From 350 smallholder farmers, this coffee is not only one of the best Sumatra coffees you have ever tried, it is also in place with the primary purpose of Environmental protection in Indonesia.
First, it is important to understand why protecting the environment in Indonesia matters. As one of the primary rainforests of the world, along with the Amazon and others in Sri Lanka and India, the rainforest and the jungle in Indonesia are lungs for our planet, purifying air, and providing habitat to some of the most diverse species of plants and animals on the planet (including Sumatran tigers, pygmy elephants, rhinoceros and orangutans). It is also one of the largest hotspots for large companies to completely deforest, in order to harvest palm oil, and sell it cheaply to the European and American markets.
The smallholder farmers we purchase from have land bordering the deforested areas, and as opposed to deforesting more to increase profits on their coffee export, they take it upon themselves to care for their land. A premium of 50 cents per kg of exported green bean goes to the coffee farmers for the compliance with organic and nature conservation standards. These producers use methods of agroforestry, facilitating crops to grow within the forest in a responsible way, and always preserving the higher ground forest instead of using it for farming practice.
Their aim is the conservation of the rainforest, the habitat of the orangutans, and to secure the livelihood of a growing community of the > 350 smallholder farmers in Gayo Highland, North Sumatra, Indonesia. To do this, an additional 50 cents for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program SOCP, which rehabilitates and cares for Orangutans that have been displaced or injured from the deforestation.
Our exporter for this coffee is Diana Dellatore who works in collaboration there with the producers, the SOCP conservation, and the Smithsonian Institute. The importer for this coffee is our colleague and friend Kevin of Theta Ridge. We at Cafe Kreyol believe all parts of the supply chain matter, and we are thankful to be part of this operation to protect part of Indonesia with our coffee purchasing.
