Ketiara Cooperative
Ketiara Cooperative
The Story
It was of utmost importance for Amokka® to find a partner in Indonesia that shares similar values and works hard to positively impact the local community. We found that in Ms Rahmah, the chairwoman and CEO of Ketiara Cooperative.
She is truly a force to be reckoned with and relentless in her pursuit to improve the quality of the coffee and the quality of life for a whole generation of young farmers. The work she's been able to achieve in the otherwise male dominated Gayonese society is nothing less than spectacular.
In her and Ketiara, we see professionalism and strife to improve and innovate, which we resonate with and deeply respect. Their untiring efforts to engage young farmers and women are significant and encouraging.
Ms Rahmah - chairwoman and CEO of Ketiara Cooperative.
The Cooperative
Ketiara Cooperative consists of 1014 smallholder farmers in the Gayo Highlands of Central Aceh – the northernmost province of Sumatra. More than 70% of the farmers are women. All coffee from the cooperative is certified Organic and grown by farmers from 19 Aceh Tengah and Bener Meriah villages. There they work the rich volcanic land without chemicals or industrial fertilizers to promote healthy soil, long-lasting forests, and clean water sources.
The local members are well-informed about Sumatra prices through cell phones, which are crucial for daily price updates in the volatile internal market. Despite the recent low commodity market price, producers know that their local market can fetch three times the price.
The Gayo Highlands of Central Aceh where 1014 smallholder farmers grown the Organic Amokka® Indonesia coffee.
70% of the farmers in the Cooperative are women.
The coffee beans are sorted at the Cooperative.
The Coffee
Ketiara Cooperative supplies Amokka® with the most fantastic Indonesian Mandheling we have tasted. Mandheling coffee is a type of Arabica coffee grown in the highlands of North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the Mandailing ethnic group, one of the region's largest indigenous groups.
It is known for its full-bodied and rich flavour profile, with earthy notes of chocolate, spices, and dark fruit, making it a popular choice for coffee lovers and baristas.
The coffee is usually processed using the traditional and unique wet-hulling method, which gives it its distinct flavour profile. In recent years, there has been a focus on improving the quality of Mandheling coffee, with many farmers and cooperatives investing in better production practices, processing methods, and equipment.
Positively impact on the community
Ketiara motivates producer members through fair compensation, far exceeding the internal market price and with several community programs. These programs include seedling donations, workshops on organic fertilizer production, equipment maintenance, farm improvement, and even university scholarships.
Amokka® look forward to supporting these efforts through our impact trade initiative, where a $0.2 premium is set aside on every kg of coffee to support these community programs.
