gathered at a coffee shop in downtown Bandar Lampung on Friday (17/1/2020). The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air together with the smell of the rain that began to drop. The scene was particularly romantic.
Ryzal Aziz, 28, went all the way from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung to get a taste of the Lampung robusta coffee. The man, who lived in Bandar Lampung five years ago, missed sipping coffee with his college mates. Cups of coffee warmed Ryzal’s meeting with his two close friends.
“I am glad to meet with my old friends over coffee. There’s more choices of coffee shops in Lampung these days,” said Ryzal, who was on a holiday to Lampung.
Coffee shops have always been popular spots to meet and hold discussions with others. Unsurprisingly, Ryzal had visited three coffee shops in Bandar Lampung in the past week. The coffee lover did not just have cups of coffee on the spot. He also bought coffee as gifts.
There’s more choices of coffee shops in Lampung these days.
Coffee business is booming in Bandar Lampung. Nowadays, the city has at least 70 coffee shops, mostly managed by young entrepreneurs.
Dr Coffee shop owner Alghazali Qurtubi, 29, is one of them. The increasingly popular coffee-drinking lifestyle has pushed him and many other young businesspeople to open coffee shops. Moreover, Bandar Lampung’s tourism industry is also flourishing with the new toll road and airport. Opportunities are now wide open to develop Lampung’s robusta coffee.
“I have partnerships with travel agencies to include visits to my coffee shop in their packages,” said Alghazali, or Ali as his friends call him.
Innovation
In his coffee shop, Ali does not only sell coffee. He also offers tales and experiences for his customers. He displays various coffee beans in the shop, complete with information on how and where to grow them. Furthermore, customers can also see the coffee-grinding process. Customers are also given the chance to brew their own coffee.
The coffee shop’s interior is adorned with pots of coffee plants between customers’ chairs, in order to reinforce the coffee image. A drive-thru service is also available. These various innovations are created to ensure that the local business is not trampled over by big coffee corporates.
“They can offer comfortable and strategic spots as they have huge capital. We must have strategy and innovations to compete with them,” Ali explained.
Coffee campaign
The Lampung government fulfilled its pledge to boost the province’s image as a coffee-producing region by declaring Friday coffee-drinking day. Lampung people call it ngupi pay, which is a call to have a chat over coffee.
In his circular, Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi said that he requested all government and private institutions in Lampung to provide robusta coffee in their offices. Locals are encouraged to provide coffee for their guests.
The local administration also often holds coffee festivals and bazaars. This coffee campaign helps coffee farmers and business players boost their promotion for robusta coffee.
Coffee entrepreneur M. Zaki, 21, uses a bazaar organized by the Bandar Lampung city administration every Friday morning to introduce his coffee brands J’dak Coffee and Zack Coffee. He can sell around 200 kilograms of ground coffee every month. Apart from promotion at the bazaar, Zaki also sells his coffee through distributors and online.
Coffee farmer Abdul Charis, 54, of Sekincau, West Lampung, also feels the local enthusiasm to develop coffee. He said that farmers are now driven to process their coffee beans into ground coffee. The declaration of Friday as coffee-drinking day is deemed to have increased market access for ground coffee. By selling ground coffee, farmers can enjoy better added value.
Currently, coffee beans are sold at Rp 18,000 (US$1.28) per kg at the farm level, much lower than the price of ground coffee, which can cost between Rp 55,000 and Rp 200,000 per kg.
Coffee is the beating heart of the economy of Bandar Lampung city and Lampung province. Its presence has become increasingly integrated with locals’ lives, in line with the government’s support for coffee and its business players. Understandably, hopes of welfare in Lampung are also boosted by coffee.