This is definitely not the first time you can find a coffee from this farm in our offer. Last spring dry-processed coffee from this farm was a clear favourite of our customers. This year we have the opportunity to show you how they manage to process their coffees using a more fermented method.
The Koerintji Barokah Bersama cooperative is made up of 320 farmers who live and farm on a plateau at the foot of Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra. Mount Kerinci is one of the many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. A 40,000 km long horseshoe-shaped series of 452 volcanoes that are part of an almost constant dance of eruptions and plate movements. The historic eruptions of Mount Kerinci have ensured that the surrounding area is lush and green thanks to deep reserves of fertile volcanic soil.
The cooperative is run by Triyono who guides the cooperative members to process and roast their own coffee. In addition to the processing station they have a fully equipped roasting facility including a coffee tasting lab. This is especially impressive considering that the cooperative was founded in mid-2017!
Almost all farms in Sumatra are small. The average size of farms ranges from 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the main cash crop for farmers but most of them also grow intercrops alongside vegetables, potatoes and fruits. These intercrops form a substantial part of the family’s year-round diet. In addition to growing coffee as a cash crop many smallholder farmers also work as labourers on nearby tea plantations. Tea is also a major crop in this area. Larger tea plantations are often located near coffee farms. After the coffee harvest is over coffee farmers go there to pick tea leaves under hired labor.
There are more and more initiatives by farmers to form cooperatives in Sumatra. Farmers did not have many levers to help get better prices for their cherries or parchment in the past. When they are in cooperatives they can share resources, organize training and negotiate better prices.
During the harvest season coffee is hand-picked with labour usually provided by immediate family. The coffee is transported to a UPH collection centre after picking. Triyono oversees activities in and around the nine UPH stations owned by the cooperative. UPH is the collection centre where the cooperative buys the coffee cherries and where the coffee is processed before being moved to the central station. It essentially functions as a small washing station. To make the operation more efficient, there is an agricultural expert who provides technical assistance and ensures that standard operating procedures are used for processing at the various stations. Each UPH is located in a different area and receives cherries from different groups of farmers.
In this anaerobic natural lot the coffee is first washed and separated according to density, then placed on raised beds where workers remove immature, overripe and damaged cherries. The ripe cherries are then re-collected and sealed in airtight plastic bags weighing 20 kg which are stored in a cool, dry place (at a temperature of between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius) for 7 days. After seven days, the cherries are placed back on the raised beds to dry out. The beds are placed in domes to protect the coffee from rain or strong sunlight. The parchment is dried here for approximately 20 to 23 days. After drying the coffee is ground and sorted by hand. Farmers receive fair prices for their cherries and have a steady buyer of cherries. The cooperative’s profits at the end of the year are either invested in infrastructure to improve quality or distributed to the producers. Farmers also receive technical support and seedlings of shade trees on and around the farm.
Our baristas notes:
We ground the coffee more finely than we are used to with anaerobically processed coffees (20grams of coffee per 18clicks) and the resulting brewing time for 300ml was 2:40. The coffee showed its juiciness and full body. Koerintji is a very playful coffee full of flavour and is easy to drink. Despite the longer anaerobic fermentation the coffee is dominated by fruity notes of yellow melon and tropical fruit, tamarind acidity and a thick cherry cola-like flavour.
