Ketiara Cooperative
This small-farmers focused co-op grows and processes coffee from a handful of villages that make up the Bies Penantan community.
Partnered Since
2013
Location
Aceh Tengah Province
Elevation
1200 - 1600 Meters
Varietal
Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catimor
Processing Technique
Semi-Washed, Wet-Hulled
On Our Menu
The Producer
Stumptown has been working with the Ketiara Cooperative for four years, around the same time the coop became organic certified. Ibu Rahmah is the chairwoman of Ketiara, which prides itself for being a female led cooperative in Indonesia. Rahmah is focused on creating gender equity and places women in high positions - most of the leadership around Ketiara is from women. The original cooperative had 38 members, quickly grew to 650, and eventually doubled in size.
The Place
Aceh is the northernmost province of the island of Sumatra. Ketiara Cooperative is located in Takengon, a small city in central Aceh that sits on glistening Lake Tawar. In Takengon, colors pop every which way you look. Small villages are all surrounded by coffee trees which blanket the steep hillsides at elevations of 1200 to 1600 meters.
The Process
Indonesia Bies Penantan consists of coffee cultivated by small-holder farmers within the Bies Penantan community. This coffee is specially selected for Stumptown and usually comes from farmer members from multiple villages in the area. Members of the Ketiara Cooperative plant their coffee trees throughout their property and close to their homes.
Coffee here is processed with using a technique called wet-hulling. This processing technique is a major aspect of the distinct notes and heavy body that these coffees offer. After harvest, cherry is depulped, fermented, washed, and partially dried. The parchment is then removed when it is still wet, at around 40% moisture. The remainder of drying takes place as green coffee.