Here's what Falcon Speciality the importer of this coffee have to say about it:
Tuang Coffee comes from Ruteng in the Manggarai region, Flores Island, and Nusa Tenggara in Timur, Indonesia. It started in 2014 when Andre Tuang decided to leave his job in Jakarta and head to Flores to work with farmers in Flores Manggarai. Before then it was rare to find coffee in that area that was not mixed with coffee from other regions like Sumatra, Java, or Toraja. Coffee was exported as commodity grade while farmers were under appreciated. They suffered from limited market access and unfair payment systems. Also few people cared about specialty coffee processing.
By 2023, the organisation has more than 2500 members delivering to 17 community leaders within these farmer groups. Our coffees come from 3 main village areas of Nati, Mbohang and Gulang which have around 250 farmers.
Farmers are trained every season on when and how to pick their cherries for maximum quality. Tools are provided such as grass cutters, that encourage farmers not to use any herbicides, and pruning scissors and gloves. Financial support is also provided with a pre-harvest deposit or a bonus after the season. Tuang are also helping to provide in some areas deposits for farmers to help them build their own homes which they will repay with coffee over the following harvests.
They grow yellow caturra, typica and kartika traditionally on the farms as well as ginger and clove and the farmers see ginger as 'money in the ground' as they are able to harvest this monthly to sell for cash when needed.
Coffee grows here in very healthy conditions. Trees are well spaced from one another. Farmers use dried grass, leaves, and pulped cherry skins as organic fertilizer. Pruning is carried out only when needed and shade trees are grown around the coffee areas. Cherries are picked by farmers in the Villages and then sent for processing in Ruteng at the Tuang central processing site.
Prefinancing is available to farmers every season. On the cherry price, the group offers one transparent price for every farmer and a fee rate for farmers’ group leaders who assist in procurement and quality collection.
Social and Environmental projects associated with this group and their coffee production are: funding the electricity infrastructure in Mbohang area; scholarships for employees and farmers children to pursue higher education; loans with zero interest rate for farmers and employees.
Thermal Fermentation - Anaerobic Natural
1) Cherry arrives at the processing station where the Tuang team spread the coffee on beds or tarpualin to check the quality of the cherry delivered
2)The cherry is then placed in 50 litre bags with a plastic lining. The coffee is turned regularly each day to ensure that its fermentation is even
3)The coffee is then taken and placed outside in the daylight
4) When the coffee is judged to be ready from smell and colour and pH around 4.5 the coffee is then taken to the raised beds.
5) The anaeribic naturals take between 6-8 weeks to dry with the team moving the coffee evry 3 hours
6) The coffee is then rested beofre being hulled and then hand sorted and bagged. From here it is the transported by boat from the island of Flores to Java and the port of Surabaya.
