Huber Marian : The ‘Football Philosophy’ of Kurulu Coffee
Relying on his “football philosophy”, Huber Marian learned from scratch until he mastered everything about coffee on his own land.
Huber Marian
Without knowing anything about coffee, Huber Marian, 62, ventured to cultivate and produce the commodity in the early 1980s. Through his endeavor, he has been energetically distributing coffee from Kurulu district, Jayawijaya, Papua, to earn his brand name today. Relying on his “football philosophy”, he learned from scratch until he mastered everything about coffee on his own land.
Rows of trays were neatly arranged at a coffee drying site in Waga-waga village of Kurulu district, Jayawijaya, Papua, in mid-November 2021. The fragrance of Arabica coffee wafted as the beans dried out in the sun.
Huber walked along the rows to check the coffee beans in each tray. He took one bean, examining it carefully, and then bit it. “The beans will be completely dry, but they will take about four more days. If they are roasted before they are dry, they produce a lot of smoke and an unpleasant smell,” he said.
“If you want to know if the beans are dry or not, just bite one. If the teeth still penetrate it, it’s not dry yet. When it is completely dry, the bean is hard and won’t break when bitten,” he added.
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The coffee beans that were drying had been harvested from his plantation just two weeks earlier. Rain had extended the drying process. Under the constant heat of a blazing sun, drying the beans would only take a week.
Huber said he took great care in the process of handling the coffee after harvest. After the ripe coffee berries are picked, the pulp is removed. The cleaned beans are placed in sacks and then prevented them from touching the ground to avoid humidity.
After approximately 24 hours, the beans are cleaned of any remaining residue. Only when they are completely clean can they be dried in the sun. During the drying process, they are continually monitored, particularly to save them from the rain and the humid environment.
The same is true of cultivating and maintaining the crop. Coffee plants infested by pests are treated with a natural pesticide. Huber usually uses water infused with trumpet leaves and tobacco leaves, and sprays it on the affected coffee plant. He does not use the chemical pesticides that are sold widely. This is because all the coffee plants in this area are organic coffee, grown at an altitude of more than 1,600 meters.
Huber Marian
Self-taught
Huber said he had gained his knowledge through trial and error over several decades. He learned in stages from agricultural extension workers, farmers in other regions and through decades of cultivating coffee.
“Originally, I was unskilled and only observed the work of other people. It’s just like watching people playing football, looking at them while trying it out a little at a time. When I grew skilled, I could be a champion. Now I can score goals [produce coffee],” said Huber, who received the National Model Farmer award in 1994.
He put his learning philosophy into practice to grow coffee in his village, using his many years of experience. Now, he has formed a cooperative that has more than 20 members. The processed coffee beans are packaged under the brand name Aluama Hubulama. He also sells green coffee beans and powdered coffee to business partners and special visitors.
Hard worker
When he was young, Huber grew ordinary crops like the other residents in Kurulu. The district on the city’s outskirts is known for its vast area, suited for growing a variety of crops. Taro, sweet potato and several other plants are among the district’s prized crops.
In the early 1980s, the district was planned to become a sugarcane and soybean plantation hub. When Huber heard of this plan, he disagreed with planting sugarcane on his land.
“I wanted long-term crops and was suggested to grow coffee. At the time, coffee was rarely found and not yet familiar in this area. I was interested and asked to be provided with seedlings,” he recalled.
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Huber followed the suggestions of many circles. “I don’t know. God may have shown the way. It means that the coffee can be handed down, so [when] I die, other people can continue to develop it by,” he said.
Seedlings from other regions were brought in for planting. A 5-hectare plot was converted into a coffee plantation. An agricultural extension worker accompanied him so he could learn how to prepare the land and plant coffee. He was the first person in Kurulu district to grow coffee. Unexpectedly, his land produced a plentiful first harvest. He then prepared the land again for additional plantings.
His harvests improved over time, enabling him to buy a coffee processing machine. A pack of ground coffee sold for between Rp 200 and Rp 1,000 by weight in the 1990s. With the favorable trend in his coffee production, Huber requested funding assistance from the central government in 1990.
Huber Marian
Coffee cooperative
Huber’s funding proposal secured a positive response and that same year, he started a 50 ha coffee plantation. He did not only grow coffee, and also set up the Kurufu Alua Marian Public Cooperative Center (Kopermas) in 2002.
The cooperative aimed to improve its members’ welfare. It bought the villagers’ coffee beans at a price of Rp 50,000 per kilogram. Later, in 2006, the cooperative received business development assistance from the government. The cooperatives ministry provided Rp 410 million in cash aid for procuring a coffee grinder from Surabaya.
Today, the machine is used to process tons of coffee its members produce. The cooperative’s coffee products have become increasingly known to the public, spreading from Papua to many other regions in the country. However, like the other coffer growers in Papua, the cooperative also faces the issue of regeneration and various other challenges. At his advanced age, Huber still manages tens of hectares of coffee plantations as well as coffee production with only a small number of people.
“In the past, the group had 50 members. But now it’s getting hard. Finally, only 20 members are left,” said Huber.
People can come and drink coffee while taking a rest. After they are refreshed, they can continue their journey
Most young people in the region become workers and are not interested in the coffee business.
In fact, the coffee grown in the district has a unique and distinct flavor. Its high planting altitude and loose soil make Kurulu coffee different from the beans grown in other regions. Huber is now planning to open a coffee shop, initially serving only guests of the plantation before it is commercialized.
The coffee shop is strategically located on the road connecting to Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya.
“People can come and drink coffee while taking a rest. After they are refreshed, they can continue their journey,” he said, imagining his coffee shop.
Huber Marian
Born: Jayawijaya, 1959
Wife: Herita Agnes, 50
Activity: Coffee grower and founder of Kurulu Aluama Hubulama coffee
Award: National Model Farmer, 1994
This article was translated by Aris Prawira.
