With a touch of French savoir-faire in Geographical Indications (GI), smallholders of the Indonesian Cooperative produce coffee for the world consumers: a 24-year journey

22/03/2024
The connection between the farmers, the origin of the place and the object is what Coop Coffee constantly strives to explore. It brought the journey back to 2000 where CIRAD initiated its first explorations and discussions that would lead make the French notion of terroir, to become an Indonesian notion too. A Terroir is a unique assemblage of soils, climate and culture of a region, resulting in irreproducible taste. Through the labels of origin such as the Geographical Indication (GI), for the first time Indonesian coffee of Kintamani Bali became protected as intellectual property, thanks to international treaties recognizing Geographical Indications.
Le PDG de Coop Coffee Indonesia, Reza Fabianus, présentant le parcours de l'IG café indonésienne et discutant des schémas de financement et des scénarios d'agriculture contractuelle, sur le stand AFD-CIRAD au Salon international de l'agriculture de Paris 2024. © R. Fabianus
Le PDG de Coop Coffee Indonesia, Reza Fabianus, présentant le parcours de l'IG café indonésienne et discutant des schémas de financement et des scénarios d'agriculture contractuelle, sur le stand AFD-CIRAD au Salon international de l'agriculture de Paris 2024. © R. Fabianus

Coop Coffee Indonesia CEO, Reza Fabianus, presenting the history of the Indonesian coffee GI and discussing financing schemes and contract farming scenarios, on the AFD-CIRAD stand at the Paris 2024 International Agricultural Show. © R. Fabianus

L'attachée commerciale indonésienne de l'Ambassade d'Indonésie en France, Ruth Joanna Samaria, et le PDG de Coop Coffee, Reza Fabianus, rencontrant la PDG du CIRAD, Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, au Salon International de l'Agriculture de Paris 2024 (© Ambassade d'Indonésie en France)

Indonesian Trade Attaché Ruth Joanna Samaria and Coop Coffee CEO Reza Fabianus meet CIRAD CEO Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin at the Paris 2024 International Agricultural Show © Indonesian embassy in France

Starting in 2000, CIRAD created Indonesia’s first Geographical Indication (GI) thanks to supports from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with conferences, travels, a expatriate. Officialised in 2008, this coffee GI, known as the’ Kintamani - Bali’ GI, was extremely successful. So much so, that the Kintamani team was commissioned by the Indonesian government to create and manage the Coop-Community and Coop-Coffee, which have created 130 GIs of all types, and 48 coffee GIs. These 48-Indonesian coffee GIs together represent one third of the coffee GIs in the world. CIRAD has scientifically supported this team over the last 24 years, and continues to do so today. The latest common actions explore bio composts on one side, and agriculture digitalisation on the other (Matthieu Bufkens, Phd student at university Paris 7 and co-directed by CIRAD, explores how digitalisation of agriculture and blockchains affect GIs such as’ Kintamani - Bali’). Future works could also question if and how contract farming of smallholders can reinforce or endanger the sustainability of the production systems, and how to uplift smalholders sustainability through multiple cooperative services.

Café arabica Bali Kintamani avec une traçabilité basée sur la blockchain. © R. Fabianus

Bali Kintamani arabica coffee with blockchain-based traceability. R. Fabianus

Les spécialistes du café du monde entier se réunissent à Paris:  les directeurs régionaux du Cirad pour le Mexique, l'Amérique centrale et les pays andins, et pour l'Afrique centrale (P. Vaast, T. Leroy), le PDG de Coop Coffee (R. Fabianus), le directeur régional du Cirad pour le Brésil (P. Marraccini), le chef de projet senior du Cirad (A. Rival), et le directeur adjoint du département PERSYST du Cirad (E. Justes). © Cirad

Coffee specialists from around the world gathered in Paris: CIRAD's Regional Directors for Mexico, Central America and the Andean countries, and for Central Africa (P. Vaast, T. Leroy), the CEO of Coop Coffee (R. Fabianus), CIRAD's Regional Director for Brazil (P. Marraccini), CIRAD's Senior Project Manager (A. Rival), and the Deputy Director of CIRAD's PERSYST Department (E. Justes) © CIRAD