About This Coffee
Daeng Balenkang was among the first in Gowa to bring specialty coffee production to Tinggimoncong. Daeng planted 7 Typica seedlings on his land over 50 years ago. Since then, Daeng Balenkang, his family and their neighbors have expanded plantings around the village.
For a long time, Daeng and his fellow villagers sold wet parchment or asalan (unsorted green coffee) to the local traders in Peta Lesa village. Then, 5 years ago, they met an entrepreneurial young producer from Enrekang who helped them develop their specialty processing capacity.
Now, they produce specialty Naturals, garnering higher prices for their coffee and increasing their incomes.
Cultivation
There are approximately 200 hectares of coffee planted near the surrounding villages. Coffee is shade grown under native trees in a lush, forested environment. Most farms are organic by default.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After selective handpicking, Daeng and his neighbors use a mixture of parabolic dryers and tarps to dry their cherry. Cherry is turned frequently to ensure even drying. Sucafina Indonesia purchases their coffee as dry cherry. Cherry is milled and graded for export at our partner dry mill in West Java.
About Gowa District
Though Arabica coffee has been grown in the Gowa district since the colonial era (approximately 1820s to 1950s), the region is not well known for coffee production. The few traders who are familiar with Gowa, think of the cheap, low-quality products used in commercial blends. While historically low investment in training has led to a cycle of low quality and low price for decades, things are beginning to change. Producing communities are taking steps to improve their coffee quality including expanding rootstock, learning specialty cultivation and processing methods, and more. Sucafina Indonesia is proud to be a part of these changes through partnerships with producers and communities in the region.
Coffee in Indonesia
Indonesia has a long coffee producing history, but recently their coffees have been overlooked by the specialty market. Thanks to our innovative and ever-expanding supply chain, we are proud to bring you high-quality coffees from many of Indonesia’s unique regions, accompanied by in-depth traceability information.
Indonesia is perhaps best known for its unique wet hulling process (giling basah). Though its exact origins are unclear, wet hulling most likely originated in Aceh during the late 1970s.
Wet hulling’s popularity can be attributed to producers’ need for prompt payments. It was also adopted specifically by many producers who lacked the drying infrastructure that was needed to shelter drying parchment from the high humidity and inconsistent rainfall typical in Sumatra. At higher elevations with constant humidity and unpredictable rainfall, drying can prove to be slow, risky and difficult.