Tejo Pramono, 48, and Uji Sapitu, 49, have opened an informal coffee school to broaden the horizons of farming families throughout Indonesia.
By
ELSA EMIRIA LEBA
·6 minutes read
The sound of a light breeze and the gentle flow of the Ciapus River is clearly heard from Rumah Kopi Ranin in Cikarawang village, Bogor, West Java. Starting with the modest coffee house, Tejo Pramono, 48, and Uji Sapitu, 49, have opened an informal coffee school to broaden the horizons of farming families throughout Indonesia.
For generations, Indonesian farmers have sold coffee to large companies without heeding its quality because the price is already fixed. The opportunity for farmers to sell coffee for the premium market has finally opened along with the recent emergence of coffee shops. However, not all farmers are capable of aiming at the market of fine coffee because of minimal knowledge about flavor and quality.
Two best college friends, Tejo and Uji, originally set up Rumah Kopi Ranin or Rakyat Tani Indonesia (Indonesian Farming People) for the marketing of small farmers’ coffee. As time went by, this coffee house developed into an informal coffee school for farming families, customers and students.
“Coffee farmers are economically not yet satisfactory, while coffee binges are common in major cities. In fact, the flavor of a cup of coffee originates in plantations,” said Uji in Cikarawang village, Bogor, on Tuesday (4/5/2021).
Through their coffee school program, Tejo and Uji share with small farmers their knowledge of producing quality coffee beans in upstream processing. But farmers are first required to engage in coffee tasting and testing. This is meant to make them acquire the conceptual values of coffee flavor and coffee bean quality.
Coffee farmers are economically not yet satisfactory, while coffee binges are common in major cities.
The testing helps farmers recognize coffee in terms of aroma, taste and flavor. Farmers must to identify coffee that tastes good and bad in different glasses as well as the shapes of the relevant coffee beans. As a result, they are better able to assess the coffee they produce and target the coffee quality desired.
Afterwards, guidance is provided. Farmers are instructed how to sun-dry, store and sift coffee beans. The basic training generally lasts for about four days. This is followed by the delivery of farmers’ post-training coffee samples to Rumah Kopi Ranin for brewing, tasting and further guidance.
Tejo and Uji, assisted by their employees, have guided some 150 farmers from more than 10 places throughout Indonesia. They are members of farming families and mostly use land owned by state forestry firm Perhutani. The farmers are between 17 and 60 years old.
They come from Bogor and Garut in West Java, West Lampung, Humbang Hasundutan in North Sumatra, Muara Enim in South Sumatra, Enrekang in South Sulawesi, Alor in East Nusa Tenggara and Mamasa in West Sulawesi, among other places. Additional coffee schools in Bandung, West Java, and Jambi are being established but are still struggling with the impact of the pandemic.
Previously, random coffee beans cost about Rp 25,000 per kilogram for Robusta and Rp 45,000 per kg for Arabica. Thanks to the coffee school, farmers’ coffee can sell for Rp 40,000 to 50,000 per kg for Robusta and Rp 90,000 per kg for Arabica to cafes and even for export. “Farmers therefore have gained knowledge, skill and added value so that they can set proper prices,” said Tejo.
Both partners have also collaborated with IPB University to organize a coffee school for students since 2018. Select students learn the theory of coffee quality and flavor as well as various creations of coffee brewing.
Cart shop
Rumah Kopi Ranin was born in 2012. This shop began with a cart at IPB and later moved to other locations several times. As its name suggests, Rumah Kopi Ranin became a meeting place for small farmers and coffee lovers. Yet this business initially received many questions from customers because of its prices, which were higher than those of sachet coffee.
Tejo and Uji realized the need to introduce their coffee through a public tasting every week. In total, Rumah Kopi Ranin has held around 190 classes since 2013. A session usually has 15 to 20 customers as participants. “Tasting reveals the coffee flavors that have been established because, so far, this experience seems to have been reserved by the industry,” said Uji.
The activity has expanded the fine coffee market and heightened the fame of Rumah Kopi Ranin at the same time. In 2014, IPB had a forest conservation program in the Puncak zone. IPB proposed that coffee farmers in Kampung Cibulao consult Rumah Kopi Ranin for quality coffee production because their coffee beans were perforated and covered with fungi and dirt.
After the beans were selected and processed at Rumah Kopi Ranin, the farmers were surprised to find their coffee was flavorful. They were later given periodical guidance. As a result, Cibulao coffee won the first national rank for Robusta coffee at the Indonesian Specialty Coffee Contest (KKSI) in 2016.
Tejo and Uji have also become confident in their teaching method. Since 2017, Rumah Kopi Ranin has held coffee school sessions in various regions in Indonesia. The classes are mostly collaborations with corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, regional administrations, campuses and nongovernmental organizations. Some sessions of guidance have also been arranged on Rumah Kopi Ranin’s own initiative.
We hope coffee farmers can be happy and prosperous.
While increasing the value of farmers’ coffee, Rumah Kopi Ranin also buys coffee and other agricultural products from the farmers being guided. In a year, the coffee house can order 5 tons of coffee from about 10 farmers serving as partners, such as those from Cibulao, Garut and Enrekang. The names and origins of the farmers are printed on the coffee packs sold to consumers.
“We hope coffee farmers can be happy and prosperous. May this guidance be able to make farmers change their coffee from a mere commodity to a food product with quality flavor so as to raise its value threefold to fourfold,” added Tejo.
Tejo Pramono
Born: Banyuwangi, Dec. 16, 1972
Wife: Jessica Puspadayasari
Education: First degree, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Technology Faculty, IPB University
Uji Sapitu
Born: Wonosobo, Jan. 9, 1972
Wife: Bintari Premati Dewi
Education: First degree, Food and Nutrition Technology, Agricultural Technology Faculty, IPB University
Achievement: R Grader, Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI) as Principle from Specialty Coffee Association America (SCAA), 2011