Mt Puntang Coffee Will Never Die
Ayi Sutedja, 52, picks ripe coffee cherries at a plantation in the Mount Puntang protected forest, Bandung regency, West Java, Friday (16/6). Puntang coffee, which was declared the best coffee in the world in 2016, costs US$55 per kilogram. The farming of this coffee variety has developed through education on coffee, starting from its cultivation and processing to its sales, which enable for local farmers to prosper.
The fact that coffee is more popular today will not stop the coffee farmers of Mount Puntang in Cimaung district, Bandung regency, West Java, from being creative.
They are continuing with a number of innovations they have made to live and prosper with their special coffee.
With his first finger and thumb, Ayi Sutedja, 52, carefully grasped a red coffee cherry of Arabica Typica, known locally as Sunda Buhun (old Sunda). Ayi turned the fruit, plucking it slowly from the branch of the coffee tree.
"The stalk that connects the fruit to the main branch should not be damaged. From the stalk, the coffee fruit will grow back. This is typical of Arabica," Ayi said upon meeting him recently in Cimaung.
Ayi is not alone. Together with him, three other farmers are harvesting coffee cherries on a plantation with 4,000 coffee trees. The coffee cherries are harvested once a year on the coffee plantations located in the lush region of Mount Puntang, about 30 kilometers from the city of Bandung.
"This year’s target is equal to the previous two harvests. From the approximately 4,000 trees, we can produce 3 tons of red coffee fruit. After processing, it will be about 1.8 tons. Many have ordered, domestically and from overseas," Ayi added.
Since a year ago, Mount Puntang coffee has increased in popularity. At the Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo 2016, held in the United States, Ayi\'s coffee beans got a score of 86.25, with an auction price of US$55 per kilogram.
However, this year, the harvest is not as good as usual. Continuous rain throughout the year has disrupted the reproductive cycle and fruit development. The situation has forced farmers to bear the costs of a longer harvesting period. "Previously, we got about 3 tons during the April-June harvest. Now, to produce the same amount, the harvest will run from June to October. The coffee fruit does not develop at the same time. As a result, labor costs also rise. In a week, I have to spend about Rp 2 million," Ayi added.
Creative
More than 300 other farmers on Mount Puntang, who cultivate between 400 and 1,500 trees each, are also experiencing a longer harvesting period. All farmers have to accept the condition. They are aware that despite their coffee being the best in the world, the power of nature remains unmatchable.
However, it does not mean they have to give up. With creative innovation, the farmers can make their coffee even better. Mamat, 43,a member of the coffee farmer group Murbeng Puntang, is making such an innovation.
Mamat and his colleagues have created a special guide. Its contents are based on his experience in cultivating coffee for the last four to five years.
Mamat demonstrates the importance of having a strongly rooted, protective tree surrounding a coffee plant. Protective trees, such as suren wood, cinnamon, and avocado, are quite strong in controlling temperature and humidity to support the growth of coffee trees.
A bonus, said Mamat, was that protective trees could protect the area from landslides and flash floods during the rainy season. The condition was very different when coffee trees had not been planted in the area. The forest was barren and the soil vulnerable to landslides. The roots of the protective trees also store plenty of water for the coffee trees during the dry season.
In another example, pests can be controlled without using chemical pesticides. Grasshoppers can be expelled with the juice of Vogel’s tephrosia (Tephrosiavogelii), known locally as kacang babi or “pig nut”, a type of flowering pea. Guava trees are also grown to draw pests away from the fruits of coffee trees.
"We also gave the guide to coffee farmers in Toraja, South Sulawesi," said Mamat, who is a fount of knowledge for Cimaung people who want to learn to grow coffee.
One of these is Dadan Kurnia, 38. Asked while sorting coffee beans inside a greenhouse, he said he felt the benefits of continuing to learn. The former vegetable farmer now has a lot of knowledge about coffee.
"If done properly, processing Mount Puntang coffee using natural techniques can make the coffee taste like wine when it is brewed," he said, referring to the technique of drying the fruit without discarding the skin.
Aside from firmly following correct planting methods, the farmers of Mount Puntang always take part in a coffee festival called Ngopi Saraosna. Ayi is one of the festival’s founders.
Held at Gedung Sate, Bandung, the event has been organized every two months since March 2017. From a few dozen farmers groups at its outset, the festival now attracts more than 100 farmers groups.
"The purpose of the festival is to bring together farmers and consumers. Previously, many farmers sold their coffee cheap because of the lack of marketing and access to distribution channels," Ayi said.
Ayi isn’t lying. That afternoon, five potential customers from Jakarta visited his plantation.
One of the customers, Bama, said that the Mount Puntang coffee would be taken to Birmingham, England. The aroma of the Mount Puntang coffee will be the main feature of a coffee shop they will open in a few months.
"All the coffee that we will offer will be Indonesian. The Mount Puntang coffee will be one of the highlights," said Bama.
Spreading
As the day grew late on Mount Puntang, the air to the south of Bandung began to cool, chilling the bones. The sun was nowhere to be seen, but the coffee shop managed by Murbeng Puntang was open. Measuring 3 meters by 4 meters, the coffee shop is operated with the support of micro loans from Bank BNI. The shop does not only offer Mount Puntang coffee, but also coffee from other regions in West Java, such as Mount Halu.
"Through this coffee shop, we have a sustainable income. We don’t just make a living from coffee plantation harvests, but also make a daily income," said Ayi.
One of the main products at the shop is packaged coffee.A package containing 15 grams of coffee is sold for Rp 2,500 each. In addition to the shop, the coffee is also sold at small stalls around Cimaung. From an initial production of 30 packs of coffee a month, production now reaches 2,000 packs per month.
All of this, said Ayi, was proof that the coffee farmers had not stopped being creative. "Coffee is a blessing for us, from providing new jobs, to protecting the land from natural disasters, to keep us learning when we meet with challenges. We want to spread this spirit so that more people will feel the benefits," he said.
(CORNELIUS HELMY)
