The Indonesian Agricultural Ministry succeeded in maximizing Indonesia’s coffee commodities in the global scope. One of the coffees that the government pushed was from Papua and West Papua.
The Ministry took the coffee variants to an international exhibition called the Specialty Coffee Expo 2020, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts. This was a strategy to introduce Indonesia’s coffee to the global market.
The exhibition, which was conducted from April 8–10, has been a stage for Indonesia’s local brands to be noticed by international visitors. This year’s event also showcased the world’s best roaster designs, as well as provided training, workshops, and mentoring for new coffee entrepreneurs.
This year, Indonesia sent and introduced three of the best Papua and West Papua‘s coffees, like Kitong coffee, Wilchoff coffee, and Manna coffee. And the Indonesian products made a good impression on the festival’s visitors.
From Papua and West Papua to the World
At the initiation of the Indonesian President, Jokowi, the three local coffee brands must be internationalized. The government encouraged the new millennial farmers to take part in this event which aligned with the Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2020.
Besides, President Jokowi also urged his staff to make a great movement in agriculture. The movement was named “Petani Milenial.” It consisted of the millennial farmers moving together under the patronage of Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry.
Then, before flying to Boston, the young Papuan farmers got some training led by the Ministry of Agriculture. They joined a community named “Papua Muda Inspiratif” or “the Inspired Young Papuans”.
In the stage, the three great millennial farmers attempted to explain the great commodities through their uniqueness. As a result, the young Papuan farmers showed their creativity and succeeded in attracting a large number of visitors to their stage.
Three Papuan Local Coffees with Their Authentic
As mentioned before, Indonesia put Papuan coffee commodities at the Boston Specialty Coffee Expo 2020. Each coffee has its own uniqueness and characteristics.
The uniqueness and the characters are affected by where the coffee is. As Wilchoff coffee, arabica coffee is planted in the Arfak mountains of Papua’s western area and Dogay regions.
Meanwhile, Manna coffee is usually found in the highlands and mountains in the central part of Papua. This is not like the previous one, where Manna coffee is only planted in Papua, not on the west side of the island.
Different from Wilchoff and Manna Coffee, which are planted in the highlands or mountainous land, Kitong Coffee is only planted in the lowland areas. Kitong coffee is a Yapen Islands commodity.
Those characteristics make each coffee have its own authenticity. This authenticity is not lost in the other Papuan coffees that were previously well-known around the world.
The Papuan Coffees Rock Boston!
In a great international exhibition such as Boston’s Specialty Coffee Expo, Indonesia had to present Indonesia’s commodities in the middle of the other countries’. Local products must compete with those of the big companies.
But, in the Boston exhibition, Indonesia’s products, namely the three Papua and West Papua coffees, actually competed and stole the spotlight. They could contend with more than 400 tea companies there.
As reported by Media Indonesia, the three coffee commodities succeeded in attracting a lot of visitors from coffee business owners and coffee lovers. It is no surprise that Papua’s stand became one of the most popular at the festival.
The visitors were very excited to learn how to taste the authentic coffees. This is like what was stated by the Indonesian diplomat, Mr. Rachmat Poetranto, as an agricultural attached to the Indonesian Embassy in the United States.
Poetranto said that the three coffee products were the most visited by foreign visitors. They’re quite intrigued as to why the taste of coffee was similar to those of the African highlands.
Furthermore, in the event, Indonesia could sell twelve containers for all Indonesian goods. Of course, this was an amazing accomplishment for Indonesia, especially for Papua and West Papua‘s local coffee.
This meant that the world was interested in Indonesia’s local products. The government must keep supporting the same programs more in the near future.
The Great Step for Ahead
We can conjecture that Indonesia actually has great potential. There are still many unexplored resources and local products throughout Indonesia. One example is Papua and West Papua.
By establishing local communities, such as “Papua Muda Inspiratif” in Indonesia, the younger generation has more opportunities to empower their region and make a significant difference in their society.
With the success story above, we reassess our ability on the international stage. Our local products—such as Kitong coffee, Wilchoff coffee, and Manna coffee—have a great magnet in the eyes of the world, and that is a great step ahead for Indonesia’s future.
