Regional Details
Tradition runs deep in the District of Lintong Samosir where coffee is grown along the southern shores of Lake Toba, which was formed by a supervolcano and reaches depths of more than 1600 feet. The Lintong growing region, located in the province of North Sumatra on the island of Sumatra, is renowned among coffee experts for its cup profiles and classic Indonesian style of coffee cultivation and processing. This Lintong selection is no exception. The coffee was cultivated and harvested from more than 300 producers with farms that average less than 3 acres in size. Producers belong to the Hutasoit tribe and maintain a traditional village lifestyle that includes houses that resemble ships. Seventy percent of the producers are women who rely on coffee income to support their families.
Processing Details
Each producer carefully sorts their harvested cherries before delivering to a central mill where the coffee is depulped and fermented overnight. Then the coffee is laid out on patios to dry without washing off the mucilage. This process is called the honey or pulped-natural style, a process common in other origins, but rarely used in Indonesia.
Exporting Details
With Indonesian coffees, half the battle is overcoming logistical challenges like rugged roads and unpredictable torrents of rain. Sehati Berkah Utama, an export company, takes on an important role of organizing local warehouses and transportation so farmers can overcome these challenges. Sehati Berkah Utama also coordinates the dry-mill process to swiftly bring the coffee to the international market, ensuring greater earnings for producers.
