Indonezia Gayo Avatara

Detailed Processing Steps

Sorting of coffee cherries

Pulping

72-hour carbonic anaerobic maceration

Drying of parchment for 23–28 days to reach 13% moisture

Hulling

Drying of green beans to 11.5% moisture

Size sorting

Manual defect sorting

Packing and final QC

Export

About the Producer – Bang Hendra & the Gayo Avatara Team

Behind this lot stands our long-time friend and talented coffee processor Bang Hendra, together with his family and dedicated team known as Gayo Avatara.

Hendra is a man who deeply respects nature, and his passion for coffee is well known throughout Indonesia. He’s highly respected both domestically and internationally, being a regular finalist in the Cup of Excellence and involved in specialty coffee for over 12 years.

I met Hendra through my old friends who have been in the coffee industry for many years — some for more than 14 years. They all told me from the very beginning that I had to meet him — that he was the kind of partner one builds a long-term relationship with. We’ve known each other for about five years, and this is now our third year of collaboration.

From an environmental standpoint, their approach to sustainability is truly inspiring. Their fertilization practices are entirely natural, and they produce their own compost. In addition to growing coffee, they also plant endemic trees and plants to help maintain biodiversity, strengthen the root systems of the land to prevent erosion, and support water retention in the ecosystem.

We also strive to create sustainable economic benefits for farmers and workers. The farmers themselves are free to set their own cherry prices and are paid in cash upon delivery to Hendra.

As for the workers, I had the chance to speak with the team responsible for processing the coffee — four men, one of them an old friend from Java who found his place working with Hendra, and the others from Sumatra. They are paid per kilogram of processed coffee, rather than a fixed monthly salary. Thanks to the larger production volumes Hendra handles, these men can earn up to 30 million rupiah per month, providing them with a stable and rewarding livelihood.