History & Origins
Twenty five years ago, Ms. Ibu Rahmah started purchasing coffee cherries from smallholder farming families in the Gayo Highlands region of Sumatra. She processed the cherries into tradable green coffee and sold it to local traders, who noted her ability to coax uncharacteristic sweet and fruity flavors from the country’s broad stock of arabica beans.
As a local trader, she was perhaps the only woman supplying substantial volumes to exporters in Medan, processing cherries into parchment coffee before delivery.
In a very short time, Ms. Rahmah’s reputation for producing fine Sumatran coffee became known throughout the world. In late 2008, she organized the farming families to create a cooperative. Kopepi Ketiara, or Ketiara Cooperative, was officially launched in 2009.
It was the very first female-run coffee cooperative in the country.
Though Ketiara has its roots in the 90’s, the cooperative was founded in 2009 with 38 original members.
The original cooperative had 38 members, quickly grew to 650, and now represents over 2,000 farmers in the region.
The cooperative members voted to become Organic and Fair Trade certified in 2012, making a commitment to use these proceeds to create programs for health, education, and public infrastructure projects that will benefit all coop members.
Terroir & Growing Conditions
The cooperative covers 1,009 hectares of shaded-grown coffee at altitudes of 1,200-1,650 meters above sea level with volcanic topsoil.
Ketiara coffee is grown in the forested mountains surrounding Leuser national park, using shade grown coffee production as a means to protect the local ecosystem.
A shade canopy and companion planting of staple food crops is found throughout the co-op, along with a broad diversity of wildlife including the endangered Sumatran tiger, elephant and orangutan.
Due to its fertile, volcanic soil the character of Gayo coffee is very diverse. A wide variety of coffees are produced, ranging from Bourbon to Catimor varieties.
The area is a mountainous, tropical forest within the Leuser Ecosystem and has temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. The 897 Ketiara members manage a total of 836 hectares.
Ketiara farmers produce coffee organically on small farms in the Gayo Highlands around Takengon in northern Sumatra, where steady rainfall contributes to an almost year-round coffee harvest. The farms operate under the protection of one of Southeast Asia’s most biodiverse ecosystems, contributing to forest conservation while producing exceptional coffee.
Processing & Production
Giling Basah or semi washed or wet hulled is the Ketiara preferred post harvest processing method. This method is commonly used to process arabica coffee in Indonesia.
After harvest, Ketiara farmers process their cherry on small wet mills at their homes. Cherry is depulped, fermented, washed, and partially dried. At this point, it is transported to the cooperative facility for final processing. The parchment is removed when it is still wet, at 30% - 45% moisture. After drying is completed on patios, the green coffee is sorted by size and density, and finally hand-sorted before export.
The Wet-hulled process was developed in Indonesia as a way to protect freshly picked coffee from the particularly humid Indonesian climate. The cherry is first fermented overnight and then stripped from the hull. After before being stripped, the parchment covered seeds are patio dried until they reach approximately 25% moisture content. They are then hulled and the still swollen seeds are solar dried to finish. During this process, the seeds are exposed to to a broad variety of temperatures and environmental exposure. This contributes to the unique Indonesian character.
For the last 12 years Ketiara has export their coffee by their own. Today Ketiara sales is in average 22,680 bags (60 kg/bag) annually, consist of Aceh Gayo arabica green bean grade 1 and grade specialty. 85% of our sales are for export destination.
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
The cup exhibits syrupy body and low acidity with surprising berry and fruit flavors of grape, black cherry, peach, as well as pronounced cedar, chocolate and rich, earthy flavors.
Grown and harvested by the women led Ketiara co-op of the Gayo Highlands in Sumatra, Indonesia, this Fairtrade coffee yields a strong earthy body with flavorful undertones.
This coffee yields a strong earthy body with flavorful undertones. Uncover aromatic notes of cedar, cocoa, and spices that convene in a down-to-earth coffee with a good-for-the-earth result, a just and sustainable future.
In Sumatra, most beans are processed using a traditional method called giling basah, or wet hulling, where parchment is removed while the beans are still wet due to the region’s humid climate. This technique—used almost exclusively in Indonesia—results in a distinctive cup with herbal notes, low acidity, and a smooth, syrupy body.
Grown in the lush highlands of Takengon, Gayo, Aceh, this lot features Adsenia, Bourbon, Typica, and Ateng varietals cultivated at 1220 meters. Expect a beautifully layered cup with vanilla, dark chocolate, and black licorice notes, processed using traditional wet-hulled and patio drying methods. The distinctive terroir and traditional processing methods combine to create a coffee that exemplifies the unique character of Indonesian wet-hulled coffees—full-bodied, complex, and deeply satisfying.