Arabica Aceh coffee in the local market
Night continues to propagate in the sky of Banda Aceh, but life is still pulsating in a number of coffee shops scattered in the city.
This is not a strange thing in Aceh. Drinking coffee while chatting in the shop, believe me, has become a tradition in this region.
However, if you are careful, there are alternatives of different types of coffee sold in most coffee shops scattered around the city, lately.
"I used to be very intense with Robusta coffee," said Reza Munawir, a resident of Banda Aceh, calling the city's famous coffee shop. "But, after getting new information about Arabica coffee, I slowly turn to this coffee."
The price of a cup of Arabica coffee is relatively expensive, could make Reza shrink the heart.
And the taste? "Initially still very strange on the tongue," said Reza who is also a journalist.
But several times tried, this man then fell in love with the coffee type Arabica. "And, in the last four months, my coffee culture has changed," she admitted, laughing.
Reza is not alone. During my four-day stay in Banda in April 2014, I met more than a dozen coffee lovers with similar experiences.
In essence, they say, now not just drink Robusta coffee but slowly switch to Arabica coffee type.
Deliberately campaigned
Arabica coffee, drunk by Reza and other Banda Aceh residents, is from the Gayo highlands, in the hinterland of Aceh.
Coffee experts say, coffee planted by farmers in the highlands of Aceh, is called to have a distinctive taste and has been recognized world.
That is why, from the beginning, this coffee has been exported to various countries, mainly to the United States and some European countries.
Since about thirteen years ago, Starbuck Coffee, the world's largest coffee company, eighty percent brings Arabica coffee from Gayo to the world's needs.
"Starbuck bought coffee from Gayo and he brought it to Seattle, USA, and mixed with coffee from all over the world, then sent and resold to Indonesia," said Mustafa Ali, a coffee connoisseur and coffee businessman from Tangengon, Aceh.
As a result, the price of Arabica coffee from Gayo became exorbitant. The people of Aceh, who traditionally drink coffee in taverns, become alienated with the Arabica coffee planted in their own land.
Later, there is a growing awareness in the Acehnese community to introduce this kind of coffee to the local community of Aceh and its surroundings.
"In 2005, we began to mobilize, socialize to the people of Aceh and Medan, that the taste of Arabica coffee more comfortable than Robusta," said Mustafa.
Currently, according to him, coffee lovers in the stalls in Aceh and surrounding areas, began to change. "About 20% and 30% have already turned to Arabica," he said.
Profitable?
The question then is, why when Arabica coffee exports from Gayo are considered profitable, the entrepreneurs are now busy opening the local market?
Mid April 2014 and then, I went to the coffee shop owned by M Nur who was named Warong Rumoh Aceh.
Located in Banda Aceh City, this café is attractively built, featuring traditional Aceh traditional houses, but with a modern twist.
Some people I met mentioned this M Nur's coffee shop is one of the first stores selling Arabica coffee.
"I invested heavily (build cafes) to get our people to change the Arabica coffee image," said M Nur.
According to him, his attempt to introduce Arabica Gayo Coffee is to help coffee farmers in Gayo. "How can we boost the price of coffee in the farmers," he said.
He also aspires for the people of Aceh to enjoy quality Arabica coffee origin Gayo, which has been only can be consumed in expensive restaurants such as Starbucks.
"But if we never consume, and we sell half-finished, we can not do anything," he said again.
But how can he convince the people of Aceh, who are accustomed to consume Robusta coffee at a more affordable price?
"Tred setters are foreigners," he said, adding that he also invited community leaders and other Banda Aceh residents to "try" Arabiya Gayo coffee.
Good thing
Hundreds of kilometers from Banda Aceh, Arabica coffee farmers in the Gayo highlands, are at least partly to the economic impact of systematic efforts to popularize Arabiya coffee, although the results have not been as envisioned.
Bachtiar, a coffee farmer in Takengon, Central Aceh, said the change in consumption from Robusta coffee to Arabica coffees later seen in Aceh and surrounding areas has not had a tremendous impact on their profits.
These coffee farmers are highly dependent on the prices set by the tauke (local buyers). Tauke set the price based on the US dollar exchange rate and the selling value abroad, "said 46-year-old man.
Thus, "the increased consumption of Arabica coffee in the community, it does not have much effect on farmers, but greater influence on coffee traders or entrepreneurs who open coffee cafes."
"If the level of farmers only 5% rise in the profit graph," he added.
Nevertheless, he admitted, coffee farmers are now in Gayo and surrounding areas began eager to care more intensively coffee tree.
Consumption abroad
Until three years ago, the export value of Arabica Aceh coffee rose about US $ 50 million compared to a year earlier.
A number of Arabica coffee businessmen in Aceh admitted that the value of Aceh's coffee exports is still greater than the profits gained for local consumption.
Coffee Owner Ulee Kareng, Asnawi, one of the coffee entrepreneurs who owns a famous coffee shop in Banda Aceh, said the Acehnese have so far enjoyed Robusta coffee, even though people started consuming Arabica.
"Right now because of the change of circumstances, he consumes Arabica coffee, but it is not comparable to Robusta," Asnawi said.
According to him, Robusta coffee is a daily market in Aceh. "If we produce Robusta coffee a day 5 tons, Arabica only 1 ton," he said, giving an example.
He added that so far it is exporting Arabica coffee more than local consumption.
Conversely, coffee businessmen and owners of the Warung Rumoh Aceh Stall, M Nur stated, lately the benefits of the local market more promising than the value of exports.
However, efforts to introduce Arabica coffee from Gayo continue to be done, so that the people of Aceh coffee lovers know him better.
Hope for the development of Aceh's original coffee is an impact on farmer's income should be supported.
Source : http://www.bbc.com/indonesia/majalah/2014/05/140525_bisnis_geliat_kopi_arabica_aceh