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Flores Indonesian Coffee: A Sweet Maria’s Travelogue

A trip around Bajawa Indonesia to see the coffee harvest, processing, and meet with Flores coffee producers we have been buying from for years…

Flores coffee has changed, grown, become more competitive … and there has been an upswing in cup quality as well, I believe. I wanted to share photos from my recent trip to Flores to meet up with the coffee farmers and producers we have been buying from.

It was important to reconnect with our sources here, since I missed the peak harvest time last season. There are changes in Flores: a lot of producers are now roasting their own coffee to sell, a way to get a premium price, and a point of pride too I think.

It’s always great when farms and coops have multiple options to sell their coffee, and puts them in control of their crop. They can seek the best prices and negotiate from a better position, I believe.

I have a video to accompany these images below, but I sorted them a bit by subject. First, the coffee producers, then some of the wonderful cultural / historic aspects of visiting Bajawa, then dogs! Okay, and cats and cows, along with some other stuff that always catches my interest: bamboo, trucks, cacao! -Thompson 2023

Flores Story 2023: IDK what’s going on here, fighting or loving, but the Komodo story is laid on thick in Flores for tourist sake.
Producers: Om Leo is in Wolo Wio and part of a larger cooperative group. We have offered his coffee for some years, but he has a roasting business now that is taking off.
Mama Sin is a producer and collector who buys local coffee. Her whole name is Maria Yasinta but she is known as Mama Sin! Bajawa culture is matriarchal (Her husband is from Sumba island, nearby, which is patriarchal). He moved to her family home when they wed.
Bernardus has his coffee collection business behind the family home. A collector might also farm, but buys neighbor coffee to form larger lots and sells to buyers and roasters. Bernardus farm is in Wolo Bobo area.
Extended family, in particular the elders, will stay with the family. This is Bernardus aunt, who was preparing betel nut, which is mostly chewed by women in Bajawa.
Detail of betel nut, stripped from the outer layer and drying in the sun.
Mama Fanny is a collector and farmer, who is mostly processing honey coffee and naturals in her home. She is in Bei Poso village.
Like a lot of farmers, Mama Fanny has found that roasting and selling packets of ground coffee is a great way to get the best price for a portion of her crop. Here she is with Abrahm who is coordinating coffee via our exporter in Flores this year.
Albertus is another supplier I have known for years, and now he is roasting as well for markets in Indonesia as Agli coffee brand. When we have offered Wawa Muda coffee from Flores, that’s Albertus coffee.
At Om Leo’s roasting space, this painting was so amazing. In Bahasa it reads ” make sure the coffee you drink does not mix with the tears of farmers” !
Someone really hates Kopi Luwak! At JYN coffee mill this was the truck of one of the partners there, depicting an eagle grabbing a luwak! I mentioned that “hey, its not really the luwak’s fault here” . Is it? anyway kinda a joke anyway.
Most of the farmers and collectors are processing at home using small portable pulpers. They can then collect all the pulp and skins to make compost for the trees. Bernardus house.
The collective patios in the villages are often used for coffee drying. Mama Sin was sorting parchment coffee in front of her house when we pulled up.
Daniel has been our main contact in Indonesia for some time. He spent a portion of his middle and high school years in Sulawesi so speaks Bahasa fluently, and knows coffee so so well.
This trip was a first because Ben Owen, 16, came along. Ben is Thompson and Maria’s son. This was not an easy trip and he did a great job keeping in together despite all the stuff thrown at him (and me too!)
Uh, this was our idea for a horror film based on a coffee farm. You get the idea…
Bagging, labeling, Lot separation is not something people are going to highlight much when talking about coffee sourcing. But its so important.without lot separation we would not have quality coffee to sell you!
Traditionally organized Bajawa villages are a balance between ceremonial homes, new and old building technqiues and work space for drying agricultral products like coffee.
Ata Gae Village is typical of Bajawa, where male and female structures, some armed with spears and knives, span the central area.
Bogenga village structures representing female elders, Susu area of Bajawa. Susu means milk!
Beiposo village – other structures have figures that represent elders as well. This on Mama Fanny house.
At Mama Sin’s family house we see the Soha, or So’a Waru, the inner ceremonial room. It is for family meeting and special ceremony. There are 3 levels of Soha and this is highest level in the village.
Detail of thre carving od buffalo on the Soha / So’a in Mama Sin house. The “regular” family home is actually built around the Soha, creating the unique roof line of the Bajawa house.
We also visited an actual tourist site, Bena traditional village in Ngada area. it is a functioning village where the residents participate in the tours and sell various crafts such as cloth weaving. I bought some vanilla beans here.
Megalith stones are common in Bajawa villages and here in Bena as well. This area is actually outside Bajawa area and is Ngada culture group.
Now, on to the important matter of dogs in Bajawa Flores!
Coffee pup. Standing right on top of the parchment coffee drying on the patio.
One ear up at Maria Yasinta house. Dogs of Flores Indonesia
Just blendng in and taking in the warmth… Dogs of Flores Indonesia
Mama Fani puppy chewing on a bone: Dogs of Flores Indonesia
At JYN mill, the “don’t bug me it’s warm here” look. Dogs of Flores Indonesia
A cover contender for the 2024 Dogs of Coffee Calendar. Dogs of Flores Indonesia
This little guy had obvious reasons for hanging out and trying to look cute. We were at a Babi Bakan – BBQ pork, place, which was basically someones house, in Bajawa
At Bogenga village, a dog with a unique collar of herbs, so it seems … Flea control? Dogs of Flores Indonesia
Can’t leave out the cats too. Passing this cemetary I snapped a few photos not realizing this cat was having a moment here. Cats of Flores Indonesia
At the Babi Bakan house, mama and kittens: Cats of Flores Indonesia
At Bena traditional village, camoflauge cat! Cats of Flores Indonesia
We can’t leave out the “Cows of Coffee”. This in Beiposo was grazing around the coffee shrubs.
…And this little guy as well: Cows of Coffee, Flores Indonesia
At the site of Albertus coffee farm, typical massive timber bamboo stand
Impressive width of the culms of timber bamboo, which also seemed especially strong (thick walled) type, Guadua?
But of course, the prettiest plant of all. Coffea Arabica, Flores Indonesia
I can’t leave out the trucks. All indonesia has a lot of pride when it comes to trucks and graphics. This one had some good art.
Water buffalo is another sign of status and standing in Indonesia. Sulawesi in particular but Flores as well.
And yeah, women. Just funny the way this painting peeks out from the canvas. Why? hmm.
These guys: I stopped to get some pictures of this wacky motorcycle at a trader of cacao (I got some cacao too, but wow so low grade!). Anway the dudes wanted a picture and i was happy to do it. Great t shirts “Talk Nicely To Me” Yes definitely.
Leaving Bajawa we stopped at a favorite hot spring that is where a hote river meets a cold one. I decided to take product photo. Lol
Labuan Bajo, leaving Flores for Sumba island and some days in the surf. This “Komodo conquers the world” was massive and oddly comical, 50s monstor movie-ish. Flores Indonesia 2023, Thompson (and Ben too)

Flores Video , Visit to Bajawa Fores Coffee Areas

Related Posts:

  • Om Bene coffee, Tolo Rojo area Bajawa
    Flores     Indonesian coffee: Balanced and Beautiful
  • Sulawesi coffee growing areas
    Sulawesi Coffee Areas: A Sweet Maria's Travelogue

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