Indonesia Gayo Avatara Natural CM

An interesting coffee. Not obvious. Worth trying :).

Flavor notes: Apple, Red Stone Fruits, Chocolate

From the roastery:

Behind this lot stands our long-time friend and talented coffee producer Bang Hendra, along with his family and dedicated team known as Gayo Avatara.

Hendra is a person who deeply respects nature, and his passion for coffee is widely known throughout Indonesia. He is highly regarded in both domestic and international markets — he regularly reaches the finals of the Cup of Excellence and has been active in the specialty coffee industry for over 12 years.

I met Hendra through my old friends who have been working in the coffee industry for many years — some of them for over 14 years. From the very beginning, they kept telling me that I had to meet him — that he is a partner with whom you build a long-term relationship. We have known each other for about five years, and this is our third year of cooperation.

From an environmental perspective, their approach to sustainability is truly inspiring. Their fertilization practices are entirely natural, and they produce their own compost. In addition to growing coffee, they also plant native trees and plants to support biodiversity, strengthen soil root systems (which prevents erosion), and improve water retention in the ecosystem.

We also strive to create lasting economic benefits for farmers and workers. Farmers set the prices for cherries themselves and receive cash payment when they deliver them to Hendra.

As for the workers, I had the opportunity to talk to the team responsible for processing the coffee — four men, one of whom is my old friend from Java who found his place working for Hendra, and the others are from Sumatra. They are paid per kilogram of processed coffee, not a fixed monthly salary. Thanks to the larger scale of production that Hendra handles, they can earn up to 30 million rupiahs per month, providing them with a stable and satisfying livelihood.

Detailed processing steps

• Cherry sorting
• Depulping (pulp removal)
• 72-hour carbonic anaerobic maceration
• Drying parchment for 23–28 days to approx. 13% moisture level
• Hulling
• Further drying of green beans to 11.5% moisture level
• Size sorting
• Manual defect selection
• Packaging and final quality control
• Export