Bali’s Cafes Evolve into Social Space

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

The “A Cup for Solidarity” event is held by Brikopi on Monday, Oct. 8 at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Nusa Dua, Bali. The activity was held during the 2018 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. Besides introducing Indonesian coffee to a wider market, the event was also used to receive donations for the earthquake victims in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and Central Sulawesi.

Cafes in Bali are no longer just a place to hang out and enjoy coffee. They have instead transformed into a social space, a place to learn about life.

The Espresso Room Bali cafe on Jl. Jimbaran in Badung is one such unique cafe that no longer serves just as a coffee shop, but also as a social space. Owned by Stanley Adi Rusli, visitors to the cafe can talk about their private lives, entrust their children to temporary caregivers, nap or leave their surfboards in the cafe’s safekeeping as they head elsewhere.

"It wasn’t made this way. [Customers] believe that it’s just that way and feel comfortable to reveal their life’s secrets to us. We don’t actually know them, and we aren’t anybody to them either," said Stanley. But the key to providing convenience for customers was to make sure they felt comfortable.

Built in 2015, the cafe is not as large or instagrammable as others. It is only a small room with several chairs in the adjoining yard. However, all may come and go freely.

"Some of our customers arrived and just slept, so the cafe couldn\'t close. But that\'s how they are. They just want to be understood and heard. So, after they wake up, I ask them what kind of coffee or other beverage they want to drink," said Stanley.

Since many foreign tourists come to his cafe, Stanley, who is also a chef, serves a variety of blended and mixed coffees, like coffee and beer or coffee and lemonade. Because of the cafe\'s comfortableness, social media influencers have ranked The Espresso Room Bali among the top seven cafes in Jimbaran.

Another unique shope is EXPAT.Roasters in Kerobokan, Kuta. Here, Shae Macnamara, a reliable barista from Australia, is developing his business. He invites customers to go beyond their knowledge of coffee as beans, and to learn that there is hope and adventure in each coffee bean.

On Wednesday (10/10/2018), Macnamara pointed at a row of coffee bags on display in the window. Each coffee bag has a label showing its profile, including its type and variety, origin, flavor and where it was roasted.

Macnamara said coffee was not merely a trade, but also represented a story as well as hope. A single cup of coffee contained adventure, the farmer’s hopes. "The story of this coffee starts from the farmers. Then the coffee goes to the coffee traders and processors, then to the coffee shops with its baristas, until finally it arrives in the hands of consumers like you," he said.

Macnamara always invites his customers to drink coffee as well as discuss and study the supply chain of coffee. His goal is for his customers to truly appreciate the cup of coffee they have purchased.

Learning spaces

As cafes are places where customers can study, Macnamara is now designing a second floor as a workshop where customers can brew their own coffee. "We are preparing a training space for brewers and baristas, because we want the coffee servers to be better skilled. Customers can also learn to make their own coffee and drink it," he said.

Improving the quality of baristas, he said, would also have an impact on the entire supply chain.

"We want coffee to continue to grow. Today’s coffee entrepreneurs are fortunate, because the quality of farmers’ coffee products are improving. However, the baristas also need to improve their abilities. Better-skilled baristas benefit everyone. Farmers will profit, cafe owners and baristas also profit, and ultimately consumers also benefit because they will enjoy delicious coffee," said Macnamara.

Another social cafe is the Bhinneka Djaja. The coffee shop on Jl. Gajah Mada in Denpasar, managed by Wirawan Tjahjadi, is an inheritance with a history. In 1935, Bhinneka Djaja was a coffee factory. The coffee shop still charges Rp 10,000 per cup and features an atmosphere of familiarity. All customers, whether they know each other or not, sit at one table, mingle and share snacks.

The growing popularity of coffee shops has prompted cafe owners to transform their coffee shops into a new space for socializing. They have become a space for different communities to meet or simply provide a physical space to gather – something that is becoming increasingly rare amidst the rampant use of social media. (COK/DIA)