Jember, East Java (ANTARA) - Coffee farmers in Bondowoso District, East Java, have begun exploring the export potential after offering their coffee beans for the 2021 Indonesian Coffee Cupping event hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands.
" Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), coffee farmers under our support successfully contributed their coffee beans for the coffee cupping event. Some participants even bought the coffee beans because they like it so much," Secretary I of the Jember University's Research and Community Service Institute (LP2M), Ali Badrudin, stated in Jember, East Java, Saturday.
The Jember University LP2M officials, who along with PT Astra Indonesia assisted the Bondowoso coffee farmers, observed the coffee cupping event online from their office in Jember on Thursday.
"We would evaluate responses from the coffee cupping event and to probe the future export potential of the Bondowoso coffee products," Badrudin remarked.
Professional coffee tasters, who attended the event, are eligible to issue a certificate of recognition for the Bondowoso coffee, potentially enhancing the coffee's prestige and proofing its high quality for exports, he noted.
"After the event, we are confident of entering into negotiations with coffee importers from the Netherlands and other European countries," Badrudin remarked.
At the event, Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands Mayerfas welcomed the participants by introducing Indonesia's diverse coffee variants.
"Indonesia's archipelago comprises thousands of islands, and each island has its distinct coffee variants, with a unique taste," Ambassador Mayerfas stated.
He noted that the Netherlands was a potential market for Indonesian coffee, as the Dutch are habituated to consuming up to four cups of coffee each day. The Netherlands' export potential was also evident from the stable export value in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out.
"Indonesia's coffee exports to the Netherlands in 2020 remained stable despite the pandemic, as the total export value recorded for the year reached US$5.16 million. Indonesia’s Embassy to the Netherlands always strives to introduce and promote Indonesian coffee to the Netherlands and European audiences," he remarked.
The coffee cupping event was held at The Hague Marriott Hotel on Thursday (Sept 2) and was jointly hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague and the Trade Ministry. The event was attended by professional coffee tasters, cafe owners, and coffee importer companies from the Netherlands and other European countries, in particular from Belgium.
Apart from the Bondowoso coffee, the event also showcased Arjasari coffee from Bandung, Bengkulu coffee, Balinese Kintamani coffee, and other Indonesian coffee variants. (*)
