Tunas Indah Coffee Farmers Cooperative

Tunas Indah Coffee Farmers Cooperative

Organisation Details

The members of this cooperative are traditional smallholder coffee producers located in the Aceh Tengah in northern Indonesia. The cooperative is placed at an altitude of 1,000 – 1,500m.

The Tunas Indah Coffee Farmers Cooperative has played a supportive and regenerative role in the community following armed conflict in the region. Many farmers were forced to abandon their farms. The female members of the cooperative (around 20%) are mostly widows and often find it difficult to provide for their families. Coffee is a major source of income for these marginalized households.

The cooperative has 3616 members, 687 of the members are women.

The cooperative produces several coffee varieties for export: Arabica: Bourbon (Gayo 1, Gayo 2), Ateng Super, Lini S (Typica S795), Catimor and Caturra. The coffee is qualified as grade 1, caramel sweetness, spicy notes, with low acidity and dense body coffee.

Fairtrade Certification

The cooperative farmers are enthusiastic about Fairtrade and strong advocates for protecting the environment. They have been rewarded with achieving a higher income according to the national average and continue to look for opportunities to sell their 100% organic coffee.

Fairtrade Benefits/ Premium

Social Benefits

The cooperative provides families with basic food such as rice and vegetable oil at difficult points in the clear when coffee is no longer providing an income. It is a lifeline for many families

The cooperative has used the Fairtrade Premium to buy a much needed ambulance for the community. With the help of the Fairtrade Premium, the villagers were able to build a new hospital. The local government matched the Premium money. With the combined funds, the cooperative was not only able to rebuild the hospital, but also start a new clinic in their village for basic health care.

The cooperative also provides financial support for the growing number of students from the cooperative’s families.

Quality & productivity

Thirty three villages have received technical support to improve the quality of their coffee. The cooperative has used the Fairtrade Premium to purchase weeding machinery, which helps to keep the plants healthy and producing at their optimum. There are also three certified cuppers who check the quality of the coffee.

Environment

A seedling nursery has been set up to distribute new coffee plants to members. It also runs breeding programs to find strong varietals of coffee which more resistant to the emerging problems in the area: climate change, pests and diseases.