Sumatra Musara Honey

This honey-processed coffee comes from Asman Arianto, leader of the cooperative. Ribang Gayo MusaraTogether with their approximately 350 members, they are changing our perception of how a coffee from Sumatra can taste. Through Asman's vision and each producer's meticulous craftsmanship and care, well-balanced coffees with great character are created.

In this particular coffee, the natural sugars in the coffee are left on the bean during drying. The result is a cup with the fresh brightness and smooth honey notes of apricot, elegantly balanced by a fullness reminiscent of sweet chocolate.

Asman Arianto founded the Ribang Gayo Musara Cooperative to offer competitive prices that enable the cooperative's more than 350 members to reinvest in their farms and support their families.

Asman is originally from Palembang in southern Sumatra, but has lived and worked in Aceh Tengah since 1998. Most of the farmers in Aceh Tengah are immigrants, many of them from Sinabung Berastagi in northern Sumatra, after the long-dormant volcano there became active again in 2013.

While living in Palembang, Asman sold various goods, but he was particularly drawn to coffee production. After moving to Aceh, he entered the coffee industry, initially collecting and processing wet-hulled coffee. Before long, he began purchasing coffee cherries and processing them using Fully Washed, Honey, and Natural methods.

Driven by a desire to bring coffee farmers together, Asman founded the Ribang Gayo Musara Cooperative in 2018. His goal was to offer competitive prices that would enable farmers to reinvest in their farms and support their families. Today, the cooperative has more than 350 members who deliver their cherries to its processing facility in Pantan Musara.

Almost all coffee farms in Sumatra are small, typically ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. Coffee is usually the main cash crop, but most farmers also intercrop it with vegetables, maize, and fruit. This additional produce provides a significant portion of the family’s food throughout the year.

The benefits for cooperative members are threefold. First, they get higher prices for their cherry when they sell to the cooperative. Second, as cooperative members, they receive end-of-season ‘second payment’ premiums that share a portion of profits earned for higher-quality lots.

THE HONEY METHOD

The cherries are handpicked on member farms. Upon delivery to the cooperative wet mill, the cherry undergoes a rigorous selection process. Cherry is then pulped using a disc pulper. After pulping, the parchment is laid to dry on raised beds in greenhouses with the mucilage still attached. While it drys, it will be sorted and raked regularly.