I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating; Indonesia seems to be in the process of rediscovering quality coffee and the value it adds to farmers, processors, and the country as a whole.
At last year’s Roaster’s Guild Retreat, the campaign for Wonderful Indonesia had a very large booth set up and ran a mini-auction on site, selling some great coffees from Indonesia. And in my own travels, I’ve come across examples of quality exploration, such as this coffee mill in Plaga, Bali:
…and this group of farmers, cafe owners, baristas, and roasters in Pedang:
There is already a lot of inherent quality in a lot of regions in Indonesia; this means quality breeds of coffee trees, favorable soil and climate, and in many cases, largely-organic processing (if not fully organic, at least mindful). When you have inherent quality paired with producers who are passionate about coffee, you have the makings of a revitalization of an industry.
There is a lot of work to be done to get there, but I am encouraged by what I am seeing in the scene, both locally and globally!