Asosiasi Kopi Gayo Organik (ASKOGO)

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Asosiasi Kopi Gayo Organik (ASKOGO)

Product: Coffee

FLO ID: 18213

Country: Indonesia

Individual members 689

Year Fairtrade Certified: 2009

Organisation Type: Smallholder

Organisation Details

Mineral Spring Sanjukta Vikas Sanstha is a collective of small producers in a mountain region  near Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. The organisation was established in 1997 and registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act since 2001. MSSVS has 432 members covering 11 villages within the two Gram Panchayats (Dapaipani & Harsing GPs).

The farmers of MSSVS grow tea, ginger, turmeric, large cardamom and oranges which are certified organic since 2001 and seasonal vegetables.

The 11 villages of Mineral Spring are spread from 850 meters to 2000 meters above the sea level. The climate of the region is sub-tropical and the temperature ranges from 5 °C to 15 °C in the Winters (November to February) and 15 °C to 30 °C in the Summers (March to October).

Organisation Details

Asosiasi Kopi Gayo Organik (ASKOGO) is based out of 13 villages in the Aceh Tengah and Bener Meriah provinces in northern Sumatra. Four of the villages grow Robusta and nine grow Arabica. ASKOGO owns an office in the village of Simpang Teritit, on the boarder of Aceh Tengah and Bener Meriah. The cooperative is placed at an altitude of 1,000 – 1,500m m.

The cooperative produces 70% Arabica and 30% Robusta. The coffee is double sorted with less than 8% defects. Earthiness, typical to Sumatra, with medium acidity is characteristic of the coffee. Notes of cedar, molasses, ginger, dark chocolate, caramel, and a hint of fruitiness are reminiscent of its surroundings.

Board members at a training workshop

Fairtrade Certification

People in these remote villages rely on agriculture for both their livelihood and to feed their families. Their main income comes from coffee. However, the coffee trade in this area is dominated by powerful processors and traders based in the city of Medan. The producers keenly search out a Fairtrade market for their 100 % organic coffee in order to ensure a minimum price in a traders’ market.

Fairtrade Benefits/ Premium

ASKOGO have used their Fairtrade Premium to upgrade technology and improve productivity.