Aulia Kahfi has expanded his business by purchasing cherry from neighboring farmers. His lots are consistently delicious.

'Sesongot' is the name for a beautiful caterpillar native to Gayo that is commonly found hanging about in the coffee trees. Aulia chose to name his experimentally and special processed coffees after the creature due to its unique and very special appearance!

In 2019, Aulia Kahfi place 9th in the Sumatra Prestige Cup for his excellent Wet-Hulled lot. We are thrilled to continue purchasing from him.

Aulia cultivates coffee on Rakyat Farm, which he inherited from his family. He has been involved in coffee production since his early teens but has always had a unique interest in specialty coffee. Since specialty coffee was not in high demand in his area during his teenage years, Aulia spent several years mining and selling Vesuvianite, a precious stone often found near volcanoes. He has since returned to coffee production.

Now in his early thirties, Aulia is entrepreneurial and enterprising. Using an old van or his friend’s car, he has expanded his business by purchasing a few bags at a time from neighboring farmers. He collects and processes ripe cherry from farmers in the Lukup Sabun, Pantan Sile and Ratawali neighborhoods. He’s also recently started buying cherry from Gegarang (Jagong Jeget). 

Cultivation

Almost all farms on Sumatra are small. On average, farms are between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the primary cash crop for farmers, but most also intercrop their trees alongside vegetables, potatoes and fruit. This intercropped produce will make up a substantial part of the family’s diet for the year.

In addition to growing coffee as a cash crop, many smallholder farmers also work as hired laborers at the nearby tea plantations. Tea is also a huge crop in the area. The bigger tea plantations are often near coffee farms. When the coffee harvest is finished, coffee farmers will go there and pick tea leaves under contracted labor.

There are more and more initiatives by farmers on Sumatra to organize themselves into cooperatives. In the past, farmers did not have much leverage to help themselves get better prices for their cherry or parchment. When they’re in cooperatives, they can share resources, organize training and negotiate better prices.

Harvest & post-harvest

Aulia selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry, or purchases cherry from neighboring farmers. He ferments cherry for 24 hours, changing the water every 12 hours. Following fermentation, Aulia pulps and then strains coffee for about 6 hours before fermenting coffee again for 3 to 7 days. Then, he lays parchment and remaining mucilage on patios to dry. Aulia rakes parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 12 to 25 days for parchment to dry.


Farmers receive fair prices for their cherry and have a fixed buyer for their cherries. The coop’s profit at the end of the year is either invested in infrastructure to improve quality or is shared with the producers. Farmers also receive technical support and seedlings for shade trees for on and around the farm.

Coffee in Indonesia

Indonesia has a long coffee producing history, but recently their coffees have been overlooked by the specialty market. Thanks to our innovative and ever-expanding supply chain, we are proud to bring you high-quality coffees from many of Indonesia’s unique regions, accompanied by in-depth traceability information.
Indonesia is perhaps best known for its unique wet hulling process (giling basah). Though its exact origins are unclear, wet hulling most likely originated in Aceh during the late 1970s.
Wet hulling’s popularity can be attributed to producers’ need for prompt payments. It was also adopted specifically by many producers who lacked the drying infrastructure that was needed to shelter drying parchment from the high humidity and inconsistent rainfall typical in Sumatra. At higher elevations with constant humidity and unpredictable rainfall, drying can prove to be slow, risky and difficult.

FARM/COOP/STATION: Rakyat Farm and about 15 neighboring outgrowers
VARIETAL: Abyssinia, Ateng, Caturra, Gayo, Timtim, Typica
PROCESSING: Anaerobic Honey
ALTITUDE: 1,300 to 1,600 meters above sea level
OWNER: Aulia Kahpi
SUBREGION/TOWN: Gunung Tujuh
REGION: Bebesen, Sumatra
FARM SIZE: 1 hectares on average
HARVEST MONTHS: Sumatra: April-June (main crop) & Nov-Jan; year-round (fly crop)


Information and pictures sourced from Sucafina specialty coffee