Sumatra
Fast Facts on PPKGO
- 1,600 growers in 32 communities
- Origin: Takengon, Central Aceh, Sumatra - Indonesia
- Women make up 20% of the cooperative
- Coffee Varieties: Typica, Catimor, Caturra, Bergendal, Sidikalang
- Altitudes Coffee is Grown: 1,100m - 1,500m
The Persatuan Petani Kopi Gayo Organik, or PPKGO, is located near Takengon in the Gayo Highlands region of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The cooperative has over 1,600 members of which 20% are women and spans 32 communities. This region is renowned as the largest producer of Arabica coffee in Southeast Asia, but also as the site of the seemingly ceaseless civil war between Acehnese separatists and the Indonesian military.
PPKGO’s co-op’s membership is predominantly of the devoutly muslim Gayo ethnic group (50%), but also includes a diverse span of Javanese (30%), Acehnese (15%), Padang (3%) and Batak (2%) and various religons. This diversity has strengthened the cooperative - an incredible feat in the midst of such intercultural strife in the region. PPKGO was the first, and still the only, Fair Trade certified coffee cooperative in Indonesia.
Coop members live in an environmentally sensitive region in and around the buffer zone to Gunung Leuser National Park, an area that contains critical watersheds and sanctuaries for endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger. Producers are dedicated to producing high-quality 100% organic and shade grown coffee while ensuring their production practices conserve resources and preserve the biologically diverse ecosystem in which they live.
Significant revenues earned from selling to the Fair Trade and organic markets has allowed PPKGO to contribute to a wide variety of programs, contributing to the advancement of PPKGO’s production, processing and quality, as well as local community development. These investments include:
Investment in local community development and local infrastructure
· Constructed potable water system benefiting more than 1,500 people in three communities.
· Assisted farmers in building and repairing 34 homes.
· Established a credit union to extend small loans to families in the cooperative.
· Provided supplemental financing for the construction of three local schools
· Constructed new roads and helped repair/upgrade existing ones.
· Refurbished area Mosques.
· Constructed soccer (football) fields for local communities.
· Provide ongoing support for local orphans and widows.
· 150 PPKGO members have participated in the Hajj, a life-long goal for Muslims.
Flavour profiiles
Gayo
Exotic, earthy and strong bodied with a sweet finish
Please follow the link to purchase Sumatran coffee:
* photos courtesy of Cooperative coffees - http://www.coopcoffees.com
