Sumatra Ketiara

This coffee comes to us from the Kopepi Ketiara Organic Cooperative in the Aceh Tengah region of Sumatra, the “Gayo Highlands.” We have been purchasing coffee from Ketiara for four years and this past year our owner and green coffee buyer, Randy Evans, was finally able to visit. “Mind-blowing” was one of the descriptors he used upon returning from his trip. Ketiara coffees are some of the absolute best coming out of Sumatra! Chairwoman, Rahmah, is a force in the region and an inspiring leader amongst the 1100 producing members of the Ketiara cooperative. She has focused on empowering women producers in a mostly male dominated coffee market through education and land ownership. This has helped create a stable market for coop members, often yielding three times the price in an otherwise volatile, male dominated market.

Ms. Rahmah incentivizes producer members by paying well above the internal market price, as well as creating community programs that encourage farmers to remain members. Examples of this include seedling donations, workshops on how to make organic fertilizers, proper maintenance of equipment, farm rejuvenation practices and even scholarships for young men and women to attend University. Kopepi Ketiara is one of those cooperatives where you can truly tell that community members are happy. According to Randy, nearly everyone he met can be seen dancing or singing on their properties, and generally having a grand time. This translates to some very beautiful coffee quality!