Sumatra Aceh - Permata Gayo

Coffee Details

• REGION: Sumatra
• LOCATION: Aceh
• COOPERATIVE: Permata Gayo
• ELEVATION: 3900 Feet
• VARIETAL: Bergendal, Catimor, Caturra, Sidikalang, and Typica
• PROCESSING METHOD: Semi-Washed
• GRADE: Strictly Hard Bean
• CERTIFICATION: Fair Trade, Organic
• ROAST LEVEL: Full
• FLAVOR NOTES: Full, rich, syrupy sweet body, chocolate, dried fruit, complex spice, low acidity

Cooperative Information

The Gayo Organic Coffee Farmers Association (PPKGO) is an organic Fair Trade coffee cooperative located in the Gayo Highlands of the Aceh province of Sumatra, Indonesia. Cooperative members are small-scale coffee farmers dedicated to producing 100% certified organic, shade-grown coffee. In a region known for political conflict, the co-op has continued to produce, process, and export high-quality Sumatran coffee. It has maintained relative peace and unity among an ethnically diverse membership comprised of Gayo, Javanese, Acehnese, Padang, and Batak peoples. Twenty percent of PPKGO’s members are women.

PPKGO lies in an environmentally sensitive region—the buffer zone to Gunung Leuser National Park, which contains critical watershed areas and sanctuaries for endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger. The co-op has been Fair Trade certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) since 2000, and Fair Trade price incentives and technical support provided by the cooperative have encouraged sustainable agriculture and resource conservation.

Community nurseries provide improved and grafted coffee and shade tree seedlings. Farmers receive training in growing additional crops such as vanilla, potatoes, and bananas for the market. The co-op has made improvements to the water supply, local roads, mosques, and schools. PPKGO has constructed two cupping labs and 16 satellite wet mills in producing communities. PPKGO offers its members training in coffee cupping and organic certification requirements.