INDONESIA
Single Origin | Omni

Grape Juice. Macerated Starfruit. Golden Kiwi. Orange Scone.

The 'Roaster Choice Subscription' or RCS coffee for the month of March 2023  is a delicious single origin grown by Pak Muhlisin in the village of Tlogosari, along the slopes of the Argopuro volcano. This coffee is our second purchase from this relatively new producer, having introduced it for the first time in May 2022, pressured too by overwhelming request for its return.

When coffee was first cultivated in Indonesia, it was common for Dutch colonists to plant low-quality Robusta in large estates. However, the 21st century ignited a shift towards Arabica, especially in East Java, whereby more microlots appeared, owned by producers experimenting with new, innovative processing methods. This lot is one such example of this coffee-quality revolution in Indonesia. Producer and cooperative leader, Pak Muhlisin, founded the Pokmas Walida Cooperative in 2014, to gather producers in the area and spread awareness about new processing methods to improve quality. Pak Muhlisin was born and raised in the Tlogosari village, nestled at the foothills of the Argopuro volcano and studied agricultural science and farming techniques at the Brawijaya University in the city of Malang. His passion for agriculture grew as he studied, pushing him to attend IPB (Institut Pertanian Bogor) / Bogor Farming Institute to undertake a more intensive training in coffee production.

Pak Muhlisin and the producers associated with the Pokmas Walida Cooperative are supported by Belift, a coalition of coffee professionals seeking to improve the income of producers in Indonesia. The group is comprised of three young men, originally from Indonesia, who studied in the US, only to return to their home country to open their own coffee shop and roastery in 2015. This then expanded to a coffee academy in 2017 whereby they began to work more closely with producers. A main initiative for this cooperative and for Pak Muhlisin is to expand education to community members. There are goals in place to construct and improve the K-12 school system for the locals. 20% of coffee sales from the cooperative are set aside for this project to cultivate a future of educated coffee producers.

From East Java, Indonesia to Singapore, RCS coffee for month of March 2023 is only made possible through the story of relationship, coffee and people. This is a coffee that Brew Moments and Inspiring Relationships.