KETiaRA COOPERATIVE

Empowering women Coffee farmers in Sumatra

It all started when…

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.

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.

Now, the Ketiara cooperative is one of the most recognized coffee suppliers in the main coffee-growing region of Aceh. Surrounded by the Gunung Leuser National Park, the cooperative consists of more than 2000 members — more than 75% of them women. Members own farms that cover an area of almost 1000 hectares in total.

As part of the cooperative, members receive:

Certification: All coffees sold by the cooperative are organic and fair trade certified. Most coffee is specialty grade.

Premiums: Farmers receive organic, fair trade and other premiums that often increase their payments by 300% over coffee market prices.

Community Programs: Farmers receive technical, business training, healthcare and daycare for their children, as well as scholarships to universities and other continuing education opportunities.

COFFEE INFORMATION

Region: Aceh Gayo Highland, Sumatra

Varieties/Cultivars: Catimor, Caturra, Bourbon-Typica group, including Adsenia or Abyssinia

Altitude: 1,200 - 1,650 masl

Production: 22,700 bags a year

Flavor Notes: Smooth, sweet, full-bodied, cherry, red grape, pineapple