Farmers Guard Recipe as Business Grows
An isolated village in the West Lombok forest district of Lingsar is producing a distinctive coffee, to a secret recipe, that is penetrating national markets and has its producers hopeful of finding international buyers.
The coffee comes from the Prabe community of Batu Mekar village where infrastructure is limited and access is hindered by poor road conditions that make transport dangerous in wet weather.
However the entrepreneurship and perseverance of the villagers means that you might find the aroma of Prabe coffee wafting through Mataram shopping centres. Simply packaged, it also is available in major cities on Java.
Originally, a group of 18 farmers each contributed Rp30,000 to start building the collective coffee business in 2007. It was the group’s strong spirit and drive that sustained development of the cottage industry, rather than a big injection of capital, said group leader Tirtawan.
Since that modest start, it is estimated the value of the business to each participating villager is now Rp2 million, or a total of Rp36 million.
The villagers closely guard the secret of their recipe for Prabe coffee and will only say that it has many advantages including a capacity to increase vitality. “When I started drinking this coffee I could not sleep all night,” said public servant Baharudin. It took a night or two before his body adjusted enough to allow him to sleep and now he says he is addicted to the enjoyment of Prabe coffee.
Tirtawan and fellow members of the Mule Paice group of farmers focused on developing their coffee trade and new presentations of their product. They introduced a three-in-one product of coffee, milk and sugar and a two-in-one product of coffee and sugar. Price for 10 sachets or 130 grams of the combined product is competitive at Rp12,500.
The business has attracted regular customers and Prabe coffee is found in Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya on Java and also on Sulawesi. Japanese visitors have deemed Prabe coffee so delicious that they have taken it home with them.
The farmers have increased production from about 10 kilograms of coffee a week to around 30 kilos. A 30-kilo output turns over Rp630,000 with a net profit of Rp178,000.
While the numbers are still small, benefits to the isolated farmers over the life of the business mean they can now send their children to school and help build up the savings of their group.
source:enchanting-lomboksumbawa.com
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